Remember, when you need an extra (roughly) 2% power? You have another option...

[Staarlord]

We've all found ourselves trying to push our builds to the extreme. Whether it's trying to get the G5 low emissions + thermal spread to work with as much power overhead as possible, or, in my case? Trying to get the AX Cutter Shield Tank with G5 overcharge + monstered to maintain 8A Prismatic shield, SCBs, boosters and as many Guardian weapons as possible. Not to mention, 3x heatsinks and 1x caustic launcher.

A tiny little change in gameplay may make or break that dream build. Right down to the Megawatt.

For a minute there, it was looking as if I'd need to ditch another booster for a measly 1.13MW (thereabouts) of deployed power, but then? I remembered and suddenly concluded, "Hey! Why don't I add a slightly more thirsty module to the ship and put myself even further into power deficit?

That said? My new thing for these sort of builds is a No Life Support build... Well, kind of. Many already know that placing your life support low in priority (higher value) is one of the good ways to settle reduced power scenarios due to power plant damage, but many don't consider aiming to go without life support in the combat zone in the first place!

That said? I now rock a A-rated life support for the extra 20 minutes of uptime. This places me even further into deficit, but not "deployed" deficit. So I now set my life support priority to that of a cargo rack or fuel scoop (priority 5) to trim 1MW+ of power, in order to get me back down to 99% If, for some reason in an AX conflict zone (or the like) I need more O2? I can simply retract my weapons, wait a few seconds, then redeploy them.

I also prefer this from an immersive standpoint, as playing this way reminds me of those bits in Halo Reach, where you spacewalk and fly the Longsword and all you can hear is the atmosphere of your helmet/ cockpit and everything else was muted and muffled. It's not 100% space accurate but adds a certain "spaciness" to the gameplay.

Meet the no life support AX Cutter (in case you want to hear/ not hear the sounds)

Source: https://youtu.be/YJZk7T1UuXY


My build (differs slightly on Coriolis since modified shards aren't listed there and are slightly steeper in power draw):

Coriolis EDCD Edition

A ship builder, outfitting and comparison tool for Elite Dangerous

s.orbis.zone

 

[Archvillain]

Shades of The Expanse; preparation for battle means putting on suits and depressurizing the ship interior, because the ship is likely about to get a bunch of holes blown through it, but that won't matter as much if the ship is already depressurized and the crew protected

 

[Staarlord]

Shades of The Expanse; preparation for battle means putting on suits and depressurizing the ship interior, because the ship is likely about to get a bunch of holes blown through it, but that won't matter as much if the ship is already depressurized and the crew protected

I mean, that's my philosophy!

 

[vlazet]

If, for some reason in an AX conflict zone (or the like) I need more O2? I can simply retract my weapons, wait a few seconds, then redeploy them.

you appear to be laboring under the common misconception that turning on life support will replenish o2. It does not. The only way to replenish emergency oxygen is to either synth it with mats or dock. So turning on life support only stops the countdown, it does not reset it.

 

[Koma Pahu]

I have run combat builds without life support, and it does have a cool immersive feel. I stopped after reaching a sticky end in SC with a blown canopy on my way back to a station. There’s almost always an alternative module to switch off - usually an AFMU.

And as @vlazet says, the only way to replenish is by synthesis or returning to a station.

 

[DjVortex]

Trying to get the AX Cutter Shield Tank with G5 overcharge + monstered to maintain 8A Prismatic shield, SCBs, boosters and as many Guardian weapons as possible. Not to mention, 3x heatsinks and 1x caustic launcher.

I thought the war is over.

(Also, isn't using shields against thargoids a bit useless? Better put a hull reinforcement module in its place, you'll get more protection.)

 

[Dillon Fallon]

Depending on how brave you're feeling, you could also do this. https://s.orbis.zone/qNeQ

 

[Felix DiCestria]

I thought the war is over.

(Also, isn't using shields against thargoids a bit useless? Better put a hull reinforcement module in its place, you'll get more protection.)

Caustic Sinks rendered the previous hull tank stuff obsolete. Shielded is back unless you're really concerned about the size of your hit box.

 

[Koma Pahu]

Caustic Sinks rendered the previous hull tank stuff obsolete. Shielded is back unless you're really concerned about the size of your hit box.

Not exactly. Thargons still cause havoc on a shielded ship.

 

[Surprize960]

I do like the idea of a No Life Support build , but you get the same defensive and offensive results without power issues when using a 7D SCO FSD, 7D Life Support and an 8B SCB (which gives you more total MJs, by the way).

Coriolis EDCD Edition

A ship builder, outfitting and comparison tool for Elite Dangerous

coriolis.io

 

[Staarlord]

I have run combat builds without life support, and it does have a cool immersive feel. I stopped after reaching a sticky end in SC with a blown canopy on my way back to a station. There’s almost always an alternative module to switch off - usually an AFMU.

And as @vlazet says, the only way to replenish is by synthesis or returning to a station.

Oof! Yeah I don't use an AFMU since with shield tank you don't receive direct module damage as long as the shields are up. So if they pop and I'm taking too much hull damage I'm waking out, or popping a sink and drift rebooting and then waking out. I did notice you can now synth atmo/ resupply life support. I don't think I've noticed that before. I feel like that's was added at some point.

 

[Koma Pahu]

Oof! Yeah I don't use an AFMU since with shield tank you don't receive direct module damage as long as the shields are up. So if they pop and I'm taking too much hull damage I'm waking out, or popping a sink and drift rebooting and then waking out. I did notice you can now synth atmo/ resupply life support. I don't think I've noticed that before. I feel like that's was added at some point.

I also find the FSD works well as you’ve usually got to boost away from combat before you can jump anyway, giving it time to boot up.

 

[Staarlord]

I do like the idea of a No Life Support build , but you get the same defensive and offensive results without power issues when using a 7D SCO FSD, 7D Life Support and an 8B SCB (which gives you more total MJs, by the way).

Coriolis EDCD Edition

A ship builder, outfitting and comparison tool for Elite Dangerous

coriolis.io

Ah I'll check it out. So, this started with me in a 7D LS and using a 7A (long range) SCO. When you mentioned this, I realized I had made an error in my post and stated the total deficit I now face (7A LS included). I was only overdeployed power by about two tenths (?) of a megawatt with my 7D (or so I think) and turning it off? I didn't like the idea of only five minutes. But you do raise a good point...I could probably not engineer my SCO (or, true, just go to a 7D) and make up some of that power. Currently it's G5 long range which does use more power I believe.

[Edit]
This is where Coriolis gets weird and is not very accurate, down to the power requirement. So, below is with 7D SCO already fitted (I popped on over to Obsidian Terminal to try this out) and another screenshot showing what my power would be in going back to 7D Life support in addition. It appears I was more overdrawn than Coriolis states?

 

[Staarlord]

True! A little extra boot up time when waking out but one many could probably afford, unless you waited too long to wake lol

 

[Staarlord]

I thought the war is over.

(Also, isn't using shields against thargoids a bit useless? Better put a hull reinforcement module in its place, you'll get more protection.)

I have the normal Chieftain/ Krait builds. I was just tweaking my AXCZ fun ship. It's good in a group. Formerly I had it outfitted with almost all shards and just hull modules but wanted to try (and put a spin on) the AXI large ship Cutter build. The only thing I did was remove some boosters and add more weapons and remove the 6A SCB, and if active Spires return? I'll probably go back to that, as I'll just be using Sirius missiles and multis and could then use more boosters.

Originally, the AXI build calls for about 9000MJ but that only helps you in the initial engagement and after that you're popping banks to maintain less than what I have now anyway. So just decided to bring extra sinks and just run colder to reduce/ avoid taking that initial damage in the first place. At least in CZs.

There are some conflict zones I was playing around at up in California Nebula but nobody was up there the Saturday I spent there (despite many carriers being parked there) so I came back.

 

[Tifu]

I thought the war is over.

When Cocijo died, this scene popped up in my head.

 

[GloatingSwine]

you appear to be laboring under the common misconception that turning on life support will replenish o2. It does not. The only way to replenish emergency oxygen is to either synth it with mats or dock. So turning on life support only stops the countdown, it does not reset it.

OTOH it's 2 iron and 1 nickel to synth life support. Not exactly costly.

 

[Staarlord]

you appear to be laboring under the common misconception that turning on life support will replenish o2. It does not. The only way to replenish emergency oxygen is to either synth it with mats or dock. So turning on life support only stops the countdown, it does not reset it.

I might have recorded it at the end of my video but I've been doing just that lol. Retract weapons and due to module priority it flips back on...atmosphere restored. Maybe I didn't record that part at the very end, but it certainly does seem to work this way. Maybe it didn't always?

Edit
[Yeah at about 8 minutes mark I retracted them, as I have been doing because every time I go back to Copernicus I have audio again.

 

[GloatingSwine]

I might have recorded it at the end of my video but I've been doing just that lol. Retract weapons and due to module priority it flips back on...atmosphere restored. Maybe I didn't record that part at the very end, but it certainly does seem to work this way. Maybe it didn't always?

Edit
[Yeah at about 8 minutes mark I retracted them, as I have been doing because every time I go back to Copernicus I have audio again.

AFAIK it doesn't refill your emergency oxygen timer though, if you deployed again it would pick up the countdown where it left off unless you synth a refill.

 

[Staarlord]

AFAIK it doesn't refill your emergency oxygen timer though, if you deployed again it would pick up the countdown where it left off unless you synth a refill.

Ah! Okay! I think I can live with the ingredient cost, if I were in a longer CZ session. More than likely I would have to go back before the 25 minutes was up to refit and refill my SCBs anyway though, in a large ship. In a small ship that is probably already even true anyway since I tend to run out (and do not synth) ammo.