Shield Engineering Choices for FDL (PvE)

tolm

tolm
I know there are threads about this - and I’ve read them!

Long story short, got my [rear end] handed to me in a HAZRES when literally everyone starting attacking me after I shot the Mission Target Clipper that was already under attack from other pirates ... apparently as soon as a player opens fire they all become best of friends ... anyway, my standard 5C Bi-Weaves evaporated and I limped outta there with my hull in tatters ... thank god for the dirty drive upgrade I’d done otherwise I’d be looking at a 4.5 mil rebuy!

Anyway, from the other stuff I’ve read it sounds like Resistance rather than pure MJ could be the “smart” approach so I’m weighing up:

- 5C Bi-Weave Shield Generator with Thermal Resist Engineering
- 4x Resistance Augmented Shield Boosters
- 2x Heavy Duty Shield Boosters

vs

- 5A Shield Generator with Enhanced Low Power Engineering
- 6x Resistance Enhanced Shield Boosters

I think Option 1 will hold up longer, despite having less MJ, since the (Thermal in particular) resistances will drastically increase the effectiveness even if it’s only ~1000MJ vs maybe 1500MJ for Option 2?

I’m not awash with materials - especially Manufactured - so I’m gonna have to go scavenging for stuff and doubt I’ll get to try both ... so what are folks thoughts who have tried either or both of these approaches?
 
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Vardaugas

Vardaugas
Resistance boosters have a diminishing return. So after three resistance amplified ones, they are barely worth it compared to heavy duty.
 

SCTrojanbulldog

SCTrojanbulldog
Just got back from a long hiatus and I don't know if they changed the shield mechanics at all.

I pilot a Cutter and use a Reinforced Bi-weave with 4 HD SB and 2 Resistance and have usually stuck with the 2-1 ratio. the reason for this is the reduction in effectiveness of resistance when stacked (at least that was the understanding a while back).

Now, if you have the attention of a lot of ships at one time, I don't believe anything you do to the FDL shield set-up will mitigate the ultimate outcome. Even in my 3,800 mj high resistance cutter, a pack of four or greater with unencumbered focus fire will start chipping rings at an alarming speed.

That's my two cents, and its probably worth less than that.
 

Straha Yeagar

S
I run mine with a 5C bi-weave, thermal resistant, thermo block, 3 heavy duty, super cap shield boosters, and 3 resistance augmented, force block shield boosters. With a bit of evasive flying, I can sit all day in a haz res, with multiple hostiles on me without losing a single ring. Doesn't hurt either having G5 dirty drag drives, and G5 charge enhanced power distributor allowing for 3-0-3 config and still cruise over 400m/s and firing the huge beam indefinitely.
 

Herbrand

Herbrand
Vardaugas said:
Resistance boosters have a diminishing return. So after three resistance amplified ones, they are barely worth it compared to heavy duty.
Click to expand...

Despite diminishing returns, every % point of resistance is worth increasingly more - it is still very much worth it.

The difference lies in the type of fights you expect to be in: for prolonged, continuous fighting, Bi-Weave / Resistance Augmented is better; for shorter, harder fights Reinforced / Heavy Duty is better.
 

tolm

tolm
Wow - fast responses, thanks guys! So ... sounds like my instinct for going the Resistance route was right but better to cap off the Boosters at 3? That’ll mess up my OCD for symmetrical ship outfitting but I’ll get over it!

Yeh, already going the Dirty Drives route (at G2 presently) along with a Heat Efficent PP ... which could become an issue: I also run 4x C2 Gimballed Beams (G3 Efficient) and am sitting at about 99% power usage at the moment. Cargo scoop is off but I have Fuel Scoop, Docking Computer and FSD (if absolutely necessary) that could go to priority 2 to get more power for drives or shields. If I can get the mats then Flow Control on the beans or other experimental effects could help, I guess.

I currently have a Weapons Focused PD (G3) but am Engineering up a Chargr Enhanced one on the side as a more “all round” comparison.

Right - now to catalog all the mats I need and start prospecting High Metal Content Planets and investigating Combat Aftermath’s! Gives me an excuse to de-mothball my DBX. Oh, and I need to get 200 tonnes of gold to Lieu... :)
 

Ian Doncaster

Ian Doncaster
I have the fairly standard:
4A Prismatic (thermal resist)
5A+4A SCB
2x resistance enhanced boosters
2x heavy duty boosters
1x high capacity heat sink
1x chaff/KWS/another heat sink depending on what I'm planning to fight

You could substitute a 4A Standard if you don't have prismatics - you only lose a little bit that way, as most of your shield strength is in the SCBs.

This gives plenty of shielding - no single NPC can significantly dent the first ring, and even packs of four in CZs take a while to do enough damage to worry about: if the shields start to run down then double-banking gets them back to near-full again. There's enough total shielding to do wing assassinations solo.
 

Herbrand

Herbrand
tolm said:
Right - now to catalog all the mats I need and start prospecting High Metal Content Planets and investigating Combat Aftermath’s!
Click to expand...

What are you looking for in Combat Aftermaths?

Either way yes, it is much better to make a huge "shopping list" of everything you will need to get where you want to, and then analyse where you will need to go to get everything to minimise the busywork.
 

tolm

tolm
Herbrand said:
What are you looking for in Combat Aftermaths?
Click to expand...

Um ... some of this lot:

Shield Booster - Resistance Augmented
- Conductive Components (II + III)
- Focus Crystals (III)

Shield Booster - Heavy Duty
- Grid Resistors (I)
- Hybrid Capacitors (II + III)

Or is that wrong? Genuinely not sure where any of my existing Manufactured materials came from!
 

Herbrand

Herbrand
tolm said:
Um ... some of this lot:

Shield Booster - Resistance Augmented
- Conductive Components (II + III)
- Focus Crystals (III)

Shield Booster - Heavy Duty
- Grid Resistors (I)
- Hybrid Capacitors (II + III)

Or is that wrong? Genuinely not sure where any of my existing Manufactured materials came from!
Click to expand...

Every level 1-2-3 mat can be easily synthesised from level 3-4-5 mats you should already be finding along the way; acquiring those via Combat Aftermaths is a particularly slow way of doing so.

Your best bet is going to HazRes / Combat Zones / Convoy Beacons (those three yield different sets of manufactured materials) with at least a 3A Limpet Controller and plenty of Limpets, and scoop up the stuff after every ship you blow.
Low-level mats will soon be an afterthought.
 

Straha Yeagar

S
Here is the ED Shipyard link to my build...

http://www.edshipyard.com/new/#/L=CO0O6C0S0,ElxG3I4AxhXCthXIxCpMypDHf5GBH4CzcQGvcQKqpDcqdrHf5GBK4CzcQGvcQKqpDcqdrHf5GBK4CzcQGvcQKqpDcqdrHf5GBK4CzcQGvcQKqpDcqdr,DBwG5Ia16004qpD8u00Cw58DBwG5Ia16004qpD8u00Cw58DBwG5Ia16004qpD8u00Cw58DBwG9I56phX8u00IrSAMrSAQrSADBwG9I56phX8u00IrSAMrSAQrSADBwG9I56phX8u00IrSAMrSAQrSA,9p3G5H44v7iAkPcEkPcIkPcAAAG7H36u008wPcCu00AOEG5H56qpD8phXEq00GwPcKypDAcIG5Ha0upD6qpD8qpDGyPcAsOG3022_006wPcB8gG3GcIkPcKxCpQkPcSxCpYkPcaxCpBLAG3G32_Pc6y00Iu00BZY0,,7T4G9K34wPcasPcgy0007204_w05PU02UI0,KATE_0FOSTER,STR_D21

In PvE situations, it can take down deadly NPC corvettes in less than a minute, and in RES, wings, especially with ones that are a single big ship such as FAS, FDS, FGS, Clipper and small ships such as Vipers, Eagles, Couriers, etc...the whole wing is gone without losing a single ring of shields on 3-0-3
 
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tolm

tolm
Herbrand said:
Every level 1-2-3 mat can be easily synthesised from level 3-4-5 mats you should already be finding along the way; acquiring those via Combat Aftermaths is a particularly slow way of doing so.

Your best bet is going to HazRes / Combat Zones / Convoy Beacons (those three yield different sets of manufactured materials) with at least a 3A Limpet Controller and plenty of Limpets, and scoop up the stuff after every ship you blow.
Low-level mats will soon be an afterthought.
Click to expand...

I’ve read that materials can be synthesised but haven’t figured out how! I did use some material traders to shuffle stuff around which helped but I don’t have enough high-level mats left now for that to be effective.

HAZRES and CZs scare me ... maybe I’ll start with looking for the likes of Phosphorus, Germanium and Selenium and see if I can hit some G1-2 levels before going further!

Honestly, the whole engineer materials thing is so annoying: as if someone in the 34th century wouldn’t sell this stuff!!

Also - I shall read up on Limpet Controllers. Did use ‘em briefly when I tried mining but if they can be use to avoid cargo scoop shenanigans as well, great!
 
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tolm

tolm
Well, got the gold to Leu and spent a while prospecting on his planet: picked up some phosphorous, selenium and ruthenium which I was able to trade for Germanium in a decent quantity. This enable me to get to:

- 5C Bi-Weave Shield Gen w/G3 Thermal Resistant and Multi Weave Experimental
- 2x G1 Heavy Duty Shield Boosters (mass and power increase not too bad with only 2)
- 2x G1 Thermal Resist Shield Boosters
- 2x G1 Resistance Augmented Shield Boosters (more than make up for the kinetic loss from the above two)

Overall Shield strength is up to ~930MJ and kinetic/explosive resists are essentially unchanged. But the big difference is Thermal Resist which has gone from -20% to +40%!! Gave ‘em a quick go in a High Res and the difference is very noticeable: took on a Master FAS solo - which I’d have been confident of before but would expect to loose shields before I hit through his hull - and he went down before I lost even one ring. Likewise face tanked an Anconda (admittedly with the police there by that point) and only lost one ring of shields before I took the PP out.

Awesome ... now to go chasing Manufactured Mats to get to G5!!
 
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