The Crusader - The Pilot

Not a big fan of the Crusader, for me it's the worst Alliance ship, but I recently saw a squad mate dancing with it in a CNB so it can't be that Bad.

A Chieftain with slightly reduced Agility and one Large Hardpoint taken down to Medium is still a very capable Brawler. I honestly think in a duel between equally skilled pilots, a well built Crusader would likely beat the well built Chieftain more often than not if used correctly. It's easy to forget that SLFs can add the DPS equivalent of an un-engineered Huge Hardpoint, and the Chieftain has no way to deal with SLF pests without taking it's eyes off it's main target, which is a serious problem for a Brawler.
 
A Chieftain with slightly reduced Agility and one Large Hardpoint taken down to Medium is still a very capable Brawler. I honestly think in a duel between equally skilled pilots, a well built Crusader would likely beat the well built Chieftain more often than not if used correctly. It's easy to forget that SLFs can add the DPS equivalent of an un-engineered Huge Hardpoint, and the Chieftain has no way to deal with SLF pests without taking it's eyes off it's main target, which is a serious problem for a Brawler.
I'm more a Challenger man myself and I'd happily clubber any Crusader to death with it. Or with a Dropship 😜
But I really like the Spoiler.
 
hmm, i got a T10 named "Pinapple Pizza" - ID "Calzon"

but that aside, if Multicrew wouldn't be that bad, and the guardian SLFs not even worse against Thargoids, i would take a crusader hunting interceptors with friends.
(oh, and why would you need an NPC SLF pilot to deploy two SLFs? The gunner can deploy in one too)
 
Anyone who uses anything but the Python or Krait Mk II for multirole only do it for RP reasons. Those two ships are head and shoulders above pretty much any similar ship in the game. Pure combat and exploration are exceptions.
 
I think part of what makes the Crusader frustrating is how it compares to the other medium SLF ships...notably its immediate competitor, the Federal Gunship. The FGS is a beast of a ship, even in unskilled hands, without the SLF. The Crusader is very capable with an SLF but the military slots gimp its usability heavily.

It reminds me of the Adder. It's a very strong candidates for solid multi-crew usage, but forgets that multi-crew doesn't really work currently. The Adder has the obvious turret-centric hardpoint for a Gunner, the Crusader has the hardpoint count for a gunner to have fun defending while an SLF runs solid offense. That's the trouble with some of these 'lesser' MC ships...the Krait is super powerful as a solo craft, but the 'smaller' mediums simply don't offer a lot with multi-crew basically a bust since launch.

I really, really want the C-Series to be more multi-role. It says a lot that the Federal Dropship is an astounding multi-role save for its terrible jump range. Slots galore! There is so much potential in all three C-Series if they had less locked slots. Seems really out of context, too, that Lakon would do that...you'd think Core Dynamics would be the manufacturer to push military hardware and nix optionals?

Ah, it never ceases to amaze me how much thought goes into ships in Elite...and how much it still misses.
 
  • I don't have Crusader (have Chieftain but that's mothballed since purchase...a year ago? Can't remember. Bought and put on shelf)
  • I don't have NPC hired (nor I intend in near future)
  • I haven't used SLF

So why I feel the urge to do circles in SLF around Crusader? I don't even like this ship. And fighters.
I blame The Pilot for another great video.
 
Weird, it's a military ship. Those military slots are there for a purpose.
And with the engines so exposed, alliance ships can never have too many MRP.

Usability may be the wrong word...

They gimp options for diverse builds.

And, as I already said earlier - bad idea #1: just give 'military ships' their hit point buffs and use military slots for something other than hit points. That, or just create more modules for military slots. Honestly, the slots aren't necessarily the issue. It's that they are only good for one thing: raw hit point increases, rather than diverse utility. If we had more military slot modules that created more diversity in builds, not just straight up tanking, they probably wouldn't be an issue at all.
 
Usability may be the wrong word...

They gimp options for diverse builds.

And, as I already said earlier - bad idea #1: just give 'military ships' their hit point buffs and use military slots for something other than hit points. That, or just create more modules for military slots. Honestly, the slots aren't necessarily the issue. It's that they are only good for one thing: raw hit point increases, rather than diverse utility. If we had more military slot modules that created more diversity in builds, not just straight up tanking, they probably wouldn't be an issue at all.
The @#$& else do you think you'd put there on a combat ship? Daisies and lollipops?

It doesn't have the slots, military or no, to make itself a solid shield-tanker. It's gonna be armor and hit points.

Further, it ain't a mulitrole, there's no reason for it to have massive build/role flexibility... though if you want it, there's a medium that carries an SLF and already fills that niche.

Why, I bet you'll be able to figure just which medium that is and it won't even take you more than... hmm... two google searches to find the answer.
 
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