Will this build stand against a Basilisk?

[Deleted member 182079]

I had a go at Basilisks several times now, including with my Chieftan/Krait Mk2 builds, while I can kill Cyclopses almost blindfold at this stage (following the rails/wait for shield degeneration approach) I really struggle with the Basilisk, and I think the main reason is lack of speed - am doing about 520m/s boost with either ship (+/- 10m/s) but they're stacked to the brim with GHRP/HRP/MRPs - should I get rid of some of those to get the speed up?

I think the general tactic is largely the same except for bigger numbers (5 hearts, more damage output/absorption, regeneration, larger swarm etc.) but I can't kite it any longer and as a result limp away in a damaged ship after taking out the first heart.

And I'd also agree with what Orodruin is saying re 'any' ship - I was able to beat a Cyclops in a Cobra but the damage output would be a problem with anything above that.

 

[galahad2069]

You go ahead and try that in anything but a large ship facetank build without doing proper orbiting and heat management. Also realise that not everyone has the aim to take out the hearts fast enough to avoid enrage, which is a skill in itself.

Biweave FDL, shieldless FAS etc - why should I use a big and clumsy ship?

 

[Deleted member 182079]

You go ahead and try that in anything but a large ship facetank build without doing proper orbiting and heat management. Also realise that not everyone has the aim to take out the hearts fast enough to avoid enrage, which is a skill in itself.

Yeah Gauss aiming is my by far biggest Archilles heel - playing with an Xbox pad and not exactly gifted with fine motoring skills I struggle with this the most. Imagine M&K is much easier, never tried and not planning to (same goes for PvP, some of the accuracy on display by various players is unreal, I can't aim for biowaste, even less so in an agile/twitchy ship).

 

[[VR] Orodruin]

Biweave FDL, shieldless FAS etc - why should I use a big and clumsy ship?

Ok, you are not going to be "just getting in range and shooting at the heart" with those ships. Unless you do active damage avoidance and have good aim, they will wreck you. Again, those are skills that you need to acquire and that go beyond your original claim of "just reverski".

 

[galahad2069]

Ok, you are not going to be "just getting in range and shooting at the heart" with those ships.

LOL, then it's surely just a bug that they always go boom and the PF keeps paying 24M for nothing.

 

[Several Puffins]

Ha! So far I have been taking your comments at face value and thought you honestly believed you could plonk someone who just got their first Cobra into an AX krait and watch them wreck an interceptor with one or two tips. Now I realize it's all been a humblebrag- I am sure you find basis trivial, and I'm sure you're a skilled pilot. I find them manageable, because I have essentially no skill!

 

[[VR] Orodruin]

LOL, then it's surely just a bug that they always go boom and the PF keeps paying 24M for nothing.

So please, go ahead and show us how you facetank a basilisk in a shieldless FAS and I will be quiet.

 

[galahad2069]

Ha! So far I have been taking your comments at face value and thought you honestly believed you could plonk someone who just got their first Cobra into an AX krait and watch them wreck an interceptor with one or two tips. Now I realize it's all been a humblebrag- I am sure you find basis trivial, and I'm sure you're a skilled pilot. I find them manageable, because I have essentially no skill!

If the OP could solo a Cyclops in whatever build he was using, he'll surely be able to kill a Basilisk as well. It's really not that much more difficult.

 

[galahad2069]

So please, go ahead and show us how you facetank a basilisk in a shieldless FAS and I will be quiet.

I never said you had to stand still and facetank it, lol

 

[[VR] Orodruin]

If the OP could solo a Cyclops in whatever build he was using, he'll surely be able to kill a Basilisk as well. It's really not that much more difficult.

There are currently 314 people online in the AXI discord that have solod a Cyclops and not a Basilisk. It takes many people months to go from Clops to Basi and many that progress through the AXI ranks will later tell you that it is literally the largest skill jump between any two interceptors. I guess that they are all wrong.

 

[[VR] Orodruin]

I never said you had to stand still and facetank it, lol

No, you started by saying "just reverski". Then you changed your story to "just go in and kill heart, no skill required". You now seem to want to add that damage avoidance skills are necessary. Please stop moving the goal posts.

 

[Deleted member 182079]

There are currently 314 people online in the AXI discord that have solod a Cyclops and not a Basilisk. It takes many people months to go from Clops to Basi and many that progress through the AXI ranks will later tell you that it is literally the largest skill jump between any two interceptors. I guess that they are all wrong.

I'm glad to hear it's not just me

 

[Mako The Grey]

While true in many many cases, I am not sure I would go as far as claiming that any ship that can kill a clops can kill a basilisk.

I'm not so sure. A few have taken a basillisk with a sidewinder....so I think it's also likley that in the right hands if one can kill a cyclops (even with a T-9) then they can find a way to do it with the same ship against a basilisk. May take a lot of tries though. A no shield cold build in the right flight assist off hands can be amzing thing to watch against the Thargoids.

Side note...I actually managed to kill a Basillisk with my Asp Exploerer using PA's (no Ax Weapons) but it was a glitch. One of the swarm got stuck re-entering so the goid was helpless. Took a while though even then

 

[Several Puffins]

I'm glad to hear it's not just me

Took me a good few goes to kill my first, you'll get there with some practice! Stick with a Krait of Chief at first so the speed isn't as much of a shock.

 

[mikelowndes]

I had a go at Basilisks several times now, including with my Chieftan/Krait Mk2 builds, while I can kill Cyclopses almost blindfold at this stage (following the rails/wait for shield degeneration approach) I really struggle with the Basilisk, and I think the main reason is lack of speed - am doing about 520m/s boost with either ship (+/- 10m/s) but they're stacked to the brim with GHRP/HRP/MRPs - should I get rid of some of those to get the speed up?

I think the general tactic is largely the same except for bigger numbers (5 hearts, more damage output/absorption, regeneration, larger swarm etc.) but I can't kite it any longer and as a result limp away in a damaged ship after taking out the first heart.

And I'd also agree with what Orodruin is saying re 'any' ship - I was able to beat a Cyclops in a Cobra but the damage output would be a problem with anything above that.

I'm in the same place. Can take down Cyclops with a very similar build ot the OP, but Baslilisks just kill me. I thought patience might doi t, but hull regen seems to mean that waiting doesn't help.

 

[Deleted member 182079]

Took me a good few goes to kill my first, you'll get there with some practice! Stick with a Krait of Chief at first do the speed isn't as much of a shock.

Yeah it's certainly on my bucket list, I get the principle but I do struggle with aiming. I always flew ships that aren't necessarily meta (either in terms of the hull and/or the weapons used, I'm a bit contrarian like that!). What I haven't actually properly tried yet is a Krait with 4 Gauss's, my Chieftan is fine but the lack of 4 medium hardpoints do make it suffer (and with the Basilisk I hear the remote flak is a must - I usually ignore the swarm of a Cyclops).

 

[[VR] Orodruin]

I'm not so sure. A few have taken a basillisk with a sidewinder....so I think it's also likley that in the right hands if one can kill a cyclops (even with a T-9) then they can find a way to do it with the same ship against a basilisk. May take a lot of tries though. A no shield cold build in the right flight assist off hands can be amzing thing to watch against the Thargoids.

Since this thread asked about a specific build, I take this to include whatever outfitting that ship has. Since you can kill a Basilisk in a Hauler (it has been done) it is clearly possible to do it in any ship as long as the loadout is appropriate. What you cannot do however is to assume that just because a particular loadout can kill a Cyclops, that it is necessarily capable of also killing a Basiliks, and certainly not when you also take the pilot into account.

 

[Deleted member 182079]

I'm in the same place. Can take down Cyclops with a very similar build ot the OP, but Baslilisks just kill me. I thought patience might doi t, but hull regen seems to mean that waiting doesn't help.

I was playing around with a 4x Shard Cannon Krait, managed to run with 9% hull. Part of the problem with that weapon for me is that it's tempting to remain in battle and keep shooting when I'm supposed to retreat, and also I don't think my ships are optimised in terms of boost speed.

 

[[VR] Orodruin]

Yeah it's certainly on my bucket list, I get the principle but I do struggle with aiming. I always flew ships that aren't necessarily meta (either in terms of the hull and/or the weapons used, I'm a bit contrarian like that!). What I haven't actually properly tried yet is a Krait with 4 Gauss's, my Chieftan is fine but the lack of 4 medium hardpoints do make it suffer (and with the Basilisk I hear the remote flak is a must - I usually ignore the swarm of a Cyclops).

Chieftain firepower is just fine against Basilisk (and any other interceptor for that matter). What you most likely need to work with if you are struggling to exert and/or take out the heart is either your rate of fire or your distancing. Gauss damage really suffers from falloff outside of the optimal 1.5km range and once you go beyond 2.25km you do less than half the dps that you could be doing.

 

[Several Puffins]

I'm glad to hear it's not just me

OH! And the thing that made it work for me was firing a heat sink if it closed the distance to about 3.5km and boosting reasonably close (1km min distance) past it to stall it and mess with its tracking. Honestly I find them harder than the 'dusa because they outpace the thargons, interfering with the kiting process.