I like the lance, its good fun sniping with a "railgun" from an SLF, and my NPC SLF pilot is lethal with the damned thing. I like the trident, but there is a spinup time on the plasma weapon making it less intuitive to fly with.
The sensors and life support core modules in ED have basically never made much sense...The guardian fighters are really flawed in my opinion, for AX they are too squishy (should be fully resistant against corrosive debuff and have some more armor) and due to around 50% AX damage type, they really don't perform well against human NPC. I wish that the disadvantages of normal weapons vs. thargoid and AX weapons vs. humans would range more around 10-20%, so that you could actually fight against both with a single ship, even tho it might not be the most effective way.
In general, the way outfitting in Elite is done could use some refinement to cut multipurpose/mixed builds some more slack. For example being able to use cargo holds for economy passenger transport with a 70% efficiency or load cargo into economy passenger cabins with 70% capacity. Or being able to change the frequency on beam lasers to mine with them with reduced output quality. To make A-class sensors interesting they could also include a "free" extra scanner slot for xeno scanner/KWS/wake scanner to make the massive extra weight and power usage worthwile. I want some of my ships highly specialized and that works quite well in Elite, but multipurpose ships are in 99% useless, because the disadvantages of mixing certain playstyles is way too big.
One thing that is always overlooked is that the Trident's damage type is absolute; that is, it ignores resistances the same as PA's.I know the Trident's DPS seems to suck, on paper, but I also know that (in the hands of an Elite SLF jockey) it can make things like Eagles and Adders go boom in a single pass.
If you're flying a slow ship, it can also finish off things like Cobra, Asps and even the occasional Phantom if they decide to flee and you're too slow to chase them yourself.
Overall, it's DPS seems fine to me.
One thing that is always overlooked is that the Trident's damage type is absolute; that is, it ignores resistances the same as PA's.
Once you factor in a target likely having some sort of resist over 50%, the power of the Trident becomes much more apparent.
Something I’m noticing is that npc’s absolutely hate them...Am I the only one that thinks there's no point designing 3 fighters for AX combat if they're all useless at it?
At least make them highly resistant to the Thargoid attacks... Maybe even immune to some of them (like the damage over time). At least then they'd be worse at non AX combat but useful in AX combat. Isn't that the point?
Seems to me that the general consensus here is something like "they're worse at everything, don't do anything in AX combat but they look shiny so I accept them entirely!"
That sort of low bar setting doesn't sit right with me... The standard SLFs are all effective in PvE combat, they all serve a purpose and perform it very well. Why is it accepted happily that the highly specified for AX, time consuming to unlock options, are nothing but "a bit fun in canyons because they purdy..."?
I see what you're trying there... Distract him with pretty pictures and tell him it sounds good and hope he forgets how useless it is!Something I’m noticing is that npc’s absolutely hate them...
I can engage something like a Python and half way through the fight he goes after my guardian SLF instead even though I’m technically the greater threat.
It could be the absolute damage from the Trident that’s causing this or it could be the fact that no ship likes being repeatedly pranged by the Lance rails...
My pilot is dangerous rank now and a very good shot with the triple rail gun...
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...it also makes a very satisfying noise. Prang!!
They are really fragile though, I suspect this is why they get mixed reviews.
, I’m not trying to convince you of anything...I see what you're trying there... Distract him with pretty pictures and tell him it sounds good and hope he forgets how useless it is!
Almost got me!
I am not convinced ability to distract enemies is highly dependent on the SLF you choose. I find this is just a feature of them overall. And if they're flying a weak SLF, it can be a hindrance rather than a bonus.
I'd choose that one last. If it did loads of damage to offset the ammo, I'd consider it. But it doesn't.
Where did you buy from?Thanks for everyone’s advice on these today. It paid off...
I got the Trident and the Lance.
The Lance has been the most fun, it’s like having an annoying rail-eagle on your side and you can really see them chipping at hull. I have to bring it back in to get ammo but it’s cool...
The Trident seems to miss a lot, but does lay on the damage when it connects.
It was a fun day out, not sure I’d do it again. Like others have noted, they don’t seem to be a big upgrade on regular SLF.
My nearest guardian tech broker at the time...can’t remember.Where did you buy from?