Flufftwaffe isn’t really ready to build a dread–and we have decided to abstain till we’re at least 50 members strong with an average of T3/T4.
That being said, we’ve done some lengthy discussions on the meta of each dread, and here’s our ideas. Take it or leave it, but do so with a grain of salt since obviously the exact stats and such of the dreads aren’t known yet.
Maelstrom (Empire): Likely to have weak shields but a very strong hull, as per the Empire’s dogma. It’s said to have bonus damage towards other dreads, but says nothing of fleet support.
With this in mind, I imagine a fleet sporting one of these beasts will focus on combating the players’ ships themselves and likely spend a significantly smaller amount of time attacking their enemy’s dread, instead relying on a well-played Maelstrom to duel it to death.
Liberator (Federation): Will almost certainly (read: absolutely certainly) have the thinnest tank, but the best speed and maneuverability, both on the strategic map, and possibly on the battlefield as well if they’re able to move about. Has buffed drones but says nothing of ship-based weaponry, but mentions fleet support. My theory is that it will have some sort of local engineering boosts, but I could be totally wrong.
This is likely the polar opposite of the Maelstrom - a weak tank but high speed/low drag dread. It will engage enemy players with more tenacity and effectiveness than the other two dreadnoughts, taking onto itself some of the pressure that it’s fleet might have in dealing with said enemies and allowing gunships and LRF’s/Guards to hit weapon systems on the enemy dread.
Nemesis (Jericho): Nothing is said about weapon systems, but it’s said to have a ludicrous tank, which will obviously be focused around shield systems. Whether this is based on a massive lump amount of HP, high resists, or an absurd regen, or a mix of the three, who knows. Basically, this is the dread that says “I’m a brick, watch me sit.”
I honestly can’t really say much about this one. I suppose if you fly this dread, your entire strategy is on staying power, but I’m not sure. I imagine a good strategy on this would be a bait-and-switch, with trying to draw enemy ships to attack the Nemesis before amushing them with gunships and LRF’s supported by commands and engineers, but that’s just me thinking.