So yesterday I became aware of the fact that federation engies are much weaker than empire ones, not only because of how they can be built but literally in total hull and shield. Here are my examples (two engineers of equal rank):
So I would like to ask: Why is this a thing? Why do the empire engineers have 10 000 more base hull and shield (combined numbers) than the feds?
you have to consider much more than hull/shield, how about speed!
Fed are much faster than Emp ships, approx the same percantage as they lack in survivability
But the amount of shields between the two make federation engineers easy targets for lone tacklers/ covert ops, I’m asking this because I know for a fact that if an Anaconda/ Alligator MkIII go into the field without a guard or swarm of fighters nearby they will be targeted by anyone who sees it.
The Federation engineers need a good T5 engi that gives a 20% increase in engineer module’s effectiveness.
I don’t see why the rank 13 Osprey at least doesn’t have it. Why is it only good for the Empire’s Naga?
To be honest, it’s the only thing holding me in the Empire’s healer line.
^for instance, the federation T5 guard, the T-Rex MK.II, gets the same buff the rank 13 Jericho guard, the Inquisitor, does for guard module range.
Why not the same here?
Survival ability is an illusion.
Grizzly-M > Minotaur
Grizzly-M > Minotaur
this. easily. Minotaur is one tanky potato, but it is not a very strong engi; it has the same downside as the Anaconda in T3 with it’s module bonuses. I would even go so far, and prefer the R11 Grizzly over the R12 Minotaur aswell.
Speaking of the anaconda, you are halfway right; since it lacks the bonuses of the R9 valor, styx (effect strength) or even R8 phoenix (effect reload), the R8 anaconda is neither a good primary engineer, nor a good tank, and will not outperform the valor in this duty for the feds; it’s main upside is a crit chance bonus, and 2 cpus, it lacks the second shield module and the engine of the R9 valor however.
It’s bonus to engineer modules for energy consumption make the anaconda however a bit more flexible in using it’s energy reserves / auras, and allows the anaconda to go for some crit or range builds with it’s weapons, since energy is really not a problem. this also allows it to perform it’s duty as secondary engineer, dropping support beacons.
playing the anaconda that way makes it still a very good ship, however of course, the main show is still styx or valor, since they have simply stronger auras due to their bonuses, and the valor can go for a bit more tank.
If you compare the Valor to the Styx however, the cards are not that clear; playing a fed engi well usually makes it immensely powerful, and gives your team a lot more flexibility in flanking or positioning.
The Anaconda however is fast enough to be a secondary healer behind the lines, but of course, out in the open, it dies quickly. Also, two Anacondas can work very well together even as main engineers, since they add a bit more firepower per ship, than Styxii. They are simply more offensive engineers, and the tank is enough if you play your mobility well.
Just sayin’ … Adaptives!
a block of text on the superiority of Federation engineers
First of all we need to consider the purpose of the ship class. With a standardly built engineer, its aim in the game is threefold: to heal its teammates’ hull and shield as quickly as possible; to provide them the energy they need to survive an ECM energy drain attack; and to survive.
To achieve the first two objectives, it is has four active module slots, which on a standard build will be filled with three auras and a hull/shield repair station. Achieving the third is a lot harder. At first sight, you would say that Empire engineers are more suited to this purpose due to their larger base HP pool and their ability to hull tank really well with Armour Plated Hull and Galvanized Armour, as well as dropping a hull repair station for self-heal purposes. The Naga also has a boost to its active modules! But this is all useless. Indeed, what is the point of having extra tank when you are a sitting duck in the middle of the battlefield? The Galvanised Armour reduces your turn speed and the Armour Plated Hull reduces you speed (which isn’t great to start with). This makes it very difficult to reposition your ship to somewhere which is more secure, and also makes it harder to dodge incoming damage. So although Empire engineers have more hit points and more base tank, they take a lot more damage.
Federation engineering frigates on the other hand, have high speed and manoeuvrability, and with the correct passive module choice can be made to be flown almost like fighters. Fill the shields slots with Adaptive Shields, and you have a very tanky ship that can reposition at a moment’s notice (as long as enemy tacklers are neutralised as quickly as possible by your teammates). When flying a T5 Federation engineer as opposed to the Naga, you do not notice the difference in healing speed caused by the Naga’s bonus, because since your ship has fewer hitpoints, it heals a lot quicker.
So to summarise: positioning is crucial when flying engineer, and more important than brute tank. Being able to follow your team to the beacon and not be left behind, as well as being able to fall back to a safe distance from the enemy lines as quickly as possible is what will save you from death, and not your tankiness. For this reason, Federation engineers are superior to Empire engineers.
(Please note: this is not entirely true in certain situations, and does not mean that I do not fly Empire engineers at all. In Combat Recon and Team Battle where less mobility is required, I would definitely take my Empire engineer. This analysis is based on my experience of competitive play in higher tiers where matches are smaller and ships are faster.)
I would not say that one is better than another, it really depends on:
Map
Game Mode
Game size (amount of pilots in the game)
Your squad composition / solo
some other less crucial factors
All of these will strongly influence a performance output by Empire vs Federation. So, currently, they are equally strong in general.
Basically ambulance vs heal brick. Ambulance is more fragile but can easily follow team providing constant support, while heal brick can sit by asteroid in centre of map and wait till teammates retreat to weld them. Matter of playstyle.