Hello.
I started playing the game recently and went down the jericho guard frigates line.However after comparing the fregates of jericho and the federation i can’t decide which line to advance.So i’d appreciate if you can answer a few questions.
Is jericho fregate durable enough to compensate for the slower speed?Is there a reason to play jericho instead of the federation?(for fregates)
Which is better in this game - to have more survivability or to be faster with decent durability?
What are the main stats that i should aim for - shield regen,damage,shield volume?
I started playing the game recently and went down the jericho guard frigates line.However after comparing the fregates of jericho and the federation i can’t decide which line to advance.So i’d appreciate if you can answer a few questions.
Is jericho fregate durable enough to compensate for the slower speed?Is there a reason to play jericho instead of the federation?(for fregates)
Which is better in this game - to have more survivability or to be faster with decent durability?
What are the main stats that i should aim for - shield regen,damage,shield volume?
Thank you in advance.
At lower tiers yes, but in tier 5, a well flown Trex Mk2 is more durable than a Inquisitor S. Except if you find a tackler, then you are screwed…
Both options have their pros and cons. Having more raw survivability allows you to be inmune to energy syphon, tackler and engine suppresion effect, also, your tank will be the same no matter what. With speed tanking (adaptative modules, available in tier 3) your tank will be higher in theory, but if you drop the afterburners, slow down or stop, then your tank is very little. It is also worth knowing that phase shield only works on shields, not in hull, and fed guards also tank with hull.
In a guard, usually you should aim for a good energy regen (guard modules are very energy intensive) and a good mix between shield volume and resistences. A good balanced shield passive slot is one EM resistence, one thermal and one shield splitter for volume. You can also try the onmitank, with two thermal resistences, one kinetic resistence, and setting the pahse shield always in EM, so you will have a balanced 50% resistences in all damages, but without a burst resistence that the phase shield gives you.
Anyway, I’m not a pro guard user, there are others around which have guards as brains.
At any rate, you might also want to look at your preferred play style. I had the same problem with engineers, but eventually I abandoned Fed engineers because I preferred to bunker down with a tanky Imperial engineer. Speed was nice and all, but it wasn’t what I was looking out for because my playstyle was compatible with what the Imperial engineer was able to offer.
Don’t fly guard without an engineer around would be my advice. It can work but there are better ships for that.
Assuming you do fly with engineer, build for resists and damage. Engineers heal fixed amounts of hitpoints so you have to make your hitpoints count.
Don’t worry about adaptive tanking that Eviscerador mentioned before your hit tier 4 (his comments were entirely correct but you can’t/won’t build effective adaptive tanks on guards before that tier IMO, energy pools are too low).
Is jericho fregate durable enough to compensate for the slower speed?Is there a reason to play jericho instead of the federation?(for fregates)
Both of the Guards (Fed and Jericho) need “High” Level Ship Modifiers and Modules to be correctly effective.
The more you progress in your grind, the more your guard will be able to do its jobs.
In terms of Gameplay, Fed guards are a bit easier to play because you have correct Guards Tanking Mechanics (GTM) and Mobility + The fact they have acces to a CPU slot earlier than Jericho.
And mobility is really important for objectives and manoeuvers.
The main difference between Fed and Jericho Guards is the Gameplay :
Jericho Guards are Slow Mobile Bunker able to disturb the ennemy / Annoy them when it took a good position
Fed Guards are Heavy Armored Frigate able to impact multiple zones of a battlefied pretty fast.
To be fair, it’s easier to compense Mk1-Mk2 Guard Modules / Ships modifiers on a Fed Guard than on a Jericho Guard.
But in the Other Hand,
A High Fitted Jericho Guard is supposed to survive much more longer when engaging the ennemy.
Which is better in this game - to have more survivability or to be faster with decent durability?
Both of them are good depending what you want to do with your Guards. (Of course, you need to fly a Guard related to the correct faction )
As mentionned before,
A decent durability + Mobility (Fed Guard) = Impact faster differents zones of a battlefield / Make appropriate answer to the ennemy movement easier / More teamplay ability with mobile ships / Less dependancy of the “Gears” due to the fact you can compensate it with the natural mobility of the Fed Guards. (Beware of the Ships that can disrupt/disturb your mobility)
A big Survavibility + Low Mobility (Jericho Guard) = A really big impact on a dedicated zone / You are slow, so if an ennemy decide to make you slowed you can ignore this fact and continue your jobs / Bring a decent defense when flying with Imperial Engineer (And engineers are vitals for your teams) / Require the Help of Fighters and Interceptors when the Ennemy decide to engage you in Short Range (Pulsar is not a godmode button) / Can cause really long engagements with the ennemy, meaning they will have to focus you instead of your allies.
What are the main stats that i should aim for - shield regen,damage,shield volume?
First thing to do : Understand and Train the “Phase Shield” Mechanics (Guard Special Module), it’s not only a Defensive Module, it’s also an Offensive module (+25% Damages when receiving damage linked to the Phase Shield Setting). It’s will your best friend as a Guard Pilot.
For each Faction / Tiers :
Jericho :
Rank 1 - 3 : Shield Volume
Rank 4 - 6 : EM Shield Resistance / Thermal Shield Resistance (in this order) / Voltage Regulator
Rank 7 - 9 : EM Shield Resistance / Thermal Shield Resistance / Shield Volume OR EM Shield Resistance / Thermal Shield Resistance / Kinetic Shield Resistance (in this order) / Voltage Regulator / Remaining Capacitor Slot = Linked to your weapon.
Rank 7 - 9 (Special Cusader S) : EM Shield Resistance / Shield Volume / Shield Volume (when you consider yourself good enough with Positionning and Phase Shield) / Galvanised Armor / Voltage Regulator / Vernier Engine. (the last Capacitor Slot depends of your weapon choice)
Higher Rank : Same Rules than “R 7- 9”. (You can adjust it to what you prefer, this is just Beginner/Standard Template)
Federation :
Alligator C : Catalyst Injector / EM Shield Resistance / Thermal Shield Resistance
We must have that build in the guide. I insist. Especially since I was on the receiving end of it in a Styx, and for the first time it did not feel tanky.
As far as Tier 3 is concerned, the Blood Tormentor is the most hilariously broken ship I’ve ever seen. It’s insanely strong, immensely powerful, and is capable of tanking 3-4 ships worth of fire without too much trouble. Add an Engineer and it’s never going to die.
So, if you want a mid-tier Guard, then Blood Tormentor is Pay to Win perfection!
As far as Tier 3 is concerned, the Blood Tormentor is the most hilariously broken ship I’ve ever seen. It’s insanely strong, immensely powerful, and is capable of tanking 3-4 ships worth of fire without too much trouble. Add an Engineer and it’s never going to die.
So, if you want a mid-tier Guard, then Blood Tormentor is Pay to Win perfection!
In fact, the BT is the less tanky of all the tier 3 guards, so it is hardly pay to win. It has the best damage projection though, but that is what pirates are supposed to do.
