the current state of this mode is quite bad due to several things
first thing is the reward, to be more precise the credit reward. 1200 eff rating and only 7k credits, even on a lost normal battles will give like over 30k
second problem are the numbers, in this mode is all about hordes of crappy ships, 1 guided torpedo and bam 7 kills but any attemp to use single target missiles or weapons is quite futile i would rather prefer less but stronger ships, with a boss at the end of each wave.
since we are with the numbers, does the mode consider amount of ships? most ship yard defence where 3 humans vs so many is nearly imposible to not get overun unless one is going heavy with aoe weapons.
i think reward on a defeat is the main reason why no one seems to like this mode, loosing credits even when being the top guy of a team that reach stage 2+ is quite discouraging.
I agree with the OP. Shipyard defence is not worth the time at the moment. The reward does not justify the time spent killing endless hordes of ships. The whole event can be more streamlined since the first two waves are crap ships anyway. Make it shorter but more of a challenge. And also adjust the rewards for the time spend and difficulty please
Reducing the amount of Veteran and Elite ships in the 3rd run is the best way to make it attractive again. This run is simply insane. Even a 4 player squad in TS with very well equipped ships wont stand a chance by the mass and firepower that is rolling in. Reward is kinda ok for a PvE Mission. I preffered it to lvl up my ships but now its not worth the time. Since Domination gives me more Ship XP for a higher reward at all.
Btw 4th run was, and i belive it still is easy. You only need to kite the boss around some trash and thats it. The Backup comming isnt that hard to kill while 1 ceeps the boss busy.