I’ve seen too many destroyers simply flying in to enemy territory like they are invincible. About 1/6 of the time thy are literally an Invincible , but that doesn’t stop them from being destroyed very quickly. Let’s all get our pens and papers out and see if we can’t learn some better destroyer tactics. You can find a comprehensive guide to crafting destroyers and details on their modules here: [http://forum.star-conflict.com/index.php?/topic/29367-comprehensive-guide-to-destroyers/](< base_url >/index.php?/topic/29367-comprehensive-guide-to-destroyers/)
Simple tips for the Effective Destroyer:
Stay about 4-6km away from any given enemy. Your weapons and modules will generally be most effective at a distance, and enemies will have a hard time hitting you.
If you aren’t shooting at them, you aren’t hitting them. Make sure that your weapons don’t overheat so that you can continue to rain death upon them at all times. Don’t shoot at nothing. Just keep them pushed under cover.
Don’t rush in to battle. If you rush, you may get kills faster, but you will generally always be the first one killed.
Keep deploying shields. If you are targeted by anything or anyone, deploying shields will normally stop most if not all incoming fire. Beware that piercing and exploding weapons will easily bypass these shields, so if your target uses only explosives, don’t waste energy on shields.
Keep moving. Most of the destroyers that I’ve seen simply sit in one place and move back and forth. This is not effective and leaves you vulnerable to torpedoes and anomalies. Try to keep circling an area around the middle of the map on your side.
If there are beacons, sit next to one and stay there. You can easily fend off most if not all attackers by simply sitting about 1500m away from any active beacon.
If there are bombs, get an ally to bring you the bomb and let you plant it. You can tank any incoming damage long enough to get from one side of the map to another with the bomb usually. Destroyers are the best ship to use in bomb modes because they simply don’t die. Don’t use your wormhole though. It will drop the bomb!
If you see a cluster of enemies next to a beacon, fire a Pyro Beam at the center of the beacon to damage them and stop them from capturing. It will usually get kills too if they don’t move!
Save your Tempest Launcher for other destroyers! Generally the tempest launcher will be the most effective weapon against other destroyers because they have such large hulls. If you see an enemy destroyer sitting in one place and not moving much , get in range and sit still while firing your volley of Tempest missiles. If it doesn’t kill them, it will leave them vulnerable to incoming fire from you and allies.
If you get targeted by a tempest launcher, use your wormhole! Your wormhole is a great way to escape things like Tempests, torpedoes, and anomalies. It will get you out of harms way and let them simply fly right past you.
Target enemy destroyers! Destroyers are not only the biggest, but also the baddest ships in the game! If you see an enemy destroyer approaching, focus all fire on it until it is dead. The team with the most destroyers alive at any given time will usually be the one that wins the battle!
Ships to avoid:
Covert Ops :
If they sneak up behind you and open up a Plasma Arc, your modules will suffer severe damage and may be completely destroyed! Without your modules, you may as well be a sitting duck for enemies to kill!
ECM :
In battle, ECM crafts are easily your worst nightmare. They disable modules and turrets and leave you extremely vulnerable to attack from any craft. If you can’t shoot, you can’t survive.
L** ong-Range Frigate**:
If you are targeted by a Jericho Long-Range Frigate, you must get yourself out of range as quickly as possible. Their torpedoes can easily deal 10,000 thermal damage per hit and their main weapons will drain your shield very quickly. Though if you manage to get yourself in range of them, a single Pyro Beam will usually be enough to take them out.
Tactical Modules:
Blaster Turret:
This turret is probably one of the less used turrets simply because it does not deal enough damage to be useful. It’s damage output can be increased in active mode, but it can easily turn the damage back on you because the projectiles explode. It is only useful within 2000m so it only targets nearby enemies. This turret is affected by Crew that modify Multipurpose Modules.
Tactic:
As soon as there is an enemy in range, activate this module. Especially if they are approaching. The turret can only fire on enemies under it’s hemisphere of influence, so make sure that the turret is always facing the enemy.
Damage on destruction: 5,000
Effectiveness Score: [±—]
Plasma Turret:
This turret is much more worth-while and powerful than its Thermal cousin, the Blaster Turret. In passive mode it is a great defense against almost all craft, and deals quite a bit of damage. In active mode this turret can easily deal 7000 damage per hit , and since the active projectiles pierce enemies , that damage can be multiplied across targets. It is only useful within 3300m so it only targets nearby enemies. This turret is affected by Crew that modify Multipurpose Modules.
Tactic:
As soon as there is an enemy in range, activate this module. Especially if they are approaching. The turret can only fire on enemies under it’s hemisphere of influence, so make sure that the turret is always facing the enemy.
Damage on destruction: 5,000
Effectiveness Score: [++±-]
Multiphase Shield:
This is not a turret or a weapon, but a way to defend your Destroyer. In passive mode it will supply about 41 resistance points to all shield resistances. In active mode it will give you 145 points of resistance , making you essentially a multipurpose Guard frigate for 6 seconds. This module is highly recommended for any destroyer that relies on shields for their strength.
Tactic:
As soon as enemies start to fire at you, activate this module. It will take the edge off of any incoming fire and give you time to properly react. Make it a reflex if possible.
Damage on destruction: 10,000
Effectiveness Score: [++±-]
Wormhole Projector:
This module is a tactical module allowing you to fire a wormhole and then travel through it at will. It will fire a slow-moving sphere , and when you deactivate the module it will move your ship to the location of the sphere. If the sphere travels 5000m , it will force you through it regardless.
Tactic:
This module is a must-have for all Destroyers. It will save your life and make getting around much easier. Use it to dodge incoming munitions and to assault lone enemies that aren’t expecting attack. Don’t let the sphere hit any objects though. It will destroy it. An ECM can disable this module if it stuns you, just as well if the module is destroyed. Save this module until you absolutely need to use it. No module is useful while it is on cooldown.
Damage on destruction: 6,000
Effectiveness Score: [+++++]
Pyro Beam:
This is the " Main Calibre" of Destroyers and is essentially a giant death-beam. It will charge up a thin beam for about 1.5 seconds. During charging it will deal about 400 thermal damage per second in a 500m radius of the beam. Once it fires the full beam, it will deal 20,000-22,000 thermal damage over the same amount of time in a radius of about 300m. It has a maximum range of 5400m.
Tactic:
This is a very versatile module. It can be used to simply deter attackers, or to destroy slower targets, or to defend beacons. An ECM can disable the beam before it fires if it stuns you, as well as the module being destroyed. It really has place anywhere you might need to deal damage in a timely manner. A well-placed beam can destroy any Interceptor , and all frigates but Guards. This is only if you hit with 100% of the beam and don’t miss one second. Against destroyers, it is most effective once their shields are down, as it deals massive damage to their turrets and onboard systems. It’s cooldown is so low that you can use it freely like a secondary main weapon.
Damage on destruction: 5,000
Effectiveness Score: [+++±]
’Tempest’ Launcher:
This amazing turret fires off a barrage of 20 homing missiles at any target within a 25° cone of where you activate it. Each missile deals well over 3000 thermal damage so you can put out a whole lot of damage with this module.
Tactics:
This turret’s homing works very weirdly. As you swivel it around, the number on the module will change depending on how many enemies are in its range. You want to activate it when there is the highest number of enemies in range. Once you activate it, it automatically locks on to those enemies and will track a maximum of 2 missiles per enemy. If the enemy stands still, any missiles that do not lock on to them will still hit them. Use it against fast targets and slow targets alike. Just make sure that you use it when you will hit the most enemies. Once you activate it, it will lock in place and continue to fire all 20 missiles regardless of how many enemies are locked. Using this, you can hit even more enemies with them as if they are simply unguided missiles.
Damage on destruction: 6,000
Effectiveness Score: [+++±]
Gravitational Lens:
This is a beastly module if there ever was one. This module sends out a beam of tightly packed particles that gather in the point selected at a maximum range of 5000m for 5 seconds , then once they reach critical pressure, they will collapse in to a small black-hole that will suck in all enemies within 2500m at 150m/s and damages those closer than 1250m for 2100 kinetic damage per second. If an enemy touches the event horizon (the black part), they will be ripped apart at 15,000 kinetic damage per second. The maximum pull speed is 150m/s. The Black Hole persists for 15 seconds.
Tactic:
This module deals kinetic damage directly to the hulls of any enemies within its radius. If a slow frigate gets caught in the radius, there is little hope for them. If an enemy touches the event horizon they can essentially be considered dead. Once a ship reaches the core, it is exceedingly difficult to escape. An ECM ship can disable the black hole by stunning you, as well as if the module was destroyed. Use this module when there is a dense swarm of enemies around an area such as a beacon. This will prevent them from capturing the beacon and will allow your team to move quickly towards it to capture. Interceptors are instantly destroyed by the black hole and fighters will be destroyed just slightly slower than them. Frigates will more than likely be able to take the damage long enough to escape, but that is if they can escape the pull! If you see an enemy destroyer, try to target them with the Gravity Lens so that they take the majority of the damage. If a destroyer is caught in the Black Hole, they will be dead by the time it closes up if they don’t escape.
Damage on destruction: 6,000
Effectiveness Score: [+++++]
Photon Torpedo:
This is essentially a secondary main weapon for destroyers. It has a 7 second recharge time and a range of 10,000m. It deals over 9000 damage in a 300m radius explosion. If an enemy is caught in the explosion, their hull resistance to EM damage will be reduced by 30 points , making them more and more susceptible to EM damage from this cannon. The effect stacks for each consecutive hit.
Tactic:
This cannon is a must-have for Rank 11 Destroyers as it functions as a primary weapon that consumes lots of energy. If you gain a hit on an enemy, their EM resistances drop considerably, making them much weaker to continued damage by this or other EM weapons. If you continually hit the same target with it, there is nothing that could possibly keep them alive. You can gain critical hits of over 30,000 EM damage if you use it right, so this makes it an excellent anti-destroyer cannon. Do not use it at close range. It will consume all of your energy and leave you stranded until it regenerates. The effect also is applied to allies within range, so be careful. The effect caused by this weapon can only stack to an effectiveness of 5, meaning that after 5 hits, the only point to continued use is to refresh the cooldown on the debuff. Make sure to add one more shot at least every 15 seconds to ensure that you are still doing the maximum possible damage.
Damage on destruction: 6,000
Effectiveness Score: [+++++]
More information and tactics will be added as they are written.
Stay tuned for the next edition of The Effective Destroyer!