I want to start getting gud with gunboats, considering I haven't flown them too often. I'm well aware of the whole turret steer thing, I only need tips like...
1) What gunboat to pick?
What is a good GB for someone starting out? I've been thinking about getting the Tridente.
2) Weapons
What is a good general setup? Something that can effectively take on other gunboats and still be able to defend fight snubs. I've been thinking pulse or razors with rest basics/factions basics. Also are misses any good? I managed to easy dodge almost all GB missiles fired at me, which leads me to believe they aren't really good.
3) Shields
Now we have 3 types of shield. Which one do I get? Does it depend on the gunboat and it's setup? If so, can you recommend me a setup?
I think the Condor is a very classic gunboat. It's not the best, but it has a good arc layout and an okay shape. The problem with the Tridente is the heavy arcs being at the very bottom of the ship, if I remember correctly. So especially when not turret steering, you'll have problems to get them working as the ship's camera view doesn't cover much below the ship. Otherwise, the Tridente is pretty okay-ish.
Your loadout should depend on what you're going to fight, which will be mostly snubs - simply because most people play snubs and the primary role of gunboats it to take care of them. If you're good at aiming, take Razors. If you want to annoy people by almost guaranteed damage (people will be annoyed about you picking a gunboat anyway, so don't bother really) then go for Solaris + Missiles. Primaries are okay, though. If you want to pirate in a gunboat, go for your favourite green guns. The advantage of missiles is that you'll have more time to launch them because of their range, while for Razors you'll need to be close and have the right arcs.
Since people will be annoyed about gunboats, they'll either run away from you and not even bother or focus you with all they have, so expect dirty fights.
As for the shields, you will always end up having a gamble, as it really depends on the guns the enemy uses. Most factions have multiple gun types available.
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Welcome to the easiest and most versatile class on the server. All the questions can hardly be put into 1 "best" answer, as it's very situational, but here are a few anyways.
1.) Imperator. 8 guns with great arc coverage, heavy core, good armor and regens. This gunboat packs the biggest punch out of any gunboat, and has the highest dps potential. It's also one of the best dueling gunboats in the game. The only downside to this ship is that it's relatively fat, and easy to hit from top/below, but that doesn't stop it from being an absolute powerhouse.
2.) This is very situational, but if you want a loadout that's good all-round, I'd go with 4 prims and 2 pulses, 4 prims and 2 razors or 6 prims. If you have extra guns, go with more prims (Imperator would use 6 prims 2 pulses or 6 prims 2 razors).
Anti-cap loadout is 2 pulses and 4 cerbs, while anti-snub loadout is 4 solarises + 2 gatlings, missiles or razors. If you wish to pirate in a gunboat, prims are mandatory.
3.) Without thinking too much, get the one depending on your gunboat. Light gb -> light shield and so on. However, if your gunboat has a specialized loadout, it's better to use a light shield if you're fighting caps and heavier one if you're fighting snubs. The reason is that you want max. dps against other caps but at the same time getting hit is much harder than getting hit by a bunch of fighters, so shield matters less than the core regen. While you're fighting snubs, you want a heavier shield because although your core will suffer, you won't be using it all the time anyways, but rather when the snubs go into close range and open on you and before they get out of range. Short bursts of fire, in other words. I wouldn't advise going more than 2 classes above your core (light gb using a heavy shield) until you learn to manage your core perfectly.
Thanks for the info guys. I'll give 2 pulse + rest primaries a shot and see how that turns out for me.
Also @"Sombra Hookier" , about the shields. I was referring to the 3 capacity size shields (100k, 125k and 150k), not the graviton, positron, molecular type. Just saying.
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