Patch When? Discovery 5.2 Edition: Blog #1

[Haste]

So shield batteries will not regenerate shields anymore, only boost them?

They do both. As written at the very end of the post, they're actually better at good old shield restoration than before (120 hp -> 180 hp restored per battery).

Does this mean shields are overall weaker in terms of Regen and capacity (since this seems to be a large improvement in terms of shield capabilities) or does it all add up around the same it is now?

There's some balance work done on shields so stats will differ depending on the class, but the recharge values on Gravitons are generally the same as on live, Moleculars and Positrons are lower. Bomber and Freighter shields recharge faster than on live, Gunboat shields got a fairly comprehensive balance pass and all shield classes now have "appropriate" rebuild power draw.

How did positrons turn up in testing? It seems like it could be a very "make it or break it" scenario, depending on just how strong the bursts are. I take it they can be mounted on all classes?

They can be mounted on all classes, and they're definitely the biggest wildcard of the three types. They have great potential and enable admittedly fairly degenerate things (self-damage counts too, I'll just point that out). If any shield type turns out to be an outlier in performance it'll be Positrons, though, yes, but that's what followup patches are for.

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