Combat Guide
Damage Types
- Main article: Damage
Damage can be Kinetic, High Explosive, Energy or Fragmentation. Each type of damages differently affects the Shield and Armor of a ship.
All types of Damage work equally well against the Hull of a ship, however, all damage is reduced by 5% of the original armor value (even if the armour is stripped). This results in fast firing and low per-shot damage, kinetic and fragmentation weapons like the Light Needler, Heavy Needler, Thumper and Vulcan Cannon doing less damage than expected to hull.
- Kinetic projectiles, which are often white, deal 200% damage against Shields but only 50% damage against Armour.
- High Explosive projectiles, which are often orange, deal only 50% damage against Shields but 200% damage against Armour.
- Energy Weapons deal 100% damage against Shields and Armour, but beam type energy weapons only generate soft flux when dealing damage to shields.
- Fragmentation projectiles, though of very high base damage and flux efficient, deal only 25% damage against Shields and Armour.
The Flux system
- Main article: Flux
"Flux" powers weapons, integrated systems, and defences. Flux is gained upon taking damage to shields or firing weapons. Exceeding your ships Flux capacity will force you to turn off your shields and may cause an overload, disabling your weapons. Much of a vessels identity and gravitas is defined by how it handles Flux.
Hard and Soft Flux
During combat, your ship will accumulate hard Flux and soft Flux. Soft Flux can be dissipated by Flux vents and does not require dropping your shields. Hard Flux requires dropping your shields to dissipate it. How much hard Flux a ship has accumulated is visible by a green bar across the flux meter - below this bar, the Flux will not decrease until shields are dropped.
Flux Capacity
Each ship comes with an inherent Flux capacity, which can be increased with Flux capacitors in the Refit screen. The Flux capacity of a ship limits what your ship can do and how long it can stay in an engagement: using weapons or absorbing damage with shields creates Flux, and you cannot exceed your capacity without "overextending" and causing an overload. The capacity is another significant component that determines the size of the overextension window a ship can have.
In a typical combat cycle, ships will fight until they fill up their Flux capacity before dropping out of combat to vent (similar to 'reloading'). Building ships with large flux capacities allows you to stay in combat for longer and put pressure on opposing ships while they are vulnerable.
When targeting a ship, having an idea of its Flux capacity can help you dedicate the appropriate amount of firepower to it. Big ships, with high Flux capacities, should be targeted from multiple angles with some form of support, such as energy weapons, putting constant pressure on it. Smaller ships, on the other hand, might hit their Flux capacity in just a few hits and be quickly dispatched.
Flux Dissipation
Flux dissipation is the rate at which your ship loses stored up Flux. Increasing the amount of Flux vents will increase your Flux dissipation. As a rule of thumb, you at least want to be able to dissipate all the Flux caused by firing your weapons and produced passively by your shields, so as to be able to fire your weapons without overloading. Ships with high Flux dissipation can take more pressure and shoot more weapons, but will still need to drop out of combat, because Flux dissipation only dissipates soft Flux.
Shields
Deactivated by default, a shield allows projection of the most common obstacle to causing damage. When activated, an arc begins taking shape, centered upon and adjacent to the user. Starting as a single point, it slowly and symmetrically fans out at a constant rate, maintaining a set radii until some angle limit is reached, leaving the ship surrounded by either a partial or complete circle.
Mechanics
An integrated shield provides its ship with options to activate and deactivate itself at their will. When activated it grows a one way barrier that completely absorbs and neutralizes any regular potential damage at least once when made to strike its outer surface, giving users a means to protect themselves and others without significantly limiting offensive capabilities. Upon deactivation, dissipates completely, leaving the ship exposed once again.
Types
There are two types of shields, referred to in game as 'Front' and 'Omni'.
A Front shield always begins arc expansion dead centre forward of the ship. Where the ship points, the arc follows suit as if part of the ship.
An Omni shield however can spawn its arc from any direction about the user and track around them almost completely independently, allowing it to be pointed any which way; giving much flexibility in choosing which threats to target.
Front shielded targets while unable to direct their arcs independently, expand faster and generally span arcs between 180 and 360 degrees, completely surrounding them and exposing only their engine rear.
Omni shielded targets by contrast tend to have arcs spanning angles less than or equal to 180 degrees, exposing far more as a counter balance. Furthermore the arc's tracking movement is not instantaneous, often forcing its user to decide whether to deactivate it, giving up its currently expanded state for instant point spawning or slide it around when attempting to absorb the most urgent threats.
As a rule of thumb, in a fleet combat situation, a ship should to be able to point its weapons in a different direction than its shields. If a ship only has fixed weapons, it should use Omni shields to achieve this.
Contact
As both types are forever bound to their ships, they become physical extensions of them when active. And so whatever they collide with will transfer momentum as one. Likewise, pushing shield first against an object too difficult to move when using the ship system 'Plasma Burn' will still cause the ship's own engines to 'flameout' all the same. Any time a shield overlaps with that of something else causes multiple collisions along with a repulsion force for both that normally would separate the two eventually.
Cost
Storage, Taxation and Offensive Capacity
An activated shield continuously produces a set amount of Soft Flux over time that flows into the ship's Flux Capacity. Production depends on the ship in question and any relevant hullmods. The shield can remain projected only when there is enough vacant Flux Capacity onboard and available. Failing either deactivates it automatically.
Only with enough Flux vents equal to Soft Flux production can its buildup end. As all ships are equipped with more than enough Flux Vents to offset their shield alone, and given what is produced tends to be relatively small, prolonged shield usage is a standard practice.
Dissipation dedicated to defence means leaves less for offence; narrowing a ship's active operating window, consequently leaving less time to continuously output maximum fire without taking major hull damage.
Bulk and Manoeuverability
Since, when in use, they increase the overall footprint of the ship, they tend to become an easier target to hit, and make manoeuvering in confined spaces challenging. Furthermore, as with any flux present in the system, the 'zero flux speed boost' can not normally be taken advantage of, likely leading to a drop in speed too; making it slower to close in, evade or flee.
Flux System Exposure
Every bit of potential damage a shield absorbs is turned to either Hard or Soft Flux alongside collisions which are converted exclusively to Hard Flux. This means that, despite protecting its user from potential damage, it gives up Flux Capacity in the process, further burdening what remains of its Flux Vents that, on top of upholding the shield, system and onboard weaponry now must also take on enemy weaponsfire.
Either flavour can greatly lower the overall maximum potential damage output of the user, which greatly shrinks its current operating window, and on balance would be equally burdensome if not for the...
Lack of Passive Hard Flux Venting
The prevented dissipation of Hard Flux that comes with raised shields means, with enough potential damage, the target's Flux Capacity can be flooded; significantly limiting their offensive capacity and makes lingering in range of an enemy a highly risky tactic; typically leaving shield users full of Hard Flux no option but to fall back hoping for a chance to safely vent it away for another round should they wish to avoid heavy damage.
More over, with every additional quantity of Hard Flux held comes greater chance for EMP damage to, while not significantly damaging to the hull if at all, pass through the arc and potentially disable any of the ship's weaponry and mobility temporarily. Failing to retreat whether out of place, due to partial or complete loss of thrust or simply being overwhelmed will quickly lead to...
Overload
This occurs when a strike on the shield would force the sum total of Hard and/or Soft Flux above the maximum capacity the ship can bear. This temporarily locks the Flux Capacity from use and allows venting only at half its passive rate for a long period of time, leaving its user with nothing but whatever mobility remains until returned; allowing any aggresor in range the opportunity to cause it damage.
Conversion Efficiency
All shields work with the same basic general formula depending on the weaponsfire absorbed and any other modifiers and hullmods:
As Efficiency decreases, the effect of Damage converted to Flux also decreases. Given in virtually all cases, Flux is unwanted, then the less efficient a shield is, the more effective it becomes. A shield's efficiency does not however make a ship...
Generating Flux with Fire
Damage comes in many forms and as a consequence leads to certain types of weaponsfire being more effective for making Flux with shields.
Maximum Operating Limit
A theoretical and variable value that indicates how close to danger a shield reliant ship is and whether it has room to cause damage or retreat from danger before their Flux Capacity is filled without taking significant damage. This begins when a quantity of Flux has accumulated which cannot immediately be removed passively and if actively vented would guarantee significant exposure to imminent danger without compensation.
In general this can be expressed mathematically as:
Valid only when Flux Capacity Fill Rate > 0.
Deactivated shields:
Activated shield:
There is nothing explicit to indicate the MOL as there are numerous factors hidden and shown in its makeup. For example there are no ways to accurately predict the 'Flux Capacity fill rate' given how dynamic and abrupt firefights can get without serious computation. But generally as a ship approaches danger, the MOL will likely shrink; and while successfully retreating, expand. Assuming no last ditch efforts, the MOL can be considered the current or active operating window within a combat theater. As a player, you will hopefully gain a better feel with every combat experience that allows you to measure something akin to the MOL for yourself and your targets to better decide how to engage an enemy.
Circumvention Tactics
With the shield basically impervious, getting past is usually a top priority. Your skill, ship, allies, target, enemies, available fire power, timing and speed will all determine what options are available to you.
Flanking
Regardless of the situation, any shield is an inconvenience to those on offense. Identifying any holes that can be exploited should be the first objective.
Alone
Just because there is an opening doesn't mean it will be easy to exploit. In most cases the target will make access as difficult as possible through careful manoeuvering of itself and its shield if possible. Ships with high mobility will have the greatest odds of gaining access.
With Assistance
Distractions can come in all shapes and sizes. A well placed missile or ally taking up the targets attention may be enough to allow easy access to those exposed areas.
Pressure
If in general a shield can only function when there is space to accept the Soft Flux it generates, the simplest solution is to take it away, with...
Maximum Fire
El clasico. Since most potential damage besides that from beam weapons is converted to Hard Flux, each and every hit on the shield removes capacity from the ship. With enough strikes upon it, eventually no space can remain. But time is of the essence. While you are dishing out the damage, chances are your opponent will be too, so be sure you can maximise the target's flux level before they can yours.
Patience
You don't have to do all the work though. In the vast majority of cases, when a user fires a weapon, it takes on Soft Flux in exchange for the potential damage. If a ship cannot vent this Soft Flux at or greater than the rate it produces but you can safely bear the Flux from their potential damage, over an extended period their collection of Soft Flux will accumulate to a point where it becomes an easy target, making the use of most weapons a double edged sword. If one were to be attacked then, with the threat of overload the inclination to drop its shields would come much easier, provided the planned attacks have enough punch to fill the remaining capacity alone. Be sure further punches can be thrown to make use of such an opportunity while minimising risk to the self or face the possiblity of the chance slipping from your grasp.
By Force
When desperate times call for desperate measures...
With Violence
Ramming a shield is certainly... a method, but not without its own drawbacks and risks. Be sure you are happy enough to accept the potential losses that may likely occur before embarking on such an endeavor in the event things don't pan out.
Guaranteed
A special method comes from the Harbinger Phase ship and its unique onboard system that allows it to temporarily overload the target at close range for a very small period of time regardless of the victim's flux level, which just so happens to lower the shield in the process. How convenient! Extra caution should be taken when facing heavily armed opponents or you might just have your face melted right off.
EMP Damage
Shields are impervious to the damage types above but can be circumvented by one other. EMP damage is an alternative damage type that can not be converted to flux.
Hullmods
There are hullmods that are relevant to shields.
| Shield Hullmods | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
Accelerated Shields | Increases shield turn rate and extension speed. |
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Extended Shields | Increases maximum shield arc. |
 |
Hardened Shields | Reduces damage taken by shields. |
 |
Shield Conversion - Front | Converts omni shield to front, extends arc. |
 |
Shield Conversion - Omni | Converts front shield to omni, reduces arc. |
 |
Stabilized Shields | Reduces flux upkeep for shields. |
 |
Shield Shunt | Removes shields, increases armor. |
 |
Makeshift Shield Generator | Installs basic shields on shieldless ship. Reduces top speed. |
 |
Flux Shunt | Built-in Only, Allows dissipation of hard flux while shields are up. |
Ship Systems
The only Ship System relevant here is Fortress Shield found on a few ships.
It dramatically increases shield damage efficiency at the cost of disabling all weapon systems and generating a small amount of hard flux.
It is useful for tanking bursts of incoming fires, such as Reaper-class Torpedo or Sabot SRM, or for withstanding concentrated fire while retreating.
Skills
The only Skill relevant here is Field Modulation, which decreases damage taken by shields by -15%, and gives 20% hard flux dissipation if elite.
Armour and Hull
Armor is a passive, location based defense that a ship's armor rating determines. Yellow numbers indicate armor damage. Hits to armor reduces armor points in the nearby area. Damage decreases with increasing armor to a minimum of 15%. Armor cannot be recovered in combat. Weapons can be temporarily disabled by damage even while armor is up.
Hits where armor is zero damages the hull, a finite pool of overall health that upon falling to zero causes the ship to explode into a floating hulk. Red numbers indicate hull damage.
Hits on armor and hull can temporarily disable weapons and engines.