Grendel

Up to date for latest version, 0.97a.

Grendel-class Phase Cruiser
Low Tech Cruiser
100,000c
Logistical data
CR per deployment	20%
CR per deployment	20%
Recovery rate (per day)	5%
Recovery rate (per day)	5%
Recovery cost (supplies)	9 (-9)
Recovery cost (supplies)	9 (-9)
Deployment points	18
Deployment points	18
Peak performance (sec)	480
Peak performance (sec)	480
Ordnance points	150
Ordnance points	150
Maintenance (supplies/month)	18
Maintenance (supplies/month)	18
Cargo capacity	100
Cargo capacity	100
Maximum crew	120
Maximum crew	120
Skeleton crew required	120
Skeleton crew required	120
Fuel capacity	75
Fuel capacity	75
Maximum burn	8
Maximum burn	8
Fuel per LY / Jump cost	3
Fuel per LY / Jump cost	3
Combat performance
Hull integrity	11000
Armor rating	1200
Flux capacity	6000
Flux dissipation	600
Top speed	60
Systems
Defense	Phase Cloak
Cloak activation cost	300
Cloak upkeep/sec	480
System	Accelerated Ammo Feeder
Mounts	3x Small Missile 5x Medium Ballistic 7x Small Ballistic
Hullmods	Rugged Construction Distributed Fire Control

	An ill-fated design from the start, the Grendel was originally planned as a heavy phase droneship. Casualties would be irrelevant and routine damage anticipated, for this ship is a brawler which can phase-shift through a first wave of hostile ordnance to appear in the midst of the enemy battle line ready to unleash missiles and heavy firepower. The trick is, of course, performing this maneuver safely by carefully juggling flux-load and positioning, though its service record demonstrates that nothing is particularly safe about the Grendel. The brainchild of an eccentric admiral who managed to capture procurement authority over an entire frontier sector, the first prototypes were installed with low-level AI core commanders. The AIs became rapidly unstable, even erratic, after only a handful of phase shifts. Subsequently, the precise details of these experiments were suppressed by an obscure intelligence ministry of the Domain and the project saved only by the admiral's personal intervention. With AI unsuitable, the next best disposable resource was tapped, and the Grendel saw its first combat service on the far fringes crewed almost entirely by Domain Armada penal battalions.
–In-game description

The Grendel-class Phase Cruiser a low tech design fielded by the Hegemony.

Overview

The Grendel is functionally an upsized Gremlin, making it a fairly unique phase ship due to being both low tech and possessing ballistic mounts. Due to having the built-in hullmod Distributed Fire Control, the Grendel sacrifices range increases in exchange for weapon mount durability. Rugged Construction also makes having the ship destroyed in combat somewhat more acceptable, as it halves the effects of any accumulated Damage hullmods.

The Hegemony's doctrinal de-emphasis on phase ships makes the Grendel relatively rare to see in its fleets.

Strategy and tips

The following section contains user-submitted suggestions, these may be inaccurate or outdated.

Because the Grendel mainly uses ballistic mounts, unlike high tech phase ships, it can't be equipped nor piloted the same way. Its Accelerated Ammo Feeder and durability, as well as its poor mobility and phase capabilities, encourages it to be out of phase, relegating phase cloaking use to evade especially damaging hits.

Weapons

For the Grendel's small mounts, Vulcan Cannons are a reliable point defense option. Alternatively, the front small mounts can be replaced with kinetic weapons like Light Needlers, while point defense for the front can be left to Flak Cannons.

In a support role, though not nearly as effective without an Integrated Targeting Unit, equipping three Hypervelocity Drivers and two Heavy Maulers is a valid loadout option, though does require frequent use of the Ammo Feeder to circumvent the high flux cost and slow firing rate of the Hypervelocity Drivers.

A more aggressive option is to have all five ballistic mounts equipped with Assault Chainguns, giving the Grendel immense fire power at the expense of flux cost. Alternatively, three of these medium weapons can instead be Heavy Machine Guns. Naturally, Safety Overrides mitigate this issue in both builds.

Hullmods

Since it only has three small missile mounts, the Grendel can benefit from the Missile Autoloader, though not to the same extent as the Eagle or Falcon. Limited to a reload capacity of twelve, it's only enough to sustain the equivalent of nine Reaper-class Torpedoes, or seven Sabot SRMs, just slightly a larger capacity than Expanded Missile Racks.

While Distributed Fire Control does make mounts more durable, Resistant Flux Conduits and Armored Weapon Mounts still have their benefits. The former can make mounts outright immune to EMP in combination to the built-in as well as increasing its active vent speed, especially when s-modded. The latter halves recoil recoil increases while also giving a 10% increase to armor. Speaking of armor, Heavy Armor will help make the Grendel far more durable when out of phase.

As it's still a phase ship, the Grendel benefits from Hardened Subsystems, Phase Coil Tuning and Field Modulation. Adaptive Phase Coils also helps reduce the stress from phase cloaking, which is especially beneficial for the Grendel since it is a slow ship to begin with.

Safety Overrides gives the Grendel the venting capabilities needed to handle high flux cost weapons at the expense of its peak performance, while Unstable Injector boosts its top speed at the expense of hampering its range further. Auxiliary Thrusters also help increase its sluggish turn speed to more acceptable levels.

Trivia

• Grendel is the name of one of the three major antagonists of the epic poem Beowulf. It is described as "a creature of darkness, exiled from happiness and accursed of God, the destroyer and devourer of our human kind". Grendel's exact form is also left ambiguous and remains a subject of debate.
• Before the release of 0.97, the Grendel was originally called the Wendigo.

Changelog

Patch 0.97a: Introduced