A New Player's Guide to Fighters

[Ramke]

A New Player's Guide to Fighters

There has been quite a bit of new players recently coming into the server the past few months, a lot of them trying out PvP in its most active form - fighters. I figured the community could use a tutorial on how to properly set up a ship and explain the complete basics of fighters and their PvP intricacies. This guide will be aimed at completely new players who have just decided to make a fighter. If you already know the ins and outs of basic fighter PvP, then please move on and view @Yber's "How to XTF" guides.

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Ship Classes

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So, you've decided to make a fighter. There's a lot of them to choose from, and all of them are different in their own way! As a new player, you might be inclined to try and learn about all the ship classes before deciding what would fit your playstyle and interest the most. I'll make a short review of all of the ship fighter classes that are currently available.

It's worthy to note that, currently, most of fighter PvP happens in Very Heavy Fighters and in occasional Heavy Fighters. This is because all other classes are much less flexible or have too many downsides to make them a worthwhile alternative.

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Light Fighters (LFs):

[img float=right]http://i.imgur.com/K6OLMt3.png?1[/img]

Light Fighters are, as the name might suggest, the lightest and speediest fighters currently in the Discovery mod. They shine in incredible speed and a small hitbox, making them a real nuisance to hit if flown properly. They also have access to special Light Fighter (Class 6) guns that deal heavier damage compared to their ordinary heavy fighter alternatives. Their general gun count is lower than their heavier brethren, however - most Light Fighters have access to three or four guns. The downside to these ships is that they are incredibly poorly armoured. Their hull points are the lowest of all fighters, and their shields are the easiest to break as well. They absolutely can not risk taking hits and must rely on maneuvering and dodging to survive. It only takes one (even indirect!) Nuclear Mine to put you out of action instantly. There are some hybrids in this class, such as the Sea Serpent or the Scimitar, that are actually viable as a light fighter.

This class of ships can, more or less, only be flown effectively by experienced players who know how to maneuver incredibly well and know how to dodge fire and avoid mines. I would not recommend you to fly these ships as a new player, unless you are flying it for roleplay and taking advantage of its highest cruise speed in the mod (425 m/s).

Advantages:

○ Incredibly small size/hitbox
○ Fastest turn rate
○ Access to powerful snub weaponry
○ Fastest cruise speed (425 m/s)

Disadvantages:

○ Very low hull strength (can be killed by a single mine!)
○ Very low shield capacity
○ Very low powercore
○ Able to use 3/4 guns, instead of 6
○ Very low recharge (nanobot and shield battery) count

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Heavy Fighters (HFs):

[img float=right]http://i.imgur.com/qxoZop9.png?1[/img]

Heavy Fighters are nimble, relatively fast fighters that have access to ordinary fighter guns (Class 7), but do not have access to light fighter (Class 6) or heavy fighter (Class 8) guns. Their armour strength is lower than Very Heavy Fighters, but exchange that for a better turn rate and smaller ship size. The majority of them have access to 6 guns, making them have the same damage output as their heavier alternatives.

Heavy Fighters require some skill to fly, as they rely more on maneuvering and dodging to survive. They are a nice alternative to players who enjoy outmaneuvering their opponent and punishing them for flying poorly. They require decent skills to fly proper, and as such, I wouldn't recommend them to new players just yet.

Advantages:

○ Small size
○ Relatively fast turn rate
○ Access to 6 guns
○ Average recharge (nanobot and battery) count

Disadvantages:

○ Relatively low hull strength (a single mine takes 90% of your hull!)
○ Relatively low shield capacity
○ Does not have access to heavy fighter (Class 8) guns

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Very Heavy Fighters (VHFs):

[img float=right]http://i.imgur.com/rLVuj2x.png?1[/img]Very Heavy Fighters are the most commonly seen ship class flying around. They are the bread and butter of ordinary group fights, and the easiest ship class to begin with, and ultimately master. Very Heavy Fighters can use up to 6 (or 7!) guns, as well as have access to heavy fighter (Class 8) guns. They have high hull strength and shield capacity, while still retaining good mobility.

It should be noted that there are three prominent types of this fighter class: the agile out-turners with low hull and relatively large size (Eagle), the extremely average and flexible fighters (Guardian), and the heavy tanks with large powercores (Avenger).

This is the ship class I recommend new players to fly at first. Very Heavy Fighters are the most flexible and survivable class out of the current four. It's easiest to learn fighter PvP in the average faction VHFs (all of them are relatively flat, have a good powercore, maneuverability and ~12,000 hull strength).

Advantages:

○ High hull strength
○ High shield capacity
○ High recharge (nanobot and shield battery) count
○ High damage output
○ Access to heavy fighter (Class 8) and Codename (Class 9) guns
○ Decent maneuverability

Disadvantages:

○ Heavier ships are easily outmaneuvered
○ Class 8 and 9 weapons drain the powercore very quickly

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Super Heavy Fighters (SHFs):

[img float=right]http://i.imgur.com/nXid0ro.png?1[/img]

Super Heavy Fighters are the heaviest fighters available. They have an enormous powercore, can mount multiple utility weapons (Cruise disruptors, mini razors, torpedoes) and can be absolutely deadly in duels. They have very large hull strength, making them tough to take down, along with the ability to mount strong freighter shields. The biggest downsides that make it awful in most fights, however, are that it is incredibly slow and large. It's very easy to hit a Super Heavy Fighter while constantly staying behind it. Most people avoid this ship class, or fly it to use weird silly loadouts that you normally wouldn't be able to use.

Learning fighter PvP with this ship class will teach you the completely wrong set of skills. I would not recommend using this ship class at all, except for fun or specific scenarios.

Advantages:

○ Very high hull strength
○ Ability to mount strong freighter shields
○ Access to a -lot- of weaponry
○ Dual utility weapon slots
○ Incredibly high power core

Disadvantages:

○ Incredibly slow, easy to outmaneuver
○ Very large, very easy to hit
○ Inflexible and useless in group fights

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Loadouts

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So, you've decided on your ship class. Now it's time to set it up! You'll need weapons, a utility weapon, a mine, and a countermeasure dropper for you to do damage and survive in a fight. But first, let's mention what else you should buy to get your ship ready combat-wise. I'll be showing what a Very Heavy Fighter should have equipped in the end.

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Preparing Your Ship!

Regardless of what ship class you've decided to roll with, you'll need one piece of equipment that is absolutely necessary to effectively perform in fights.
Universal Armour Upgrade VIII(8) - 15 million credits

What this piece of equipment does, is that it takes up a lot of your cargo hold and MULTIPLIES your hull by reducing the damage you receive by the number it mentions (2.5). This means that, if your fighter has 12,000 hull strength, you'll end up effectively having 30,000 once you equip it. You can probably see why it's necessary.
Optionally, if you can't afford it and your cargo hold allows it - get a Heavy Armour Upgrade 1. It multiplies your hull a bit less, but it's a lot more affordable.

Scanners:

You will want to use the Deep Scanner or Advanced Deep Scanner, regardless of if it's a fighter or not! It allows other players to be seen from the highest distance currently possible (14K). Please don't use any other scanner, as you will simply just not find players and the place will feel very lonely.

Shields and Thrusters:

For shields on a Very Heavy Fighter, you want to get a Class 10 shield. It's the best one you can use, and there's really no reason not to!
There are multiple types of shields, all having weaknesses and strengths against different weapon types. Currently, the most common weapon types are photon and laser - which is what the Champion shield defends best against. I would recommend you get the Adv. Champion H.F. Shield, but it really varies by what enemies you are fighting and what weapons they're using.

For thrusters, you should get the Enhanced Thruster. It's the most cost-effective thruster that lasts long enough to ensure that you can fight effectively and participate in group fights without taking a "break" to recharge.

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Weapons

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The average loadout for Very Heavy Fighters is using two shield-damaging weapons (shieldbusters) and four hull-damaging weapons (hullbusters). You can opt for six hullbusters if you will want to be using 2.00 refire weapons, but that is only recommended if you are already capable of aiming well. Now, it's time to decide what weapons to use!

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Guns

As a new player, you will optimally want to be getting the fastest projectile speed and refire weapons available. The current fastest projectile speed for weapons is 750m/s, and the fastest refire rate is 8.33. There are a -lot- of guns that have these two features combined, which makes them the optimal guns for new players. If your faction does not have these weapons, you can always find Adv. Flashpoints on civilian stations and use those.

Optionally, if you dislike high-refire-low-damage weapons, I would recommend you to use 5.88 (750 or 700m/s) or 4.00 (650m/s) refire ones instead. They are energy efficient and still fire fast enough to train your aim, as well as deal damage.

There are also 3.03 and 2.00 refire "shotgun" weapons (600 and 650m/s), but they require excellent aiming skills to use effectively. I suggest you stay away from these until you develop your aim to the point where you're able to consistently deal damage to other players.

Once you've chosen the hull-damaging weapons you want, it's time to get two shieldbusters. The standard civilian weapons that everyone uses are called Debilitators. There are two variants of them - pick the one that has the projectile speed closest to your hullbuster weapons!

Mines

There are three mines to choose from, each being unique in its own manner:

○ Screamer Mines - They deal massive shield damage to anything that it hits. It also has a larger explosion radius compared to other mines. You can carry 50 of these and they are very effective for deshielding fighters or capitals alike!
○ Nuclear Mines - They deal enormous hull damage and is the most commonly used mine in the mod. It's very easy to accidentally blow yourself up with it, and it will completely destroy any light fighter that manages to accidentally fly into it. If a heavy fighter has taken some damage, it'll also be turned into a blue message if it hits one of these mines. You can carry 50 of these.
○ Ripper Mines - These mines don't deal any crippling damage, but they track significantly faster than the other two. For training to use mines, these would be the best option. For actively using them to destroy your opponent, use the other two.

There are some general guidelines to use when using mines.

Use them sparingly and be unpredictable with their placement.
Never use them when your shield is down - you might be countered and get it blown up right as you drop it.

Utility Weapons

There are a few utility weapons, each uniquely different in its use:

○ Cruise Disruptors - Arguably the most useful of the bunch. You can use these weapons to throw missiles that throw anyone out of cruise if hit. They will also put a ship out of engine kill, potentially throwing a person that relies on it into confusion. Cruise disruptors are also used to destroy missiles, torpedoes and mines, as their explosion radius is very large. Use this weapon to predict when your opponent uses a mine, shoot before he places it and watch him blow himself up!
○ Mini Razor - A sniper rifle of sorts. It's a single fire weapon that takes half of your powercore to fire, and deals as much damage as a Nuclear Mine. It's very difficult to aim and hit with this weapon, and requires practice before you can efficiently use it in fights.
○ Inferno - The shieldbuster alternative of the Mini Razor - it's arguably a lot less useful, but might be a good choice if you want to quickly deshield gunboats or transports.
○ Tartarus Pulse Cannon - A broken literal shotgun. It's currently absolutely useless as you can't reliably hit with it - not exactly worth getting this unless it gets changed.
○ Torpedoes - Tracking weapons that deal huge aoe damage if they hit, but very easily countered and avoided. Most players manage to kill themselves more often than kill someone else with these weapons without experience.

It's recommended that new players use a Cruise Disruptor and get the hang of using it in combat. A cruise disruptor is arguably the most useful weapon a fight and is desperately needed in capital fights as a support weapon. You can pair intelligent Cruise Disruptor use along with mines to make incredibly-hard-to-avoid mine traps, guaranteed to deal crippling damage.

Countermeasure Droppers

There are three countermeasure droppers, each being useful. All three types juggle between countermeasure effectiveness and range. It's really a matter of opinion of which is better in what situation - I prefer the standard one that comes with the ships (Fortress CM Dropper) as it gives you the most countermeasures to spam in a pickle, or the Silencer CM Dropper as it is a very good all-rounder.

Use Countermeasure Droppers to avoid missiles, cruise disruptors and torpedoes.

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WARNING:

ALWAYS match weapon projectile speeds, ensure they're all the same speed. If your weapons mismatch in some way, change your weapons or try to find a combination that ensures you still fire in near similar speed (don't use 600m/s and 750m/s weapons together, basically!).

REMEMBER to use at least two shieldbusters! As a new player, you'll likely be missing a lot. If you're struggling with shields very often, consider using a third shieldbuster to work on your aim meanwhile.

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Weapon Groups

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So you outfitted your fighter and are now ready to undock! But wait, now that you have those weapons, you need to set up weapon groups for them. Go to your settings and change the keybindings for "Activate Weapons Groups" as shown.

Now that you have the settings done, press "1". Select all of your shieldbusters and hullbusters.


Weapons group 1

Done? Press "2". Select your hullbusters only.


Weapons group 2

Now, press "3" and select your utility weapon.


Weapons group 3

We did this so that we may be able to use our weapons without needlessly using up ammo or wasting our energy core as the situation demands.

Use your first weapon group to deal full damage to your enemy's shields. Once they're out, disable the shieldbusters by simply pressing "2" and continue fire on the hull with hullbusters. Use your third weapon group to fire your utility weapon. The fourth one is something that a lot of people do differently - I personally use it for shieldbusters only, so that I may constantly fire on a group fight target without wasting my entire power core.

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There, now you're ready to fight in a fully loaded fighter. A good place to practice would be the Connecticut system, to which you can get from anywhere by typing /conn while on a station. Once you've had enough, use /return while docked and undock to return to your station you enter the system with.

To be continued.

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