Point Defense Cruisers

[Grief Bacon]

Does anyone actually build picket cruisers? Thoughts? Started experimenting with them last couple of games but I ran them alongside smaller hulls so I'm not sure who killed what. Don't know how I never noticed you could equip picket computers on cruisers but whatever. In my head they would be great because of the increased health but I'm concerned that they'd be too slow to properly intercept smaller faster targets. Maybe with afterburners they'd be fine? That and they have fewer P slots. I mean I know the strike craft should in theory make up for that but what's there to protect the strike craft?

 

[DarkHelmet110985]

My fleets typically contain 20 Lance Corvettes(meta is Nano-Missile Corvettes with Artillery computers… that will get axed in a balance patch… at least it should) with a Swarm mentality to draw enemy fire, 10-20 Picket Destroyers(10 in a 280 Fleet command setup, 20 with Commanding Presence Trait, pretty much set up to intercept Missiles and Strikecraft), 16-21 Missile Crusers(w/ Torpedoes, secondary number for Commanding Presence) and 20-25 Battleships with Strikecraft, PD and Missiles(some with X-Slot Lances). Only 1 Titan per fleet with a Heal Aura.

So TLDR: No I don’t. I prefer Missile Cruisers with Afterburners to get in Torpedo range. The damage it does is insane given it bypasses Shields. Shield Hardening would do wonders against me though but the AI generally doesn’t prioritize it and struggles to handle the Strikecraft and Missiles flying their way. Against a x5 Prethoryn Scourge(I know it’s nothing to gloat about), I solo’s it and lost only 15 ships. Ancient Driller Drones just shred them.

 

[Grief Bacon]

Yeah I prefer destroyers for picket, and I also use a single titan per fleet. I just wasn't sure if I had discovered some forbidden knowledge. I tend to use a large variety of ships in my fleets. All different sizes and roles. I've been trying to consolidate the overlap lately because honestly it's just caused by laziness. If you count the picket experiment, my current fleets have six different cruiser designs. And some of them share roles with other hull sizes also in the fleet. Most of the time they use a mix of energy and kinetic so I don't have to bother upgrading for each enemy.

 

[Ishyro]

The problem with the picket computer is that the ship will kill itself, more health will only delay it, unless you can destroy the enemy fleet faster, in wich case you don't need the picket anyway.

It is far more reliable to put your pickets on artillery/carrier ships.

 

[RingworldUtopia]

Does anyone actually build picket cruisers? Thoughts? Started experimenting with them last couple of games but I ran them alongside smaller hulls so I'm not sure who killed what. Don't know how I never noticed you could equip picket computers on cruisers but whatever. In my head they would be great because of the increased health but I'm concerned that they'd be too slow to properly intercept smaller faster targets. Maybe with afterburners they'd be fine? That and they have fewer P slots. I mean I know the strike craft should in theory make up for that but what's there to protect the strike craft?

if they have strike craft, might as well keep the carrier computer and let the corvettes come to you