I think that'd be too good vs frigates and other such. It's still got all the benefits of being a beam weapon vs smaller targets; the slow turn rate has always been intended to offset that.
then maybe the Tachyon Lance needs to turn slower? with the upcoming buffs to both weapons they will still have around the same dps, but the TL has the advantage of doing high burst damage (making it especially strong against low capacity shields, like those of frigates) and emp damage.
i still feel the turn speed is
too low, though. not because TL or HIL seem too weak overall, but because the difference between having them mounted in the hardpoint of a Sunder or Apogee compared to having them mounted in a turret of an Odyssey or Paragon seems too big. even without officer skills, Sunder and Abogee can turn pretty quickly. it feels really weird to me that a cruiser can turn its front mounted laser faster than a battlecruiser can turn its turret.
maybe both weapons should instead have slow beam travel speed (or however the stat that governs how long a beam takes to reach full length is called ^^), so that small and mobile ships have a better chance to avoid a full hit.
Everyone kinda focuses on combat changes but I reread the notes and the ones from the 1st and I have to say there are a lot of great campaign changes as well! I'll start a new game for this patch even if I don't have to (does this patch still support .7 saves?).
i'm definitely looking forward to the various campaign changes as well, particularly regarding commissions and smuggling. :]