Falcon can be armed (and vent spam) much like a Medusa, or it can kite-and-snipe with a HVD+Mauler+beams. Ballistics and beams are more useful mainly due to being more common than heavy blasters and light needlers, and excellent for kiting.
I disagree that Apogee is top-tier. Good, yes; top-tier, no. If you want to kite with Apogee, you either get stuck with Autopulse or Plasma cannon plus beams, maybe missiles too. That is Falcon or destroyer-level firepower. If it goes for short-range stuff... It gets autopulse, antimatter blasters, two heavy blasters, and insignificant PD. Also, Aurora is lacking too unless built for missile spam, which it does very well (for now).
Similarly, Venture would be good too, if its weaknesses were not so crippling now.
Falcon and Apogee can focus about six to eight light weapons worth of sustainable firepower at enemies. Most destroyers can comfortably focus six light weapons worth too.
Venture can do this too, if built for it. Although given that its system and half of its mounts are for missiles, I would probably build Venture for Pilum and Salamander spam, and use two dual flak and heavy blaster for close-range. If I want to snipe, use HVD+Mauler (or two HVDs since Pilums can do the HE damage) for assault and heavy burst laser for occasional PD.
Dominator can focus-fire nine or ten light weapons worth of ballistics (and three medium mounts of missiles) comfortably. If it needs to give up frontal PD and go all-out offense (to solo the simulator), it can use Mjolnir+Mauler+Needler for thirteen light weapons worth of ballistics firepower.