Hi all! Forgive me if its already been asked (I couldn't find anything), but how do you play Diable early game? It feels like I am underpowered in what I feel should be even fights, and trying to trade with other factions is next to impossible due to everyone hating you. Clearly I am playing wrong, so any tips would be greatly appreciated.
How early game are we talking? Can you give some example fleet compositions on your side and the enemy? Is this with Nexerlin?
Like any faction, Diable has some ships which are better than others. In the frigate tier, the Vapor should be your go to ship in the very early game for combat capability. Drafts are a bit of a unique ship with its front armor mechanic, fairly weak to flanking. And Sleets are more like combat transports, and thus not as good as a dedicated combat frigate like the Vapor.
A Vapor equipped with a Recson V has solid shield damage out to 1000 units and can basically outrun any non-SO frigate (except a Tempest). SO Vapors can also be scary having access to medium ballistics as well as ion cannons.
Because of the narrow front shield arcs, and some of the weapons layouts, some Diable ships are highly vulnerable to flanking. However, that can somewhat be mitigated by human piloting and adding escort orders. A few frigates can do wonders to cut down on enemy flanking attempts on your larger ships.
At the destroyer tier, you've got the defensive Calm, and the offensively focused Hayle. The Calm, while lacking the raw firepower of a Hammerhead's ship ability system, has superior flux stats and flux free PD. The Hayle is vulnerable to being outnumbered and flanked, but if supported properly has amazing flux stats for a destroyer. Only 75 flux dissipation less than a Sunder. Only 25 less base flux than a Dominator heavy cruiser! Also, 12 front mounted hammer torpedoes is hilarious for only 12 OP.
The Fractus destroyer carrier should not use wanzers, but rather more traditional fighters since it doesn't have the wanzer specific hullmod. Otherwise its a cheap destroyer that fields 2 fighter wings with a fighter focused ship ability, which is what you want out of a destroyer carrier.