If I understand correctly, the Scarab is the Venom-X's bigger, higher-functioning brother.
And there aren't many frigates (or destroyers/cruisers) which can match their burst capabilities- 3x DPS, 3x speed, & slo-mo is just insanely powerful.
yip
scarab baby!!
ion cannons and antimatter blasters both make excellent weapons when mixed with slow mo
Scarab on a first glance though, lacks medium weapon slots (which happily on Venom-X are ballistic) and it has less Flux. I usually go for glass cannons, cause I like it when my shield can hold back the damage, seeing the enemy try to do something impossible. But I would not so much mind that, as much as the 2 small synergy slots, vs 2 medium ballistic slots. Although I have to admit, it seems to be quite nice and with 20 vs 7 maintenance, it is not hard to upkeep. That Flux capacity though.. 3300 vs 2000. I need to definitely give it a spin and see how it feels to fly it. Thanks for mentioning it =)
However all of these are really expensive to use & service, (including that Versant). The hyperion for example costs as much as a capital to maintain, and most phase frigates cost as much as a destroyer- a destroyer which is generally more valuable than the frig in fleet settings.
But hey, if you're trying to keep burn up & sensor profile down, high-tech frigs are the best option!
They are expensive? I mean sure I agree the 20 of Venom-X make it super expensive, but the rest? Maybe I am used to play with expensive to maintain ships, since when I go for fighters, I always get ones with 1.5-4.0 maintenance per month. I always keep a lot of supplies on me. At least for Venom-X it is paying for it;s maintenance, when I can go in with a couple of ships and take on large pirate fleets with big bounty on their boss' head.
Holy ... moly... I can SEE why I never chose to even test out Hyperion. That's a Heavy Cruiser cost! Talk about expensive... Then again I guess Venom-X is not that much cheaper. Still, it was the first ship I captured and it has been with me from literaly the beginning of the game. It has not really made me feel I am burning supplies too much.. yeah it's probably cuase i am used to expensive ships.
If you have BRDY, the Gonodactylus is my favorite destroyer to-date. Speed, durability, and enough burst to box with light cruisers, (or just POUR damage into the rear of capitals).
The Weevil & Mod-Silverfish are reliable if somewhat expensive combat freighters- I particularly like the Weevil as a close-support vessel. That mid-mount was built for a grape-launcher!
Gonodactylus in one of my plays in the past, was my main flagship for a long time, until I got a large Battlecruiser. It was really awesome and if anything, it would just not die! (like all Blackrock ships XD). As for battle freighters, I never had a mind to use them. Early I have ultra fast ones, in case I want to escape from a battle and later on I get larger ones. I never have tried to use battle freighters, except some rare times in early game.