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[baxt]

So the Afflictor remains one of the more powerful player ships in the game it's pretty cheap too at 10 DP, it's fast, hits hard and doesn't need SO.

The Doom though, what exactly is it now? I've been trying it with Phase Anchor and just sitting in the line of battle bursting with Needlers and Lances but it just doesn't feel like it's worth the 35 DP. It also has the issues of super tight OP if you go with Phase Anchor and Hull Mods to make it useful in this role. I can't even fit PD on it really so it steadily gets plinked away by missiles. Afflictor can just out run the missiles. The mines are pretty okay but hardly seem worth the extra DP.

Anyone got any builds for the Doom that can really make it shine in this patch? Can't really play it as an ambush ship anymore unless I'm missing something, it's just too slow to get it done.

[Linnis]

Most of Doom's fire power comes from mines, then using phase to quickly recharge them.

Also don't use needless, use that emp pulse cannon thing and antimatter blasters.

[baxt]

Most of Doom's fire power comes from mines, then using phase to quickly recharge them.

Also don't use needless, use that emp pulse cannon thing and antimatter blasters.

I see what you're saying with the phase speeding up the mines. I tried the AMB build first but just couldn't quite get enough range for them, in this new playthrough though I'm not max level yet so perhaps by max I can squeeze out some more. Like I said it's super tight on flux so it seems difficult to put on Ion Pulsers if that's the ones you meant. Needlers/Lance was about the best combo, firing them with a slight delay results in either a ton of shield damage or double lance hitting their armor it also has the benefit of deleting frigates that are wanting to rush you. 1500+ range fast reloading Needlers seem to do much better than AMBs but I'll try pulser and AMB combo it just sounds too short range with the Dooms lower speed these days

Looks like AMB build is going to cap out at about 1200 or so range unless I missed a skill. Needlers/Lance is 1500-1700 resulting it a much safer burst. The Doom has a real hard time disengaging these days and 500 range can make a massive difference

[Linnis]

The thing with mines is that you can teleport them behind targets. You can pair that together with EMP + AMB to bypass shields when your close enough.

The trick is to not play doom like a stand-off type of ship where you duke it out face to face at long range. Mines most of the time can instant kill frigates, when they are moving fast in one direction you can plop one down in their path and often the frigate cant maneuver fast enough to dodge it. Also phase anchor hull mod recharges ammo by 2x speed while phased, then with the phase it self that is 4x the ammo regen!

Ion Pulsar sustained damage thus goes from 180 -> 720! Recued to maybe 650ish after you calculate the time you spend shooting that is not in phase.

AMB goes from  137 -> 548.

That is a lot of DPS, not to mention it is also bursty, does emp aswell. Add in the mines and the paper DPS of the doom hits onslaught levels.


With doom and phase anchor, the point is to just go in the front and eat damage while dishing even more of it out. Then with timing your phase in accordance to incoming anti armor hits you can last even longer than an onslaught can in close range. Plus with phase anchor you never really worry about LOSING the ship. In the hands of the AI its still powerful because without being inside the time speed effect you can really appreciate just HOW MANY MINES the doom can pop into the battlefield.

[Amoebka]

You just slap a bunch of antimatter SRMs and a phase anchor on it, that's it. No need for fancy tactics, just pop everything and phase to "vent" and reload. Admittedly, this is a postgame build, but it's considerably more powerful than any other ship with omega weapons.

[intrinsic_parity]

Fwiw, needlers also benefit a ton from phase anchor. I think they can be good on doom against shield heavy enemies. The mines already give tons of hull/armor DPS anyway.

I think the most OP doom loadout is using the omega missiles. Both of them benefit massively from the cooldown reduction of phase anchor, and having 1000+ range damage that can pass over allies is incredibly strong.

Also, PD is not so important, you should be using your fast phase cloak cooldown to dodge most stuff. Having a burst PD or two can be nice so that you don't have as much downtime dodging homing missiles, but you really don't need to use all the small turrets.

The key to getting the most out of piloting doom is using systems expertise which massively benefits the mines, and then learning to use the mines to manipulate enemy omni shields and positioning.

[DaShiv]

I think the most OP doom loadout is using the omega missiles. Both of them benefit massively from the cooldown reduction of phase anchor, and having 1000+ range damage that can pass over allies is incredibly strong.

Also, PD is not so important, you should be using your fast phase cloak cooldown to dodge most stuff. Having a burst PD or two can be nice so that you don't have as much downtime dodging homing missiles, but you really don't need to use all the small turrets.

[Thaago]

It would be nice to see the officer skills but... yup, good video! Really shows off the power of System Expertise there too with those walls of mines at long range. Doom is still strong with regular weapons, and is crazy good with omega weapons.

[baxt]

So I gave the AMB/Pulser build a good run but honestly it's much less effective than Needlers/Lances. The damage is probably a little better overall but leaves you at super high flux and much closer range so you just take more damage for it. System Expertise helps the mines out a bit but they really are lackluster compared to Entropy Amplifier, The mines rarely land where you actually want them too and the AI is pretty incredible at dodging them by centimetres. I was hoping there was still a good build left for the Doom but I'm not sure there is, seems like the Afflictor is the only really good Phase ship left which I'm okay with. The Omega weapon builds are pretty funny but tbh they can turn any ship into something overpowered so I don't really count that as a real build, more of something you mess around with towards the end of a run.

 The Doom overall just feels way too sluggish to get enough done for the 35 DP it costs. And since it is so slow now it's not even fun to fly but I guess that one is subjective. It sort of feels like the Doom should be an upgrade or at the very least a sidegrade to an Afflictor but it's a straight downgrade which wouldn't be so bad but you're paying +25 DP for a worse ship overall. I'm aware they have different roles in a fleet setting but the Afflictor can almost do it all whereas the Doom can only burst. I'm not convinced the mines are worth 35 DP.

It's main issue I found was the AIs obsession with keeping its guns pointed at the player no matter if it's engaging and you're approaching as quickly as possible from the flanks so you just consistently take chip damage. Sure you can Phase up but they are still going to be tracking you and Phase has a cooldown even with Elite FM. Afflictor can just steer out of the way of weapon arcs even without SO and is so quick to disengage you can really tie the enemy up having them go in circles trying to get their guns on you while you just press F and watch your fleet delete them

[DaShiv]

System Expertise helps the mines out a bit but they really are lackluster compared to Entropy Amplifier, The mines rarely land where you actually want them too and the AI is pretty incredible at dodging them by centimetres. I was hoping there was still a good build left for the Doom but I'm not sure there is, seems like the Afflictor is the only really good Phase ship left which I'm okay with. [...] It sort of feels like the Doom should be an upgrade or at the very least a sidegrade to an Afflictor but it's a straight downgrade which wouldn't be so bad but you're paying +25 DP for a worse ship overall. I'm aware they have different roles in a fleet setting but the Afflictor can almost do it all whereas the Doom can only burst. I'm not convinced the mines are worth 35 DP.

No offense, but it sounds like a case of skill issue, especially where it comes to mine use. I'm pretty sure that the current consensus (and rightfully so) is that the Doom and the Mike Strike system are broken-good in the hands of a competent player pilot, but it requires a higher skill ceiling than simply "here is the magic build, hold down W + mouse1 to win". Understanding how to manipulate AI shield/movement using mines, how to use enemy fighters/wreckage to instantly detonate mines at will, and how to use mine AOE to clear clustered ships/missiles and exploit shield gaps (especially against stations), all allow a competent Doom pilot to crush fleets, solo Tesseracts and Star Fortresses, which the Afflictor severely lacks the firepower (and AI manipulation) to achieve.

Doom fleet battle

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Solo Tesseract

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Solo Star Fortresses

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Mind you, the Afflictor is a great ship for its DP cost, and the Afflictor (P) much more so than the base Afflictor. However, in the hands of a skilled player pilot, the Doom has a far higher skill ceiling and capability to dominate the entire battle.

The Omega weapon builds are [...] more of something you mess around with towards the end of a run.

You can choose to deny yourself the use of Omega weapons until the end of a run, but that's purely a player decision and not a very optimal one, since Omega weapons can be easily acquired early on:

• The Galatia storyline doesn't require a fleet of any substance to complete, and the Ziggurat can even be reached in less than an hour of gameplay.
  
  How To Complete Story Quickly

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• The Ziggurat can also be defeated easily with a weak fleet, especially given the phase speed nerf preventing it from escaping to vent once fluxed. Here's Maddi from the Discord doing so using Enforcers, Sunders, and Mules, with no losses.
• The Hypershunts can be easily soloed using the Ziggurat: here's an example from last patch of someone showing how to do so, and it's far easier now since Ziggurat is much stronger with Phase Anchor than it used to be.
  
  Solo Hypershunt

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For me personally, I've always cleared the Hypershunts in every run before I've even established my first colony or built a non-Ziggurat capital ship fleet. Omega weapons are absolutely not end game.

[SCC]

Afflictor is probably more DP-efficient, but Doom can deal with the majority of enemies solo - if that is your requirement. Now that phase ships are slower, Doom needs more cover from other ships, but it can still royally screw anything over within 1000u/1500u range.
I also don't think that a nerd that has played this game for years, doing all kinds of challenge runs, is a good measuring stick as to if you are proficient or if the ship itself is too weak.

[Null Ganymede]

The trick with nerds and challenge runs is sometimes they share easy-to-execute strats in easy-to-digest video form. (Hello Raw Tempest gameplay.) Doom's ship system being a free source of damage is oppressive, but maximizing what fraction of that damage actually lands is very much a skillshot that takes some AI understanding.

At the end of the day Rule of Cool is more important than tourney balance or whatever. Yeah massed Tempests or skilled Doom pilots are powerful enough to overthrow the major factions - what of it?

[Thaago]

Dooms are slightly balanced by the DP limits on phase coil tuning: if the player is running a Doom as their flagship, they start to lose bonuses if they are also running afflictors. Having 1 AI pirate afflictor is probably the best compromise as its only slightly above the limit and still does really well, but that precludes having a swarm of fully boosted Wolfpack phase frigates which is hilariously nasty in its own right. The Doom is strong enough that its worth it, but its a small balancing factor.

[Salter]

As others have said, doom's strong in the hands of a player and a smaller fleet. In large fights though under AI control they tend to drop mines on friendlies. Especially when fighting stations.

Afflictors good if you have it compliment harbingers, since they can stun ships and the afflictor usually follows up with Entropy for everyone else to gun down said ships.

For the most part, I utilize AM blasters and pulsers on my phase ships when possible. They are burst ships so they need burst weapons.

[TaLaR]

I just have 4 Afflictors for player only use. A character optimized to pilot them is going to be sub-optimal at anything else anyway. Having 4 makes it possible to defeat fleets of any size and chain battle as much as needed. As extreme opposite to hangar queen Ziggurat.