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[eert5rty7u8i9i7u6yrewqdef]

Where my initial negative assumptions were wrong.
After testing it, it does require Hardened Subsystems and Combat Endurance for enough PPT to be useful in capital fights, but it does actually get enough PPT being roughly on par with most support destroyers meant to fight alongside Capitals.

I was concerned that the Paladin wouldn't provide enough range to support a fleet. While this is partially correct, it has enough flux to support triple Paladins and S-Ex Mags. This combined with S-ATG and IPDAI, as well as (E)PD creates an area denial for missiles and fighters so extreme that one Anubis frequently gets into the couple hundreds of missiles shot down over longer engagements. Having it escort a fleet Anchor, and having other ships retreat to the fleet anchor when they get overwhelmed by fighters and missiles tends to outweigh Heron Wasp spam.
 


Discovered issues:
It's almost entirely unable to mount anything but Paladins. Gigacannons have a bad tendency to miss due to their aim being thrown off by TS. Autopulse Lasers are too flux hungry even by themselves really. Most of the medium energies aren't viable due to being to flux expensive.
I get that this is supposed to be the case, but it does feel like it was taken too far. I recommend dropping energy weapon flux use down to 150% from the current 200% and see if that's giving it too much. If it is, bump it up to 175%, and keeping moving the number until it feels right.
The goal should probably be the ability to support 1 Autopulse and 1 Paladin assuming the loadout leans heavily into venting and doesn't use ex mags.
With its current stats, players are going to largely avoid it as every time they fight it, it will be near 100% soft flux before the fight has even really started.

It has the same issues that all ships with movement systems have. They will only use their system when they are right on top of the target, or a great distance away from them. This is a pain when you tell them escort a Nova or Odyssey as they frequently fall behind despite having more than enough speed with their system.

Sprite:
Looks pretty decent overall, but unbalanced like it will pull slightly left, and the asymmetric front does not flow into the symmetric back like most HT ships. Fury has partially the same issue in looking like it will pull to the right.
If you want to give it a once over one more time, my recommendation is to lower the fighter bays until the tip of the bays flows into the universal mount area, lower and push left the rightmost large energy until it's centralized on the fighters bay, and then shift the thrusters over to the left until they are centralized on the medium universal mounts. This would also centralize the thrusters to the center large energy mount which currently looks mismatched as it's stuck right in between the asymmetric front and symmetric back.

The goal is to make the thruster look off center but still balanced due the left side looking "heavier", while also further slimming down the design and making it flow better.


Potential issues that I can't verify yet.
My last concern was the ship being too slow without TS to escape, and too fast with TS and System Expertise.
In general, no it's not too slow, it dies slightly after most of its peers. However, the enemy AI almost never engages SE due to the over flux issue mentioned above. As such I want to say no it's probably fine so long as you chase it with frigates, but I can't say that with certainty.

[Bungee_man]

Seems well thought-out. I haven't tried it myself, yet.

You mention only supporting Paladins. I agree that the idea of putting a GC on one is probably not practical. Have you tried HIL? I've seen people do well with that. Also, have you tried out HSA? A set of HSA Paladins with all the relevant buffs seems like it could be pretty scary.

With regard to the system, are you sure they aren't conserving its use for escaping a bad fight? We wouldn't (generally) want them to burn their charge on getting into a fight when they'd need it to win the fight in the first place.

[eert5rty7u8i9i7u6yrewqdef]

Seems well thought-out. I haven't tried it myself, yet.

You mention only supporting Paladins. I agree that the idea of putting a GC on one is probably not practical. Have you tried HIL? I've seen people do well with that. Also, have you tried out HSA? A set of HSA Paladins with all the relevant buffs seems like it could be pretty scary.

With regard to the system, are you sure they aren't conserving its use for escaping a bad fight? We wouldn't (generally) want them to burn their charge on getting into a fight when they'd need it to win the fight in the first place.

HIL is 800 flux/sec on the Anubis. It's not viable outside of player control or safety overrides. While I wouldn't want it to be reliable, I would like it to be possible under AI control with niche builds. At 600 flux/sec, i.e. 1.5x flux, that would be possible. Even 700 or 1.75x would be theoretically possible, although it would leave little to no room for anything else.

I haven't tried HSA, but I also don't see much use for it outside of niche frigate hunting loadouts. Likewise, Sarissa and dual Arbalest Autocannon provide enough kinetic.

Outside of Plasma burn and Burn drive, all movement systems are used when they are in close range or extremely far away. Using it in close range is worthless and wastes the system typically. TS is however useful in close range.
Using it at medium range depends highly on circumstance. If the enemy is retreating and is the same ship size, yes, the ship should always use its system as the retreating enemy will never try pursuing a fight. If a ship is escorting a larger class of ship, again yes, it should always use its movement system at medium range, as the larger ship covers the escort.

[Üstad]

I'm considering 2 Locust, 1 Paladin PD and some ballistics build, mainly for hunting smaller ships or hopefully even discouraging them from engaging in.

[helias]

I'm considering 2 Locust, 1 Paladin PD and some ballistics build, mainly for hunting smaller ships or hopefully even discouraging them from engaging in.

Unfortunately the large slots are Energy, not Universal; only the medium slots are Universal. Gorgons in the medium slots might work, though obviously you'd run out of them more quicker.

[Üstad]

I'm considering 2 Locust, 1 Paladin PD and some ballistics build, mainly for hunting smaller ships or hopefully even discouraging them from engaging in.

Unfortunately the large slots are Energy, not Universal; only the medium slots are Universal. Gorgons in the medium slots might work, though obviously you'd run out of them more quicker.

Oh well, 2 Graviton with 3 Paladin PD then to make the most use of the ship system.

[eert5rty7u8i9i7u6yrewqdef]

I'm considering 2 Locust, 1 Paladin PD and some ballistics build, mainly for hunting smaller ships or hopefully even discouraging them from engaging in.

Unfortunately the large slots are Energy, not Universal; only the medium slots are Universal. Gorgons in the medium slots might work, though obviously you'd run out of them more quicker.

Oh well, 2 Graviton with 3 Paladin PD then to make the most use of the ship system.

Just a heads up, that's 600 flux + shield upkeep + system use. It's possible if you're running Ordinance Expertise and Flux Regulation, but you still probably won't be able to fit Ex Mags without the ship fluxing itself out.
In general, I'm finding leaving the medium empty, or putting missiles in them is best, as kinetics just don't do enough for how flux starved the ship is, and energy costs too much at a 100% markup.

This is also a good time to add the reason the Gigacannon is missing is it loses a large portion of its turn rate during the shot charge up sequence, which means minor turning movements in the Anubis, or quick movement from an enemy frigate will cause it to miss entirely.
Beyond that, with the two skills I mentioned above, it can solo every cruiser in the game with a Gigacannon, two Paladins, and Sarissa. While it should be good with skills, it is a bit nuts that it can bully sim Aurora with just those two.

[kaoseth]

... Heron Wasp spam.

Heron wasp spam?  You have me intrigued.  If you'd indulge a tangent, what's your feelings on this, and do you have any other esoteric builds you'd like to share? 

It's almost entirely unable to mount anything but Paladins. Gigacannons have a bad tendency to miss due to their aim being thrown off by TS. Autopulse Lasers are too flux hungry even by themselves really.

I'm surprised about the autopulse.  I'd expect it to be able to use them exiting to vent and coming back in.  Maybe two instead of 3?  Though to be fair, I also expect to use a leiut with elite energy and elite ordinance, along player Flux Regulation, S-mod flux Distributor/Coil Adjunct, and the rest of the OP geared to flux stats.  And even then I expect it to exit combat to vent. 

[Phenir]

... Heron Wasp spam.

Heron wasp spam?  You have me intrigued.  If you'd indulge a tangent, what's your feelings on this, and do you have any other esoteric builds you'd like to share? 

Wasps are just the best anti fighter fighter there is. They die to a stiff breeze but the point is their proximity mines which devastate enemy fighters.

It's almost entirely unable to mount anything but Paladins. Gigacannons have a bad tendency to miss due to their aim being thrown off by TS. Autopulse Lasers are too flux hungry even by themselves really.

I'm surprised about the autopulse.  I'd expect it to be able to use them exiting to vent and coming back in.  Maybe two instead of 3?  Though to be fair, I also expect to use a leiut with elite energy and elite ordinance, along player Flux Regulation, S-mod flux Distributor/Coil Adjunct, and the rest of the OP geared to flux stats.  And even then I expect it to exit combat to vent.

I don't think he was saying even 2 autopulses lol. You underestimate just how bad the flux on the ship is. Combined with the double energy cost, you're looking at effectively >3x the flux cost compared to any other ship. It can only barely fire a full regular size magazine IF you give it some caps, not to mention the flux from the other two larges or the mediums. And then there's incoming flux from enemy fire to worry about.

[Thaago]

I really like Converted Hanger, Defensive Targeting Array Wasps for anti-fighter/missile defense. Haven't found anything more effective, and they die less when they are tethered to a mothership.

[eert5rty7u8i9i7u6yrewqdef]

... Heron Wasp spam.

Heron wasp spam?  You have me intrigued.  If you'd indulge a tangent, what's your feelings on this, and do you have any other esoteric builds you'd like to share? 

Nothing much to share. You take a Heron, you put some Wasps in it, and then the Wasps kill massive quantities of fighter wings thanks to the stinger mines they drop and the Heron's system. Mixing with kinetic fighters can help anti-armor/hull focused frigates get damage done by ordering fighter strikes. Broadswords are the most useful but they have a speed mismatch which slows down the wasps.
If you want to lean into the PD fully and create an area denial Heron, built in IPDAI + built in ATG and Tac Lasers in all the small energy mounts works very well with full Wasp. If you have an officer or officers to spare, adding on Point Defense as it effects fighters as well and System Expertise, boosts its PD capabilities to the extreme.
Remember to give it Expanded Deck Crew. It will be even better next version as Wasp are getting a buff to their replacement time.

I'm surprised about the autopulse.  I'd expect it to be able to use them exiting to vent and coming back in.  Maybe two instead of 3?  Though to be fair, I also expect to use a leiut with elite energy and elite ordinance, along player Flux Regulation, S-mod flux Distributor/Coil Adjunct, and the rest of the OP geared to flux stats.  And even then I expect it to exit combat to vent.

As Phenir said, I was only talking about 1 Autopulse Laser. It has 30 charges that can be fired over 3 seconds, so the total flux over 3.3 seconds is 33*125=4,125 which gets doubled on the Anubis, so 1 APL generates 8,250 soft flux over the course of 3.3 seconds, after which it generates 500 flux per second. That isn't reasonable without heavy investment into skills and s-mods, especially when you take into account incoming damage, shield upkeep, the fact that Temporal Shell is expensive to use, and the fact that the AI won't use its system to vent if it's too high on flux.
I would like to see just one Autopulse + 1 Paladin be within reason for an Anubis without skill or s-mod support. That's with no other weapons besides maybe cheap fighters.

I don't think he was saying even 2 autopulses lol. You underestimate just how bad the flux on the ship is. Combined with the double energy cost, you're looking at effectively >3x the flux cost compared to any other ship. It can only barely fire a full regular size magazine IF you give it some caps, not to mention the flux from the other two larges or the mediums. And then there's incoming flux from enemy fire to worry about.

You are correct, I was only talking about using one APL.

I really like Converted Hanger, Defensive Targeting Array Wasps for anti-fighter/missile defense. Haven't found anything more effective, and they die less when they are tethered to a mothership.

What? This doesn't use CH, unless Alex gave you a test mod. Never mind, you're talking about Wasp use in general.

Edit: The flux use is actually worse because I had it in my head that APL gained one charge per second. It doesn't, it gains two, so it's 37 charges, 38 according to the wiki.

[eert5rty7u8i9i7u6yrewqdef]

For anyone reading this thread, what is your opinion on no skill no s-mod Anubis vs sim Astral?

Currently it beats the Astral with triple Paladin, one Arbalest Autocannon, Sarissa, Flux distributor, ITU, IPDAI, Stabilized Shields, max vents, and 21(?) caps. I'm remembering this build from memory, I don't have the game open.

The Arbalest is just there to make the Anubis close distance, as otherwise it will act like a timid ship as Paladins are considered PD. This is true even with Reckless AI.

While a pure PD ship should counter a pure missile and fighter ship, it's still 18DP vs 50DP, and I'm not sure the Anubis should be winning this fight. It's not an easy fight for it, but it wins reliably.

If you're in agreement, then the Paladin will probably have to have its fluxed per second nerfed from the proposed sustained 50 flux/s. Relative to any adjustments to the Anubis's flux grid and energy weapon debuff.

Otherwise, I'm interested in hearing what you think a balanced %DP for countering ships is. My current feeling is 50% DP for a ship that hard counters another ship is balanced.

Also, the Paladin is dealing frag damage to ships, and it adds up fast once the armor is gone. While I know with certainty the Detailed Combat Report is over reporting at times, it reported the Paladin did more frag damage to an Aurora's hull than the Aurora has hull, I can also see the frag explosion dealing damage.
It's happening as the Paladin is hitting missiles and fighters close to their mothership, and as such is dealing splash to the mothership.

[Spyro]

That's not just any counter, that's THE counter of all counters you just did. That sort of fight will never happen in an actual fight. A lone PD platform against a lone capital carrier.

Hell I suspect AI Anubis to die to 2 LP Brawlers.

[eert5rty7u8i9i7u6yrewqdef]

That's not just any counter, that's THE counter of all counters you just did. That sort of fight will never happen in an actual fight. A lone PD platform against a lone capital carrier.

Hell I suspect AI Anubis to die to 2 LP Brawlers.

It's a question of it will die to 1 LP Brawler. As even a baseline Anubis can mount double Phase Lance for a short while before fluxing itself out. Enough time to guarantee a kill on one LP Brawler thanks to TS.
While it can't use the Autopule Laser at baseline, it can downsize its mounts to medium energy. So, it has a fair few good builds to choose from depending on what you want from it.

[PixiCode]

That's not just any counter, that's THE counter of all counters you just did. That sort of fight will never happen in an actual fight. A lone PD platform against a lone capital carrier.

Hell I suspect AI Anubis to die to 2 LP Brawlers.

While it can't use the Autopule Laser at baseline, it can downsize its mounts to medium energy. So, it has a fair few good builds to choose from depending on what you want from it.

AI Anubis with Officer vs. 3 LP Brawlers with Officer

[close]

If the brawlers have aggressive personality, this Anubis (it's using aggressive doctrine) can take on 4 LP brawlers at once. Reckless means the Anubis gets surrounded because they don't get zoned by the broadswords as hard. I used devmode to turn my own brawlers into enemies in the simulation.

Provided you make sure the Paladins outrange the autopulser somehow however you set it up I think it won't get into autopulser range too often. I haven't tested Ymfah's Anubis too much since I want to leave me room to have fun/get more accurate tests with the real deal, but that's my impression so far. The AI will not shoot the autopulser to maximum soft flux unless it believes it can get a kill based on my few tests here, which means theoretically it should be fine so long as you keep it from attacking more than a handful of small ships at once (say, 1 destroyer 1 frigate, 2-3 frigates...) or give it very responsive escorts. I would consider replacing TA with Missile Spec or even Gunnery Implant so that it can attack from a safer range.

If fighting more scary enemies, s-mods should provide more safety for the anubis. EDC, EMR, Gyro for bonus frigate (And fighter!) damage, hardened subsystem to last longer...