1580 damage to shields. 198 damage to hull. 7k range.

What is the point of this weapon?

Its only slightly redeeming effects come at T5, and even then they simply aren't that good.

Honestly it'd be better as an Ion Torpedo with 10k range and 4 second lock. At least that way the shield damage could actually happen well before I'm in blaster range.

But if I can't start locking on until 7700m, then by the time I've locked on, fired, and the missile has hit its target, I've already been in blaster range, whittling down my target's shields. The only time this doesn't happen is if my target if is flying away from me.

I'll keep trying to use it ... but it hardly seems worth the effort, especially when an EMP Missile or Thermite Torpedo offers much more guaranteed results.

Also very disappointed that the 790 seen on dulfy.com were nothing but a sweet dream.

Ion missile will almost always hit a target without shields due to its nature (range plus lock time), resulting being the weakest missile ever. Even weaker than EMP that at least ignore armor.

Something has to be done :

- either give Proton's range, so that it theorically always hits before shields are done, but that still does not assure that someone else didn't kill shields before.

- either give it a decent outcome when it lands regardless of shields... buy giving it at least Cluster's damage on hull.

Both Ion and EMP Missiles need their utility buffed so that they feel like a solid choice alongside Thermite, Cluster, Concussion and other missiles/torpedoes. Right now they're just two lackluster (and inferior) choices to pretty much every other missile out there. It's sad that Ion (and EMP) feel nearly useless without full upgrades and even after that are only mediocre at best. Heck, Ion drains less weapon/engine power than the railgun variant and you can fire it with much less frequency and range (12 second reload time, 7700 missile range after upgrades). With the kind of limitations it already has on it shouldn't it have a good reward?

This issue is even further exacerbated on the two new ships. I can choose a solid torpedo (Thermite) over the other two options and have no long-range primary weapon to complement it (Quads/Laser Cannon at best). My other option is to take one of the two utility missiles (Ion or EMP) that don't really offer anything noteworthy and feel like a joke/wasted slot until they're completely upgraded. Even then, they don't hold a candle to most other secondary weapon options.

Please review these missile systems! I'll still play both the new ships, but they feel like benchwarmers after they're mastered unless they get some worthwhile changes (and Ion Missile is as good a starting place as any).

Nem,

I'm glad your missiles still suck. You don't need any other arsenals when you're team is focusing me On a serious note, hopefully they DO make these viable as it would add another layer of strat / builds, and it seems silly to add a device that won't damage your hull

Nem,

 

I'm glad your missiles still suck. You don't need any other arsenals when you're team is focusing me On a serious note, hopefully they DO make these viable as it would add another layer of strat / builds, and it seems silly to add a device that won't damage your hull

My Blackbolt uses dump-fire Rocket Pods, so actually I haven't even really benefited (offensively) from the decrease in missile evasion. Though with all the Thermite Torpedo love, I may give that a try someday.

I'd like to be able to field the Bloodmark in TDM occasionally, but first I need a reason to besides "it looks cool". The only unique components (for a Scout) that the Bloodmark offers are Tensor Field, Repair Drone/Shield Projector, Interdiction Drive, and Ion/EMP Missile. Every other component is available on one of the other Scouts.

Tensor Field is useful at exactly one moment: at the start of a Domination Match, when your whole team is near you and speed is 100% useful to everyone. Of course, if the other team has a Bloodmark with TF, it's a wash. And I doubt multiple Tensor Fields stack (but what if they did--imagine how fast you could all go).

Any other time, Tensor Field is inferior to every other Scout System.

Repair Drone and Shield Projector are only useful so long as your fragile Scout is alive, and taking one means you don't have Distortion Field.

Interdiction Drive means you are lacking a missile lock. It has some situational uses, but taking it would be suicide in TDM, especially if you take something besides Distortion Field.

So ... in the end, to justify flying a Bloodmark in TDM, it falls to the question of: "How interesting is it to have Ion Missile and EMP Missile on a Scout?"

Taking EMP Missile means you expect to be fighting Bombers, something all Scouts are terrible at--and having an EMP Missile won't change that. And EMP Missile is much better on a more durable ship like an Imperium or Quell, which can survive the constant attrition damage put out by Bombers.

So, at the end of the day, the usefulness of the Bloodmark depends entirely on the usefulness of Ion Missile. Which is useless. Hence this post.

I already started this conversation on the weekend.http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=733776

There was some talk around how they might be OK with a damage buff. Apparently that didn't happen. I think range increase or range and lock time decrease is where to look.

I already started this conversation on the weekend.http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=733776

 

There was some talk around how they might be OK with a damage buff. Apparently that didn't happen. I think range increase or range and lock time decrease is where to look.

Yeah, I agree--though I think they'd do better as a peer to the Torpedoes than as a peer to the Cluster Missiles.

If I'm in Cluster Missile range, then I'm going to be firing my lasers, and my target's shields are likely going to be down a bit anyway.

Really, the best fix is to do like they did with Thermite Torpedo--make the case where the target has no shields already, but is hit by the Ion Missile, still interesting. Perhaps it just means giving the Ion Missile hull damage comparable with a Cluster Missile. Or perhaps it means having the Ion Missile drain a lot more engine energy if there are no shields to drain. Or maybe the Ion Missile doubles shield regen delay on the target for a short period of time. Or maybe the Ion Missile gets an AOE like Ion Railgun.

It just needs something so that it doesn't lose every apples to apples comparison. It either needs to be a better apple, or it needs to become a true orange.

Yeah, I agree--though I think they'd do better as a peer to the Torpedoes than as a peer to the Cluster Missiles.

 

If I'm in Cluster Missile range, then I'm going to be firing my lasers, and my target's shields are likely going to be down a bit anyway.

 

Really, the best fix is to do like they did with Thermite Torpedo--make the case where the target has no shields already, but is hit by the Ion Missile, still interesting. Perhaps it just means giving the Ion Missile hull damage comparable with a Cluster Missile. Or perhaps it means having the Ion Missile drain a lot more engine energy if there are no shields to drain. Or maybe the Ion Missile doubles shield regen delay on the target for a short period of time. Or maybe the Ion Missile gets an AOE like Ion Railgun.

 

It just needs something so that it doesn't lose every apples to apples comparison. It either needs to be a better apple, or it needs to become a true orange.

If ion missile did it it's damage and 50% of that as splash damage within the same sphere as an EMP missile....

That would be pretty nice....

If ion missile did it it's damage and 50% of that as splash damage within the same sphere as an EMP missile....

 

That would be pretty nice....

Yes, that would make it a nice ally-support missile ... and it still wouldn't be nearly as powerful as the Ion Railgun.