I am really enjoying it. I have good matches and bad ones of course, but for most part I do surprisingly well. Here are my stats and load out from day 1(Tuesday). I started day with ship at tier 2 upgrades from comm's I saved, and at end of day had tier 3 on most things except primary, secondary and systems. They were still tier 2. Striker I do not know about but will try to make it work, and let you know.

 

Laser Cannon

Ion Missile

Tensor Field

Distortion

Snap Turn

Lightweight Armor

Damage Capacitor

Large Reactor

Dampening Sensors

 

Companions Passive's:

power to engines

efficient maneuvers

improved kill zone

pinpointing

peripheral vision

comm boost

structural support

response tuning

 

<Running Interference as Co-Pilot ability>

 

my stats for day one (34 matches played)

-219 kills(6.44 per battle), Highest kill count 17 in TDM

-225 assists(6.61 per battle). Highest assist count 14

-75 deaths((KD ratio of 2.92)

-1.1 million damage dealt(32,719 per battle), highest dmg in TDM 75k

-41% hit miss %

Some questions:

 

How are you using Tensor Field?

Are you actually hitting allies with it? Does their increased speed result in more victories for your team?

 

If you aren't using it with allies, and its benefits are not contributing directly toward victory, then you'd be better off taking Booster Recharge on a Blackbolt or Sting.

 

 

Are you getting much use out of Ion Missile? Is it more effective than Cluster Missiles, Rocket Pods, or Sabotage would be?

 

If not, then you might as well fly a Blackbolt or Sting instead.

 

Everything else in your build is available on one or both of those other Scouts.

 

Believe me, I want to feel justified in flying the Bloodmark because it looks so cool ... but so far I've yet to find a unique component--or even unique combination of components--that offers a superior alternative to what I could equip on one of the other Scouts or a Strike.

 

Compare that to the Imperium, which has two unique AND effective components (Repair Probes and Remote Slicing), plus a perfect storm of very powerful defensive components.

Some questions:

 

How are you using Tensor Field?

Are you actually hitting allies with it? Does their increased speed result in more victories for your team?

 

If you aren't using it with allies, and its benefits are not contributing directly toward victory, then you'd be better off taking Booster Recharge on a Blackbolt or Sting.

 

 

Are you getting much use out of Ion Missile? Is it more effective than Cluster Missiles, Rocket Pods, or Sabotage would be?

 

If not, then you might as well fly a Blackbolt or Sting instead.

 

Everything else in your build is available on one or both of those other Scouts.

 

Believe me, I want to feel justified in flying the Bloodmark because it looks so cool ... but so far I've yet to find a unique component--or even unique combination of components--that offers a superior alternative to what I could equip on one of the other Scouts or a Strike.

 

Compare that to the Imperium, which has two unique AND effective components (Repair Probes and Remote Slicing), plus a perfect storm of very powerful defensive components.

 

 

- Yes I am hitting allies with it! Solo you still get 6% evasion at tier 4, and Tier 5 will give you 48 engines over duration which is quite a bit plus the speed and turning. Even at tier 2 I find it very useful in dog fighting

 

- Yes the increased speed and Turning has won us a close match in domination!

 

- I would love to have cluster or pods for sure, but I am making it work and it has been effective at certain times. I do not rely on it to much. Is nice for hitting slow *** bombers *** they get in range of my blasters. They do annihilate shields and I haven't maxed em out, but when I do I would like to see how that slow is.

 

I am in the middle of GSF so I hope I got some/most of your questions. I am happy to answer more.

Just for kicks I picked up the Bloodmark and ran it stock in a few matches this evening. My favourite ship is the Blackbolt followed by the Sting. (What can I say, I love having paper for armour and zipping around the map.)

 

Anyway, I haven't been saving any req as I wasn't even sure I wanted to try the new ships out but I had enough to adjust a few components before taking it out for a few matches. It definitely has a different feel to it but enough that I still felt like my other scouts. (but back when I had no upgrades) I found it more challenging to play but enjoyed the Tensor Field and managed to hit my allies at launch and then any that grouped near the sats I was fighting near and it seemed to make a difference as my allies seemed to be picking up targets a little fast after I hit it. I had a lot of fun and a bit of a challenge to line up targets and hit them with an Ion Missile just in time for me to get into range with my Light lasers and burn through their hull. For the more pesky ones I made sure to have Jaesa's special ready so when I hit with my lasers I hit them with the DOT to keep them for regenerating the shields I dropped while I chased them back into range. I kept power dive to see how it worked and the fact that it has such a short cool down for lock break and I found with a twitch of the controls moments before hitting it I could avoid the missile and be further around in a loop to hit my opponent. I didn't top the charts and I was queing solo but stats were decent with 3-6 kills and 8-15 assists with only 2/3 deaths. I can only imagine how much more fun it will be once I get some upgrades going.

 

This is what I am running:

 

Light Laser Cannon

Ion Missile

Tensor Field

Distortion

Power Dive

Lightweight Armor

Damage Capacitor

Large Reactor

Dampening Sensors

 

I didn't write down the crew or I would list them, sorry.

 

basically I tried to concentrate on buffing my allies when they were around and dropping the shields and keeping them down of my enemies so my allies could pick them off. I have no clue if this is a good way to go but it seems to work for me and I am loving the fact that I can fly one of the few good looking Empire ships and still contribute well to my team.

Edited April 10, 2014 by Tchaktuli

I am glad somebody else is able to make it work. Last 2 days I have flown it almost exclusively, and late last night I had enough saved to max Tensor field, and it is amazing maxed. Has a real scout feel if you go for energy regen at tier 5, and extra 6% evasion at tier 4. 2 energy per second might not seem like much, but I can boost from C to A and have 25% of engines left upon arrival. Looking forward to playing ti today some more. I have still left my weapon at Tier 2 and will save up for laser cannon next, then do ion last. Let me know if it gets more enjoyable after you get some upgrades.

I am really enjoying it.

I'm glad you've been having success with the new scout! It's neat to see that the builds listed are very close to what I proposed nearly a month ago. I've also been playing it far more than any other ship the past few days. It's very fun to use Tensor Field and I can get pretty good numbers with this ship, but it isn't anywhere near mastered yet so some components (like Ion Missile) feel extremely lackluster.

 

How are you using Tensor Field?

Tensor Field is great, as has already been stated countless times, for opening a match (TDM or Domination, you're still giving your team a Power-Up and field advantage). It's excellent for helping friendly bombers and other slower ships respond to node attacks in Domination, helping an ally or allies survive when focus fired, catching up to fleeing enemies, running from enemies and has a multitude of other mobility benefits (since when mastered it's a weaker, AoE Booster Recharge on top of its normal effects).

 

Are you actually hitting allies with it? Does their increased speed result in more victories for your team?

All the time. It's got a huge radius and you can fly right up to a ball of friendlies and pop it. The increased speed (and engine regen, and evasion if you go that way, and turning) does help result in more victories for the team, especially when coordinating use of it.

 

If you aren't using it with allies, and its benefits are not contributing directly toward victory, then you'd be better off taking Booster Recharge on a Blackbolt or Sting.

Because Booster Recharge somehow directly results in an increased chance to win games where mastered Tensor Field doesn't? If you aren't using it with allies you're playing solo in a team game. That comes with all the disadvantages you could possibly ask for. Are Stings/Flashfires capable of loadouts that better support solo play or benefit the individual far more than the team? Sure! No one's arguing that, but to dismiss Tensor Field (and the new scout) right off the bat is a mistake, IMO.

 

Are you getting much use out of Ion Missile?

I use all my Ion Missiles every match, even though they're not mastered. I land hits pretty consistently with it, though I wish I had the 40% slow upgrade at the end of the tree (it would bump my ~40-50% accuracy much higher and give me a larger window to land killing hits in).

 

Is it more effective than Cluster Missiles, Rocket Pods, or Sabotage would be?

Is a utility missile more effective than damaging missiles? I don't think so when you include any of the utility missiles (Ion, EMP, Sabotage Probe). Does the ship have to have a drawback as big as it does here? I also don't think so, but I never pretended to be a game designer. Give me my rocket pods back and I'll play this ship all the time.

 

Believe me, I want to feel justified in flying the Bloodmark because it looks so cool ... but so far I've yet to find a unique component--or even unique combination of components--that offers a superior alternative to what I could equip on one of the other Scouts or a Strike.

If you fly solo Tensor Field likely won't give your team the benefits you're looking for. In coordinated play, it can make a massive difference. If you're looking to pad your kill/damage counts higher but don't really care about the team support aspect stick to the Sting/Flashfire. That's really all there is to it.

 

Compare that to the Imperium, which has two unique AND effective components (Repair Probes and Remote Slicing), plus a perfect storm of very powerful defensive components.

I was really saddened to find that Remote Slicing has a 5000m restriction. That needs to go, along with all the 5000m copilot ability limitations.

 

That aside, Repair Probes are sexy, there is no doubt about it. I've taken my Legion/Warcarrier off my ship lineup because why not play this incredibly awesome ship instead that can fly by and drop heals and ammo reloads that can only be canceled through death? Among the bombers, the Razorwire/Rampart is a better node defender/attacker anyway. The Clarion/Imperium is extremely durable and has a nice array of firepower that it can bring to the table as well (though the two components don't have that much synergy).

 

I had enough saved to max Tensor field, and it is amazing maxed. Has a real scout feel if you go for energy regen at tier 5, and extra 6% evasion at tier 4.

I totally agree, and use the same upgrades (though I tried the extra turning and didn't care too much for it).

 

Let me know if it gets more enjoyable after you get some upgrades.

I think this ship really shines once you have all the upgrades, as some of them work very well together. Will it get kills as easily or quickly as a Sting/Flashfire? Probably not, but they don't bring Tensor Field to the table or slow enemies with missile lock-ons.

 

The only thing I think this ship really needs is better utility through the missiles it has (EMP/Ion need to be stronger than they currently are).

Yeah my Spearpoint has also became my favourite ship.

 

But it is frickin useless!

 

I mean, Tensor is cool, but I buff my mateys with it, lemme count, yeah, exactly ONCE per combat. Otherwise, it is just amazing speed and turning boost for me.

Ions, EMPs and Thermites are all just denying me kills. I try to lock a missile on someone, but if I fired my lasers instead I would kill him two times before my missile hits (and doesn't even kill him).

Shield choices are horrible. I will never use DF (I have my dignity), the probe takes too damn long to heal stuff, and the Projector is... Quick-Charge minus engine recharge, pretty much. So I took the Projector. One day though, I dream of upgrading my probe to refill ammo, and I will be a little self-sufficient battle station.

Engine choice was obvious, Power Dive. That's one amazing move. (nope that isn't sarcasm)

Laser choices were the same as on my Nova so I took Lights because I am used to them.

And minors... Blah blah, Speed thrusters, WAIT where are my thrusters! Well, damn!

 

In practice, it... works, somehow. I need to figure out how does it work and how can I make it work better.

 

What I love is that it is the fastest ship in the game. 30% from Tensor, 10% from Power Dive, and possible extra 60% if I took Interdiction Drive. I know that it is not what defines mobility, but ffs, THE SPEED!

And, It looks absolutely sweet. Shame devs used their best model for their probably second-worst ship (hello, Comet Breaker).

 

But I swear I will fly this damn thing till I am the best gosh darn Spearpoint pilot ever! (or last, lol)

 

Also,

Give me my rocket pods back and I'll play this ship all the time.

amen.

Edited April 10, 2014 by Slivovidze

Yeah my Spearpoint has also became my favourite ship.

 

But it is frickin useless!

 

I mean, Tensor is cool, but I buff my mateys with it, lemme count, yeah, exactly ONCE per combat. Otherwise, it is just amazing speed and turning boost for me.

Ions, EMPs and Thermites are all just denying me kills.

 

Tensor is way more useful than it is getting credit for on these forums. First, too many people have tunnel vision. Too many people think that if an upgrade doesn't help them make kills, it is a awful choice. To all of you solo "studs" out there who are constantly flying around to the next enemy, stop reading and save yourself some time. You'll never be happy with this component because it is "only" AOE mobility... Second, too many people make absurd claims like "only usable ONCE per combat". Hint, try flying in the middle of a furball and popping tensor field. Or pop it at a contested satellite. The extra mobility makes a difference! If you don't think that it does, take a look at your thrusters because Tensor Field modifies your speed AND mobility by 150% of what a thruster component can modify to only one of those. Oh yeah, and if you help out your team members, THEY GET IT TOO! Learn to fly with your team! Last thing, this directly counters some of the effects on interdiction items on bombers!

 

(Ion missiles do suck still)

EMP and Thermites are useful, and while Thermites are hard to land, but they hit pretty damn hard, way harder than any other missile. Especially when the shields are down! EMP missiles are NOT DAMAGE DEALING missiles... they are control weapons. They make a densely-packed minefield inert for a long while... and oh yeah the mines are ALL GONE after one hit...

Of course, when I see combat nearby I like to fly in and pop my two buffs, but problem is that because I don't know any information about my teammates, I never know if I even hit them, and I don't know if they even need shields... So I pop buffs, hope for the best effect on my teammates and try to make the best of it myself.

 

As I said, I like the ship, that was no sarcasm. I just still don't know how to be as effective as I can be in NovaDive.

That's a fair point. If you run in voice chat you'll get instant feedback, and of course the lack of numbers and such on friendlies is a larger issue with the game. In any event practice will give you what the UI cannot- you'll eventually figure out that your friends are getting it.

 

The bigger problem with any of these ships is that you don't know that they understand what is going on. It's very frustrating to take a support role in any situation and have everyone run around as drooling derps.

 

Regardless, Tensor Field is pretty much the reason for that scout's existence. As nice as a Novadive is, nothing beats getting a bomber to a node that is under siege super fast!

So finally I played Spearpoint for extended period of time (friday, woohoo), and I must say, that I love the ship.

 

I was in several big satellite fights tonight, and Tensor field and Shield projector were a huge help to me in these. I can only guess if they helped my teammates as much as they helped me, but since we won all the sat battles I attended, I think I can say that the support probably worked.

 

What I love the most, however, is the speed. I don't know why, but Spearpoint with Tensor active feels a lot faster to me than my Nova with her speed thrusters and speed upgrade on engine. And I am not on the extra 15% from T5 yet. I am super excited to get there. I feel like the most mobile ship in the game, except the power management is harder, one actually needs to look for quiet spots to let the engine recharge. Cooldown is long, but so is the uptime, and so far surviving while Tensor recharges was far from impossible. 36 seconds of trying to help teammates with support fire and shield projector, then 24 seconds of massive boost. Cooldown matches the CD of CF, so merging these two makes Spearpoint quite a formidable foe.

 

Still quite struggling with the secondaries, though. Swapped from Thermites to Ions and it was an upgrade, as now enemies I fight tend to have no shields, but it is still far from Rocket Pods or at least Clusters efficiency.

 

Hopefully I will once return and tell that I found the most awesome Spearpoint build & gameplay.