So its almost 5 am and the GSF pops have slowed to a crawl on my server and i notice a lack of Build Discussion going on. Maybe they are happening on fansites or some such but I am bored enough to start one here.

This is my "speed build"

Slug Railgun

Reduced Power Draw

Increased Crit Chance

Plasma Railgun

Melt Thrusters

Intense Plasma

Feedback Shield

Reactor Feedback

Barrel Roll

Increased Ship Speed

Armor:

Reinforced Armor

Magazine:

Regeneration Extender

Reactor:

Large Reactor

Sensors:

Dampening Sensors

Crew:

Co-Pilot: M1-4X 9% DR 10% shield pwr Bypass(i love this DPS cooldown and his flavor comments are hilarious to me)

Offensive: B-3G9 reduce secondary weapon cooldowns and an Accuracy boost (in my head it helps against evasion scouts but probably not)

Tactical: Treek a small sensor boost 2500 yds and a huge bonus to dampening sensors(allows me to "max" dampening at 11.5 k)

Defensive: M1-4X

Engineering: C2-N2 increases engine power pool by 10% and reduces the cost of boosting and engine component abilites. (this is the key to the build in my opinion with barrel roll engine speed being the cherry on top)

usage/playstyle:

typically i run in F3 All the time unless i am playing against some really stupid people then i can stand still and spam shots with F1

usually between barrel roll and Boosts i have very little down time although you have to watch out as your energy still goes quite fast. this is primarily for out running those Scouts/Strike Fighters who you just finished off and are pissed off. there are some scouts who are very nasty on my server and can kill me even with this build but the majority of folks give up or my friends come and kill them as i am merrily kiting them across the field from A-C. my improved speed is faster than Strike Fighters default speed so unless they are running a "speed build" they cant catch me.

a scout with its amazing speed and such can catch me but only after a long merry chase. however the timing on this build is very unforgiving, if you forget to barrel roll on CD or forget to let off boost when they are greater than 10k away you will run out of energy, you have to make sure you are targeting the correct enemy as well otherwise you will never know if they give up or if you got enough space to let off boost for a few ticks to regen some engine power.

this build is very effective on my server but you cannot out run a good scout for very long, even as fast as this build allows you to go with proper timing.

i do experiment with distortion shield with the 6 second duration...this allowed it to be a bit more forgiving as i could stop and stand still for 6 seconds to regen energy and not take too much damage...i am still using feedback shield currently which can drain a small portion of there energy so it helps "even out" the playing field(i am still dead meat against a good scout but it makes it so that they have to watch energy a bit more closely than they normally do)

All in all this build does not make you OP but it makes other people think you are since you are faster than they think you should be, if anyone attempts to use this build you HAVE to start running as soon as you take even one tick of damage and hit the R key(target last person who damaged you) immediately otherwise you will have no idea who is on you , what they are, and what they can do. strike fighters and scouts can hit from 7k away with some builds so make sure you are consistently 10k+in front of them before you stop for a breather.

anyhow this is my build, i am not amazing at this game but i have gotten tells from people saying damn you are squirrely on a number of occasions, and as a gunship thats one hell of a compliment.

So its almost 5 am and the GSF pops have slowed to a crawl on my server and i notice a lack of Build Discussion going on. Maybe they are happening on fansites or some such but I am bored enough to start one here.

 

 

This is my "speed build"

 

Slug Railgun

Reduced Power Draw

Increased Crit Chance

 

Plasma Railgun

Melt Thrusters

Intense Plasma

 

Feedback Shield

Reactor Feedback

 

Barrel Roll

Increased Ship Speed

 

Armor:

Reinforced Armor

 

Magazine:

Regeneration Extender

 

Reactor:

Large Reactor

 

Sensors:

Dampening Sensors

 

Crew:

Co-Pilot: M1-4X 9% DR 10% shield pwr Bypass(i love this DPS cooldown and his flavor comments are hilarious to me)

 

Offensive: B-3G9 reduce secondary weapon cooldowns and an Accuracy boost (in my head it helps against evasion scouts but probably not)

 

Tactical: Treek a small sensor boost 2500 yds and a huge bonus to dampening sensors(allows me to "max" dampening at 11.5 k)

 

Defensive: M1-4X

 

Engineering: C2-N2 increases engine power pool by 10% and reduces the cost of boosting and engine component abilites. (this is the key to the build in my opinion with barrel roll engine speed being the cherry on top)

 

 

usage/playstyle:

 

typically i run in F3 All the time unless i am playing against some really stupid people then i can stand still and spam shots with F1

 

usually between barrel roll and Boosts i have very little down time although you have to watch out as your energy still goes quite fast. this is primarily for out running those Scouts/Strike Fighters who you just finished off and are pissed off. there are some scouts who are very nasty on my server and can kill me even with this build but the majority of folks give up or my friends come and kill them as i am merrily kiting them across the field from A-C. my improved speed is faster than Strike Fighters default speed so unless they are running a "speed build" they cant catch me.

 

a scout with its amazing speed and such can catch me but only after a long merry chase. however the timing on this build is very unforgiving, if you forget to barrel roll on CD or forget to let off boost when they are greater than 10k away you will run out of energy, you have to make sure you are targeting the correct enemy as well otherwise you will never know if they give up or if you got enough space to let off boost for a few ticks to regen some engine power.

 

this build is very effective on my server but you cannot out run a good scout for very long, even as fast as this build allows you to go with proper timing.

 

i do experiment with distortion shield with the 6 second duration...this allowed it to be a bit more forgiving as i could stop and stand still for 6 seconds to regen energy and not take too much damage...i am still using feedback shield currently which can drain a small portion of there energy so it helps "even out" the playing field(i am still dead meat against a good scout but it makes it so that they have to watch energy a bit more closely than they normally do)

 

All in all this build does not make you OP but it makes other people think you are since you are faster than they think you should be, if anyone attempts to use this build you HAVE to start running as soon as you take even one tick of damage and hit the R key(target last person who damaged you) immediately otherwise you will have no idea who is on you , what they are, and what they can do. strike fighters and scouts can hit from 7k away with some builds so make sure you are consistently 10k+in front of them before you stop for a breather.

 

anyhow this is my build, i am not amazing at this game but i have gotten tells from people saying damn you are squirrely on a number of occasions, and as a gunship thats one hell of a compliment.

Thats actually not a bad beginners build if you are new to GSF and want to just shoot stuff. Once you get experienced, i would advise dropping plasma completely and picking up ION and make sure you fully mod it.

Ion coupled with slug can easily melt an enemy ship.

I got a slug and ion equipped, but I got to admit, that I never use the ion.

I just find it a lot easier to finish the enemies, that already are slightly damaged from my teammates or to just use 2 fully loaded shots of the slug. The ion might be useful for strikers though.

The plasma rail is in my personal opinion not worth the trouble, unless you already got it fully upgraded. Especially when an enemy is about to spot me, I do not want to apply a dot, I want to blast them to pieces. If I do not suceed to blast the emey to pieces, it is me, who gets blown up. A plasma burn will not stop my enemy from shooting at me.

the trick is to do a 1/4 charge or less plasma strike to get the Damage reduction debuff on them and then hit a full charge rail slug as far as killing power goes the nice thing about plasma is that it does not incite the reaction that rail or ion does...ie "osh****it speedboostaway" it is a small tick of damage that is sometimes barely noticeible so it gives you time to get at least a half charge slug at them...

that being said a full charge plasma dot damage is not negligible and really hurts people, it also helps my teamtes finish people aoff since the debuff is placed on the target not a buff on me

I really like the Interdiction Drive--can outrace anyone and go all the way across the map. The latter is especially fun at the start of the game when the enemy isn't expecting a sniper to be in position over the objective.

I've tried both Ion and Plasma coupled with Slug but most of the time I just need to deliver a burst of damage.

I haven't liked Feedback shield, I love the staying power of Fortress shield...especially in conjunction with the Interdiction drive: I activate Fortress to get in an extra shot or two, then switch to Engine power (I switch power to Weapons when firing after making sure my Engine power is maxed and ready), hit afterburner, hit Interdiction, and leave them eating my (space) dust.

personally i have found Ion to be worthless and i wouldnt consider this a beginners build at all unless of course you consider everyone a beginner at this point... aside from your opinion on Ion rail what else about this build make's you think of this as a beginners build.

You need to get the Ion to at least lvl 4.....then you can effect up to 3 nearby ships with power drain....it's amazing! lol

Ok this is my current gunship build.

Primary Weapon

Light Laser Cannon

Secondary Weapon

Slug Railgun

+ Improved Accuracy and Tracking

+ Increased Critical Hit Chance

Secondary Weapon

Ion Railgun

+ Hits Do Area Damage

+ Reactor Disruption

Shields

Distortion Field

+ Increased Duration

Engines

Rotational Thrusters

+ Increased Turning Rate

Armor

Lightweight Armor

Magazine

Regeneration Extender

Reactor

Turbo Reactor

Sensors

Dampening Sensors

Crew

Jaesa Willsaam (Improved Killzone + Pinpointing)

Treek (Peripheral Vision + Silent Running) Co-Pilot Ability - Running Interference

Ashara Zavros (Structural Support + Response Tuning)

Vette (Power to Blasters + Efficient Fire)

This build is for those snipers that wanna sit still and offer covering fire to those in a dogfight, whilst also being able to kill pretty much anyone 1v1.

Let me explain how to use the build properly.

In a Dogfight - Sit around 12-15k away from everyone and switch to ion railgun, pick a target and fire twice in quick succession without charging up the railgun. That target now has no weapon power and no engine power. Switch targets and do the same again. By doing this you wont get kills, but you will make life very simple for those engaged at close range and you will get massive amounts of assists.

Against a Scout/Strike Fighter When You See Them Coming - Switch to Ion Railgun, hit them twice without charging up to leave them with no power, switch to slug railgun and hit them once fully charged, switch to ion railgun and hit them once uncharged to refresh the power regen debuff, switch back to slug and finish them off.

When You Don't See Them Coming - Whether you survive this situation is totally dependant on your opponents skill. Good players will probably kill you, most will have no clue and die. Firstly hit the distortion field buff which will make you unhittable for 6 seconds (except for missiles, cant evade those) select last attacker to target them and hit rotational thrusters to face them and unload with blasters. Most people will head straight for you and will be an easy kill. If you dont kill them and they get past you boost away from them, after a few seconds rotational thrusters will be off CD, hit it again to face them, if they are far away hit them with ion railgun to take away their power then finish them with a slug, if they are too close use blasters.

Against Other Gunships - Regardless of whether you see them first or not 99% of gunships are easy kills, if they shoot you first select last attacker, rotational thrusters to face them, distortion field so they cant hit you again, 2 quick uncharged hits with Ion railgun takes away their power so they cant shoot, 1 fully charged slug, another quick ion to refresh the regen debuff then another slug. It may take another round if they use fortress shields, but they will be unable to fire back aslong as you keep the ion regen debuff up.

You need to get the Ion to at least lvl 4.....then you can effect up to 3 nearby ships with power drain....it's amazing! lol

i was wondering how close the enemies have to be to be affected. if its similar to other effects such as 1000 meters i dont think the AOE portion is worth it

however the drain is worth taking it even if it only hits one person

i was wondering how close the enemies have to be to be affected. if its similar to other effects such as 1000 meters i dont think the AOE portion is worth it

 

however the drain is worth taking it even if it only hits one person

I think the spec is 1000m.....but that works well on groups of ships defending stations or flying together from one point to another.....well worth the expenditure....

Ok this is my current gunship build.

 

Primary Weapon

Light Laser Cannon

 

Secondary Weapon

Slug Railgun

+ Improved Accuracy and Tracking

+ Increased Critical Hit Chance

 

Secondary Weapon

Ion Railgun

+ Hits Do Area Damage

+ Reactor Disruption

 

Shields

Distortion Field

+ Increased Duration

 

Engines

Rotational Thrusters

+ Increased Turning Rate

 

Armor

Lightweight Armor

 

Magazine

Regeneration Extender

 

Reactor

Turbo Reactor

 

Sensors

Dampening Sensors

 

Crew

Jaesa Willsaam (Improved Killzone + Pinpointing)

Treek (Peripheral Vision + Silent Running) Co-Pilot Ability - Running Interference

Ashara Zavros (Structural Support + Response Tuning)

Vette (Power to Blasters + Efficient Fire)

 

This build is for those snipers that wanna sit still and offer covering fire to those in a dogfight, whilst also being able to kill pretty much anyone 1v1.

 

Let me explain how to use the build properly.

 

In a Dogfight - Sit around 12-15k away from everyone and switch to ion railgun, pick a target and fire twice in quick succession without charging up the railgun. That target now has no weapon power and no engine power. Switch targets and do the same again. By doing this you wont get kills, but you will make life very simple for those engaged at close range and you will get massive amounts of assists.

 

Against a Scout/Strike Fighter When You See Them Coming - Switch to Ion Railgun, hit them twice without charging up to leave them with no power, switch to slug railgun and hit them once fully charged, switch to ion railgun and hit them once uncharged to refresh the power regen debuff, switch back to slug and finish them off.

 

When You Don't See Them Coming - Whether you survive this situation is totally dependant on your opponents skill. Good players will probably kill you, most will have no clue and die. Firstly hit the distortion field buff which will make you unhittable for 6 seconds (except for missiles, cant evade those) select last attacker to target them and hit rotational thrusters to face them and unload with blasters. Most people will head straight for you and will be an easy kill. If you dont kill them and they get past you boost away from them, after a few seconds rotational thrusters will be off CD, hit it again to face them, if they are far away hit them with ion railgun to take away their power then finish them with a slug, if they are too close use blasters.

 

Against Other Gunships - Regardless of whether you see them first or not 99% of gunships are easy kills, if they shoot you first select last attacker, rotational thrusters to face them, distortion field so they cant hit you again, 2 quick uncharged hits with Ion railgun takes away their power so they cant shoot, 1 fully charged slug, another quick ion to refresh the regen debuff then another slug. It may take another round if they use fortress shields, but they will be unable to fire back aslong as you keep the ion regen debuff up.

This big long build is what I run with, I'm too lazy to do a write up. The only difference is I take barrel roll, which is better and the distortion field missile break as well. Combine all that with power to engines and you are practically impossible to kill unless its a sabotage probe or another gunship. If you're a good pilot with fast reactions that is.

This big long build is what I run with, I'm too lazy to do a write up. The only difference is I take barrel roll, which is better and the distortion field missile break as well. Combine all that with power to engines and you are practically impossible to kill unless its a sabotage probe or another gunship. If you're a good pilot with fast reactions that is.

Those things are just personal preference, I dont move all that much when in combat so the 6 seconds of evasion and auto-face target is very important to how i play. I generally die 2 or 3 times in any given warzone, but thats mainly because i'm hunted and focused by people quite often. But i still manage to top assist and damage lists. If you're the "Shock" from POT5 then i'm pretty sure they hunt you too, i just employ a different tactic to counter them. I'm Obscuto btw.

Against Other Gunships - Regardless of whether you see them first or not 99% of gunships are easy kills, if they shoot you first select last attacker, rotational thrusters to face them, distortion field so they cant hit you again, 2 quick uncharged hits with Ion railgun takes away their power so they cant shoot, 1 fully charged slug, another quick ion to refresh the regen debuff then another slug. It may take another round if they use fortress shields, but they will be unable to fire back aslong as you keep the ion regen debuff up.

I do a single full charge slug shot, then forward barrel roll to speed boost towards them while evading their shots. Once I'm in blaster range - kapow blasters to the face finish them off while humiliating them as they try to charge up.

I do a single full charge slug shot, then forward barrel roll to speed boost towards them while evading their shots. Once I'm in blaster range - kapow blasters to the face finish them off while humiliating them as they try to charge up.

The problem with that is the Ion shots take away your ability to barrel roll, and if you do by the time you get close you won't have any power left to open up with blasters... Another easy kill, thanks

The problem with that is the Ion shots take away your ability to barrel roll, and if you do by the time you get close you won't have any power left to open up with blasters... Another easy kill, thanks

Well that assumes they got the first shot. I try to not let that happen. The whole engagement lasts maybe 8 seconds.

Boost into range - enter snipe and switch to weapons - full charge slug shot - from snipe mode, press barrel roll key - while approaching, pepper with blaster fire. Boom.

If I'm seen first, I just run around like a nut until I gain a better position, then perform the above. Assuming I survive.