This is in regards to the type 1 bombers, the minelayers, with charged plating builds.

 

Does anyone have any experience or thoughts regarding using this ability in place of hydrospanner? More specifically, for helping during those vulnerable seconds when CP's active shield ability is down?

 

I just don't feel like my life has been saved by hydrospanner even in this particular build. I tried out Nullify a bit and, subjectively, I seem to last a little longer, instead of being a sitting duck for shield piercing weapons and that dang bleedthrough.

 

Pub is probably at an advantage here, because on the Imp side you must give up either structural support (if you pick Writch Hurley) or power to shields (if you pick Broonmark), which are common passives taken with this build, to get the less useful Quick Recharge (in both crew cases). Republic side gets the better end of the deal because you can take Elara Dorne in tactical, affect only sensor passives, and still keep both SS and PtS.

 

Thoughts?

I used nullify for a really long time with the charged plating build for the exact reason you are mentioning. It's not awful or anything it does work, probably one of the only times nullify does work. I just found that if you managed your charged plating cooldown well Hydrospanner worked out better. It's not a huge deal this Bomber build just doesn't have a good copilot active ability to use, so anything works at that point.

 

Try out both see what you like.

I used nullify for a really long time with the charged plating build for the exact reason you are mentioning.

 

Thanks Drak. Did you use it on both factions, or just Pub (for the aforementioned reasons)? Given the goal of the build, I feel structural support is more important for the build, and therefore opt for Broonmark on my Imperial toon. Is the loss of PtS for the more inferior QR significant?

I don't have much experience with charged plating builds but the better you are at actively avoiding damage the better hydrospanner gets.

Thanks Drak. Did you use it on both factions, or just Pub (for the aforementioned reasons)? Given the goal of the build, I feel structural support is more important for the build, and therefore opt for Broonmark on my Imperial toon. Is the loss of PtS for the more inferior QR significant?

 

I ran it on both sides, it's hard to notice the different shield buffs on a charged plating build since you are so much more focused on your hull. In the end I found Hydrospanner better since it does help minimize damage you still take with charged plating active, and still helps deal with armor piecing weapons. (Although not very well, but hey theres like nothing else to take on this build)

Charged Plating Bomber is the only time I ever run hydrospanner.

 

My gripe with nullify is mostly that it's hard to use AND unlikely to help. As Drako says, the delta on any of these moves is small- a minelayer just doesn't care much about copilot abilities.

 

But, here's how it has to work:

1- You are taking damage that armor stops.

2- This damage is happening during the brief time when charged plating is not available.

3- You trigger nullify properly.

...and for it to beat the lackluster hydrospanner...

4- During that 6 second window, you must take an unmitigated 817 damage. This will be 498 to your hull without nullify, and 253 without, a total of 245 damage delta.

 

For me, this never happens. I normally die to either progressive damage in small amounts, or a giant helping of armor ignoring damage in a burst.

 

The important note is that an enemy seismic will hurt you similarly whether you have a hydrospanner to heal the portion that bypasses your normal armor, or nullify active while eating it. In both cases, the correct play is normally to stay LOS of the mine until plating comes up, then eat it, and if you are forced to eat it, the outcome is similar. The situation where nullify "wins" is very disadvantageous indeed.

 

 

Also: Nullify (and bypass) are hard to get on imperial side (hydrospanner, servo jammer, and lingering effect are hard pubside). Broonmark unquestionably hurts your defense.

 

 

I recommend wingman, hydrospanner, or even servo jammer over nullify. In practice I run hydrospanner or bypass mostly. It's pretty easy to misplay nullify, but even if you play it correctly it is usually worse than hydrospanner.

Edited January 17, 2015 by Verain

I think Nullify is not good enough to use it instead of Hydrospanner, since it only lasts for 6 seconds and has a CD of 1 Minute. The time between the end of Charged Plating and the activation of the next is 15 seconds long. Nullify comes nowhere near in covering 15 seconds. Also it boost your damage reduction only up to 69%, which is too low to be of any use for 6 seconds.

I think you would fare better as a bomber to use Hydrospanner to heal the Shield Bleed Through Damage. Also I use Charged Plating only in cases where my Shield will run out or I am under heavy attack from a few pilots.

The most efficient way of surviving the 15 seconds is to manually evading by flying behind or objects, etc.

When you can activate Charged Plating again go back to attacking. This works most of the time if you have an eye on the Duration and CD of Charged Plating.

The only other possible Crew Ability I think of is Wingman. The other last not long enough for my liking or the companions would hurt your stats too much.

Last but not least, You prevent the most damage by evading manually ( Like Danalon suggested).

Only time I would use nullify is probably on a Charged Plating clarion build, simply because at that point getting "more heals" is kind of back wards, but even then I normally dont as I usually feel Clarion needs more damage not more survival so I just use offensive Co-pilot abilities.

I think Nullify is not good enough to use it instead of Hydrospanner, since it only lasts for 6 seconds and has a CD of 1 Minute. The time between the end of Charged Plating and the activation of the next is 15 seconds long.

 

It's 11 seconds of gap. No one expects it to be available every time, it could be good and still be nowhere close to that.

Last but not least, You prevent the most damage by evading manually ( Like Danalon suggested).

 

Irrelevant. Of course you are manually evading. You still get hit, right? If you never get hit, why even bother with a defensive copilot ability at all?

 

The thing is, a charged plating build often goes DIRECTLY to danger and consumes it on purpose, taking trivial amounts of damage, while the plating is up. Nullify doesn't meaningfully impact this role, nor does it extend it. It would only be useful if, while you are trying to evade, you sense that damage will happen to you anyway, and only during a certain brief window.

One point about nullify that no one has mentioned - it can be used in a pinch if you want to rapidly change your course of flight by smashing into the satellite. It may be hard to time the 6 second cooldown to eat mines but it's easy to time it when smashing into things.

I think I'll start using RI or WM on my CP rampart/razorwire - the help to me from any copilot ability in that bomber is fairly minimal, the help to anyone else on the node from the above can be pretty major.