Why does the defense drone 2 suck so bad?

[ᵀᴴᵁᴺᴰᴲᴿ ᴰᴬᴺ (Dan0)]

I swear that thing misses more then it hits. Defense 1 hits missiles and most objects 95% of the time while defense drone 2 hits everything like 30% of the time. If the enemy launches a combat drone then its pretty much under the effect of a defense scrambler the whole encounter as it tries and fails to shoot down its shots missing the critical things I launched it for to begin with.

I launch Defense Drones to counter Missiles, Hack Drones, Boarding Drones and Asteroids primarily. I don’t need it to get distracted by things it will almost never hit like combat drone shots or laser shots that won’t even crack the shields

I don't understand why anyone would choose to use Defense 2 over Defense 1

It would be nice if the AI was smarter on these so you could select its priorities. It would also be nice if they would play nicer if you were to launch more then one instead of both shooting at the same shot.

[Ruinae Retroque Rursus]

Defense drones are not the most reliable - unfortunately. I've had good luck with DD2 myself.

Also, Defense Drones work badly on larger ships. In the Mantis ships, it can be impossible to stop anything from hitting because the missile must travel a shorter path. Meanwhile on ships such as the Engi ships, the missile has a lot longer to travel whilst the DD shot has shorter to travel - this means you have a higher rate of success.

I like DD2 because it essentially functions as an extra shield bubble. I don't specifically go out to buy them, but if I find a free DRA and I already have a DD1 or 2 in storage I'll usually get a Drone system.

[Matt]

They were supposedly updated a while back to target missles more than other types of enemy fire but yeah they still stuck really bad. If I was running drones and found a DD2 in the wild, I would sell it for a DD1 asap.

[Ryuu]

Secret transmission from Slug Homeworlds:

Slug #1: Hey, how about we override Defense Drone firmware so it shoots everything?
Slug #2: But that's too many targets, wouldn't it suck?
Slug #1: We'll tweak a little bit, call it brand new Defense Drone Mk II and make it more expensive!
Slug #2: Genius!

It was created by Slugs to make an easy buck off newbie captains.

[anarcher]

DD2+ADD on an engi ship is actually legit. Just don't forget to up your engines and shields (or get a cloak if you're feeling frisky).

[Ruinae Retroque Rursus]

Originally posted by Ryuu:

Secret transmission from Slug Homeworlds:

Slug #1: Hey, how about we override Defense Drone firmware so it shoots everything?
Slug #2: But that's too many targets, wouldn't it suck?
Slug #1: We'll tweak a little bit, call it brand new Defense Drone Mk II and make it more expensive!
Slug #2: Genius!

It was created by Slugs to make an easy buck off newbie captains.

I disagree entirely. The DD2 does have a very shiny sell price, but as an extra shield bubble it can really help against laser spams. In addition, unlike cloaking as your defensive system, you have another drone slot to play around with - you can put a DD1 on that, or a Combat 2, or my personal favourite the Hull Repair.

After all, the Engi ships start with Drone Systems and they're the best ships for drones.... so may as well shove a DD1&2 on there!

DD2 also makes you immune to IB2 and Vulcan fire.

Originally posted by anarcher:

DD2+ADD on an engi ship is actually legit. Just don't forget to up your engines and shields (or get a cloak if you're feeling frisky).

What's ADD? Anti-something-drone?


Shield Overcharger, on the other hand, is complete trash as that's essentially a worse DD2 that recharges slower.

[Ryuu]

DD2+DD1 is a good but expensive combo if you don't have Drone Recovery Arm.
And same about DD2 alone - without DRA it's quite expensive as extra shield bubble.

[Ruinae Retroque Rursus]

Yep, I only go for Def drones if I have a DRA handy, or I'm on Easy and can afford them.

But my point is that when you do get the DRA, they're quite good.

[Ryuu]

Well, i prefer to get DD1 on Normal even without DRA.

[Wasted]

get cloaking instead :)

[Ryuu]

Overpriced and overhyped and takes precious system slot which i prefer to spend on more useful things. But at least it's free to use.

[Wasted]

I've found since I stopped buying drone systems most of the time and buy cloaking instead I win more games due to survivability against the boss.

[Ryuu]

Defense Drone can help with missiles AND hacking drones AND boarding drones of Flagship while Cloaking only helps with projectiles including missiles. My engines and shields are usually enough to protect this but they can't do anything against hacking and boarding. Of course both are bearable too even if they reach you, but i prefer when they not.

[Ruinae Retroque Rursus]

Def drone isn't reliable enough to get rid of enemy hacking.

I do prefer cloaking, but a drone system is cheaper.