Prawn suit piloting tips?

[Urban Shaman]

Quick backstory: I wanted to go deeper (cue Inception or porn jokes). My trusty Seamoth had an initial max depth of 200, but I quickly crafted the mod to make it go deeper, which increased the limit to 900. Well, turns out it's still not enough!

It seemed I had to use the Praw suit - I had finally built it, happy with an "upgrade" and... then I try to pilot the darn thing.

Well, piloting this thing is like trying to get a bowling ball to travel across the desert. It's INCREDIBLY slow and awkward. I've constructed the drill arm (well, finally I'll be able to get at those tasty looking deposits) and a grappling arm. The grappling arm sort-of kind-of makes traversing a bit better (gain some height, use grappling arm to propel yourself forward), but for best effects you need to have something to grapple which is higher than you currently are. The movements are so awkward that I even had trouble docking the suit at my secondary bases' moon pool.

The energy seems to deplete way too fast, and I just can't see myself navigating ANY steep slopes in this thing in any time-efficient manner.

I know where I want to go - beyond the Blood Kelp zones, into the deepest reaches. But that's far away and I fear I'll be down to 50% suit battery before I even get there.

Subsequently, I fear I'm doing something wrong. Are there any tricks to navigating with the suit? Or perhaps I should just make a Cyclops and use THAT to get the prawn suit where I want it to go?

[Xautos]

yes, the prawn has and always will have mobility issues, that is why there is a cyclops to pick it up and ferry it around. besides that the cyclops is a mobile base of it's own when you got enough plants to keep you fed and free from thist as well as carry a crap load of resources and other things. The thing is where to park your cyclops while you are out drilling resources in your prawn :P.

[Agarillobob]

use grappling and the better jetpack and its really fun to use

[Urban Shaman]

Originally posted by Agarillobob:

use grappling and the better jetpack and its really fun to use

I first need to get the components for the better jetpack...

[Xautos]

Originally posted by Shaamaan:

Originally posted by Agarillobob:

use grappling and the better jetpack and its really fun to use

I first need to get the components for the better jetpack...

There is no gaurantees you will have the ability to make giant leaps for mankind in that metal contraption either. To save time the Cyclops is the easier option.

[Costy]

You totally need the cyclops to use the prawn suit.

[mighty]

i recommend to use the prawn suit in lost river and ILZ. bacause this biomes are caves, where the grappling arm is very useful. do it in combination with the jetpack and with the right momentum you can achieve very high mobility. also you can strafe running, its faster.

Originally posted by Shaamaan:

Or perhaps I should just make a Cyclops and use THAT to get the prawn suit where I want it to go?

absolutely ! running in the prawn suit across the map is a pain ofc.

[Agarillobob]

why do people hate the prawn so much? i havemt even build cyclops yet and was good to finish the story for what is released now with the prawn no problem, its like terraria where you go faster with the hook

[Xautos]

different strokes for different folks. i've never had cause to build a prawn before but for others who want to build a big seabase with as much class to it as possible, they need all the resources they can get, it means drilling big deposits.

i don't think anyone hates the prawn, at least none that i have seen, it's just it has a limited range and ability and it works best with a carrier nearby that can also act to resupply your needs without needing to go back and forth if things go south without a carrier, that means working your way back through the tunnels and the brine rivers and falls, predatory fish and other problems along the way.

[dancle]

The PRAWN is slow, but reliable.
Unlike the seamoth, which is fast and yet is practically one shotted by a reaper.

[TealSpark]

The prawn suit can actually be fairly mobile while using the grappling arm. Combining use of the grapling arm and the standard jets you can swing around and fly along the sea floor quite well with a bit of practice.

[bugman]

i just cant get use to the prawn as far as moving any distances, its slow cumbersome and i get stuck on everything. i keep it docked in cyclops find a node undock get it dock back up just easyer for me and less hassal. to me the seamoth is the best vehical so far. just shame it has a few limitations but i understand why i guess.

[ImHelping]

Yeah, extreme vertical is always the tricky pary with the Prawn. even with grapple hooks. The prawn suit is pretty sweet, but the jetpack "upgrade" is really more like "Jetpack is now adequate". (Then praying a Warper doesn't come over to prank you while you are halfway up a cliff).

One thing to keep in minds is shoving spare modifications into your prawn storage so you can mix and match on the go.

A meta reason the Prawn suit is good is that (at least working in experimental), it's the ONLY vehichle you can make use of most of the portals with. Since the only portal out in the ocean... leads into an enclosed area.

Even if you want to make use of the portal network, that means you have to leave your Cyclops or seamoth behind a million miles away.

[Damnion]

I get good mobility out of hopping firing the hook into the ground as far as i can and holding the jumpjets untill just before i get to the end of the hook, then tapping the jump jets just enough to keep me aloft. i've also heard there are cheetish methods for travel like using a propulsion cannon to fire something your holding onto, don't know how that works never tried it just heard about it.

[AquaX]

With good aiming with grapple and thruster timing, the prawn is the fastest thing u can travel with.

The method is u latch on to something far, as u start being pulled, use thrusters to gain more vision and momentum. Let go of the grapple and u should semi hover a bit while going pretty fast. Release the grapple and either keep thruster on or turn it off, then repeat. Ull travel way faster w this while using little pwr.

[Cougarific]

Originally posted by TealSpark:

with a bit of practice.

^This is key. Don't expect to be Spiderprawn right off the bat, and don't get frustrated with the wonky aiming of the Grapple Arm. Like everything else in life, keep at it and you will improve.