Minotaur loadout scheme.

[LupisVolk]

What'd be the better overall loadout scheme for the Minotaur? As in what weapons should i use?

[ImHelping]

Whatever you want, basically. Minotaur is what I finished the story off with myself.

Secondary weapon wise, if you want an easier time killing Dreadnaughts or Destroyers go with the Mines. (I used Dumbfires up until MK5... don't trust the damage numbers, even if you never miss with dumbfires mines are WAY more useful). Minotaur gets 288 mines. You fire 8 mines (4 per side) per trigger pull it's great.

If you want something to seek and destroy gunship swarms while still doing damage to frigates and destroyers, the Heat seeking missiles are pretty cool, it just won't help you kill dreadnaughts as well.

Anti fighter wise, Flak turrets will miss way too often. Swarm missile turrets are great on hit, fire too infrequently. I had the best luck putting either a Pulse, or Beam (particle, mining, whatever) on the Top Rear Turret, and setting it to "Fighters Only" to help sweep up damaged gunships or soften them up when I was shooting bigger things.

No joke, a single Pulse turret set to "fighters only" on the top back of my Minotaur helped me so much more than any of my attempts messing with flak or swarm turrets. Plus unlike flak, you can toggle it's tactics to shoot big ships and still be good against them.

If you like Non beam broadsides, go to the mercenaries and buy the part that says it makes leading your shots 25% better (And then you can nail fighters with your broadsides on a full yellow aim, it's hilarious).

The Minotaur's handling is nice enough that you don't need the turn speed pard, especially if you drift around at half throttle (which lets you aim at fast moving fighters with your broadsides. Hi, overkill!).

Scatter turrets are only any good if you have the turret range extender equipped. So many things will be juuuuust outside it's normal max range.

With 9 Turrets, anything you like (except scatter without the range extended) will work out for general purpose capitol ship and gunship killing. My own setup was less beam heavy than most, I used-

3 Particle Beams (two top middle, one on the chin).
5 Pulse turrets (on on the top rear, four on the saucer section front).
1 Whatever I felt like on the bottom.

My own tactics settings, I put the top rear turret to "fighters only".
For "my target" (NOT, locks only) I put one of my topside beams, and two of my topside pulse turrets.

You don't want literally everything t only shoot at your target, makes fighter swarms a hassle. But putting a chunk of your turrets at "my target" will help you focus fire on what you are looking at or broadsiding at the time without messing with the lock on button. Plus it still makes them aim at locked on things (like when you aim at specific turrets on a dreadnaught).

Broadsids wise, use whatever you want. I just like the style of the basic default brand Broadsides even though I know the beam broadsides are much stronger. But it's easier to aim at fighters with the basic broadsides just to be a jerk.

[Krypsyn]

Essentially what I'm Helping said. I also finished the Story with a Minotaur. I had 3 MK6 Mining Lasers, 6 MK6 Pulse Cannons, a MK6 Neutron broadside, Turret Optimizer, Turret Extender, Broadside Extender, and a Broadside Charger. In the Secondary slot, I had MK6 HS Missiles, which I would spam while taking on the bigger ships. Everything else was basic MK6 stuff, with the exception of a MK6 Aegis Shield (faster recharge, but only 80% as powerful).

All in all, I think it was overkill for the Story. You could probably get by with MK5, maybe some MK4 in slots.

I had to eventually leave the Minotaur though. That huge engine filling up 1/4 to 1/3 of my screen was driving me nuts. ;)

[ImHelping]

It also helps that the enemy faction that pops up most for the end of the story is actually easier to deal with than most factions by then.

They actually use light fighters a lot more, while everyone else is using 90% gunships. You dont' see a dreadnaught almost every single "low difficulty" mission. etc.

Do at least, make sure you have MK6 defenses sooner rather than later. I am also convinced enemy spawns are more based on your top equipment/net worth than what the mission difficulty is.

For example, when I was using MK4 guns, MK5 shields. Taking low difficulty missions in low threat system that sold mk4 tops systems... I fought ships that droped MK6 weapons and took over twice as long to kill as normal. WHAT.

I got more MK6 weapon drops in MK4 and MK5 systems, than I did finishing the story and taking missions in MK6 sales systems (which mostly dropped mk3, mk5 tops).

[LupisVolk]

Here's the loadout i have at the moment: weapon wise.

Broadside: Mk5 Electro-Bolt

Secondary: MK 3 HS Missles.

Turrets:
Alpha: mk5 Greel arbiter turret
Beta: Mk4 pulse
Gamma: Mk4 pulse
Delta: Mk5 badger
Epsilon: MK4 Badger
Zeta: MK4 mining
Eta: MK4 mining
Theta: MK5 pulse.
Iota: MK 5 pulse.

[n=1]

I've found the mining lasers are surprisingly good at taking out fighters/bombers. Obviously not quite as "nimble" as scatter turrets, but they suffice. I basically kitted out my Minotaur with Mk6 Viridian + mining lasers, then use Mk6 neutron beams as broadsides (yeah I have a thing for beam weapons). And just to make it even more overkill, I have Mk6 mines as my secondary. Anything less than a destroyer goes down in a single volley of fire, and even dreadnaughts can't last more than 30 seconds.

Really loving the Minotaur, it's the most maneuverable capital ship by a large margin, and the turret placements are very well balanced so there's no blind spot for small craft to hide. Also has a decent cargo hold so could double as a trading vessel as well. Out of all the ships I've used, I've found the Minotaur to be the most well balanced. As in, you could use it for pretty much anything and it'll do a very good job at it. The smaller and faster craft lack the raw firepower the Minotaur offers, while the Dreadnaughts handle like a concrete fridge and in some cases have a smaller cargo hold as well.

[LupisVolk]

Originally posted by n=1:

I've found the mining lasers are surprisingly good at taking out fighters/bombers. Obviously not quite as "nimble" as scatter turrets, but they suffice. I basically kitted out my Minotaur with Mk6 Viridian + mining lasers, then use Mk6 neutron beams as broadsides (yeah I have a thing for beam weapons). And just to make it even more overkill, I have Mk6 mines as my secondary. Anything less than a destroyer goes down in a single volley of fire, and even dreadnaughts can't last more than 30 seconds.

Really loving the Minotaur, it's the most maneuverable capital ship by a large margin, and the turret placements are very well balanced so there's no blind spot for small craft to hide. Also has a decent cargo hold so could double as a trading vessel as well. Out of all the ships I've used, I've found the Minotaur to be the most well balanced. As in, you could use it for pretty much anything and it'll do a very good job at it. The smaller and faster craft lack the raw firepower the Minotaur offers, while the Dreadnaughts handle like a concrete fridge and in some cases have a smaller cargo hold as well.

So should i try replacing my pulse turrets with mining lasers?

[n=1]

It's certainly something worth experimenting with if you have the cash to spare. Could always switch back and recover all your money if you find the mining lasers to not be satisfactory.

Although it's still a personal choice and depends heavily upon your particular combat style, and what shields/deflectors and subsystem components you have. I tend to focus more on capital ship combat so I favor overwhelming raw firepower and not sweat the small details. But that's also because I have Mk6 Aegis shields (fast recharge) and ramming deflectors, so smaller craft pretty much pose no threat to me.

[LupisVolk]

Originally posted by n=1:

It's certainly something worth experimenting with if you have the cash to spare. Could always switch back and recover all your money if you find the mining lasers to not be satisfactory.

Although it's still a personal choice and depends heavily upon your particular combat style, and what shields/deflectors and subsystem components you have. I tend to focus more on capital ship combat so I favor overwhelming raw firepower and not sweat the small details. But that's also because I have Mk6 Aegis shields (fast recharge) and ramming deflectors, so smaller craft pretty much pose no threat to me.

Well i could use MK4 since that's where i'm at the moment.

[Krypsyn]

Originally posted by n=1:

...while the Dreadnaughts handle like a concrete fridge and in some cases have a smaller cargo hold as well.

The Blackgate handles like a pig, I agree, however using a Sorcerer and putting a Maneuvring Booster in the "extra" subsystem slot makes it fairly nimble for a large ship. It is still slower, but not by THAT much.

As for cargo, I have never seen a trading mission require more than 50 space (max was maybe 40ish?), which is what a Sorcerer has using the Merchant Guild's largest hold. Not sure what else a large cargo hold would be useful for (and I made most of my cash ingame by trading).

But, hey, ymmv. ;)

[n=1]

Oh it's just I'm an opportunistic trader, so I would load up on stuff when they go for cheap (Tachyon salt for sub 2k or designer clothes for sub 1k), and I have a tendency to horde them because trading with (99% of the time rescued) merchants in flight is so much more profitable, so that's where the large cargo hold comes in.

Haven't tried the Sorcerer yet but the Polaris which is supposed to be the most maneuverable dreadnaught still handled like a rock, which is why I'm stopped looking at dreadnaughts. And yeah I have the maneuvering booster installed on every ship. Does the Sorcerer actually handle better than the Polaris? Going by stats alone would suggest it doesn't, and I already didn't like the Polaris so much. But that was more to do with its turret placements, and I swear somehow it ended up dishing out less damage than the Minotaur.

[Krypsyn]

I never tried the Polaris. My ships have been: Hammerhead (duh) --> Icarus --> Barracuda --> Minotaur --> Blackgate --> Sorcerer

Turret placement on the Minotaur is possibly the best, but, in terms of raw firepower, the dreadnaughts are better. The major selling point for me on the Sorcerer was that it is the only Very Heavy hull besides the Blackgate. It is undocumented, but the larger the hull size, the greater the range multiplier (I am not sure if it applies to all weapons, or just to broadsides). Minotaur is only a Medium hull.

Having said all that, I may have gone back the to Minotaur if that huge engine didn't just drive me nuts from an aesthetic point of view, The Sorcerer looks sort of like an X-Wing and an assault rifle had a lovechild, which I suppose is a step up. :P That and I never used a Maneuvering Booster until I had that 5th subsystem slot to use on the Sorcerer, so maybe my frame of reference is skewed a bit.

[n=1]

I just tried out the Sorcerer and it handled worse than the Polaris. Also just like the Polaris (and Blackgate) because of the turret placements, it's actually harder to get a concentrated volley.

By that I mean the dreadnaughts have all the power more evenly spread out and covered from every angle, vs the Minotaur which if attacking a target head on can actually lock all 9 turrets simultaneously, dealing a pretty crushing blow that only dreadnaughts can hope to survive. Even turned on its side it can still utilize 7 or 8 turrets. That's what I meant when I said the dreadnaughts somehow ended up dishing out less damage, and took longer to take down capital ships compared to the Minotaur.

It's just a shame the Minotaur doesn't have a 5th subsystem slot, otherwise it'd be perfect in my eyes. I actually don't mind the gigantic engines because it kinds reminds me of the Saturn V rocket LOL (if anything the Sturville has even more disproportionately sized engines ), but that indigo color scheme is very bleh.

[El Destructo]

For components, I really love the Merchant's Guild Rank 8 EMP hardening component and the Deflection Absorption component on the Minotaur.

The absorption of missile damage to heal your shields while using deflectors means you can generally park outside the broadside arc of larger capitals and blast away without any real danger, since its usually the homing missiles that find their way to you. You absorb missiles with your shield until it gets low, then switch to deflectors to refill your shields, and go back to shield tanking again. Works especially well with the high-capacity shield to offset the slower base recharge speed.

The EMP hardening makes it so leech missiles don't ruin your speed as much (and perhaps also your shield regeneration, although that is not as easily noticed in comparison). The zippiness of the Minotaur is why I still love using it, even after I have enough money to entirely cover a Blackgate in Mk 6 Mining Lasers.

Unfortunately both of these items are a large investment in credits, but they make a big difference.

[Krypsyn]

Yeah, turret coverage on the dreadnaughts isn't very conducive to focus fire. I generally give the lasers the places with the better arcs (three on the "spine" for the Sorcerer), then fill Pulse turrets into the rest of the slots. I just let turrets do their thing (usually swatting fighters and bombers), and concentrate on broadsiding, so the focus fire isn't generally necessary. Around 2/3 of them (and all of the lasers) can focus on a single large target (e.g. Dreanaughts), which is about the same in number as the Minotaur.

As for the maneuvering, I suppose it is just a matter of taste. I use the null-gravity booster quite frequently, braking for quick turns as needed, and the Sorcerer handles fine for me. I also use the EMP Ablation subsystem (replacing the Broadside Extender I used on the Minotaur), which helps with speed in battles.

The Minotaur is a good ship, to be sure. In terms of balancing turret coverage, speed, and survivability it might even be the best. It is quite a popular option.

[LupisVolk]

Originally posted by Krypsyn:

Yeah, turret coverage on the dreadnaughts isn't very conducive to focus fire. I generally give the lasers the places with the better arcs (three on the "spine" for the Sorcerer), then fill Pulse turrets into the rest of the slots. I just let turrets do their thing (usually swatting fighters and bombers), and concentrate on broadsiding, so the focus fire isn't generally necessary. Around 2/3 of them (and all of the lasers) can focus on a single large target (e.g. Dreanaughts), which is about the same in number as the Minotaur.

As for the maneuvering, I suppose it is just a matter of taste. I use the null-gravity booster quite frequently, braking for quick turns as needed, and the Sorcerer handles fine for me. I also use the EMP Ablation subsystem (replacing the Broadside Extender I used on the Minotaur), which helps with speed in battles.

The Minotaur is a good ship, to be sure. In terms of balancing turret coverage, speed, and survivability it might even be the best. It is quite a popular option.

I have mining lasers in all but 3 spots. (all at the front, one in the very front middle and one of each top side)