Ethos Explanations for Powerplay?

[Dysanius]

What are the functional differences in gameplay missions between financial/combat/covert/social?

Thinking about Powerplay. I know the different factions have different ways of going about prep/expansion/control, but I don't know how the different ways of going about these actions affect gameplay.

Breakdown of Ethos here:
https://elite-dangerous.fandom.com/wiki/Ethos

Pledged to Federation, but find myself unimpressed with combat. Yuri Grom looks interesting but no idea what "covert" ops would entail.

[Dysanius]

Aisling Duval or Alliance look interesting...but is there much of a point to power play? Are prismatic shields worth it?

[Dolphin Bottlenose]

Originally posted by Letalis13:

Are prismatic shields worth it?

Every module has its strengths and its weaknesses. The strength of Prismatics is, well, their strength. But the weakness is their recharge time.

If you want its strength and you are ok with its weakness - then yes, it's worth it.