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Multicannons are much easier in this regard, also why they're used in the tutorials (and recommended): yes, it takes a while for 'm to fire but once they get going they don't stop. If you have a hostile targeted then your hud will show you the status of their shields and hull.
However, are you familiar with the basics of combat? You can't just fire your guns at a ship and expect it to cause damage: that's what shields are for. First step is to drain their shields, once that is out of the way you can get direct hull damage in.
Once again referring to the in-game tutorials: this is why they recommend beginning with a beam laser + multicannon. You use the beam laser to drain the shields, then the MC's to get some solid hull damage in.
The other issue is that kinetic weapons don't do much damage until you take the enemy's shield down, so you need a thermal weapon like a pulse, beam or burst laser on the other fire group.
First, no offense intended, there is the "get better" issue to address. With this I am referring to the fact that "better" weapons don't necessarily make you a better combat pilot or will automagically get you better results. For example... when I just started I also managed to down my enemies, but only to a certain level and difficulty. I'm not claiming to be a pro, but... over time I did gain more experience which can definitely help. Several months ago I got back in my Cobra Mk3 again (awesome critter) and I got interdicted by a Krait Mk2. So I figured I'd try to take him on. I didn't manage to blow him up, but did eventually got him to flee. That would never have happened in my actual "Cobra days".
Of course that doesn't mean that you can't get any advantages from upgrades at all ;) Quite the contrary.
First things first... your weapons. It can help to experiment to see what works best for you. For example the tutorial uses beams + multi cannons but you're not limited to that. In essence it's lasers ("energy") to take down shields and cannons ("projectiles") to cause physical hull damage.
However, there is overlap. For example, burst lasers are basically energy weapons but can also cause (minor) hull damage. Multicannons have an issue with shields, but they can still nibble and cause a lot of pressure, hardly as effective as lasers, sure, but what about the combination of both?
Which is where I'd start. If your current weapon loadout doesn't work, maybe use something else? For the record: I mention burst lasers because that's what I prefer, but there's more of course. pulse lasers are also a thing, and beams definitely have their place as well (esp. with smaller ships).
Second (just making sure I give a complete story): pinpointing sub-targets. Once you have you hostile targeted, make sure to check the left panel and consider aiming at a specific sub-target ("module"). Once you damage an FSD a target will have issues fleeing, once you damage their powerplant... well, energy weapons and defenses will also suffer there.
This can also help speed things up.
And third... engineering. You don't need it for normal encounters, but if you take on enemies at conflict zones or extraction sites then you will come up against engineered ships. Which can also explain why you may gave issues with a standard loadout. Not to mention that this can give you tremendous advantages.
For example... my multicannons causes hull corrosion during impact, but I also have incinerating rounds that heat up the hull but can also result in heat damage. Such enhancements can also give you a solid advantage. Of course... at a price.
Cannons are very tricky. This may be a good read:
https://elite-dangerous.fandom.com/wiki/Cannon
You have several problems. As you noticed yourself there is a long reload time. But the projectiles which you fire also travel slow, which means that hits aren't guaranteed. Cannons are best used for my previously given example: to target specific modules. Because if they DO impact, then they will do quite some damage.
However, you may not notice much in your main hud (overall hull damage) but then take another look at the left panel: the sub-target tab and you'll see different results.
If you want "quick" and solid - full - damage then I highly recommend using multicannons. Yes, they take a while to start up but once they do you'll spray your opponent with dozens and dozens of projectiles: you're bound to hit something sometime.
It sounds crude but.. just continue firing, spray 'm and let 'm have it. Can't really do this with cannons.
Context: I've used cannons a lot myself, but only on ships where I didn't really want to bother with PVE. So if I did get into a conflict I focused on specific damage... powerplant, power distributor, shields... but not necessarily for total destruction.
Then context may apply here: where exactly are you taking these hostiles on?
Because I suspect engineering ;)
I think it's because of the type of enemies you're facing. I have several ships for which I engineered my hull and if you just fire some small MC's at it then you won't "just" cause any damage. Quite frankly I think that at the time when things become noticeable my shields will probably have resurrected themselves.
(edit): Something else occurred to me... distance. How far away are you from your targets? That can have its effect too, MC's have a maximum range, if your target is moving away from you then this can also cause issues.
I've actually been in a situation where a Sidewinder (NPC) decided to take on my Cutter. I was very amused and let 'm interdict me, which is when I realized that... "oops", my active missions triggered more hostiles and soon I was facing 3 - 4 hostiles in total. Being new to the Cutter they managed to drain my shields and did some damage.
But when it was all over with the bigger hostiles I had one left, the Sidewinder. And even though I was under attack without shields, it didn't really cause any extra damage.
Sorry for a long read.. I know not everyone likes that but I wanted to make sure I got the whole point across, just to prevent any possible misunderstandings. If there's one thing I've learned in the years that I've been playing E.D. it's that combat can be very tricky.
Hope this can give you some ideas!
I didnt know multi cannons took time to charge so that is one thing cleared up.
I think it will be a long time before i can check and target modules in combat.....wow that will be intense .
i also didnt know yoiu could set weapons up to lead or trail in the ship menu..i still dont see that lol but didnt know i needed it with gimble weapons.
i will try all this out soon thank yo all.
There are keybinds for next/previous subtarget. I made up a custom button box, and use rotary dials for selecting targets, enemies, and subtargets.
it's also handy for translating joystick buttons into keypresses - which is how I have three controls for some things, when Elite only allows 2.
Multi cannons are way easier to use after you get used to the spin up time.
The problem with cannons are their slow projectile speed. Multi cannons have faster projectils, but are still slower than lasers.
Using a gimballed cannon / multi cannon makes targeting much easier, especially if combined with lasers.
As the others said: cannons do lower damage against shield compared to laser of the same size, but do more damage to hulls after the shield is gone.
Two overlooked weapon stats for hull damage is penetration of the weapon vs hull hardness. If the penetration is lower than the hull hardness damage will reduced.
Size 1 multicannons have a low penetration that makes them not very effectiv against ships with higher hull hardness than a Sidewinder or Hauler.
Size 1 cannons have a much higer penetration, but lower projectile speed and lower rate of fire.
The sweet spot is IMHO the size 2 multicannon. Their penetration is high enough to damage many smaller and medium ships, combined with a fast rate of fire and fast projectile.
Sadly the standard Eagle can only carry size 1 weapons. I would rather run 3 gimballed puls or burst lasers with the Eagle than 2 lasers and a gun.
The Eagle can also work with 3 gimballed size 1 multi cannons if you let the system police take down enemy shield... penetration is still low, but the rate of fire is high and it's like death by papercuts.
Some other ships:
The Imperial Eagle can mount a size 2 and two size 1 weapons, and works well with 2 gimballed size 1 burst lasers & one size 2 gimballed multi cannon.
The Diamondback Scout can mount two size 1 and two size 2 weapons and all four have a great field of fire for gimballed weapons.
The Viper MK II can mount the same weapons, but the size 2 hardpoints have a bad field of fire for gimballed weapons expect lasers. Using size 1 gimballed cannons with size 2 lasers works IMHO best.
But at least i know why im not seeing damage now, thank you all so much for the help. The game is very vague in explaing things easily lol.
I went with the touch screen option. I can't see myself ever wanting to talk to my computer... Besides swearing at it when the quick 5 minute clean job I'd planned, turns into a a complete strip and rebuild because I dropped a screw
I don't talk to the PC, and have voice recog turned off in Voice attack.
Fixed weapons is the way to go when starting out, simply because the damage output will be very useful later. (this is why using a gamepad is difficult; i've used one since 2015 ;)
-learning fixed weapons from the start will prevent the massive skill scaling required to learn fixed weapons after getting used to gimbals. (beams are an exception due to shield-strip)
The best pvp'ers use M/K for a reason...next best is flight controllers due to granular control.
Forgot to add: i mainly use cannons(fixed) + beams(gimballed).