Are S Shard Batterys too powerful?

[Serikos]

So basically the mk2 shard battery is insanely accurate on fighters while doing more damage than a plasma cannon, surely this is an indicator that this weapon is far too strong, especially when a heavy fighter is loaded with 4 of them and can almost 1-shot most normal fighters without much of a chance for them to actually dodge (like with the less powerful plasma cannon)

My concern is that there are weapons that are meant to be more speacialised for fighters like like beams for faster enemies and bolt repeaters which are way less accurate I wonder, did the dev perhaps get the bolt repeater and shard battery roles/damage the wrong way around? Based on their accuracy against fighters you would expect shard batterys to be the less powerful of the 2.

[SievertChaser]

I disagree. Repeaters and their sidegrades are the BASIC fighter weapon, with pulse lasers relegated mainly to rookies still on training wheels. Shard batteries, like plasmas, are supposed to be specialized.

[eMYNOCK]

shard battery = space shotgun
laser beam = surgical tool to annoy cats and blow up space mines

i really do not know how to put into perspective... but thats literally it.
the shards are a literal shotgun that will cause devastating damage point blank that gets pathetic the more distance is between the shooter and the target while the beam deals always... some... damage up until the target is out of range.

[flywlyx]

The core issue is that the AI behavior is too predictable, which makes shotgun-style weapons (like Shard or Tau) disproportionately effective. Players can simply wait for the AI to charge, then capitalize on its proximity to land high-damage hits with ease. In contrast, rifle-style weapons require players to maintain distance and gradually wear down the enemy—an approach that takes more time and offers relatively little advantage in return.

[Bobucles]

The core issue is that the AI behavior is too predictable

Hmm, nah, not really. The core issue is the game doesn't have damage types.

What is the role of a shotgun? Traditionally, it sacrifices accuracy and range to gain massive damage against lightly armored targets.

Lightly armored targets are small. Lightly armored targets are fast. Lightly armored targets are hard to hit. Do you see the problem yet? The things that the shotgun are supposed to do, are exactly the opposite of how the game works.

How can you fix it? Get the shotgun more damage maybe? But more damage means it will destroy bigger ships, making the shotgun excel against heavy armor. An accuracy boost means it's no longer a shotgun. There's no more pellet spread. A speed boost means it's no longer a projectile weapon. It's more like a melee range laser drill.

[SievertChaser]

Originally posted by Bobucles:

The core issue is that the AI behavior is too predictable

Hmm, nah, not really. The core issue is the game doesn't have damage types.

It does, but it's mostly a Boron gimmick.

[Farrel]

Out of sector, they're decent, but in sector? I love watching my interceptor wings shred things with them... And each other, half the time.

For the price to build them? I'm okay with the power they provide. you're gotta barrel stuff the enemy somewhat, but if you can point blank someone? They'll know about it.

[eMYNOCK]

provided someone except me actually supports the Yaki... they tend to build with repeater and shard setups.. and its always fun to watch them gang up on targets that should way out class them.

[flywlyx]

Originally posted by Bobucles:

Lightly armored targets are small. Lightly armored targets are fast. Lightly armored targets are hard to hit. Do you see the problem yet? The things that the shotgun are supposed to do, are exactly the opposite of how the game works.

I think you're overcomplicating the classification. Generally, shotgun, rifle, and sniper weapon types are defined by their range, burst damage, and cooldown. Shotguns have high burst damage, short range, and medium cooldown; rifles offer moderate burst, medium range, and short cooldown; snipers deliver high burst at long range with long cooldowns. Each weapon type supports a specific combat style. In X4, the AI consistently engages in close-range combat—ideal for shotguns. Naturally, this gives shotgun weapons a significant advantage. If enemies engaged from 5 km out and retreated before entering shotgun range, shotguns would be at a disadvantage due to their limited range and spread. But since the AI lacks this capability, it's easy to one-shot most S-class fighters.

[Doom]

Originally posted by Serikos:

Are S Shard Batterys too powerful?

IIRC they overheat quickly and have short effective range. So, no. Not "too powerful".

Try Terran MK2 pulse, for the record.

Originally posted by Serikos:

fighters you would expect shard batterys to be

IMO, the weapon simply exists and it is up to the player to figure out how to use it. So the battery isn't "supposed" to be anything in particular, it is a space shotgun. That means short range.

[Farrel]

A fellow Yaki supporter? Huzzah, a gentlebeing of substance!

[Serikos]

Originally posted by eMYNOCK:

shard battery = space shotgun
laser beam = surgical tool to annoy cats and blow up space mines

i really do not know how to put into perspective... but thats literally it.
the shards are a literal shotgun that will cause devastating damage point blank that gets pathetic the more distance is between the shooter and the target while the beam deals always... some... damage up until the target is out of range.

Thanks for the response, my problem with the shard is that it doesn't seem to matter if you are max range it will still obliterate small ships, especially the lightly shielded paranid ships that i use.

On a side note what exactly is the difference between "Attack" and "Bombard"? I would assume the range?

[eMYNOCK]

Originally posted by Serikos:

Originally posted by eMYNOCK:

shard battery = space shotgun
laser beam = surgical tool to annoy cats and blow up space mines

i really do not know how to put into perspective... but thats literally it.
the shards are a literal shotgun that will cause devastating damage point blank that gets pathetic the more distance is between the shooter and the target while the beam deals always... some... damage up until the target is out of range.

Thanks for the response, my problem with the shard is that it doesn't seem to matter if you are max range it will still obliterate small ships, especially the lightly shielded paranid ships that i use.

On a side note what exactly is the difference between "Attack" and "Bombard"? I would assume the range?

attack means use all weapons available, bombard means that long range weapons shalll be prefered.

[🎮 PalkoVvodets 🔑]

Didn't find shards OP. The weapon is good, but its far from being the only good weapon in the game.
If one prefer single volley at point blank range riding S ship its better to just stick with Blast mortars. Otherwise, imo, TER Pulse better against S and more versatile in general, Shards better against L+. Both good against M.

There are nuances as for size of the ship you use, number of enemies, hardpoints, installed mods, fighting tactic etc. What may notably impact the weapon showcase perception though.

Pure statistical DPS of the Shard Battery is high. But it isn't always possible to fully benefit of the firepower.

[Bobucles]

attack means use all weapons available, bombard means that long range weapons shalll be prefered.

Amazing! The labels given to the commands do not match the actions they actually perform. I don't think you'd have anyone ever guess that "attack" means "charge in and die", because apparently that's what it means!

[gorgofdoom]

cowboy modded shard turrets on a Jian are good. 6 rapid fire shotgun turrets.... it's like the python mk2 from elite dangerous but was made before that was ever conceived.

I don't think S shards are overpowered. They are super short range and are outclassed by muons on a pure dps / cost analysis.

As for operating too close to the enemy; this is by design. A bad crew in a fast ship will in fact fly right up to the enemy and die due to how skill modified weapon range is utilized to create attack patterns.

On the other hand a good crew in a slower ship will keep a great distance. frigates are typically good with long range weapons. Try osprey with Paranid railguns, and you'll see what i mean.