Bactrian Loadout

[RedspearAwkwardTurtle]

What do you guys think is the ideal bactrian loadout? I have access to I believe all human tech, as I completed the FW campaign. I do not have access to pug tech for... reasons (won't explain as to avoid spoilers for others), but I do have access to Hai and Korath technology. I am not at a point where I have access to Quarg technology. I am currently trying to optimize a perfect loadout and was wondering what you all thought would be best. Later I'll post my current loadout on my main Bactrian.

[oriramikad]

Bactrian? Pff, just get a Shield Beetle and stick 8 Plasma Cannons on it. It's better than a Bactrian. Better than any Bactrian /I/ can build, anyway.

[Terpsitur]

Alright, here is my loadout that I used in my bactrian fleet to conquer me some lovely Quarg Equipment with:

The flagship

For your flagship use an unarmed bactrian with somewhat fast Engines and lots of cargo space. ~600-700 cargo space should be fine.You don't need to fight, that is the job of your fleet. Your role should be to hide behind your fleet and point out the targets. After that plunder whatever remains of your enemy. If you played through the campaign, install the cloaking device on your flagship and use it in tight spots to ensure a safe retreat behind your fleet.


The fleet:

Taking down a Quarg Wardragon or Skylark takes a lot of firepower. So you need a fleet of at least 15-20 bactrians before you even stand a chance.
Here is how I outfitted my 20 bactrians:


Weapons (Gunports):

2 Electron Beam
1 Hvy Laser


Weapons (Turrets):

4 Electron Turrets
2 Korath Warder


System:

1 Catalytic Ramscoop
3 Fuel Pod
1 Jump Drive
2 Korath Heat Shunt
3 Korath Shield Generator
2 S-270 Regenerator (Hai shield-technology)
1 S-970 Regenerator (Hai shield-technology)
26 Mass Expansion (=max outfit-space)
1 Water Coolant System


Power:

1 Korath Tek'nel Power Generator (the big one, not the one from the Korath fighters)
1 Armaggedon Core


Engines:

1 A865 Atomic Steering
1 A520 Atomic Thruster


With this layout, your bactrians should have enough energy to charge their shields, move and fire at the same time. I think they generate excess energy of like 20 or 60 or something, I forgot. Anyway, the outfit-space is also used up as efficiently as possible, and they also produce very little heat.

Some parts of my design are due to personal preferences, the 3 fuel pods for example. I like having extra fuel for my ships for longer trips, but If you think you can manage without, then feel free to replace them with something else. :)
Also I prefer having better steering over more thrust, because in my experience ships need to turn quickly far more often in endless sky than to go fast in order to get things done. But that is also up for debate of course.


Anyway, now you can take on the Quarg and steal their stuff. And once you have Quarg equipment your bactrians will rule the galaxy. :)

By the way: Taking over a Quarg ship is possible, but it requires a rather unusual tactic involving a little help by random pirates. It's crazy, but it works. You can find the topic here: http://steamcommunity.com/app/404410/discussions/0/496880503064138639/

To be honest though, a bactrian equipped with Quarg stuff and the energy to run it is almost as good as having a real Quarg ship. The Quarg ships have more shield and are way faster, true, but the damage and the shield regeneration will be the same for both bactrian and Quarg. So capturing a Quarg ship is never really required to have a strong fleet in my opinion.

[Synavix]

Terpsitur's loadout is pretty much what I'm using, although I stopped before maxing out my whole fleet to that extent.

You can very easily get a whole fleet outfited with the weapons he listed. The Korath Warders are just so good, and the electron beams are probably the best for trying to board other ships since they stop damage immediately, and have sustained damage. If you're taking planets you might want to switch out a few secondary weapons for Torpedos or Typhoons, but its situational.

It may take you a while to get everything else for your entire fleet, but it's easy to start with Armageddon Core + Jump Drive + Catalytic + Atomic Thrusters + Heat Shunt + a shield or two on everything. With that taking more Korath ships and looting their parts for money and use is really easy, just make sure you have the extra room in your flagship to get everything you can, even if it means sacrificing power. I use a different flagship for looting than I do for actually fighting, and park the other on a planet to keep it safe. I also equip my ships with both a Hyperdrive AND a Jump Drive...it just makes long distance travel a lot faster, especially if you're escorting things without jump drives.