Help on the Liir

[Bugs]

So I'm deciding to play that race that has the weak ships but good research rates. I hear Battle Cruisers are a good way to go and I can build them but I was under the impression that Dreadnoughts can carry them. I can build Dreadnoughts but I can't seem to assign what they carry, even in the case with the Battle Riders I can't make a Battle rider carrier dreadnought assign which battle rider it should carry. Is this a tech issue? I can't seem to figure it out and I tried looking for the answers online but haven't found anything satisfactory.

[Goomich]

Build carrier (IIRC dread can carry cruiser sized BRs, Cruisers can carry old destroyers and Leviathan can carry dreadnought size BRs). Build apropriate BRs.
Click on BR Manager (next to fleet manager, but with only 1 chevron), there you can assign BRs to every ship in system.

[Aranador]

Make sure you have researched battlecruiser tech, then you can build the battlecruiser carrier mission section for DNs. build one of those, and 3 battlecruisers (designed seperately) at the same location, then load the cruisers on their carrier. Now go forth and win !

As Liir, you are definitely at your strongest when you leverage these ships, but on the way to getting there, be sure to invest in torpedoes, as Liir torpedo designes tend to be some of the best in space. Avoid in close brawls in favour of a massive hammer blow of torpedoes to smash the enemy. After they've been smashed, you wont have as miuch to fear from the close range fight. Once you have the Battlecruisers though, you can brawl with the best of them, just keep your carriers back.

Liir have the potential to finish up as one of the strongest, hardest hitting, toughest races, but you have to get there first.

[Bugs]

Okay thanks, their ships noramlly are on the pretty weak side. I just put out my first Battle Cruisers though and they do well. I'm guessing maxing out my fleet command points is the next priority, I may be able to field 4 DR with a couple support ships.

[Fendelphi]

They also have strong shield tech, Can get an extra layer of toughness(the blue, permanent armor) and can avoid(phase) some hits. They are also very good at using Psi powers, making them deceptively more durable than what their Armor values suggest.

They do have low amounts of medium and large weapon hardpoints(for cruisers and Dreads), compared to other factions, which means that their regular "DPS" is lower. This together with their low armor value makes them vulnerable to prolonged fights.
This is somewhat compensated through their battleriders, which have several Medium and Large hardpoints(for the bigger ships) and are decently armored.

Their own ships have several Beam and Torpedo mounts on the dedicated designs.
The Dread Barrage mission section has 10 Heavy Beams, 4 Heavy Missiles(polaris), 2 Torpedoes, and can add another 3 Heavy Beams and 4 Torpedoes with the Assault Command section.
That is extremely powerfull Alpha Strike damage, easily cutting through cruisers(set beam firepattern to cycle, rather than burst, to avoid overkill).
Even Dreads should be very careful with firepower of this magnitude. ;)

Even their Barrage Cruisers have good Alpha damage, with 3 Torpedoes, 1 Heavy Beam and 2 Polaris Missiles. Add a Shield Mk. IV or Stealth on them, and they will cause all kinds of trouble.

As an added bonus, Liir Barrage designs are relative robust, with above average structure value(compared to other faction's Barrage designs). They are also decently priced.

So you often choose between Medium/large weapon upgrades(mostly energy heavy Cannons and Phasors) for the "BR-path", which results in a semi "swarm" tactic, or Heavy Beams and Torpedoes for high Alpha damage from their "own" ships.

If the game goes on long enough, you can have a mix of both(which is extremely powerfull).

[Goomich]

I find shields to be liability:
They prevent you from instalimh more torps and make your ships bigger targets, perfect for dreds,

[Fendelphi]

Originally posted by Goomich:

I find shields to be liability:
They prevent you from instalimh more torps and make your ships bigger targets, perfect for dreds,

The only thing that becomes a "bigger target" is the bubble(Liir shield section does not increase signature). If a shot would have hit above the Cruiser, it still will when the shield is down.

Liir have a great chance to get regenerative shields, which together with Mk 4. shields(I think the shield can absorb around 30 antimatter missiles), makes them extremely durable, increasing a Cruiser's survivability 3-4 times.

I personally think that compensates for the 2 extra launchers you can get otherwise.

In the end, however, it is personal choice.

[Bugs]

I found that they really excel with torpedos and a regular torpedo cruiser with an assault classification yields a 6 torpedo volley. With Point defense and those going away my 8 ships were dropping the AIs fleets by the 3rd volley (photon torps). That coupled with their excellent research probabilities have made them a new favourite race of mine.

[Fendelphi]

Originally posted by Bugs:

I found that they really excel with torpedos and a regular torpedo cruiser with an assault classification yields a 6 torpedo volley. With Point defense and those going away my 8 ships were dropping the AIs fleets by the 3rd volley (photon torps). That coupled with their excellent research probabilities have made them a new favourite race of mine.

That is why I enjoy the Barrage chassis. You get almost the same amount of torpedoes(3 instead of 4) and 2 Heavy missiles(very long range and stronger payload compared to standard missiles) which helps soften up enemies before they can get close, or when assaulting planets. And 1 Heavy Beam if the enemy gets to close(burns right through the wounded ships).

It does require some additional research though.