If I had minigun full of particle blasts.........

[JohnBWatson]

No, he is referring to the registered modders program run by George. Some modder, those who have shown both a dedication to the game and an aptitude for writing well thought out mods which they consistently update, are invited to join the registered modders program. As such, they have access to a whole lot more information on the universe, its backstory, and its intended future. All of this information is locked behind a non-disclosure agreement.
As a result, some of those participating in this discussion are dancing a limp legged dance: they see assumptions which are not in line with what is written, yet they cannot contradict it without going breaking the Non-disclosure agreement they signed.

~Pixelfck

Ah, many thanks.

---

Personally - Ion weapons are the only thing Ares Understand.
I work the entire game to get myself a triple turret mounted Ion Blaster ( IM90 multitarget blaster )

and longzhu sphere the hellz out of it

Its a shame Longzhus don't stack anymore. The IM90 used to be much more worthwhile for the price.

Still a very fun weapon to use, though.

---

particle weapons also aren't helped by the fact that, if you're really lucky, you can get an ion or thermo weapon from a black market dealer and install it in St. Katherines....or even earlier if you luck-out and find an ID ROM.

I've never found a reactor that can support a lategame gun in early game. Even my preferred New Beyond weapon, the dual Flenser, eats up power like crazy.

[Kourtious]

Early blast weapons like the Mark 3 and the Akan 30 are common and easily affordable. An enhanced Akan 30 dishes out 2-3 times more DPS than most particle weapons with light station damage. This makes it superior once the enemy starts taking internal health damage. The Mark 3 is basically a Sunflare cannon with medium station damage and is much more common. In addition, it can be augmented to a Dual Mark 3 with a variety of enhancements

On the other hand, particle weapons have low dps and minimal to no WMD. However, enemies don't resist particle weapons as much as blasts early on until Ares appear(low dps ruins particle weapon efficiency). This is when things get tough. Enemies now have high damage weapons that easily out range your particle weapons. This means a deadly crossfire between missiles and artillery shots(Tundras and damn lightning turrets). Furthermore, particle resistances are way higher than before. This is a good time for ejecting your particle weapons.

However, not all hope is lost. Particle weapons have their own set of enhancements that can make them viable till Heretic.

[JohnBWatson]

Early blast weapons like the Mark 3 and the Akan 30 are common and easily affordable. An enhanced Akan 30 dishes out 2-3 times more DPS than most particle weapons with light station damage. This makes it superior once the enemy starts taking internal health damage. The Mark 3 is basically a Sunflare cannon with medium station damage and is much more common. In addition, it can be augmented to a Dual Mark 3 with a variety of enhancements.

The Lancer is a fairly good option in midgame. It's without any WMD, but it can deal 1 damage at a time very well and at exceptional range, killing stations very nicely and being even better for some capital ships than the Mk. III.

[Atarlost]

However, enemies don't resist particle weapons as much as blasts early on until Ares appear(low dps ruins particle weapon efficiency).

You mean Sung and Dwarg. Sung and Dwarg armors either resist or reflect particle as opposed to the Marauders resisting blast. The Marauders mostly have internal structure, though, and the higher WMD on blast weapons negates the advantage against the ships that are actually threatening.

[JohnBWatson]

You mean Sung and Dwarg. Sung and Dwarg armors either resist or reflect particle as opposed to the Marauders resisting blast. The Marauders mostly have internal structure, though, and the higher WMD on blast weapons negates the advantage against the ships that are actually threatening.

I've always had better luck against the Marauders with particle weapons. Blast projectiles move slower and tend to be shot down by the turbolaser fire, whereas weapons like the lancer render their missiles, their strongest offensive ability, virtually useless. Likewise, particle weapons are useful for greasing Wind Slavers. The Dwarg are the toughest thing in the region, and I generally skip over them until I've got hold of something that does thermonuclear damage.

[Kourtious]

While playing today in my Osaka, I tried using the Sung Nadao Bolt cannon and it was very good for its level(its been forever since I had last used one). It knocked out stations faster than a mark 3 cannon with plenty of side benefits. For example; it uses very common ammo, fires a fast projectile, and has one of the higher artillery fire rate in-game. Plus, its fairly easy to obtain. In addition, I think from my memory; this is the only electromagnetic weapon that has medium station damage. Furthermore, it is probably the only level 6 electromagnetic primary weapon that is viable in Ares space(not suggested, unless enhanced).

[sun1404]

Mostly I prefer particle over blast simply because they travel faster. Trying to hit Wind Slavers with any blast guns is absolutely boring, and not very effective. They're also generally faster firing, and have longer projectiles, making them much more viable for intercepting projectiles. All in all, their speed in both firing and traveling offers more versatility, a wider possibility of play styles.

[JohnBWatson]

Mostly I prefer particle over blast simply because they travel faster. Trying to hit Wind Slavers with any blast guns is absolutely boring, and not very effective. They're also generally faster firing, and have longer projectiles, making them much more viable for intercepting projectiles. All in all, their speed in both firing and traveling offers more versatility, a wider possibility of play styles.

I wouldn't say wider, but certainly different and useful.

Say, have you tried the Lancer? I think you'd like it, especially enhanced with an optimizer ROM.

[sun1404]

Yes, I like the lancer. But still prefer Shuriken or Hanzo, because they're faster and fires continuously.

The Xenophobes Ion Lancer though, is grand.

[catfighter]

The shuriken and the like are awesome for projectile interception because of the alternating fire, but I prefer the lancers for just killing things. Besides WMD for killing stations, what are the benefits of Nando-like weapons and how can they be used effectively in a practical sense?

[Song]

The shuriken and the like are awesome for projectile interception because of the alternating fire, but I prefer the lancers for just killing things. Besides WMD for killing stations, what are the benefits of Nando-like weapons and how can they be used effectively in a practical sense?

Twofold. First, higher damage is more resilient to roundoff during resistance calculation. So they're better against targets with particle resistance (which is very common). Secondly, large ships with internal compartments require either high ROF or high WMD to kill.....depending on the exact numbers involved, this may make weapons like the Nandao worthwhile for killing capships faster.