Noob Sentinel questions - any Sentinel veteran help?

[Starscribe]

May have bought one..

I've worked out:

1. You need to switch the EMP on before it will fire (default is off).
2. A press of the right button charges, another fires it (and it seems you can fire before it hits 100%.

I'm not clear on

A. The delay before it can be reused. I think I hear a buzzer? Is it a minute? Does it recharge automatically? At the moment I just spam the right mouse button until it looks like it is charging again, which can't be the best way to play.
B. The EMP's range.

Appreciate the EMP is an EWar placeholder but while I have it, I'd like to understand it!

 

[vahadar]

Since you're flying with a Sentinel i'll start with that ship. I havent check with recent updates but before it used to be an emp radius of 1200m and effective at 1000m to down shields on all sides, with a charge time of 12s (you can charge during QT jump before landing on a target) and a trigger release of 1.5s (emp fires 1.5s after you release it when you press button). It is the same for the Warlock. The refresh rate is i think 25s if i remember correctly.
Compared to other EMP ships, the Sentinel and Warlock have the best emp (S4 EMP with 3.6k damage).

The Raven and the Hawk emp (S2 EMP with 1.8k damage, x2 for the Raven) radius is 750m with an effective radius at 400m to down shields on all sides. Charge time of 12s, refresh rate is faster (12s) and delay after pushing trigger is just 0.75s.

Targets will be stunned for about 15s, dont have the exact figure.

EMP will change in a next patch (not bypassing shields and hurting components anymore if the shields are not downed first). So you need to have the shield at 0 before effectively using an EMP to disable a ship. So far we do not know if the remaining strength of an EMP charge will carry on to the equipment if it has already downed the shield with a single burst.

edit : others should check my numbers not sure they are still valid, havent tried emp since 3.8.
edit 2 : guaranteed 100% disabling of ships even if emp burst weaker than shield hp used to be iirc for 3.7 under 200m for Hawk and Raven, and under 400m for Sentinel and Warlock. But this will change for sure next EMP patch.

 

[Mich Angel]

I make it short...

It's been worked on so EMP does not work 100% as intended .... so how far it reach now is trial and error I guess.

I always simply spam the button until it charges again, reason they change the time for recharge so many time I got tired to keep track.

Once they fleshed out how they want it I'm gonna take notes until then I go by feel and hope it hit..

( I usually try get as close I can before popping the EMP so I know it'll work. )

CHEERS!

 

[NaffNaffBobFace]

I've not experienced the recharge fail buzzer however I've not been able to get my hands on my Sentinel since 3.9 due to the ships inventory bug - my assumption is that buzzer is attatched to the Error System?

There should be an array of lights near the top of your cockpit that light up when you have been radar locked for missile attack, when you've overheated, when you have an electrical error...? I assume it's buzzing on cooldown or you have been unlucky and the first time you fired it, it broke and thats its way of telling you. Only a guess though.

How are you liking her? Potent with those 4x distortion nose repeaters and the big lazer - will be even better once they put in the ability to slave the turret to the pilot and you get two more guns as well.

 

[Starscribe]

How are you liking her? Potent with those 4x distortion nose repeaters and the big lazer - will be even better once they put in the ability to slave the turret to the pilot and you get two more guns as well.

Loving it! What surprised me most is the fast recharge on the shields - it's even more tanky than I suspected.

 

[Starscribe]

Belatedly found an answer to my question about recharge times and distance, here : https://www.erkul.games/emps (really useful site).

 

[Michael]

I think all question have been satisfied so

i think i used FR76 (slower recharge but high hitpoints) on my Sentinel. This really pushed the tank further.

Also we need more weapon groups!

 

[Shadow Reaper]

Belatedly found an answer to my question about recharge times and distance, here : https://www.erkul.games/emps (really useful site).

The only problem with erkul is it does not give you the information in useful form to design for stealth, meaning it does not give EM sig numbers for coolers and reactors at a glance. For that use hardpoint: https://hardpoint.io/#/customize/1QWTRIAxEAAAAFGUEWbSEWNABIazNvZPNABOBs2e-qfAB7OUD1WkKABO8l7ZCpZBBx_hxe-c2A

The Sentinel is a stealth ship and to justify the lower hull points as compared to other Vanguard, you really want to use the stealth feature. That means design for low EM primary reactor and cooler, and as much secondary reactor as you need for your chosen shields, etc. Also I suggest the largest secondary cooler so that it dumps huge IR in seconds and then you flip it back off. Remember, EM alters instantly with component use, but IR decays very slowly over time. So you want to be able to essentially "purge" heat quickly with a very large secondary cooler and then switch it back off.

So I suggest: Primary and Secondary Reactors:--Eclipse (gives you about 15% more power with less than 1/3 the EM); Nightfall primary cooler and Snowpack secondary cooler. That is about your optimal stealth build and has no down side compared to the stock. it should be enough power to easily recharge the FR-76 shields with any guns and engines active.

One of the reasons the Vangaurd are the stunning powerhouse monsters they are, is they have two of each medium component. So choose wisely, and know when to leave what systems off. You will seldom need a second reactor, cooler and in stealth you shouldn't use your shields. Often in stealth you'll want to turn your guns off too, and rely on missiles which have no signature until they light up.

 

[Starscribe]

The only problem ...until they light up.

Fab read.

Is stealth fully implemented?

In any event.. I build more to tank than to sneak, even in ships designed to be quiet. I get the idea, but without a way to 'cloak', I find once an enemy is engaged, the rest join and then what matters most is the size of your guns and the width of your shield. That quiet Sabre? It's brim full of noisy shields, coolers, powerplant and guns on in my world..

Happy to be told sneaky sneaky works as well (if not better). Does it? How?

 

[Shadow Reaper]

Is stealth fully implemented?

No. It wouldn't be until full EM warfare comes in game, but the systems do operate the way I described most of the time.

There are reports that none of this above matters, and all stealth ships are invisible to sensors out to 1.4km, but I have seen lots of evidence that reports like that are not true. It is true that the Stealth switch in all ships trades EM for IR and a much higher power consumption, and that this is useful at times; but designing low EM output into your ship seems to make more difference over the long run.

 

[Shadow Reaper]

Happy to be told sneaky sneaky works as well (if not better). Does it? How?

I think the task matters. Most players don't use stealth because they're just loading their ships for optimal combat, pointing and shooting. It's very rare to find pilots who fly defensively, as if dying were a thing to be avoided. There is some pilot training here at TEST if you're caught in that grind. Especially Hornet pilots seem to use their birds as essentially mobile gunnery platforms and then it all comes down to shields, armor and guns. They're not really flying. For great tips on defensive flying especially of very light fighters (which is where you learn) contact our own Marcsand2.

As soon as you're flying a missile platform all this changes. Missile combat is not like dogfighting, jousting, etc. At present, to dodge missiles you fly to put them "on your wing" meaning you fly at right angles to their attack vector and essentially out turn them. This works much better than countermeasures (though ideally you do both.) To thwart this technique, missileers want to get as close as possible and launch with no warning, and the only way to do this is from stealth. Go on YouTube and you'll find Sentinel pilots carrying all Dominator II missiles, launching from stealth at just 4 km, and in the 3 seconds warning a target has they can do nothing. Optimal is launch when your target is flying "normal" to you, meaning either toward or away, so that he does not have orthagonal momentum and is really just dead from missiles. A Sentinel carries enough missiles to take out 7 Hornets this way, and never even switch on their guns, shields and secondary reactor.

Also be aware, the Sentinel is the only true medium class stealth strike craft. The Prowler has a small radar, so is not equipped to attack ships smaller or the same size as itself. It was designed to board large and cap ships. The Sentinel can attack anything because it can see without being seen, which is what stealth is really all about.

 

[Starscribe]

Go on YouTube and you'll find Sentinel pilots carrying all Dominator II missiles, launching from stealth at just 4 km, and in the 3 seconds warning a target has they can do nothing. A Sentinel carries enough missiles to take out 7 Hornets this way, and never even switch on their guns, shields and secondary reactor.

Thanks for the reply. What do you do for ship number 8? I'll certainly take a look, but I don't think stealth play is as balanced or nuanced as I'd like right now. Or maybe I'm not subtle enough!

 

[Shadow Reaper]

I would not engage 8 ships alone unless they were AI. If they're AI just use your guns. The FR-76 are really tough to crack. Also there is the EMP to consider. If you run out of missiles there's much less reason to fly in stealth mode so your shields will be on and your EMP up. No one will joust against an EMP.

Against medium class birds like the Cutty and Lancer, you're more agile instead of less, and with better shields, armor and firepower, so you want to engage in dogfighting. Save your missiles for the fighters. When I say "dogfighting", I mean that. Get behind your target and stay behind them. The last thing you want to do is be out front of a MIS and have him launch on you. If you attack targets like the Cutty and Lancer from behind, even if they have a turret gunner, those guns can't really hurt you through FR-76 shields. Most times there's no gunner. Get behind them and stay behind them and you can kill Cutties and Lancers with your main gun.

If you're alone against a large target, use the EMP. Reports are a single pulse will kill a Carrack, but also that they will no longer kill an HH, now that they've adjusted EMP to always go to shields first. Odds are both can now survive an EMP attack, so I'm not sure you want to try an HH alone.

But really the ultimate use of the Sentinel is in group play with other Sentinel pilots. Group tactics are more complex (and effective) than what we're talking about here. I could tell you, but I'd have to kill you. . .

 

[Starscribe]

I spend most of my time in combat in PvE facing multiple waves of AI enemies. Not really into PvP, though claiming bounties appeals a little. The Alpha strike advantages are obvious, of course, though for just that, obviously Sentinel is less of a one trick pony than the top of the class Eclipse.

Bounties apart, can't see much reason for me to tiptoe (yet).

 

[Shadow Reaper]

BTW, there is a lot of misinformation on YouTube by players posting who do not know what they're talking about. The worst offenders are those saying how "everyone" is now choosing to mix high shield strength and high refresh rate shields so you get the best of both worlds. This is plainly not correct.

if you are designing to absorb a huge first strike in a small craft, say in a fighter against Vanduul plasma weapons; you need high shield strength and can retreat for them to refresh. If you are fighting PCs who actually think and are most often using energy weapons, you need high refresh rate. Mixing shields means you did not optimize your ride. Pick the right shields for the job. In most instances, high refresh trumps high strength, so choose FR-66 and FR-76 shields.

Also just to note and I'm sorry that I'm still saying this even after CIG nerfed the ballistics, but if you are chasing something like a Lancer with a pair of FR-76 shields, you better be flying ballistics or you're wasting your time. If your damage ability is not much higher than your opponent's refresh rate, you can't kill him without ballistsics, and while shields recharge every second, not every shot hits, so most often highest refresh rate shields make good sense, and ballistics to kill them on your oppenent's ship.

 

[BUTUZ]

I use FR76 on my prowler, freelancer, vanguard. High charge rate is more useful than a large pool of hit points which can not be recharged in time!

 

[Sky Captain]

I love my Sentinel. She's a tanky ship.

That nobody knows how the EMP works means it is working as intended!

 

[Shadow Reaper]

That nobody knows how the EMP works means it is working as intended!

There is a page that shows the EMP magnitude and inner and outer radius of each of the EMPs, but the page link is not working at present. Someone may find it on googledocs. The thing that has changed was people complained that the Sentinel was killing Carracks and HHs with a single pulse, so they changed it that the pulse has to take out the shield first. I'm not happy about that and think the whiners are getting their way far too often. The worst was nerfing the Sledge Ii for the second time in 4 years, because the energy weapon players (read "I can't fucking aim so I just keep the trigger squeezed" players) complained en masse that the Sledges were too powerful.

They are not too powerful. They are slow to target, slow to cycle and fire, require huge EM, produce huge IR, have very limited ammo, and are very hard to hit with. Their only saving grace was how they penetrate shields and now that the shabby pilots have got their way, no one flies the Sledge.

Second time in four years. CIG needs to stop listening to the whiners.

 

[Shadow Reaper]

Belatedly found an answer to my question about recharge times and distance, here : https://www.erkul.games/emps (really useful site).

View attachment 16474

Great stuff. Note that the 250m inner radius of the Sentinel EMP allows you to fly escorts (like other Vanguard) alongside the Sentinel and they won't be hit by a pulse, including multiple Sentinels who can then pulse gain and again. Sentinels rule.

 

[BUTUZ]

No EMP, but vanguard is love vanguard is life.