How do you kill hybrid hives?

[TheMachineIsSentient]

How do you kill the hives? I have attached a picture showing a planet with a lot of these kind of ships. I noticed that the AI for these ships is pretty impressive. They run in when I go to invade, and as soon as one of these massive ships gets low on health, they run away. Their flight speed is incredibly fast, so I can't keep up with them. Focus firing with micromanagement of the mouse doesn't work either. I have 1200 ships focused on one of these, and they are not going down before they can run away.

Advice please.  

[Lancefighter]

Dreadnoughts.

[Diazo]

24 hybrids? Ouch.

Depending on how badly I wanted the system, I'd leave and come back later if the galaxy layout allows me otherwise I would emp the system and rush the command station.

The EMP would stun the hybrids fleets and 24 hybrids are not enough to stop a ship cap of fighter and bombers from popping the command station.

As soon as the command station dies, the hybrids should all run away, splitting up to different systems, so you can hunt them down later while they are in smaller groups.

Without using an emp missile? Keep throwing ships at them. Siege starships are very effective (used to be called dreadnaughts), but more on the bare hull after the hybrids force field is down though.

There are other options as well, but those are the first two that come to my mind.

D.

[Lancefighter]

... damnit i knew i failed at one-word-answering somehow.

edit
fortress maybe? not suer what you have unlocked, but luring them into a grav turret-trap might work.. (build/online the grav turret after they show up, blast them, etc)

not sure if they are immune to sniper shots or not, if not, spider turrets might work as well?
Basically I'm saying destroy their engines or render them unable to move properly. 100,000 engine health isnt a lot when you see how much engine damage a siege does with a single shot...

[TheMachineIsSentient]

I see. Unfortunately, I am blocked in by Mark three planets, it is an X formation map so I have to go through here. I might just start over... This didn't go so well, but I will try the missile and command station rush play first.

[Diazo]

Ah, ya.

You are not the first to be stonewalled by hybrids on the X type map.

I play realistic type maps so I have the options to go around a fortified system like that, you have no choice but to go through.

D.

[Mánagarmr]

Also to drive them off when they attack you, try Heavy Beam Cannons. They're usually more than enough to drive 5-6 away. However, be sure to have at least two forcefields around the Command Station prior to that. Hybrids have a LOT of health and do quite a lot of damage.

[superking]

zenith polarisers are adept at turning them inside-out

[CogDissident]

I've found huge numbers of fighters to be surprisingly effective. They have lots of health, and decent damage output (for their cost)

[Diazo]

I actually did the math when the hybrids first came out (patch 3.182?) and of the core 3 ships, fighters are the best at actually destroying the hybrids.

Bombers are better against the force field, but against the bare hull when the hybrid starts running, fighters do the most DPS.

I'm pretty sure that still holds true.

D.

[Draco18s]

I actually did the math when the hybrids first came out (patch 3.182?) and of the core 3 ships, fighters are the best at actually destroying the hybrids.

Bombers are better against the force field, but against the bare hull when the hybrid starts running, fighters do the most DPS.

I'm pretty sure that still holds true.

It does until the unity beta, at which point bombers are the best in both cases (and tanks even better--takes about half a ship cap (20 tanks) to eat a Hybrid...shield included).

[Lancefighter]

bomber starships are also good for hit and run anti hybrid - they should be able to alpha one and pull back without major damage

[Diazo]

With the latest Siege changes (3.905), these rule hands down at destroying hybrids.

5 Mk I Sieges + 2 Salvos = Dead Hybrid.

Well, I did have the rest of my fleet there so they maybe helped, but the Sieges were destroying hybrids *fast*.

D.

[Lancefighter]

It seems in general a lot more ships are playing with fire...
Anti-armor, for example, seems to do well against them nowadays; bonuses vs both structural and ultra-heavy.
Unfortunately, they are also flimsy and die en masse

[orzelek]

Lancefighter if you have a bit more experience with anti-armors drop the balance suggestion. I was only meeting them as enemies and they seemed to die to frigates badly - and they have less range than frigate now.