Electric
Frigate Shuttle: To paraphrase the wiki, the magic numbers are forty and two hundred. As long as there are at least forty units, you'll do the same amount of total damage as you would against two hundred, no waste. The wiki has some additonal useful information and analysis on these units, but if I have my math correct:
24 Electric Shuttles Mk1 vs 200 units: 38,880 damage per enemy
24 Electric Shuttles Mk1 vs 40 units: 194,400 damage per enemy
24 Electric Shuttles Mk1 vs 1o units: 194,400 damage per enemy
Note: Range 7,000, Reload Time 20
Neinzul Drones start at 80,000 heath and most have a range of five thousand or less with attrition of thirty seconds. Electric Shuttles can greatly ease the pressure your blob is facing in a large battle, but their low fire rate is a handicap when you're
only facing drowns and spawns who'll often arrive in waves depending on source. Actual youngling fleetships generally have enough health and lower attrition that Electric Shuttles aren't nearly as fantastic, but they're still useful against the numbers you're going to regularly face going up against the various Neinzul AI types and minor factions. Spire Blades on the other hand only last ten seconds and are self damaging so that twenty reload really stinks.
They are also moderately useful against reclamator type enemies such as leech starships and zombie guardians - they'll generally wipe out any low health converts at the same time they take out regular incoming fleet threats, freeing the rest of your blob to focus down the main targets.
Vampire Claw: Useful for taking out some of the more annoying artillery types, they also do quite well against guardians even before you figure in their bonus damage. On the other hand, starships are generally immune to fusion cutters, even artillery types such as the Plasma Siege Frigate. There are a few surprise exceptions such as the Zenith Devestator and Spire Corvette, but not enough to be useful. They're even cheaper than fighters, have nearly the same health per ship (albeit lower cap), and then vampirism extends that further. If I'm not using them elsewhere, I like to stick them directly on top of a wormhole in support of my turrets. Apparently, Dire Gaurdians don't get fusion cutter immunity across the board - I expected otherwise. It used to be everything over a certain level of health got fusion cutter immunity, but they've mixed it up with the guardians.
Unfortunately, many of the larger fleetships also have tractor immunity, like Spire Tractor Platforms, but Vampire Claws are still capable of taking out Tractor and Widow Guardians while ignoring nearby MLRS and Missile Guard Posts that can't touch you. Of course you can't do anything to any of those guard posts either, but they'll usually be accompanied by guardians you can do something about.
P.S. I generally wouldn't hack an ARS for Vampire Claws or Armored ships, but I would gladly take them as a default. I might hack for Vampire Claws if the AI has unlocked some particularly troublesome ship types (bombards
)or guardians. I would often hack for Electric Shuttles... but if your game setup often involves defensive AIs I would pass.
