Requesting Feedback: Zenith Hydra, Zenith Devastator, Neinzul Railpod

[keith.lamothe]

So the other three bonus types (Neinzul Combat Carrier, Protector Starship, and Lightning Torpedo Frigate) have had the spotlight lately (due to being significantly broken in various ways) but I think this latest release at least largely deals with that.  If not, please let me know (in some other thread, like the release thread, preferably).

But what about these three?  Are they working out?

Thanks for the feedback

[Wingflier]

Zenith Hydra is rather boring, kind of like a Spire Stealth Battleship that doesn't cloak but instead heals. Having said that, there isn't anything specifically wrong with it as a simple self-sustaining force-multiplier.

Zenith Devastator I'll have to spend more time with. My initial impression of it was that it was inferior to the Lightning Torpedo Frigates, which can also shoot through shields but also has the benefit of huge aoe damage as well.

Neinzul Railpods were pretty interesting , but I didn't see anything wrong with them.

[chemical_art]

I have been using devastators judiciously, naturally.

They do exactly as described. If you are pursuing a starship heavy game, they provide the heavy "push" to knock out enemy starships.

In waves, while your forces are bogged down in the fleet brawls, the devastators do a good job of preventing starships from slipping through the initial frontline and thus attack your cmd / shields.

While the rarely get opportunities to fulfill their initial idea of piercing shields, their "anti big things" firepower is great.

It fulfills its role wonderfully. You sometimes need to knock out that _one_ annoying thing under a heavily guarded shield that a raider cannot (ion cannon, etc). In that case, if the devastator can get to it, it can be knocked out. For the rest of the time? You want a long range vessel to knock out those durable enemy units so your fleets can focus on the other fleet.

The only real weakness of the unit is actually a symptom of something else: The AI missile post is OP compared to other standard guardposts. It hits a wide variety of units, including its counter, really, really hard at a very wide long range and it is not particularly fragile. I say it is OP because the moment I enter any system the post starts its awful attrition on my most expensive units, and the unit that can counter it.

[Kahuna]

Zenith Hydras seems to be quite good. Good DPS, ok health and the only Guard Posts they can't destroy are Needlers. They might be a bit too expensive though.

[chemical_art]

Zenith hydras seem...boring. Remind of of spire battleships that lose the cloaking in return for self-regen. Regen in itself though is not valuable to me, so the unit's appeal doesn't either.

[chemical_art]

Going to try railpods soon, they certainly seem interesting.

[chemical_art]

Now you know what will be interesting?

The hydra loses its self regen...

and when it dies, it spawns two of itself that self attrition (naturally can't reproduce itself)

The result is a unit that has to die three times in the heat of combat.

[keith.lamothe]

Going to try railpods soon, they certainly seem interesting.

Given your like for youngling types, I think you'll like the railpods (which while not younglings per se are very much disposable).  And the shrikes.

For me the big fun in the railpods is that I can start thinking in terms of space docks and engineers having DPS in a very literal sense

[chemical_art]

For me the big fun in the railpods is that I can start thinking in terms of space docks and engineers having DPS in a very literal sense

Just started now.

When your first reaction to a unit is to start giggling in laughter, something is right 

[keith.lamothe]

For me the big fun in the railpods is that I can start thinking in terms of space docks and engineers having DPS in a very literal sense

Just started now.

When your first reaction to a unit is to start giggling in laughter, something is right 

Or, if it's DF, something is very, very wrong

[Aklyon]

For me the big fun in the railpods is that I can start thinking in terms of space docks and engineers having DPS in a very literal sense

Just started now.

When your first reaction to a unit is to start giggling in laughter, something is right 

Railpods are awesome.

[chemical_art]

Some thoughts on the railpods:

Even when they attack units such as shields, which they have no bonus too, they still die in two rail shots. This is remarkably inefficient, even by nenzul standards. The railpod needs to receive damage based on the damage it actually gives out. Otherwise when it attacks shields it just wastes resources.

[Vyndicu]

Technically you can get infinite shots from railpod but it require a lot of micro.

Since it is NOT immune to repair like most neinzul drones you can let them shot once then pause next to MRD. Watch them repair back to full then unpause. But I am sure there are plenty of counter like teleport ship dealing damage to prevent repair for example.

Not a huge game breaking thing.


I like the zenith devastator on paper however I have not yet had time to use it. So I will leave that to other who had done so.


I think Zenith Hydra is the oddball out of the 3. Because it has a very fairly short range attack I am not sure I can see myself using it other than to "clean" threatfleet at wormhole entrance.

[keith.lamothe]

Technically you can get infinite shots from railpod but it require a lot of micro.

Since it is NOT immune to repair like most neinzul drones you can let them shot once then pause next to MRD. Watch them repair back to full then unpause. But I am sure there are plenty of counter like teleport ship dealing damage to prevent repair for example.

Not a huge game breaking thing.

Yea, they're quite repairable, but it's much faster to just let them die and build more

[Mick]

The only real weakness of the unit is actually a symptom of something else: The AI missile post is OP compared to other standard guardposts. It hits a wide variety of units, including its counter, really, really hard at a very wide long range and it is not particularly fragile. I say it is OP because the moment I enter any system the post starts its awful attrition on my most expensive units, and the unit that can counter it.

I want to second this. I often find myself scratching my head with what I should be doing about these guardposts, but I just ascribed it to my noobishness.