Rattlesnake shields - is this a joke ?.

[Ezarkal]

The snake is fast enough to do use "flight assist off" effectively and do fighter-like manoeuvers, gliding sideways past your enemy while still firing your main guns at it. It's quite insane. You can fight any other destroyers without ever having to stay in their main arc of fire. You can solo an entire xenon fleet in one of those.

To me, it is by far the best anti-capital ship in the game. It's only downside is the short range of it's main batteries, which are outranged by station guns.

If you want to go ship vs ship, use a rattlesnake
If you want to go ship vs station, use an Odysseus

I still have to try the new terran capital ships, but keep in mind these came AFTER the split DLC, so it's a bit unfair to judge the rattlesnake by these ships IMO.

(Yes, you could say it's unfair to judge the other ship by the split ships, which came after, but the question here is about the rattlesnake and not the other ships, so...)

[al_dude]

Terran DLC enhances the rattlesnake. A single TER L MK3 is as good as 1.5 Tel L shield MK2.

Use TER L shield on it and it's even better. In fact, too good.

[grapedog]

Rattlesnake is probably the best all around player destroyer. It can get modded speed up past 300, and with almost 20 turret slots it can be used for anything from cap killing to station killing or swarm killing.

Syn is probably the best for station killing because of its L turret locations and how you can bring them all to bear at the same target.

I used a rattlesnake to take out like 40 CURB stations after they flipped red on me... wish i had tried a syn, might have been a much quicker process. Normally id go in with the rattler and from range take out defense discs, then bring in the rest of my fleet to swarm everything else. The syn is so slow though... hard to give up that ratter speed.

[Malchar]

It is a Split ships, there is not much more to say. Excellent combat speed and offensive option, terrible travel speed, and almost no shield.

Split are probably inspired by the legend of the celtics warrior who rushed into the battle naked, just with a weapon.

Aside that, I have also to protest. I just bought a teladi ship and she is slow as a snail. It is a scandal.


PS : the mamba have nothing to do in split arsenal. It is not a split ship. The engineer who designed it have to be immediatly gunned for have add a second shield instead a additional engine or 2 guns. His mother was probably fautly with a lizard.

[al_dude]

Ironically, I used Mamba as scout ships before Takoba came along.

[Karmaticdamage]

Put Terran Mk 3 shield on rattlesnake. Put 70% HP exceptional shield mod. Snek now has good shields. Repeat this process with every ship in the game that only has one shield slot.

[abisha1980]

Syn can destroy I and stations easy do to main battery's range advantage

Rattlesnake can't do that without taking a major risk
i not see why you need to optimize Syn for capital battles if you only use main battery's you have more then enough firepower already


fact is Split ships are a joke speed is not that important especially on Larger ships and armor is also crap because you need to repair it constantly so shields SHIELDS SHIELDS.

[jlehtone]

fact is Split ships are a joke

A fun joke?

[grapedog]

fact is Split ships are a joke speed is not that important especially on Larger ships and armor is also crap because you need to repair it constantly so shields SHIELDS SHIELDS.

I am not sure i'd use the word joke. If you used a phrase like "Split have some great ships and some bad ships", id agree with you. That would be an accurate statement, but to say they're a joke is flat out wrong.

Both the Asp and Chimera sre top of the line S fighters. The cobra is probably the best M capping ship in the game. The boa is probably top 3 for M transports. The rattlesnake is probably the best player destroyer for all around usage. The raptor is just ridiculous, 8 L turrets and like 90 M turrets.

The SPL have some really good ships, and some bad and mediocre ships too. Saying they're all a joke is just silly

[Nort The Fragrent]

Firstly what do you mean by

Hull Tank ?

2nd,

The rattle snake is awesome eye candy, so I have then as Show pony traders.
Never tire from seeing one in green .

[Imperial Good]

Rattlesnake can't do that without taking a major risk

My video says otherwise...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7THUvXcqlH8

You do need to reposition yourself if the I or K gets too close, but given your huge speed advantage you can afford to do so. Rattlesnake also has enough firepower that it can efficiently destroy Is, unlike base game destroyers which can struggle to deal enough damage.

Highest risk is during head on engagement. If the Xenon happen to activate travel mode as you are approaching they can end up right near you letting them unleash all their L turrets. In this case you need to take evasive action while being careful to not show your engines directly at them and hope your hull lasts the few seconds needed to get clear. Only near deaths I have had as Rattlesnake were when this happens (not shown in video).

[Raptor34]

I know a modded Rattlesnake can basically outspeed an I. In reverse.

[jlehtone]

Syn can destroy I and stations easy do to main battery's range advantage

Rattlesnake can't do that without taking a major risk

Against Xenon Gravitons neither Syn nor Rattlesnake has any problems. Unmodified.
Travel past the foe, 180, and aim for the engines first. Then you have a sitting duck to roast.

As Imperial Good noted, Xenon ships tend to travel close, but on one-on-one that is less a risk.
It is a risk when you work on one that its buddies drop to your flanks.


Attacking non-Xenon stations, L Plasma turrets, how much "range advantage" does Syn have?

[KextV8]

Attacking non-Xenon stations, L Plasma turrets, how much "range advantage" does Syn have?

That depends on mods used. Syn main guns unmodded have same range as Par L plasma at 8.9 km. So, against every other race, they outrage them no issue. With mods, that can be extended. Same if you put Par Plasma L turrets on its slots. But in practice its not worth it to increase range since only one or two turrets will be shooting at you at a times anyway. Its easier to just quickly pop them with the main guns and mod damage/heat instead. That way you can sit there at max range peppering a station with 8 L Plasma and your main guns from all but untouchable distance.

A few Grav or Plasma turrets won't even dent your shield before they get destroyed.

[ajime]

Syn can destroy I and stations easy do to main battery's range advantage

Rattlesnake can't do that without taking a major risk

Against Xenon Gravitons neither Syn nor Rattlesnake has any problems. Unmodified.
Travel past the foe, 180, and aim for the engines first. Then you have a sitting duck to roast.

As Imperial Good noted, Xenon ships tend to travel close, but on one-on-one that is less a risk.
It is a risk when you work on one that its buddies drop to your flanks.


Attacking non-Xenon stations, L Plasma turrets, how much "range advantage" does Syn have?

screw the engines. travel ram and intensify forward firepower!

[Midnitewolf]

Rattlesnake's have more firepower than any other Destroyer and have them an enormous amount of hull. The downside it that they have poor shielding and generally have to rely on its firepower to win a battle. They call this a "Glass Cannon" and it is a signature of the Split Race. They are all about speed, firepower and armor (hull). They do very well at hit and run tactics, especially since all their firepower is concentrated to fire forward.

If this isn't the type of ship you enjoy, go with ARG or something with half the firepower and half the armor (hull). Either choice is valid.

As far as the Syn as someone mentioned. It is by far the more robust and powerful Destroyer in the game. However it is glacierly slow which has its own disadvantages such as not being able to escape if it finds that its amazing shields and shield gen isn't enough to survive a fight.

[Imperial Good]

Travel past the foe, 180, and aim for the engines first. Then you have a sitting duck to roast.

This does not work well for the Rattlesnake fighting the Branch 9 Destroyer I. The I is so long that to get the engines into main battery range of the Rattlesnake from behind (assuming not-range boosted) you run the risk that the L turrets at the back of the I can hit you. Given the I's engines can only be attacked from behind (hull protects them well from side attacks) then destroying the engines of the I is non-trivial with the Rattlesnake and you might be better off hitting and running it from the front, using superior speed. Other faction destroyers can flank the engines easily as their main batteries have the extra range to do so.

In theory the Rattlesnake with PAR L Plasma should be able to shoot the engines from behind using its L turrets. In practice this is unlikely to be the case unless the I is distracted since if it tries to face the player the turn rate is large enough to cause the L turrets to miss the engine openings and likely hit the hull or even miss the ship entirely.

[grapedog]

Travel past the foe, 180, and aim for the engines first. Then you have a sitting duck to roast.

This does not work well for the Rattlesnake fighting the Branch 9 Destroyer I. The I is so long that to get the engines into main battery range of the Rattlesnake from behind (assuming not-range boosted) you run the risk that the L turrets at the back of the I can hit you. Given the I's engines can only be attacked from behind (hull protects them well from side attacks) then destroying the engines of the I is non-trivial with the Rattlesnake and you might be better off hitting and running it from the front, using superior speed. Other faction destroyers can flank the engines easily as their main batteries have the extra range to do so.

In theory the Rattlesnake with PAR L Plasma should be able to shoot the engines from behind using its L turrets. In practice this is unlikely to be the case unless the I is distracted since if it tries to face the player the turn rate is large enough to cause the L turrets to miss the engine openings and likely hit the hull or even miss the ship entirely.

This is why, with a rattlesnake, you attack from below, where the engines are minimally protected. With a rattlesnake speed, it's relatively easy to get under it and take out an engine, and once one engine is out, it's maneuverability is greatly diminished, and the other engine is easy pickings.

[Cobra117]

Yes there are a few flaws in the Rattlesnake design, but it is by far the best destroyer in the game. I Wiped out most of the Xenons in my game with 15 rattlesnakes and 3 raptors. I just shot down a group of 1 I and 2 Ks last night with the same snake (3% hull at the end of the fight...)

I prefer to attack Is on the side, because by the time the I turns 45° to face you and get close, it is already dead...

[abisha1980]

I not sure if my processor have AI baked in it but in my game AI never miss a shot fighting with a dragon is like signing your own death sentence

4N your death
2P well you likely will die