Question on Excelsior refit

[Archived Post]

I asked this on the C-store thread, but I think it should go here instead since it is a ship question:

I'm about to hit Tac RA and want to buy the Excelsior refit. My question is whether I will upgrade this ship at VA? Does VA have a higher level of ship or is Excelsior also a VA level ship?

[Archived Post]

The Refit Ships are new ships.

[Archived Post]

I asked this on the C-store thread, but I think it should go here instead since it is a ship question:

I'm about to hit Tac RA and want to buy the Excelsior refit. My question is whether I will upgrade this ship at VA? Does VA have a higher level of ship or is Excelsior also a VA level ship?

There is only one Excelsior Retrofit. T5 ships are T5 ships, the VA variants are just set up differently. :)

[Archived Post]

To be precise, the Excelsior is a Tier 5 ship that can be bought at RA. It will not get any stronger at VA. It does not need to get any stronger. :D

In essense, when the devs added the VA level to the game, they moved all the new Tier 5 ships they added from that point on to VA. The three Tier 4 refits, and the MVAM Advanced Escort are all VA only. (Also, the B'Rel refit and the Orion, Gorn, Naussican and Kar'Fi ships are all VA only) However, the devs didn't take all the existing Tier 5 C-Store ships and bump them all up to VA. So you can still buy them at RA.

[Archived Post]

Thanks all. I went ahead and bought the Excelsior! Any thoughts on arming it? I've been flying Escorts with dual cannons and heavy dual and ripping through everything (as a Tac). I know cruisers are slower damage, but i'm ok with that because space combat has become way too easy and boring.

Any special types of beams or torps I should equip? 3 beam in front and back, 1 torp in each?

[Archived Post]

PvE, goe 6 beam / 2 Torp. For PvP, go 8 Beam.

[Archived Post]

PvE, goe 6 beam / 2 Torp. For PvP, go 8 Beam.

That can work, with a lot of energy management and skilling.

Me, I prefer the 'Dakka-celsior': Three cannons and a tricobalt in front, four turrets in back. Apply CRF2 as needed.

The ship is more than agile enough to keep even escorts in the cannon arc, and a well timed evasive or aux to dampers can haul the bow around enough to get the tricobalt into an open shield face. As an added bonus, the high number of damage pulses this creates means a high chance of proccing weapon secondary effects and/or criticals, and also increases the usefulness of directed energy modulation, which works per pulse. Also, the huge number of bolts coming off the ship when CRF2 is used just looks wicked!

I've also tried torpedo-boat loadouts using HY3 and 2 alternately with seemingly good results. Certainly more effective against already downed shields, but it seems to be able to do decent DPS even on shielded targets. I have yet to try a torpedo-boat loadout with the rapid-fire transphasic since it got buffed though, but combined with DEM and turrets/cannons it could work as a shield penetrator.

[Archived Post]

Thanks all. I went ahead and bought the Excelsior! Any thoughts on arming it? I've been flying Escorts with dual cannons and heavy dual and ripping through everything (as a Tac). I know cruisers are slower damage, but i'm ok with that because space combat has become way too easy and boring.

Any special types of beams or torps I should equip? 3 beam in front and back, 1 torp in each?

My personal PvE Excelsior set up is:-

Fore - 3x Dual Beam Banks, 1x Quantum torp
Aft - 4x Turrets

Does more energy damage then an 8-beam cruiser with the added plus of having a volley of torps.

[Archived Post]

So Dual beam banks are better than regular beam? Like I said, i've been running cannons, so my beam knowledge is low. (only my 3rd week of playing!)

[Archived Post]

Yes, Dual Beams is much better than Arrays, but you are limited to 90 degrees firing arcs. So you would have a strong front, but 270 degrees of your ship would only be protected by those arrays you put in the rear.