I've noticed that the Aquarius seems to have some very strong supporters, even though my opinion of it is rather low. While it seems to manage to occasionally get lucky, the actual damage that it can dish out isn't that impressive, and it seems like it can't even take most ships one-on-one - note I don't mean a dreadnaught or anything, but even smaller ships seem to smash it up well. My most-often played STF is Cure Normal and it's rare that it manages to get past the first launch bay. I will admit that it's improved a bit, particularly in not flying straight into exploding cubes, but it's still not all that great.

As such I'd like to ask - if you like the Aquarius, what are you doing with it? How are you using it? Are you repairing it? If so, what do you prefer to use on it? You can summarize my post, I suppose, by this: If you like the Aquarius a lot, what tactics are you using with it?

This has stumped me for a while. Thanks!

I think there is room for improvement. First off, and this goes for other pets as well, I want some sort of notice for it so I can see how it's doing shield and hull wise. I hate having to try and find it in the middle of a fight because it's hard to spot. A few times I've recalled it when it was fighting off some of the smaller crafts because I couldn't see it until it was to late so I thought it had been disabled. Secondly I want to have the ability to pick it's targets. When I first launch the thing it seems to go after whatever I've targeted, but then for some odd reason goes off and does it's own thing or just sits there. I've had a few times where the thing has left the main area where I'm fighting and gone off and stated fighting another group of enemy craft. And is quickly disabled. Or I see it hovering around a ship that was just destroyed and is quickly disabled in the explosion. I want the ability to tell it to either go do your own thing or you only shoot at what I tell you to shoot.

I look for both options to be available in the c-store in the coming months through direct purchase or lock box.

Agreed - the MVAE 'pets' have an iritating habit of flying off and doing their own thing (and usually failing) after the target that they were initially deployed against is gone.

at least the chevron saucer doesn't do the same... i've used it more than 20 times now, and in each and every time with multiple enemies, the saucer would always attack the target that i was attacking

Something I'd like to see for the saucer sep (though I don't expect it) is an order for the saucer to NOT engage, but rather to hang back and toss out heals, and only attack if attacked.

That said, it seems that the saucer is indeed considerably more durable, and frankly more effective, than the Aquarius in terms of surviving and lasting long enough to make a dent in the outcome.

Unfortunately it seems to be a little too conservative with it's BOff powers. Whereas the Aquarius triggers Attack Pattern Alpha the second I target an enemy 50 km away (how useful, it will be buffed when it attacks space debris), I think I've seen the saucer use ET maybe two times, and only once on something other than itself.

i gotta go with that; my chevron saucer has tractor beam, and i've seen it in use... maybe three times in those 20 battles i mentioned? but then again, it's an issue i've seen with npc's as well as pets: not very smart/frequent use of boff powers.

and while the separated saucer helps us with firepower, targeting your own target (increasing our turn rate, which also helps), launching the Aquarius only takes 50 of your crew for a little pet that does it's own thing...

the Aquarius might need a buff, perhaps a 100-200 increase in base damage?

Torpedo catch

It definitely needs a buff. And a drop in cool down time, as does the saucer.

However, a big problem is that it's been BUGGY. I don't know about anyone else, but I've had situations where the Ody gets "stuck" in one separation mode or another. For instance, I launch the Aquarius and cannot recall it. This means that when it gets disabled I can't pull it back to re-enable it, and I also can't pull it back in case it's, say, blasting the transformers in Infected Space, and I also can't do saucer sep. The same goes for saucer sep, but I notice (and lament) the problem when it's the Aquarius that gets stuck out first, since I usually use it first (thus crippling my saucer sep).