Heavy Raider Scout setup

---Heavy Raider - Scout setup---


While gathering information on Fenris, 103 Heleb, Canaris and 101 Crucis, it also occurred to me that the setup I was using for my Heavy Raider, was incredibly good for scouting operations. As I'm more of a line pilot, this setup, while pretty good, didn't have much use for me. However, at a lower level, this particular setup would prove to be very useful, the only downside is that it isn't very combat efficient, but then again, as a scout, you won't need to be.

As a scout, you'll need speed and a very large DRADIS (radar) range. Fortunately, the speed isn't a necessity, as having a large DRADIS range will let you spot enemies long before they spot you, giving you time to either move away, jump, position an attack, or help squad mates see targets that they wouldn't normally be able to see.

The Heavy Raider starts out with a 3k DRADIS range, which is the largest of all the strikes available, and even rivals some of the line's DRADIS range. The most impressive DRADIS range however, (Apart from the Carrier), belongs to the Hel. It has a huge 4k range. This setup will have exactly the same, except it'll be on a strike.

The bonuses of having it on a strike are pretty simple. You'll be faster. Harder to detect, as you cannot be detected until you're in an opponents DRADIS range. Anyways, enough yammering from me, and onto the setup.

By default the Heavy Raider has:
- x4 Computer Slots.
- x2 Weapon Slots.
- x2 Engine Slots.
- x2 Hull slots.

Fortunately, I created this setup in the non-advanced version of the Heavy Raider, meaning literally anyone who owns one can follow this.

---NOTE: All equipment in this guide is based on Level 1 equipment.---

There are a few variations that I made, but all are pretty similar.

The First Variation:

- x4 Enhanced Sensor Cluster (ESC)
- x3 Long Range Guns. (LR)
- x2 Light Turbo Boosters (LTB)
- x2 Strike System Redundancy (SSR)

Computer Slots
The Enhanced Sensor Clusters increase DRADIS range by 250 for each one. 4 of these means an additional 1,000 DRADIS range, bringing it up to a total of 4,000 - the same as a Hel. This means you can see enemy craft from miles away.

Weapon Slots
The Command Series of ships (Heavy Raider, Spectre and Hel) are all support roles, as a result using Long Range weaponry is a logical choice, as this setup isn't meant for head-to-head combat.

Engine Slots
As I said earlier, speed is a necessity for a scouting role. You'll need to be quicker than your opponents, in the event that you are seen. The Light Turbo Boosters increase your boost speed, with these at level 1 and the boost training at level 10, you can hit around 90+ without any speed buffs.

Hull Slots
Some may think that having 2 Strike System Redundancy's is a strange choice. In truth, it is. However, the faster HP regen wasn't the main reason I chose it, I chose these because if you use Hull Plating, it reduces Acceleration and Torque. As I said before, the scout setup will need speed, reaching your top speed as fast as possible will need more acceleration. Of course though, this isn't a huge issue, any other Hull equipment shouldn't matter too much.

(http://www.physics.uoguelph.ca/tutorials/torque/Q.torque.intro.html). <- This link Explains what Torque is, as it's much too long for me to post all of it.

The Second Variation

The second variation is relatively similar, although this one sacrifices DRADIS range for additional Speed.

- x3 Enhanced Sensor Cluster, x1 Engine Buff.
- x3 Long Range Guns.
- x2 Light Turbo Boosters.
- x2 Strike System Redundancy.

All that has changed is there's one less ESC and in it's place, is an Engine Buff. This will reduce your DRADIS range, but will further increase your speed for a few seconds. Whether the sacrifice is worth it, is up you.

As for the weapons, you could try missile launchers, however, using these will make you a target by other strikes/escorts and will try to eliminate you as fast as possible.

---The Advanced Heavy Raider---

If you decide to advance this ship, and continue using this setup, you can further increase it's capabilities by a huge margin.
Once this ship is advanced, you will receive additional slots:

- x4 Weapon Slots
- x5 Computer Slots

For the extra gun slot, you could put in an extra Long Range gun, or you might want to mix it up a little and add another weapon of your choice.

The extra computer slot becomes very handy. As you can have:
- x5 Enhanced Sensor Clusters
OR
- x4 Enhanced Sensor Clusters, x1 Engine Buff.
OR
- x3 Enhanced Sensor Clusters, x 2 Engine Buffs.

Or maybe, you want to add something entirely different in there. The choice is yours.

Now, putting a list of every ships default DRADIS range seems appropriate, so you know how much distance you will have to keep from the enemy.

DRADIS ranges of all ships

Strikes

- Raider/Viper MK II - 2,000.
- Marauder/Rhino - 2,500.
- Heavy Raider/Raptor - 3,000.
- War Raider/Viper MK VI - 2,000.

Escorts

- Banshee/Scythe - 2,500.
- Wraith/Maul - 3,000.
- Spectre/Glaive - 3,500.
- Liche/Halberd - 3,000.

Lines

- Fenrir/Aesir - 3,000.
- Jormung/Jotunn - 3,500.
- Hel/Vanir - 4,000.
- Nidhogg/Gungnir - 3,500.

This setup will prove useful when at a low level and in groups.

Hope this helps!

i'd suggest a speed buff and 2 slides. a few lvls up in equipment will give you (with timing) unlimited buff speed if your only looking to race across the map

That setup would prove very effective if you're detected, or need to get somewhere faster. With higher level equipment, the speed you could reach would be pretty high.

The equipment that increases radar range is based on level 1 equipment. By default, it has 250 extra radar range, and with every level, increases the radar range by roughly 25 each time. 4 of these at level 2 will go from 1000 to 1100 extra radar. Level 3 would be 1200,and so on. (I say roughly 25, but it's actually 27 point something, I don't know off the top of my head, so the radar would be even higher.)

This means that when the equipment is at level 1, it matches a Hel's radar range. At level 10, you're looking at over 5k radar range, with skill training, 5,500 radar range. You'll have it so high, you might not even need speed, as you can detect any enemy long before they detect you.

Now, the 5.5k radar range, is at level 10 equipment, and level 10 skill training, although, this is still going by the normal Heavy Raider. When advanced, you'll have 1 extra computer slot, and one extra weapon slot. This means that the engine buff can then be placed in the new computer slot, and a booster can then be swapped for the RCS slide. 5.5k range is more than adequate, but with 5 radar range equipment pieces, it could easily hit around 6k radar.

With the new distance, you will be able to see any ship from an incredible range. The only way to beat the 6k range would be if an enemy had either same setup on their Raptor (Colonial Heavy Raider version), Glaive or Vanir. Now, as the Raptor isn't widely used, and anyone that does use it, either has a bad setup because they still haven't grasped the game yet, or higher levels would have built and used it purely for combat. The Glaive and Vanir are used for combat, and are extremely unlikely to have this setup.

I have never seen anyone else with this setup, and have never seen it mentioned before. I highly doubt anyone else currently has this setup either.

Provided you stick with this setup, it can prove incredibly effective.

Plankasaurus wrote:

you might not even need speed, as you can detect any enemy long before they detect you.

you forget assassin spawns. npc's that know where you are and spawn on top of you and will chase you across the system.
ive tracked strikes by triangulating the direction a failed line assassin points.
specializing to that extent would make you special... but unless you have a squad to paint targets for i wouldnt pour everything into building it too early

What do you mean? Spawn campers?

If there's spawn campers then normally you'd be dead anyway, no matter what ship you're in. Unless you have a good squad of course.

Agree with that point, I'd suggest this as a secondary setup. If you have this and nothing else, it will prove combat to be difficult, both against Npc's and players.

If this setup is used solo, then you're at a huge disadvantage when faced with enemy players. Highly recommend that this is only used when you're in a squad of 5+.

So yeah, keep it as a "side project" of sorts, something else to work on while you're focusing on your primary setup.