Paladin
RELATED UNI-WIKI REFERENCES
|
Geared toward versatility and prolonged deployment in hostile environments, Marauders represent the cutting edge in today's warship technology. While being thick-skinned, hard-hitting monsters on their own, they are also able to use Bastion technology. Similar in effect to capital reconfiguration technology, when activated the Bastion module provides immunity to electronic warfare and the ability to withstand enormous amounts of punishment, at the cost of being stationary. SHIP BONUSES
Amarr Battleship bonuses (per skill level):
Ship Attributes
|
Summary
The Paladin is an immensely powerful mobile weapons platform, able to both tank and output huge amounts of damage.
Unlike other marauders, the Paladin receives a racial skill bonus to capacitor capacity, making it very resistant to neuting. It is also the only marauder to have its damage bonus tied to the Marauders skill, rather than the racial battleship skill, which makes the Paladin's performance much more reliant on the Marauders skill than the other ships in this class. The racial battleship skill also provides a bonus to optimal range, making the Paladin excellent for sniping. When used in conjunction with a Bastion module and Micro Jump Drive, the Paladin's sniping capabilities can render it virtually untouchable while still outputting enormous amounts of damage.
Like other ships of its size, Paladins can sometimes struggle to neutralize frigates. In particular, the Paladin is only able to field a full flight of light drones, so without tracking computers, even cruisers can be difficult for a Paladin to dispatch quickly. As stated above, however, a correctly equipped Paladin is able to utilize a Micro Jump Drive to outrange and snipe any frigates that get too close.
Skills
- Advanced Weapon Upgrades V - Together with Energy Grid Upgrades V, this enables the use of the Bastion Module. High levels of this skill also help to maximize fitting options, particularly when fitting T2 weapons.
- Energy Grid Upgrades V - Together with Advanced Weapon Upgrades V, this enables the use of the Bastion Module. High levels of the skill also help to maximize fitting options, as the modules affected by this skill can assist with capacitor stability.
- Micro Jump Drive Operation - This skill enables the use of Micro Jump Drives, which can be used to travel quickly across the battlefield and position the Paladin for optimal sniping.
- Science III - Enables the use of a Small Tractor Beam, useful for pilots who wish to salvage with the Paladin, or simply to pick up faraway canisters containing mission completion items.
- Salvaging - Enables the use of a Salvager. Useful for pilots who wish to salvage with the Paladin. Also a prerequisite for Salvage Drone Operation.
- Salvage Drone Operation - Enables the use of salvage drones. The Paladin is able to carry and launch a full flight of salvage drones while still having room for two flights of light combat drones. This can save a high slot for pilots who don't wish to use a Salvager.
- Large Pulse Laser Specialization / Large Beam Laser Specialization - A pilot capable of flying marauders should ensure that they are able to make the most out of their weapons, and these skills enable the use of T2 ammunition, in addition to increasing the damage of large energy turrets overall.
- Trajectory Analysis - Enables the use of Tracking Computers, which can be used to increase optimal range (for sniping) and tracking speed (to make it easier to hit small ships).
- Repair Systems - Enables the use of armor repairers. Because the Bastion Module doubles armor repair amount, shorter armor repairer cycles become an even larger boost to armor tank than normal. Note that higher levels of this skill causes an increase in effective capacitor use, though the Paladin's bonus to capacitor recharge helps to offset this somewhat.
Tactics
Like all marauders, the Paladin's greatest strength is Bastion Mode. In Bastion Mode, a Paladin boasts nearly unparalleled active tanking capabilities, even with only a single armor repairer. When combined with Bastion Mode's bonus to armor resistance, a well-equipped Paladin can deploy an active tank that can withstand even the full-room damage of a level 4 mission like Gone Berserk.
As a derivative of the Apocalypse, the Paladin excels at sniping, receiving a default 37.5% bonus to large energy turret optimal range due to it requiring Amarr Battleship V. This capability can seem initially to be at odds with the marauder's focus on remaining immobile in Bastion Mode, but strategic use of a Micro Jump Drive allows the Paladin to both kite and snipe with full effectiveness. When modified by the Paladin's reduction to MJD cooldown time, an equipped MJD can be activated approximately every 50-60 seconds, which lines up almost perfectly with the 60-second cycle time of the Bastion Module. A pilot wishing to "kite" enemies with a Paladin can warp into combat range, establish aggro, then jump away with the MJD and immediately activate the Bastion Module for a single cycle. When the Bastion Module's cycle ends, the pilot can immediately jump away again and repeat this cycle.
A Paladin is best equipped with pulse lasers and Scorch crystals, but the use of Scorch crystals can also cause issues with turret tracking speed. In extreme cases, it may be difficult even to hit a cruiser orbiting at 40km. Thankfully, the Paladin's bonus to capacitor recharge allows it to equip fewer capacitor modules, which in turn allows it to equip one or more Tracking Computers to offset the Scorch crystals' tracking penalty.
For additional firepower, as well as further defense against frigates and cruisers that close distance too quickly, the Paladin is able to field a full flight of light or medium drones, or three heavy or sentry drones. The Paladin's immobility during Bastion Mode complements the use of sentry drones quite well, as there is no danger of drifting away from them. A skilled pilot can even switch between sentry drones and light drones as enemies close distance. Because NPC cruisers occasionally orbit at ranges between 40-50km, it can be useful to equip a Drone Link Augmentor in one of the Paladin's utility high slots to extend the drones' effective range.
Bastion+MWD trick allows marauders to warp almost instantly after coming out of bastion. Hover the mouse over the decycling bastion module to see exactly how long it has left. At the 9 second mark, start cycling the MWD for one cycle and start spamming "warp to" hotkey. After the bastion mode ends you will get one second of MWD that accelerates you to near warp speed and the marauder will warp in 2-3 seconds. Additionally the bastion mode makes hostiles unable to activate warp disruption or scram so you will not be pointed when the bastion ends giving you a small window to escape before the points are activated.
Marauders in bastion mode can jump Wormholes as normal and be instantly out of bastion mode on the other side.
Notes
You can write additional notes for Paladin here.
Patch History
A long, long time ago... |
---|
18.04 Release - Build: 1706308 - 2020-04-15 - "Surgical Strike" Update (Patch Notes)
October 2019 Release - 2019-10-15.1 Every Cruiser, Battlecruiser and Battleship now warps faster than before.
|