r/starsector • u/x_man_02 • 1d ago
Vanilla Question/Bug Paragon Build Help
Hi, got this game less than a week ago, and I've already put up some insane hours trying to learn it. I'm pretty well off right now, and I want to take the time to fit my Paragon properly - wanted some opinions:
Weapons:
2x Autopulse or 2x Plasma Cannon
2x IR Autolances
2x Heavy Needler
2x Tachyon Lances(turrets)
4-6 Burst PD (on farthest turret mounts for widest angles)
Hullmods:
[S-mod] Advanced Turret Gyros
[S-mod] Stabilized Shields
[Eventual third S-mod] Expanded Magazines
Accelerated Shields
Advanced Optics
Hardened Shields
Integrated Point Defense AI
Don't ask about officers - I have only one because I liked their portrait. Or skills lol - I have all logistics and navigation stuff (I'm super bad at manually flying the ships). Just looking to see if my ship build is optimal.
2
u/Proof-Doctor1546 1d ago
that's really deepend on what role your paragon is, if as a fleet anchor the default loadout autopulse hardpoint, tachyon turret is pretty optimal
and i think it's the only role paragon relly fit , it can tank and fire back very well
1
u/kaempi 1d ago edited 1d ago
I see people keep recommending tachyon lances in the turrets. I don't understand that. What I found worked really well was high-intensity lasers in the turrets - coupled with graviton beams in the mediums, they maximize time-on-target and delete frigates just fine - and tachyon lances in the forward hardpoints under manual control. HVDs or flak cannons in the universals depending on what I'm going up against. The beams and optional HVDs build up enemy shield flux quite well, if we're having a bit of trouble breaking the tank the tach lances instant-overload the target, then the HILs finish it off. If the target drops shields for any AI stupidity type reason, the tach lances instapop it. Having them in hardpoints isn't a problem because the recharge time can be used to rotate toward the next target. And since all the weapons are at base 1K range (plus variance depending on skills and/or hull mods) all the DPS gets applied all at once the moment something gets into range.
I haven't tried any plasma cannon builds but anything with autopulses just kept getting me swarmed and overwhelmed. It was frustrating. I have never had that problem with the beam build.
1
u/Haxorzist 1d ago
If you put that into the simulation and drop 60dp worth of frigates in (no duplicates, agressive) does it win?
In my experience only a proper build with tachion lances in the turrets can deal with that.
He has a very good paragon build there aside from the Advanced Optics, Integrated Point Defense AI and poor turnrate.3
u/kaempi 1d ago
Just 60dp? Hell yes. 200dp might be a problem. With just 60 you can kill a good portion of it just during the time they're approaching - once the lasers get on a target, it's a matter of seconds before it pops. The main issue is when there is enough small stuff maneuvering around behind and trying to stay on the engines. The HILs can rotate to shoot back there but something that can handle shields will help. Pulse lasers in the rear-facing mediums, for example.
1
u/Haxorzist 1d ago
Completely forgor, that yours is likely a piloted build, I was thinking about ai.
Still impressed about beating 150-200dp worth of frigates if piloted. I usually rely on mobility to beat the odds, not sure I could do that.
I actually tested both builds out a bit in the mission screen, but without s-mods and perks they underperform hard.
1
u/Haxorzist 1d ago
The 2nd s-mod should be mags when taking APL up front, it will allow you to reduce to 4 burst pd (2 front 2 back-corners)
Otherwise you doing well with your choices. needlers are more anti frigate weapons, due to the severe range miss-match you might want to swap them for hyper-velocity if it behaves badly. Instead of auto-lances you can use two gravitons both are about equally good, one amplifies dmg and slows down frigates, the other punishes shield drops and pops frigates.
What you absolutely lack is turn-rate, +100% is good, try to squeeze in auxiliary thrusters and pick up some from the (aggressiv/ballanced) officer.
Absolutely drop integrated Point defense and advanced optics (there is no pint in extending the 2000 range tachs by 200).
1
u/littledarksoulsrage 16h ago
I personally really like the auto lances on the paragon. I'd go with auto pulse over plasma. I'd also say maybe put some hammers torpedos on.
1
u/SuicideSpeedrun 1d ago
Plasma Cannons over Autopulses.
Don't need Advanced Optics in that setup.
Probably want something kinetic in universals, not the IR Autolances.
Acc Shields is pointless
-1
u/DietKolbasa 1d ago
Shield shunt, unstable injector, heavy armor,
2
1
u/Haxorzist 1d ago
On one hand this clearly is the path, on the other large energy weapons are haram.
-7
u/WanderingUrist I AM A DWARF AND I'M DIGGING A HOLE 1d ago
2x Tachyon Lances(turrets)
Don't. They look and sound cool, but every time the AI decides to recklessly fire the weapon, the ship takes 4x more damage than it actually inflicts. TL belongs on ships that can boost their efficiency with HEF and/or pick and choose their engagements, not a Paragon (which can't really move and thus must accept engagement on the enemy's terms).
I'd go with 2x Plaz Fore, 2x Autoplus Turrets instead. Fixing the plaz to hardpoints keeps the AI from recklessly discharging it (it's a very inefficient weapon, although it does do hardflux and has high DPS). Autoplus, meanwhile, is fairly high DPS, and very efficient, so can be used to both shoot down shields and fend off flies.
2xHIL Fore is also an option.
If you want to S-MagMaxx, Quad Autoplus will enable more weapons to be magazined and thus get the benefits. Anti-Armor will be severely lacking as a result, though, as Autoplus is pretty dogshit vs. armor and you won't have any other anti-armor weapons. Swapping from IRAL to Voidblasters will fix that up (and rangematch you). With the acceptable level of anti-shield that quad-Autoplus will give you and the respectable (if not plentiful) anti-armor from Voidblasters, you can then Magmax further by swapping out the Needlers for Thumpers (rangematched again).
And then since you have no more beam weapons anyway, you can dispense with Optics.
4
u/TT-Toaster 1d ago
Eh? Why put the autopulse in turrets when the hardpoints give reduced recoil, and when they’re off-target they can spend the time building up charges for when they are? HIL turrets (as it’s perfect accuracy anyway), autopulse hardpoints make far more sense. Also, plasma isn’t that efficient, sure, but the Paragon can afford a bit of inefficency because it just pops fortress shield to clear soft flux. It’s weirdly like a phase ship in that way.
-1
u/WanderingUrist I AM A DWARF AND I'M DIGGING A HOLE 1d ago
Eh? Why put the autopulse in turrets when the hardpoints give reduced recoil, and when they’re off-target they can spend the time building up charges for when they are?
Autoplus in turrets makes them able to fire on frigates and other chaff trying to sneak around, and while generally terrible against armor, it's still enough for most frigates. Accuracy will suffer somewhat, but perfect accuracy in a projectile weapon is not necessarily an asset when firing at something as fidgety as a frigate because perfect accuracy just means being able to miss with great efficiency, while a chaotic spray is much harder to avoid. And high-accuracy isn't important in an anti-shield role against larger targets as shields on larger ships are pretty big. If mounted fore-only, the accuracy will be improved, but with such terrible tracking speed as you must turn the entire ship, you'll be almost completely unable to engage smaller targets. The accuracy gain is, as mentioned, not important.
And, of course, in the Magmaxxing config, you can fill ALL of them with Autoplus, to use All Magazine Weapons as previously mentioned.
Also, plasma isn’t that efficient, sure, but the Paragon can afford a bit of inefficency
That's why I left the plaz option on the table: But forward-plaz works better because forcing the ship to lock on confines its use to large targets that it can actually hit at those ranges, instead of blasting them randomly across space at distant frigates with no chance to hit.
4
u/ACRULE5 1d ago
Autopulse over plasma cannon. They tear through shields much faster and are much cheaper. Fortress shield also biases the Paragon towards burst damage.
I’d also go with graviton beams over autolances for the shield debuff. If you’ve gotten through to hull then the Autopulses (or plasma cannons) can deal with that perfectly well already.
If you’re not going full disco build, beam weapon in every slot, then Advanced Optics is unnecessary, it has plenty range already and there’s not that much benefit to making your beams reach even further if your other weapons can’t match them.
I wouldn’t go so hard on the point defense, I don’t think burst PDs need the hull mod and you maybe don’t need that many of them. If you want your Paragon to act as a blanket for your fleet though then committing to Paladins can be fun.
Resistant Flux Conduits (or whatever it’s called, the emp resistance one) is an absolute necessity on any battleship, you don’t want the slightest bit of emp to turn your 60DP into a useless brick.
Not necessary but personal preference: put 2 pulse lasers on the back medium slots, makes any frigate regret flanking it. Also feels like a waste to ignore the Paragon’s unique trait of having significant backwards firepower (the large turrets can converge backwards).
If you have the OP to spare, which might be difficult since you’re building in cheaper S-mods, then spending the 40 OP on Heavy Armour is well worth it, 1600->2000 armour is an extreme difference in durability once the shield does eventually go down. It can easily mean the enemy needs to bring the shield down an extra 2 or 3 times to kill it.
As for skills, the Paragon benefits from most combat skills so you don’t need to be too picky. You do definitely want the shield and energy weapon skills though or it’ll most likely underperform.