The EA

[CodeofArms]

Despite being hull 4, I find the missiles invaluable. The other weapons make it a much more versatile hull compared to the Artemis. Lastly, they look cool

Interesting; is it because they are so weighladen with wepons they are hull 4? I ask because Artemis seem to lack a desireable loadout most days but tempt you will Hull 5 and Interceptors; surely a beam variant is not too far out the question (Damn you Olympus) *angrily shakes fist*

As for missiles i assume a CAFP is the best tactic? make sure those lazy loading crews earn that generous Alliance paycheck!

 

[prelude_to_war]

It's funny - a corvette is smaller than a frigate yet our Olympus Corvette has more hull and crew (10 each), as well as heavier weapons and more AD than an Artemis 'Heavy Frigate'. Seems your trading offense for defense.

Never actually used the Olympus Gunship varient. I can see it in a campaign setting though...if it were to get the 'Additional Weapons Fitted' refit...8AD on that badboy? Yowza.

Yeah, CAF is the way to go on Olympus missiles....fish for that crit!

 

[Ripple]

Used the Olympus gunship all of once. Fun ship to get your big shot off with but rarely get to do it twice. Your too dangerous to live, much like the Solarhawk.

On the Artemis vs Olympus thing I have been educated the hard way on the downsides of the Artemis. For the weapons load the ship actually is little more survivable than the Olympus. The Artemis has too few damage points to take much of a beating. Compared to the Olympus, I have found they die at about the same speed due to the Olumpus being 10 points bigger (or about 50% larger!). That and while the rail hyperion is avialable there is no good reason to take an Artemis. (Alright maybe the 2 AD on the front balances the extra damage/crew, flight of starfuries and extra side range/AD but not in enough in my book.)

Ripple

 

[Chernobyl]

I've had mixed results with the olympus, sometimes good, sometime bad. I prefer the long range weapons (missiles) over the railguns of the artemis, but the AD is so low you really need to pick your targets well to hit, or the interceptors will easily eat them up.
Chern

 

[Slightly Norse John]

Leroy, if you're thinking specifically anti- Dilgar, then it largely depends what you're up against.
The two strongest characteristics of the Dilgar fleet are low to medium survivability and very large numbers of medium weapons, for overall high firepower.
Hyperions against them are a suicide's choice. You don't need the beam firepower more than you need an ability to not die.
Hermes, Tethys Missile, Olympus- flash missiles- Artemis, even the Sagittarius. They are your prime choices. Small, heavily armed for thier weight- the Chronos I don't like for it's lack of peak firepower.
Nova vs. Targrath is twin- linked vs. AP Double going up to triple on crits. Who do you think has the edge there? It's a bad plan.
Anything battle or larger- it might work, I wouldn't. Any conceivable EA battle choice, two Targrath will slag far more than half the time, on my table anyway.
If the enemy is assault ships, take fighters- they'll have time to do some damage. Strike cruiser heavy, you'll need to be very lucky to do enough with them to matter before they get in close and gun up your ships.
Best chance is probably to try to beat the Dilgar at their own game- outmaneuver, pack attacks, fast mobile game. The EA is probably the only fleet with low level ships packing enough high level firepower to pull it off. Apparently it can be done with Drazi, too.

 

[Tank]

I've always had good success with both Artemis and Olympus and after yesterdays Masters of War tournament would definately reccommend the Olympus gunship!

 

[Iain McGhee]

The Nova in my opinion is overrated.

Yeah i've had that sneaking suspicion for some time now. One lot of pop guns in each arc just never seems to cut it out on the field; despite a mid-card priority level. Can anyone say from experience if turning the LPA's into beams is a worthwhile ability?

I only use the LPA mode against ships with interceptors. I've found that the Nova needs to make use of the Close Blast Doors SA and try to position itself for single arc broadsides to be effective. It might be a bit over-rated on it's own but when you add in it's fighter complement it becomes a better proposition, particularly if you field them in groups and combine their fire against a single target.