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I've been kinda thinking over how to gear out a pw/pp/ps over the past few years and what works and what doesn't work.   This is for endgame players, not people up and comers because the gear is very different. I might do a setup thread for each race for new players in the future.   We'll see how this goes first.   PW: Der warrior wunderkind.   Pw's do one thing exceedingly well they shoot stuff and kill things in mass quantity. They get level 8 devices/engines and lvl 9 shields and reactors.   They have the highest hitpoint hulls in the game and some pretty beefy shields. Most of there skills go to 7 and they along with the jd's require the most points to fully level out(297 overall levels if you want to know).   They get 6 guns and some nicely animated folding arms overall looks a 5 or 6 depending on your point of view.   With that out of the way lets get to the general gear and layouts and guns and the good stuff.   Weapons 6 guns.   Generally the absolute best dps combo in the game is a Fury or the Master(henceforth known and the FotM) and 5 bile weapons. This provides 1 ammo type to be made and the highest damage guns in the game for projectiles. Type of ammo plasma/impact and chemical. Easily obtained ammo comps and have 2000 rounds per stack. I run a modified version of this setup with a black spitter for the scan range loosing roughly 30-35 dps vrs a bile pl.   Second setup FotM + Archos Decent dps (around 50-70dps per gun less then biles) comes in 3 flavors chem/impact/plasma Ammo comps can be looted or made, generally less desirable then full bile weapons because of the ammo comps, 950 rounds per stack(and come in fruity colors > ;) )*   Third setup FotM and the rest of the level 9 multiple shot/zenrei guns/singularity mortar etc These are the least desirable gun setups for any progen. Low ammo stack counts( I mean come on 600 rounds of mortar ammo per stack 6 rounds per shot for level 9 guns and 109% turbo) Multiple ammo rounds fired per shot low dps broken buffs etc If i had to pick guns out of this morass of decreptitude I would use longbows the damage is all similar between the Longbow/mortars the longbows have the same ammo count but shoot 5 rounds vrs 6.**   * Agrippa weapons. Aka fletch I am going to go out and say if you have a pw that did agrippa and a pp to make your own ammo comps I would run flechettes on a pp/ps without hesitation and just run 1 of them. Mix a fotm in or a spitter for scan on a ps and run with it. They are Medium dps 30% turbo weapons and the ammo stacks come in 1450 sizes. They are ammo hungry but not nearly as bad as say longbows or mortars but you will want to bring a lot of extra ammo for a long raid(rd base..) They come in 4 flavors impact/explosive(yes explosive ps's)/chem/plasma. The ammo comps/ores are fairly common level 8 ores and lvl 2 worm bits gathered from a couple different sectors.(edited 311 dps vrs 542. use it for the reduce sig on a pp/ps)   I would not suggest flechettes for tanking pw's for the simple fact they have reduced sig buffs on them and make a high sig combat engine ineffective and your healers will hate you even more. If you are generally mobbing and want to save bile comps by all means use flechettes just don't use them in raids on tanking pw's.   ** Da rest aka the junk and broken and interesting. Junk: Mortars - Longbows (stupid ammo useage, mediocre at best dps) Prototypes anger me as a person. I am a builder and despise free guns and what they did to a games economy, all of the parts need to be looted or player made (3 raw ores per comp 9 different raw ores) I've shot them for dps testing wouldn't go out of my way to use them for that alone not counting the rest.   Broken: Singularity Mortars(look the versatile oya a lvl 7 pl will out dps it) broken buffs (aka the funky chicken) it's a nice buff weapon till you shoot it.. I'd prefer you leave the pos in your vault when coming to a raid..nuff said, it's garbage, play with it on your own time but I hate chasing mobs that were debuffed with it. if the dev's can fix it and get rid of the problems with it it's a nice debuffing weapon for a ps to carry to raids. But till then grrrr..<-- this hasn't changed, the sing cannon is still a broken pos.   Interesting but not greats: Reaver: It's only major saving grace is the 40% pl power conservation buff and scan. Otherwise it goes with the mortars and longbows for mediocre dps(at best mediocre) Zenrei cannon average dps at best, energy rounds it's a nice gun if you need to use energy against a mob. otherwise not much else FotT Fury of the Tengu 40% turbo it's a baby FotM lower dps easier to get ammo lesser buffs it's a nice starter 40% turbo gun till you get a fotm, Energy rounds also.   Gun  =  DPS Archos = 473.875 Bile pl = 542.2625 Hellfire ballista = 471.126 Spitter(100%) = 519.792 (125 is about 560-570dps) Brimstone = 446 FotM(100%) = 542.2625 (125% is probably in the 570-580 range) Fletch = 311.538 Sing Cannon(100%) = 135.78947368421(and no I am not kidding it's really that bad) dps = number of rounds fired per minute x ammo damage x 3 for weapon skill and x 2 for crit / 60(seconds in a minute) this assumes 100% criticals (pw's are around 60-70% crits)   If I missed any weapons it's because they do not piss me off like the sing cannon does nor does it beat out the mortar/longbow in dps.   Shields:*   Number 1: CFB Critical targeting/Combat trance buff nuff said for a pw. Number 2: Skirmish Omega(agrippa tech) Debuff impact / projectile force (activated see cloaked doesn't work outside of pvp which is pointless since there are no cloaking mobs) For you progens that like impact ammo and get it. The skirmish had it's impact debuff dropped to 30%. Still 60% impact that works now is worthy. Number 3 Normandy Max high cap the original big daddy shield Good all around shield.**   Da rest. Shields are an interesting thing on progens it more depends on your needs then anything else. Since as far as I know there are no 114411 cap shields with projectile range it's more about buffs then anything else. For example a cfb is not the best shield on a ps( i'd argue a devil's heart or a black force 9) Tanking pw cfb or a bastion 9 (I can't give up the ct and crit buffs) Altho the hull damage control buffs make it useable and the activated 5% turbo means you do not need an aegis. Privateer, CFB for the shield recharge skill 1 less device to carry or if the guardian isn't an issue the Devil's heart with the reactor recharge buff comes in a close second.   ** Specialty Shields. Skull, High cap 15% activated turbo who doesn't like a skull around there ship going I am a bad.. but I digress.. Bastion 9, Hull damage control, 5% activated turbo, high cap a great second shield on all the classes except maybe a pp ( I wouldn't turn my nose up at it) Black Force 9, high cap 5% installed turbo shield not bad at all(my te runs one) Z, missile range and equipment engineering(activated) for those funky pw's liking missiles(I prefer a supernova 9 instead) Scale (pew pews) Beam range thats about all(hotdo anyone). The rest, terran shields and lesser progen shields, they all go here no need to talk about them. Seriously. Special mention Waterloo 6 shunt to reactor buff similar to a scutums.   Reactors..   Depending on class and needs mostly.*   PW-PP (aka lvl 9) Combat: Number 1, Ambush Omega 30% pl conservation high recharge reactor. Number 2, Everything else, Honestly I can't think of another combat reactor I would want on a pp/pw. leave your comments below. Honorable mentions Griffon/Juggernaut.. Useable and easily obtained you could pinch hit a jugg on a pw till you get an ambush. Asperation on a pp because of the reactor recharge. You can run just about any lvl 9 reactor on a pp in combat if you use a flechette.   Medical Malpractice Aka the PP(this is based on st4 and trader isn't ready for raids yet) Number 1, Warriors heart 9(martyr's heart built in) Number 2, Agrippa tech this ones one I am wondering about no more. Number 3, (tenatively) SSR9 (it's meah on a js but that's a js for you) Agrippa reactor 9 is doable as a raid reactor this one is still meah. Number 4, Black power 9/asperation and the rest of the High recharge reactors various buffs, no martyr's heart? Honorable Mention only.. Heart of the Master (7500 cap not much else) I have finally tried the Ambush on Trader the warriors heart still has the special place in my heart but the ambush has moved up to a solid number 2 for healing SSR9 still meah.   Miner Victories; Number 1 Vulture Number 2 uhmmm what? Maybe a theo for the scan buff. Number 3 Tang's vigor maybe. With a hellfire ballista might be worth a try.   * I am going to just say the super nova 9 and hotdo are excellent at improving weapon ranges vrs the z and scale shields and I have both. And enough people have seen me slinging beams to know I do not jest, I have tried the z and scale but the cfb makes them look silly when using alternative weapons and good reactors.   I did a little testing on trader in rag farming chavez, you will need pl conservation on a pp with 45% turbo(fotm and a bp9 120%) you either need a flechette or a ambush or some sort of pl power conservation. No two ways around it. I haven't tried a raid yet we shall see.   Engines: The high and low the fast and the slow.   Combat: Tanking, The basics of pw tanking is a big signature engine, extra buffs are nice but not really needed. Number 1, Hawk Surprise a lvl 8 vendor engine Terran at that. High sig faster in combat then a ODB. I'd still use the odb for traveling. Number 2, (not by much mind you) Zeus 8. 4.9 sig, pl range, very fast in combat, downside if you call it that is 3500 warp. Not so much now that the brimstone ballista is back in the game. Number 3, Hades hades lower sig then a zeus. Number 4, Obsolete Drone Booster engine, 6.0 sig 8.5 base visibility on a progen, downside 10% pl power useage. The rest.. Do you really want to use a black speed 8 on a pw for tanking.. seriously? SS8 in the future main downfall to a pw is sig.. it doesn't have one. Honorable mention Unabating fire just doesn't quite make the list anymore not enough sig fairly fast warp not a lot else.   Non Combat/traveling Number 1 Obsolete Drone booster, 4250 warp can't touch this.. 6049 warp on a pw.. solo Number 2 4000 warp engines. You did read number 1 right? Honorable mentions Unabating fire again fast... 4820 warp without a rr+ and 4820 with a rr+.. the drone booster is faster with an rr+. Xmas engine   Mining/Medical Malpractice 2: You didn't think I would forget the ps did you? Number 1 Solar sail 8 no sig.. This is now in the engine and hell yes. Number 2 Toss up between the black speed 8 and the hades, low sig slower combat speed for the bs, and faster combat lower sig then a zeus and pl range on the hades, progens and engines what can a Magoo do.. Honorable mentions, I can't think of any atm Add your comments below.   Devices: This is not hard to understand but there is a lot of variables in this one, I'll list what I have and use and you guys comment below on changes you would make. I wont list traveling gear you can figure that one out pretty easily mark of the dragon/nos/rr+ 8/9 and a ODB engine = 6049 warp on a pp/pw and 6100ish on a ps. You could add a nav comp II instead of a Mark of the Dragon for the 100ish warp but then you do not get the nos on a pw so up to you. The Mark is 150 warp.   PW Combat In order in combat setup Top slot, Basilisk-debuffer*/*** Middle slot, Intolerance Bottom slot, varies depends if I'm solo or in a group tanking. Solo an Ivory ward or a tolerance, tanking a tactical advantage if there is a te in the group. Buffing, I have a mark of the dragon(because I have a ghatu and the seal doesn't stack)/aa gahtu/laser scope/sting octos/ Turbo toys(pb/cve/aotw I can borrow my te's poc but usualy don't**) Basilisk/wyvern 8 and a petro 5(depends what were doing and if I'm driving or not) a nos and a binder octo(more about that in the * section) I do not have an awcs as I have found I do not need one and it gives me a chance to pick one up if I find the alpha drone. The Brimstone ballista is the pw's awcs now. I did add a poc still having mixed results.   * I have a basalisk 8/Wyvern 8 and a Binder Octo for debuffing devices.. Right about now the astute reader will note the binder isn't a debuff device. I beg to differ. Basalisk = chemical and pl range Wyvern = Emp Binder = 9.4k gravity link range and near instant casting. How many terrans run explosive? 8.6k bile range + explosive/impact debuff, silly people of course it's a debuff device and add a smirmish shield and you have a pretty serious ps/pw impact setup. Gravity link 5 doesn't work now it was rebroken in a recent patch. Subject to change.   ** Turbo and the pw.. The law of diminishing returns.. The simple fact is a pw once they get to around 80% turbo do not make much use of higher levels of turbo we'll use 2 examples of projectile guns and you will see why higher levels of turbo make very little difference(it does but a te is better off with the skull and poc as my te has) Bile pl's @ 200% reload every 1.3 seconds with 80% turbo they fire roughly every .7-.8 seconds, in all seriousness the difference between .7 and .8 reload is not worth the hassel of the poc/skull a 7 second reload te going from 4.0 to 3.5 is.. I took my te and pw out to the gene hunters in paramis my te had explosive and the pw had impact ammo The only debuff i had was level 7 gravity link(which debuffs both) With just installed turbo (aka 40%) the pw wiped the floor with the te handily I want to point out the te has a 120% caster 125 wrath and 3 biles the pw had a 120%spitter/fotm and biles. Buffing them to 77% turbo(pb/cve/aotw) the gap closed up considerably instead of it being a walk, the te was within a few seconds of the pw and I did my level best to make sure the te's and the pw's ammo hit the mobs at the same exact time.  So higher levels on a pw means more sheer dps but it doesn't make a lot of difference vrs a te that made up a lot of distance with the inclusion of more turbo and is the reason why my te has the skull and poc instead of the pw. The pw did not sap I was trying to see which toon did more dps mano e mano and the pw won. I added a poc and it's not making a lot of difference.   It's just another icon in the window still.   Second example 200% flechettes have a .8 reload @ 200% seriously a 109% turbo pw and flechettes can get that into the .3 range.. Does it really make that much difference from .4 to .3 reloads.   *** debufffffffffers: Ideally a pw has a binder octo and a ts with a lvl 9 gorgon for impact debuffing which is a 92% impact debuff. Skirmish is 30(as of feb 2015) + 30% for gravity link for 60.   The serious truth is I have a chang lung's pride device and it's broken, if it's intentional then we really got shanked on it, Debuff duration is 60 seconds yes you read that right 60 seconds and I have noticed a number of times if you debuff with it and the buff wears off it can't stick to the mob again for what feels like 2 minutes at a time then in 60 seconds the buff has worn off, I am hoping the dev's fix it and give it duration similar to other lvl 8 devices and fix the cool down timer or whatever is the problem with it. It's pretty bad. I thought it so bad I traded it for a spitter for the PP.   It's still garbage in feb 2015.   Second the bullywere's eyes gives pw's the plasma(suspensful music) option.. Not my favorite option since jenquais are littered with chimaeras and stuff.   PP Combat Awcs/Martyr's/Intolerance/Ivory ward/basilisk-manticore are installed 99% or the time. You could toss in a taniwha or a tatsu. Typically pp's do not have power issues in combat if using an ambush or a warriors heart, they do run into problems if they are solo and try and heal and fire at the same time not a lot you can do about that. Carry a martyr's heart or use a warriors heart or use both.   PP Medical Malpractice 3 Installed Awcs, guardian/cfb, Ivory ward/martyr's/jenquai pocket battery good luck charms I'd invite comments to this.(well maybe not the jenquai battery pack they are not normally optional) With the Brimstone and Hellfire Ballistas in the game now if you really wanted to stack reactor buffs for cap I would do a Ambush/AWCS/Hellfire and get a js and je to buff you with a dea/reactor opt >:).   Carry, anything to help reactor recharges.   PS; Irracible miners   Combat* AWCS/basalisk 9/intolerance/deflect devices(pakkrat can chime in on this one) and a martyr's heart.   *Ps's get a number of debuff weapon devices atrophy slows enemy beams for example I'm not up to speed on the current crop of ingame devices  for the ps in that respect. You know who you are .. I removed it to be nice but you really need to get over it.   Mining Golden tooth/miner 8-9/badgers claw 8-9 I like the tooth and then I can leave the awcs in the vault Combat gear for the rest and a nos.   All spelling errors were intentional missed spaces and stuff are for my amusement.. Seriously this is a wall of text and I'll go thru it and fix errors and stuff in the future. if you have any comments feel free, I expect class specialists like pakkrat and others to chime in on changes and gear they use, instead I specialize in the emu as a pw/comp builders my ps mining skills are pretty rusty and my pp hasn't healed anything since st4 so..The PP is now 150+ and heals just fine, the ps is on the way up(currenly he is mid 60's) I have added a few new comments and a small sampling dps list in the weapons section IMHO the brimstone ballista is the better gun all around. You might consider the hellfire on a pp/ps for the added reactor cap, it's not needed with a pw. I did add a brimstone to the pw and I am happy with it. it isn't as high of dps as the bile it replaced but the range buff is worth the cost on a pw for me. You may not think so and thats fine the tag line was IMHO, consider this a primer.