f13.net

Questions: how do defenders work? Can I load them into any launcher? Do they always have the same flight time? I was thinking about loading defenders to rat. I understand that it takes more than one defender to down a torp, so I was planning to use two slots of defenders.

Yah they can go on any launcher, so you really want them in rocket launchers (which has the highest rate of fire). You have to active the defender launcher when there's an incoming missile.. then it'll launch and try to blow up that missile.

If I have two rocket launchers with defenders, I can knock out 3 or 4 of 6 launches a round. It really reduces the DPS done by a missile boat.

my bc can only do one launcher. Does one defender lessen the damage of a torp? Or is it an all or nothing system?

One defender completely takes out one incoming missile/torp.

I read someplace that two defenders were needed for torps. Perhaps it was for citadel torps, not regular torps.

You might be right.

Easiest way to find out is for two ships to try some friendly PVP at long range. Torps take forever to get anywhere, so there should be plenty of time to get 'em.

Am I missing something, or do I have to mash the button(s) for every single missile I want to take out? That seems like a drawback unless you're fighting BS missiles with very slow velocity and launch rates. I put defenders in a rocket on my Rifter and tried to blow up Guristas frigs. I think I like having nos there better.

It might be an interesting thing to try with a close-range frigate in a somewhat large batle where Battleships are launching missiles at eachother; while tackling said battleship, you can also employ defenders to kill the cruise/torps it's tossing out.

As far as I know, defenders only work on missiles that are targetting you. (though it might be cool if it went after the closest ones, which could be friend or foe).

And yah, you have to press the button for each one. I don't use defenders unless I'm up against larger ships (BS, *maybe* BC) that have bigger slower missiles. Since I can take out a torp and they shoot those pretty slow, it's a good way to reduce the damage they output.