AXI Adder Build

14th April 2017

A revised ship build for the Adder approved by A.X.I. detailing ship load out and engineering modifications. Revisions carried out by CMDR Synoxys.

“The Zorgon Peterson Adder is not exactly a viable anti-xeno ship by the standards of many. It’s lightly armed, sluggish, and seems better suited for early-game trading, not fighting the toughest enemies in the game. For some, these qualities are a deterrent. For others, they are a challenge. Below is a configuration for the Adder that will transform what is known in some circles as “The Space Prius” into an anti-xeno hot rod. This build includes several unconventional design choices, most notably of which is its incredibly short jump range. Yes, this is intentional and entirely inconvenient. However, some downsizing of the frame shift drive and fuel tank had to occur in order to keep the mass down and the speed up. To remedy this, I recommend pairing this build with a taxi ship which you can use to reach your destination and then transfer the ship there. Furthermore, it has no shields which, in addition to further lightening the ship, allows the pilot to focus their distributor energy in weapons and engines for a lower workload and maximum combat effectiveness. It is also equipped with an automatic field maintenance unit, and a Guardian Module Reinforcement Package. The sole purpose of these two modules is to prevent the canopy from shattering. It is still quite fragile, but it will be capable of withstanding significantly more damage than without it. When in combat, take every available opportunity to repair the canopy and the module reinforcement package. Another important thing to note is the choice of experimental effect on the thrusters. Due to the relatively high mass of the ship, Drive Distributors provides a greater boost to thruster power than Drag Drives. The reason I mention it is because it is easy to confuse the two, especially since Drag Drives is far more popular for most builds.

Sometimes, anti-xeno combat builds have parts that can be exchanged for others for one reason or another. This is the case for this build as well. The Guardian Module Reinforcement Package is replaceable by a standard Module Reinforcement Package if the former is unavailable. The advantage of the Guardian version is that it has slightly more durability, but it draws power. The second replaceable item is the power plant, but not in the sense of the module itself. This build uses a grade 5 overcharged power plant with thermal spread. This provides an unnecessarily large amount of power and slightly worsens the heat efficiency of the plant. I chose grade 5 overcharged because I already had one lying around and it coincidentally allows for the replacement of the flak launcher with a class 2 Gauss Cannon if the pilot desires. However, if having that option available is not appealing, I recommend only overcharging as much as is necessary to power all of the modules and no more, which works out to a grade 3 overcharge, assuming thermal spread is the experimental effect. This will afford better heat efficiency and also cost fewer materials. An armored power plant will not work for this build because it is not powerful enough.

Overall, the Adder is somewhat of an underdog, but with the new small gauss cannons, it is more than capable of taking down a Cyclops with relative ease. With the mass-optimized loadout, it reaches speeds in excess of 560 m/s and can run circles around a Cyclops. It has enough hardpoints to accommodate a flak launcher without compromising its anti-xeno firepower, and it is tough enough to take a little punishment as well. It’s not a ship for beginners, but it could be considered a trainer for the ‘boom-and-zoom’ tactic, which is the preferred method for taking on tougher opponents like the Medusa and the Hydra. If you wish to take on one of these solo, I definitely recommend perfecting the boom-and-zoom tactic first, and I can’t think of any ship that teaches it better than the Adder.”

~ CMDR Synoxys, Overseer of the Anti-Xeno Initiative and Adder Ace.

Note that power priorities should be set accordingly to your specific chosen module configuration