Crunching the Weapons Part 3 (of 3!): Mortars & Rockets and a Wrap Up

And to finish the analysis of the weapon changes.... Mortars and rockets... for when you want to blow s**t up.  The numbers here reflect the revision after the original post.

Source Material here: https://www.kixeye.com/forum/discussion/470482

Remember, these changes aren't in the game yet. 

Same colors on the chart - changes are in green, important changes are in blue.
One more note for this chart, instead of accuracy for these explosive weapons, 
I used (Splash /(3/8 * Spread)) - and applied it to both Fleet and Building DPS (unlike accuracy where Building Accuracy = 100%).  It's not a perfect formula, but I think it is good enough for comparison.

Mortar Chart

Diplomat Mortar:  With their short range, these used to be completely useless, even for the newest players.  With the range bump, they are at least usable until Peacemakers are researched.

Peacemaker Mortar: Peacemakers get a decent damage bump, especially for buildings, but they still don't compare to the Draconian mortars.

Negotiator Mortar: Do you want it like boy meets girl and the rest is just like history? Do you want it like a murder mystery? I think I'd like to tell it like a Comeback Story! Winning the Negotiator felt like you were defeated and depressed. Then, their stats are gonna get ripping high... Dreadnaught X and all their glory.

It was a mortar with quick reload and a low arc, but it didn't actually hurt anything when it hit (worst DPS/hton in the game). It didn't even build quick. These humble mortars are going to be returning to glory - doing more than 3 times the fleet damage, and more than 7 times the building damage... oh yeah and they build faster and get more range too.  Now, for DPS/hton, these are going to be the top mortar in the game.  WHAT?  I had to check my numbers about 3 times when I put together the chart.  I just checked them again.  They still have some drawbacks though... They aren't as heavy as the Siege and Chaos Mortars, so filling a fleet may be tough.  With a 1 salvo, they won't put out as many shells as a Shock Q, Assault X, or Chaos.  And with all explosive damage, X resist targets will do pretty well against them  compared to the Chaos Mortars.

Shockwave Mortars: They all get a little range and damage bump, but no real difference in usability - maybe the gap between the Shock Q and the other types is a little less, and the range on the N isn't quite so terrible.

Assault Mortars: The Non-X versions get their range boosted to 89 to match the Assault X, and the Building Damage isn't quite so terrible.  Some people don't appreciate this, as Assault Mortars could be used to prep ships without overdoing it on turret damage.  Does that happen much?

Siege Mortars: Damage boosts on the V and D along with a better Building damage bonus makes the non-B versions more usable, but you still want to use the B.  They all get a small damage bump.

Chaos Mortar:  No change - don't refit those Berzerkers or anything...

And now rockets... I also show the +10% range bump for use with Hellstrikes or Makos (or Threshers).

Rocket Chart

Hydra Rockets: Hydras get a big range boost, and a decent damage boost.  Usable now, but still eclipsed by Draconian Rockets.

Maelstrom Rockets (1-4):  Also get a big range boost - along with Assault Rockets, Maelstroms will be the longest range rockets in the game.  They also get a decent damage boost.

Maelstrom Rockets (V):  These already had decent range, but get a little more to match the others.  They get a teeny damage bump, and a nice build time reduction.

 Firestorm Rockets: Great damage boost and a nice range increase make these very usable on light fleets.

Assault Rockets: Nice range boost, matching Maelstroms to be the longest range rockets.  A slight damage bump, but they don't keep up with the other damage increases.

Siege Rockets: The S used to be the best Siege Rocket, but now the increased damage on the other versions makes them much more desirable.  Increased range makes these competitive, possibly even better than Infernos, now that their range has increased and build time has decreased as well.  

Infernos Rockets: Get a small range bump, but all the other rockets got a much bigger buff, and these rockets are not the undisputed kings anymore - Maelstroms and Assault have better range, and the Siege have better DPS/hton.  Don't forget that Siege and Assault Rockets can get an additional benefit in the Retro lab too.

WRAPPING IT ALL UP - some opinions

I think the biggest theme here is that just about every weapon is going to have a niche - some reason why it should be used in some phase of the game, even if it is only for low level players.  The other theme I see is that the gap between the Raid Prize, Mission Prize, Blueprint, and Research weapons has all been reduced.  I think this is all good for the game as it will hopefully reduce the gap between the "haves" and the "have-nots."

Some specific weapons got big benefits that all players should be aware of - I think Negotiator Mortars, Shredder Cannons, and Siege Rockets got huge buffs, followed by Torrent Missiles, Siege Torpedos, Maelstrom, Firestorm, and Cutlass.  Keep your eyes open for these changes, I've heard they are coming sometime after the June event...