CIG, we need to talk about the unintended consequences of the current QED mechanics—especially the effect used by the Mantis. Right now, a single player in a Mantis can shut down another player’s entire gameplay session—indefinitely. Not just by stopping their quantum jump, but by also reducing their speed to SCM levels, which effectively freezes them in place. This gives the Mantis unlimited time to call in reinforcements or simply waste the victim’s time for fun. :x: What's Happening: Dampening stops quantum jumping and also limits you to SCM speeds, preventing escape even at high velocity. A solo player can then hold a larger ship hostage indefinitely, out of range of your guns. This becomes an exploitative form of harassment that doesn’t require any real skill or coordination. “I snared a guy—now I just stay 5km away, call friends, and they can take their time to log in and warp to me. I’ll just keep him stuck.... or maybe just toy with him for as long as I want.” That’s not gameplay. That’s trolling with developer-approved tools. :bust_in_silhouette: "Bring Friends" Isn’t a Real Solution A common response is: “Well, capital ships shouldn’t be out alone.” That might work in theory—but in practice, this isn't an MMO raid. Not everyone rolls with a squad 24/7. Players have lives. Not everyone can summon help in 5 minutes. This punishes solo play, which Star Citizen has openly supported in other design areas. There are no real countermeasures for solo players currently caught in a dampener. :video_game: What This Feels Like: Being frozen in space with no gameplay options. Knowing you’re not dead yet—but your only choices are to log out, self-destruct, or wait for someone to arrive and kill you. Feeling like your entire session is at the mercy of a troll in a ship with one button. :white_check_mark: Suggested Fixes (Pick One or Combine Them): Overheat mechanic for the QED. So they can't just leave it on indefinitely. Timer-based cooldown where a target gets a chance to break free after X minutes. Anti-QED modules or devices that can counter a dampener after a delay or charge-up. Increased range on weapons like the Idris-K's laser. No reason Hydrogen thrusters should only bring you up to 110mps IN SPACE! As long as I have thrust my speed should increase. End of Story. (You wanna dampen me... see if you can keep up in this asteroid field) :speech_balloon: Closing Thoughts: QED mechanics should be powerful. But power without counterplay becomes abuse. There needs to be a skill check, a risk, or a window for escape—especially for solo players who don’t have backup on call. Right now, the Mantis doesn't just catch ships—it can completely control another player's time, enjoyment, and session. That’s not fun. That’s not fair. And that’s not good design. Please take a serious look at this. — Syndri edit It is amazing to me how many players have so much vitriol in their veins and don't even manage to read the entire post. edit #2 Y'all keep it up. I love filling up my block list.