First I'll talk about our most recent test using distortion weapons, then I'll will posit an observation and theory about where it appears the direction of distortion weapons are going. Finally I'll ask some questions directed at CIG, related to our observations and thoughts on the direction of distortion weapons. The tests we conducted today have verified that distortion weapons are now having an effect on ships again, up to and including shutting the target ship down. But to achieve that affect appears to come at a very steep price. Our first test was against a stock loadout Super Hornet that was stationary with no components OC'd. The attacking ship was a single stationary Anvil Arrow with 3 x DR-XJ3 distortion repeaters, remainder of the loadout was stock with no components OC'd. After firing at the SH until all weapons were on cooldown, the SH shields didn't budge. Power usage did spike from 0.29 -> 0.58, but would not go beyond that. We OC'd the coolers and DR-XJ 3's on the Arrow once the distortion repeaters came off of cooldown and attempted another volley. Same result. We OC'd nearly every component on the SH, except for powerplant and shields and attempted another volley from the Arrow. Same result We kept all components OC'd on the SH and started up the QD. We got a second Arrow involved, stock parts except for weapons which were 2 x DR-XJ3's and 2 x DR-XJ1's. Weapons and coolers were OC'd on that Arrow. Both of the Arrows sustained fire on the SH for as long as they could. Eventually the shields on the SH were depleted and then the SH a short time later shut down. We tested this a second time and got the same result. We shut down the QD on the SH, it took a little bit longer but the SH powerplant shut down again. So, it took two Arrows, with OC'd 5 x DR-XJ3's and 2 x DR-XJ1's and coolers between them, to shut down a single SH with a moderate load of power usage. After each subsequent shut down the SH was able to start again immediately and it's power plant charged as per it's normal operation. That test doesn't take into account the following: Power usage of the SH whilst performing combat maneuvers Power usage of the SH firing it's weapons whilst conducting combat maneuvers Damage to components that the SH has taken Power usage of the Arrows performing combat maneuvers Power usage of the Arrows firing it's weapons whilst conducting combat maneuvers Delay between shots that land on a ship whilst conducting combat maneuvers We attempted similar tests with the two Arrows against a 600i touring variant, but they couldn't budge the shields or even power usage when shields were turned off. With the introduction of being able to target sub-components on ships and distortion weapons once again being capable of disabling a ship, we are planning on conducting another test with attempting to shut a ship down by doing the following: Target powerplant component on the ship and attempt to damage only that component Pilot of target ship will inform us of the health state of the powerplant as it gets damaged Use distortion damaging weapons on the ship to disable the ship Use scan mode from another ship to observe the health state of the ship to ensure we don't destroy it The reason why the next test will follow the format above is due to the idea that, when damaged, the powerplant will not be able to maintain the power output with all of the other components drawing from it and be receiving distortion damage at the same time. We are theorizing that we will be able to damage a ships powerplant enough that the distortion damage requirement will be significantly less than if the powerplant was at a 100% health state. What we want to be able to do, is damage it enough to allow us to overload it easier, which should allow us to keep the target ship's power suppressed long enough for us be able to board and seize it, whilst not damaging it to the point that we can't move the ship somewhere else. This will be no easy feat to achieve against a live and unwilling opponent, but if my org wanted easy mode we would have chosen to be cargo haulers :stuck_out_tongue: It appears that the direction that distortion damage is going, is that it is going to take a significant amount of sustained distortion damage to drop a target ships shields and overload it's power plant. Far more than what would be considered practical for a small raiding group (2 x fighters, 1 x MC ship with boarding team) on a dedicated cargo hauling ship, ie Caterpillar. This isn't too much of an issue for us, if our second test gives us the conclusion we're looking for. But it brings up a few questions for CIG: If this is the direction that distortion damage is going, then why are ships like the Terrapin and the Prospector equipped with them as a stock loadout? Based on our current observations, the amount of time that the pilot would invest in trying to get an affect with them against an attacking target will get them killed. Has the distortion damage resistance variable been updated on components? Is distortion damage supposed to have a lingering affect on components yet? Because based on what we've seen so far, it doesn't. What is CIG's expectation for how distortion weapons should be used by players? What we are seeing with how distortion damage is working in 3.4, that if we want to take down a Caterpillar intact for example, that nearly everyone will have to equip, with a heavy preference to, distortion dealing weapons. It will be a weapon choice that is heavily skewed towards group based loadouts, with solo fighters at a significant disadvantage if they attempt to use them. Not really distortion related but I would like to know anyway. Are we going to be able to "see" the health state of a ships components that we are attacking so that we know how much damage we have done to it? Our suggestion for this mechanic would be to incorporate the current passive scanning mechanic to allow us to see the component health on a target ship if we have that component targeted. There are a lot of unknowns when it comes to distortion weapons and the damage they deal. The majority of the community don't understand how they work and for us that do, we are slightly perplexed at the direction that they seem to be going in. I highly encourage others to test out distortion weapons when they're able to be purchased again (there's a bug with the terminals at Grim Hex - https://robertsspaceindustries.com/community/issue-council/star-citizen-alpha-3/STARC-75109-Grim_Hex_Dumpers_Depot_terminals_not_progressing_past_home_screen) and contribute you thoughts and feedback on what you experience.