The video demonstrates that distortion weapons in Star Citizen can effectively disable capital ships like the Polaris and Idris by targeting their power plants once shields are down, with distortion repeaters being the most practical due to their ammo and recharge advantages. It also highlights the importance of teamwork in combat scenarios and explains that NPC ships remain disabled indefinitely when fully distorted, making them easier to capture.
In this video, the creator continues testing distortion weapons in Star Citizen, focusing specifically on their effectiveness against capital ships like the Polaris and Idris. Building on previous tests with fighters and gunships, the video explores how distortion weapons target the power plants of ships to disable them temporarily. Since capital ships like the Polaris have a single power plant, hitting this area with distortion weapons can disable the entire ship. The creator explains that shields must be down for distortion damage to be effective, as shields block 100% of distortion damage.
The first set of tests involves three types of distortion weapons: size three distortion repeaters, size three distortion cannons, and size four distortion scatter guns. Using a Lightning fighter equipped with these weapons, the creator demonstrates that hitting the power plant area of the Polaris from either above or below causes significant distortion damage, while shooting other parts of the ship does not. The distortion repeaters prove to be the easiest to use due to their high ammo count and fast recharge, followed by scatter guns and then cannons, which have limited ammo and slower recharge.
Next, the video shifts focus to the Idris, which, unlike the Polaris, does not have physicalized components but still has a power plant area that can be targeted. Similar tests with distortion scatter guns, cannons, and repeaters show that the Idris can also be disabled effectively by focusing fire on its reactor area once shields are down. The cooldown and recovery mechanics for distortion damage are similar to the Polaris, with a roughly 20-second recovery time when no further distortion damage is applied.
The creator then applies these findings in a real combat scenario during a mission involving an NPC Polaris. The Idris is retrofitted with lasers to quickly take down the Polaris’s shields and distortion repeaters to target the power plant. While the Idris’s turret weapons struggle to consistently hit the power plant, a fighter equipped with distortion weapons can quickly disable the Polaris once its shields are down. The video highlights the importance of teamwork, with one player keeping shields down and another applying distortion damage to effectively disable capital ships.
Finally, the creator explains the difference between NPC and player-controlled ships when disabled by distortion weapons. NPC ships do not intelligently reassign power to their components, so once fully distorted, they remain disabled indefinitely, making them easier to capture. After successfully boarding and disabling an NPC Polaris, the creator showcases the ship’s component health and concludes that distortion weapons provide a satisfying and effective gameplay mechanic for disabling and stealing capital ships in Star Citizen.