In this video, the creator responds to a viewer’s request to compare the time-to-kill (TTK) performance of ballistic versus energy (laser) weapons on the Kuger Wolf ship in Star Citizen’s post-engineering update. Using two Wolves—one equipped with laser repeaters and the other with ballistic galling guns—the tests are conducted in the live persistent universe (PU) rather than the Arena Commander to ensure more credible results. The tests focus on different target ships ranging from light fighters to multi-crew vessels, all with identical components and full shields to maintain fairness.
The initial tests against light fighters such as the Gladius, Hornet Mark 1, and the FAC Lightning heavy fighter reveal that ballistic weapons consistently outperform lasers in TTK. For the Gladius, ballistics destroy the ship faster, and this trend continues and becomes more pronounced with medium and heavy fighters. The ballistic guns also cause noticeable recoil, pushing the target ship away during firing. Lasers, while effective, tend to overheat and require recharging more frequently, resulting in longer engagement times.
Moving to multi-crew ships, the Zeus is tested next. Both ballistic and laser Wolves have the same stock components and shields at full strength. Interestingly, the Zeus lacks the overkill buffer present in other ships, causing it to explode immediately once hull health drops to zero. This results in nearly identical TTKs for both weapon types—around 35-36 seconds—unlike other ships where ballistics have a clear advantage. This suggests a potential bug or design oversight in the Zeus’s engineering mechanics.
The final and most challenging test involves the larger Perseus ship, which naturally takes much longer to destroy. Ballistic weapons reduce armor and hull health steadily but overheat quickly, while lasers take significantly longer to bring down the Perseus, especially the armor. The video also covers some in-depth engineering observations, such as the need to maintain power plant health above 20% to avoid core critical warnings and explosions. Overall, ballistics kill the Perseus in about 3 minutes and 40 seconds, whereas lasers require nearly 6 minutes, showcasing a substantial difference in efficiency.
In conclusion, the video clearly demonstrates that post-engineering, ballistic weapons on the Kuger Wolf generally have a much shorter TTK compared to laser weapons, especially against light, medium, and heavy fighters, as well as larger multi-crew ships like the Perseus. The Zeus is an exception due to its missing overkill buffer, resulting in similar TTKs for both weapon types. The creator invites viewers to leave further testing requests and wraps up by highlighting the practical implications of these findings for weapon choice in Star Citizen combat scenarios.
