The video provides an in-depth analysis of the RSI Hermes’ defense, engineering, and repair capabilities in Star Citizen Alpha 4.6, highlighting its strong armor and component durability despite weaker shields, and demonstrating effective repair strategies to maintain ship functionality during combat. Overall, the host rates the Hermes highly for its survivability and operational resilience, making it a dependable medium-sized cargo hauler for trading and hauling missions.
In this video, the host conducts a detailed test and guide on the RSI Hermes ship focusing on its defense capabilities, engineering performance, and repair procedures in Star Citizen Alpha 4.6. The comparison begins with the RSI Hermes against the Constellation Taurus and Apollo Medvac, highlighting that while the Hermes has slightly less total health than the Taurus, it boasts better armor and vital part durability than the Apollo Medvac. However, the Hermes’ shield system is weaker, featuring four size two bubble shields compared to the Taurus’ stronger size three quadrant shield, making its shield strength a notable vulnerability.
The video then explores the offensive capabilities, noting that the Hermes has four size four hardpoints and sixteen size two missiles, less than the Taurus which has larger guns and more missiles. The host emphasizes that despite the Hermes’ decent armor and vital parts, its shield weakness is critical, especially with the introduction of ship engineering mechanics where shield failure exposes components to damage. To test this, the host uses precision targeting to subtarget various ship components like shields, power plants, and coolers, demonstrating that while components can be targeted, the shield generators are difficult to damage directly.
During the damage test, the host finds that the Hermes’ armor absorbs damage well, protecting components even when the hull takes significant hits. The shield depletes after about two capacitor hits from the Wolf 22 laser ship, but the components remain mostly intact until the hull reaches zero health, at which point critical systems like power plants fail. This suggests that the Hermes’ components have strong protection, but once the hull is breached, the ship is severely compromised. The host also identifies the locations of various components and explains the importance of the engineering terminal for repairs.
The repair guide portion shows that many ship parts, including thrusters, elevators, doors, and turrets, can be repaired either from inside or outside the ship, but some interior doors cannot be repaired if they lose power. Repairing the main hull is very slow and often impractical during combat, and the host advises against repairing it since subsequent damage can cause power plant failure again. Instead, focus should be on repairing critical systems like thrusters and power plants to restore ship functionality and escape danger. The host also demonstrates that the Hermes can still be flown with some engine damage, unlike the Taurus which spins out when engines fail.
In conclusion, the host is satisfied with the RSI Hermes’ defensive capabilities, giving it a score of four out of five. Despite weaker shields, the strong armor, hull integrity, and overkill buffer compensate well, and the ship’s design allows it to remain operational with partial engine damage. The ability to repair key components and continue flying to a station for full repair enhances its survivability during cargo runs and combat situations. Overall, the Hermes is a solid medium-sized cargo hauler with decent defense for its class, making it a reliable choice for serious trading and hauling missions in Star Citizen.