The latest 4.9 PTU patch in Star Citizen significantly increases the Ares Inferno’s alpha damage while reducing its rate of fire, resulting in a balanced overall DPS but greatly enhancing its ability to penetrate heavily armored ships when combined with missile attacks. This update encourages strategic gameplay by making the Inferno more effective against larger ships and introducing clearer damage indicators for targeted component attacks.
In this video, the creator revisits the changes made to the Ares Inferno in Star Citizen, specifically focusing on the ballistic gatling gun after the latest 4.9 PTU patch. The weapon underwent significant adjustments: its alpha damage was increased from 292 to 540, an 85% boost, while its rate of fire was nearly halved from 900 rounds per minute to 480. Despite these opposing changes, the overall damage per second (DPS) of the weapon only slightly decreased by 1%, maintaining balance while enhancing the gun’s combat effectiveness.
The key impact of the increased alpha damage is its improved ability to penetrate the armor of various ships. The video explains how ballistic weapons interact with shields and armor, noting that higher alpha damage allows the Ares Inferno to damage ships with higher physical deflection thresholds that it previously could not affect. For example, ships like the Envelgant, Valkyrie, MSR, and several Constellation variants, which were previously immune to the Inferno’s damage, are now vulnerable thanks to this buff.
The creator demonstrates this by testing the weapon against several ships with varying armor deflection thresholds. The 600i, with a threshold of 315, remains impervious until missiles are used to lower its deflection threshold, after which the Inferno can effectively damage its armor and components. Similarly, the Ironclad Assault, with a threshold of 331, can be damaged after missile strikes reduce its defenses. This illustrates the strategic interplay between missile usage and the Inferno’s ballistic gun in combat scenarios.
Further tests on larger ships like the 890 Jump and Polaris show that while the Inferno struggles initially due to their high armor deflection thresholds (405 and 495 respectively), sustained missile attacks can eventually bring these ships within the Inferno’s damage range. The video highlights the new hit marker system that clearly indicates component damage, such as power plants and shield generators, enhancing player feedback during combat and allowing targeted attacks on vital ship systems.
Overall, the video concludes that the changes represent a well-balanced power shift. The Ares Inferno becomes significantly more effective against larger, heavily armored ships without becoming overpowered. This update encourages tactical missile use to weaken enemy defenses before engaging with the Inferno’s ballistic gatling gun, adding depth to combat strategies in Star Citizen. The creator invites viewers to share their thoughts on this notable adjustment.