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The Akkan Battlecruiser is the TEC's Mothership.
Overview[]
Even in this modern age of faster than light travel, traversing between star systems can still take months. While military personnel grudgingly accept the cramped quarters of their warships, the distinctive biodomes of Akkan-class battlecruisers suggest civilian colonists are less compromising with their comfort on long voyages. With the risk of combat now ever-present, the Akkan design was outfitted with additional weapons and a modest fighter bay.
Tactics[]
The Akkan is the TEC's Primary Colonization ship, making it a very common opener for the TEC fleet. The Akkan is not only very tanky on its own, but it also has modest firepower, allowing it to take gravity wells with ease. It is also out of all the Colonization Capital Ships very economically efficient due to the free extractors that are received from Colonize (Akkan Battlecruiser) as well as a bonus to extractor income.
The Akkan is also valued because of the use of Targeting Uplink which will increase the range of all ships weapons that are in the vicinity of the Akkan. Paired with a group of Javelis this makes the TEC very effective at long range sniping of starbases, however due to the nature of how easily Javelis are countered it is advised to build bombers or Ogrov Torpedo Cruiser's instead. This can also be used in reverse as upgrading Targeting uplink can cause starbases to be able to attack targets it normally could not have. Targeting uplink also increases the chance to hit of all ships, this improves Garda's usefulness against enemy bombers and fighters as well.
The Akkan has the ability to temporarily stun single targets with their Ion Bolt ability. This is perhaps most effective when preventing a fleeing capital ship from jumping out of the system, and combined with a large enough force of frigates can be one of the deadliest weapons you can deploy against an enemy capital ship. This should also be used to stop powerful channeled abilities such as Missile Barrage.
Despite its useful and versatile abilities, the Akkan lacks much presence in a straight fight, neither increasing damage nor helping a fleet survive longer. In fact, its slower move speed makes it quite vulnerable and many players will not actually allow their Akkan to enter large battles unless they are well protected. A common strategy is to build a second capital ship to lead your main fleet while your Akkan is sent out on its own to colonize planets. On larger maps with plenty of room for expansion, this is a potent strategy.
Another mostly underrated point of the Akkan Battlecruiser is its Armistice ability. It essentially forces you and your enemy into a temporary cease fire. The Armistice ability on many occasions is what will save your very expensive fleet from total annihilation in the face of a superior fleet or more stalwart planetary defenses. Armistice will prevent the enemy from attacking your ships while they make a safe, unharmed and unmolested retreat. If your opponent decides to chase you it will be at least on neutral or your own territory then if not potential crisis averted.
An excellent use of Armistice is to buy time while you wait for reinforcements or build a starbase. The enemy cannot attack your defenses or bombard the planet for the duration. Of course, the enemy could simply move on to the next planet rather than waiting. Armistice doesn't affect strike craft, so if your enemy is using a fleet of primarily bombers you can use this ability to buy time for your fighters to thin them out. A smart opponent will just dock his bombers for the duration, however. Armistice cancels out the effect of phase jump inhibitors. You can use this ability to get past them quickly and without issue. Just make sure the Akkan is the last one to jump otherwise the ones left behind will lose the benefit of Armistice. Enemies will often foolishly wait within Armistice radius for it to expire. If there's a starbase nearby, try upgrading it with Safety Override Protocol, and they'll probably learn a thing or two about keeping their distance.
(Note: the following is written by a person who still plays version 1.09 of the original SoaSE and thus might be out of date. Use following tactics with caution.)
Circle-strafe: The Akkan boasts a powerful broadside attack, one of the most powerful attacks in the game when fully upgraded. When you combine this with upgraded maneuverability and ion bolt, you can micromanage to circle-strafe heavy cruisers and capital ships into submission.
Ship Info[]
HUD Icon: | |
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Ship Type: | Capital |
Faction: | TEC |
Primary Role: | Support / Colonization |
Shield Power: | High |
Hull Points: | Very High |
Armor Level: | Medium |
Armor Type: | Capital |
Weapons (Fore): | 2 x Pulse Lasers / 2 x Heavy AutoCannons / Ship-to-Surface Torpedoes |
Weapons (Side): | 4 x Pulse Lasers (Port) / 2 x Heavy Pulse Lasers (Starboard) / 2 x Heavy AutoCannons (Port) |
Squadrons Supported: | 1 - 3 |
Compliment: | 4,000 |
Colonize |
Ion Bolt |
Targeting Uplink |
Armistice |
Ability Management |
Attack |
Stop |
Move |
Tactics Management |
Squadron Management |