If you have been using corvettes and thinking of another fleet, Destroyers are what you need. Destroyers are fast ships with more firepower compared to corvettes, which have low firepower and faster ships. During the early game period, Stellaris destroyers offer the needed firepower that corvette fleets lack.
Destroyers excel at providing defense points with advanced combat computers for better tracking. Besides this, they have the best disengagement capacity in the game, which means they can survive a losing battle compared to other ships.
Despite having a base rating of 35% evasion, you can tweak it to 70-80% advanced afterburners and gale speed trait. Furthermore, towards the end of the game evasion, you can increase the rating to 90% using an admiral with the psychic trait or enigmatic encoder.
Also read: Are Stellaris Titans Worth Building
Stellaris Destroyer Uses
Destroyers come power-packed and can outrun any enemy because of their strike craft and torpedoes. When combined with a picket combat computer and a point defense weapon, they provide the best opportunity to defend against incoming enemy strikes. However, they require supporting ships because they don’t perform well with other ships.
If you want to outrun an enemy at the initial stage of the game, your best bet is destroyers. Furthermore, combining a picket destroy with a small and medium weapon with autocannons can quickly handle and destroy an enemy fleet. Once plasma weapons become active, you can include them in your destroyer fleet to stand against any heavily armored ship.
Stellaris destroyers with kinetic batteries or artillery are an excellent choice for long-range combats, especially in larger fleets. Incorporating secondary weapons such as lasers or autocannons can make them a complete ship with weaponry.
Reasons for Destroyers
Destroyers began as a frontline ship. However, as the game evolved, they became better suited for support craft. Compared to the different Stellaris ships, destroyers have the best defensive point for protecting against battleships. They also allow certain types of weapons, which enable them to bombard an enemy ship. Depending on what you are facing, a defense point with flak artillery can be an excellent weapon to face an enemy with.
Stellaris Destroyer Early Game Design
At the initial stage of the game, you will face small ships; using large weapons that offer low tracking isn’t the best option to consider. However, you can opt for smaller weapons with higher tracking capability, which gives you a better chance of hitting swiftly. Additionally, endeavor to keep your armor and shied balanced. An excellent early game design can include plasma weapons with small or medium autocannons because they complement each other on their damage.
Autocannons can strike through a shield with minor armor damage, whereas plasma weapons generate more armor with enormous damage but at the expense of shield damage. Peradventure you face an enemy who places more importance on their shield protection, you may want to consider ignoring the general rule and build a ship that comprises autocannons and other kinetic weapons.
For example, an artillery combat computer is a unique design to overpower corvettes, especially in the early stages of the game. The artillery combat computer has better weapon range and better firing rate. Furthermore, autocannons and lasers are also good combinations for your strike during the early stage of the game. You might not need afterburners for additional evasion. You can also opt to use small weapons, as they work best against corvettes.
Also read: 5 Best Games Like Epic Seven
Stellaris Destroyer Late Game Design
For the end of the game, you need a little more punch. You can select a gunship stern and artillery bow before installing a large weapon like kinetic artillery or a neutron launcher. These can be affected to perform an on slaughter against your enemy. Like other combat ships in Stellaris, the best option against your opponent is to load your ship. You can use a medium gauss cannon for the gunship stern. However, it depends on what you need.
Furthermore, you can choose a line combat computer instead of a picket to increase the firing rate. Additionally, the combat computer improves your chances of hitting your target. You should pay attention to the different weapon ranges you choose when using a combat computer to avoid the ship from staying out of the weapon range.
Stellaris Destroyers Upkeep Costs
The upkeep cost of Stellaris destroyers is based on the building cost of the ship. The energy credit takes 1%, the alloys to maintain the ship costs 0.333%, whereas additional components can take up to 0.833%. Any strategic resources the ship uses increases the upkeep costs.
An average upkeep cost for a Stellaris destroyer with a flak battery, 3 small shields, 3 small Nano-composite armor, and 4 small mass drivers would cost 1.64 energy credits per month. However, the alloys would cost 0.37 per month. Therefore, when creating your Stellaris destroyer, you should consider the case if it is worth it.