Oooh! Love a shield!
I've said that before, haven't I?
There's a few things to ;point out about these beasties though....
First is that the initial pair were slipped onto the market without any fanfare a week or so ago.
The second is that I was actually a bit surprised. Partly by the fact that they had been released at all, but also because of the fact that manufacturers thought they needed to be released.
That probably requires some explanation on my part.
you see, an Epsilon shield is aimed at the big boys of 95 to 100 tons. The one thing those things are generally not short of is shielding.
If it isn't an over abundance of shield slots available once fully functional, it will generally be supplemented or replaced by a built in shield of some form or description. As such, you can quite happily fit a swathe of straight Epsilon shields and come out smiling.
Oh, speaking of straight Epsilon, we'd best have the obligatory cost comparison, otherwise Pat may rouse out of his drunken stupor and demand penance. Penance in the GG offices is not pretty, as Kenneth found out the last time he had to do lavatory duty after the Brotherhood had one of their monthly 'Beer and Peanut' nights.
A straight Epsilon shield costs 52 Niodes, 600 Bioptics and 700 Ferrite for a straight shielding mitigation of 42 damage points, a percentage mitigation of 33% and a vulnerability of 8%.
The multi Epsilons cost 50 Bioptics more and while you loose 3 points of straight damage resistance, you gain 1% of of overall mitigation that is now split 23/11 between two different weapon types.
Putting it into perspective, you need to be getting hit with a shot of 300 plus damage to see any huge difference, which at the level when you are fielding BFM class mechs is actually pretty much all of the time.
But getting back to the point that I veered away from, which was why these were actually released, the one thing that an up and coming pilot needs to realise is that at this level most equipment in the other categories comes with built in damage vulnerabilities. And because those big mechs need so many pieces, it is oh so easy to nickle and dime away the shielding in a particular category, whether it is built into the chassis or purchased separately.
So yes, these multi shields are necessary for you to be able to mix and match things just to make sure you don't leave yourself with a vulnerability due to their equipment.
One final word of advice.
I used to think shielding was a no brainer... buy shields, as much as you can, no questions asked. Love a shield.
Now, maybe just... put those funds to one side. don't spend them just yet. get your other stuff. Then go back and get the right mix you need.
Submitted by David McCallum #701548