Starter Fleet Guide:Zircon

Zircon Squadron Fleet Summary

Zircon Squadron Game Models

Zircon Squadron

Difficulty: Moderate

Pros at a Glance

   * Deadly Short-Ranged Armament 
   * Able to defeat heavy and light ships

Cons at a Glance

   * Limited effective range to 7.2km
   * Not particularly durable
   * May require some micro due to lineship rolling
   * Almost no anti-blob/skirmish capability except when counter-ambushing

Community Maintainer: NekoBoyBlue

Zircon Squadron Fleet Preview

Obelisks: Top Towards Enemy & This Side Up

Zircon is a fleet of three ships that relies on ambush tactics to deal damage up close and personal within the 7km range bracket. Their primary armament are turreted T30 100mm cannons and T81 400mm Plasma cannons. A Vertically mounted C53 casemate is used to orient the Liner to the target so the turrets on both sides can fire consistently. Unlike its similarly armed Garnet Squadron, Zircon does not have the same durability as Monitors. However, don’t underestimate these lineships. They can deliver a lot more burst damage than Garnet as they have 16 Class 4 turrets instead of 10; first using the Plasma guns to strip away enemy armor, and then using the 100mm to deal damage.

Against the most heavily armored targets, load 100mm Armor Piercing (AP) first. Then use the heading and roll commands, along with the weapon group commands to point the self-explanatory Top Towards enemy and This Side up Marauder class lineship at the enemy, or use the C53 Vertical cannon to orient the ship. Fire Plasma and 100 AP at the enemy for the first salvo, before transitioning down to 100mm High Explosive High Capacity (HEHC) for the followup salvoes against armor-stripped targets. You may have to duck behind cover, but with CHI 7700 drives specialized for acceleration and turning, the two bulkers can do that easily.

Do note that while Zircon is effective at eliminating both ANS heavy and light ships up close, careful location and judgement need to be used to position the ships to do so. Do not get into a long-ranged pursuit against enemy forces or a stand-off engagement above 7km. Use the Tyrannical Gaze to locate targets and position yourself accordingly using cover to leap out and douse the enemy in flame and cannon-fire.

Trivia: Zircon was originally a T30 equipped lineship with two pure plasma monitors and a scout shuttle.

Tyrannical Gaze

Zircon Squadron includes an Early Warning Radar on a tugboat for locating enemy units. Use this tugboat's EWR to find a target so that you can maneuver your ships into position for an attack.

In Game Description

Zircon Squadron is an ambush fleet capable of exceptional burst damage against heavy targets. The two lineships can unleash a massive volume of plasma, shredding the armor of targets at close to medium range, before following up with a withering hail of 100mm gunfire. However, they will fall apart if caught by sustained fire in open space, and they have a long reload between bursts. To plan its ambushes, the squadron features an EWR tugboat that can provide situational awareness from afar. This fleet benefits from careful management of lineship facing using the HDG and ROL commands and smart ammo type selection: Grapeshot for craft, HE for small ships, AP for medium and large ships, or HE-HC once a target has had its armor shredded by plasma.