Ship:axford
Mounts
The Axford has
* 1 C5 * 1 C4 * 4 C2 * 4 C1
Mounts 1 and 2
Mount 3
is the "backpack" mount of the Axford. On gun Axfords, this is where you can safely mount your missile launchers without interfering with the gun battery, or equip various softkill equipment like E70 'Interruption' Jammer, VLS-2.
Broadside Axfords will of course use this mount for another gun turret. Broadside Axfords must be careful to play at the edge of their range when using the rear turret, as presenting it makes them an easier target and their angled armor less effective.
Mounts 4 5 and 6 7
These broadside C2 mounts are most often used for secondary batteries of Mk62 Cannons, or various PDTs as in TF Oak.
Mount 8
This nose C1 mount is the best position for a E55 'Floodlight' Illuminator, as it can easily point backward at mounts 10 and 11. As the furthest forward mount, it provides the best range and field of view for the RF101 'Bullseye' Radar, but is correspondingly vulnerable to fire. It is also an excellent spot for a PDT mount.
Mount 9
This C1 mount is the safest spot for your RF101 'Bullseye' Radar, as it can see through the bottom of the ship from this position. It is also an excellent spot for a PDT mount.
Mount 10 and 11
These C1 mounts are the best spots for a VLS-1-23 Launcher. Their restricted arcs make them a bad choice for RF101 'Bullseye' Radars, emitters, or other turrets.
Compartments
The Axford's compartments can be divided into 3 groups
The Nose-stack
Frontline Axfords such as those found in TF Oak seek to reinforce the nose with high DT components to be as durable under gunfire as possible. While this can be done by stacking RDCs, the cheaper and almost as effective option is filling it with a your pick of aux steering(s), RCIC, Rmag, and RDC, depending on what compartments you want to place in the safe-stack.
The Center-stack
The Center-stack is where you put the filler compartments that make your Axford tick. A gunplot center, small DC compartments, DC buffs, and anything else build-specific.
And The Safe-stack
The Safe stack consists of the hardest to reach compartments on an Axford, and also happens to consist of exactly as many slots as you need to keep your Axford combat capable if you've lost the rest of the ship. As such, the safe stack should always consist of your most important compartments; typically a DC locker in compartment 5, a CIC in compartment 6, and a Magazine in compartment 4. The exact makeup of these compartments will vary depending on how the rest of the ship is built; sometimes every compartment is reinforced, especially when the rest of the ship is mostly empty, and sometimes it consists of basic/large/bulk components to take advantage of the safety of the compartments, usually when the rest of the ship is fully built out.
Modules
The Axford has
- 1 Large Drive Module
- 2 Small Drive Modules
- 4 3x3 Modules
- 5 2x2 Modules
For Frontline combat ships, the 3x3 Modules will typically be FR3300 Micro Reactors to power the ship. On backline combatants or beam ships, they may be Focused Particle Accelerators to buff beam damage or Missile Programming Bus Arrays to increase missile salvo size.
Your choice of radar will end up in one of the front 2x2 modules under the Nose-stack, either modules 8, 9, or 10, where it will help split damage with its high HP pool and damage threshold.
For Frontline combatants, your Axford will need an appropriate amount of Ammunition Elevators, between 4-5. All or all but one of these will be in the 2x2 modules.
Drive Setup
There are many ways to set up an Axford's drive, and the best way will depend on the role you are building the ship for.
Raider Drives provide the best lateral thrust (LT), allowing you to quickly accelerate in any direction; this is best for dodging.
Whiplash Drives provide the best top speed, allowing you to reposition across the map quickly.
Dragonfly Drives provide the best angular thrust (AT), allowing your ship to pivot and change its heading and roll quickly.
Prowler Drives are a trap option here, as if you would like to play from stealth you should take a ship with a smaller radar cross section like a Raines or Sprinter
FR4800 Reactors fit into the small drive slots, allowing you to reclaim 3x3 modules for other uses if needed, instead of those modules containing FR3300 Micro Reactors.
For Frontline combat ships, the two best drive setups are Raider-raider-whip for bow-tanking ships and Raider-raider-raider for less mobile broadsiders. Ships that need to save costs will sometimes drop one or two of these drives for FR4800 Reactors, taking a corresponding drop in capability.
Backline combatants may find themselves appreciating the Whip for its large power generation, the Dragonfly for an easier time getting a beam turret onto target, or a basic FM500-Drive to save points.
