Buffing 101

[StrawberryDelite]

Got one more tip for you:

When you buff the hull, the hull will actually be repaired by a bit w/out a repair cooldown. I'm not sure exactly how much, though. I'd say it's somewhere around a mallet's repair. So, instead of buffing the hull right before you get into battle, it might be a good idea to buff it once you've actually taken some damage. That way, you'll be able to get a sudden burst of hp to your armor, thus allowing the ship to soak up a little more damage.

[N-Sunderland]

That's not entirely accurate. When you buff the hull, it adds 30% armour. This is no different whether you're damaged or not. So in the end, buffing after taking damage doesn't really carry that particular benefit.

[StrawberryDelite]

Ah, okay. I was under the impression that it would repair the hull armor. Sorry for the misunderstanding and thanks for clearing that up.

[N-Sunderland]

Ah, okay. I was under the impression that it would repair the hull armor. Sorry for the misunderstanding and thanks for clearing that up.

No problem. It really does look like it's straight-out repairing, so the mix-up is totally understandable.

[Spud Nick]

There is nothing more annoying than having a buff engineer who only buffs a ship at the start of the match. I want to continue this thread by asking engineers how they keep a ship buffed. What do you buff first? How many parts can you keep buffed? Do you buff everything? What is the best route to take in order to buff the most parts?

[Zenark]

Depending on the ship, I usually ask my buffgineers to focus on buffing the hull and balloon over everything else. On a Goldfish, for instance, I'll ask for buffed hull and a buffed front gun as necessity with engines and the balloon as secondary.

Tell your engineers to smack the component with the Buff Hammer while they're waiting for the repair cooldown. (Unless they're on a circuit.)

If they aren't repairing something, then they should be Buffing. Ain't no rest for a Buffgineer.

[N-Sunderland]

It depends on your crew loadout (buffing everything is much easier with two buff engis, and it also depends on other ways you run the ship), but here's the way I do it

Pyra (two buff engis): buff and pre-buff engines, then hull, then balloon/pre-buff front guns
 
Junker (two buffs): one guy buffs/prebuffs turnings and balloon, then pre-buffs top guns, then buffs/pre-buffs hull. Other guy buffs main engine, pre-buffs bottom guns, buff/pre-buffs hull, buffs front gun

Galleon: buff/pre-buff engines, pre-buff bottom guns, buff/pre-buff hull, buff/pre-buff balloon.

Goldfish: buff/pre-buff engines, buff/pre-buff hull, pre-buff main gun, buff/pre-buff balloon

Squid (two buffs): buff/pre-buff engines, then balloon, pre-buff front and right guns, if there's nothing else to do buff/prebuff hull.

Mobula (two buffs): Haven't tried, but I suppose you'd want one handling each side, so both get two guns, hull/balloon, one turning engine, then move on to main engine (and front gun?) once done.

Spire (two buffs): one gets main engine, then balloon, then top left gun. Other pre-buffs main gun while loading ammo, then turnings, then hull.

[Alistair MacBain]

On most shis u have to priotize the primary weapons hull and engines are good things to have a buff on. A balloon buff gets most pilots distracted so only use it when pilot says so.
Good weapons to buff are all medium ones, gatlings, carronades. A mortar doesnt need it that hard cause it will kill the hull without buff too when armors down.

[N-Sunderland]

The balloon buff used to be a nightmare, but a couple of patches ago they improved it to the point where just about every captain I've flown with wants one.

[Zenark]

The balloon buff used to be a nightmare, but a couple of patches ago they improved it to the point where just about every captain I've flown with wants one.

I love a buffed balloon, it tickles my special place.