First: Thanks to Skrimskraw, Tropo, YoloSwagJesus ,Calico Jack, ClassyTitan and RainerZufall who've assisted in the creation of this guide!
Ahoy!
You came here because you want to be the vanguard in battle. The first ship to make contact, to blow everything away that comes in too close. You want the scorched framework of the enemy ship to shatter against your helm, as you ram straight trough the enemy ship. You also want to idly chit-chat with the main engineer on the lower deck while you turn your long-range portside to the enemy on the other side of the map, that actually expected you to come bullrushing.
Ship Stats and Resilience
Ship Health: 650
Hull Health: 800
Baloon Health: 1200
Acceleration: 0.9 m/s²
Radial Acceleration: 4.2 deg/s²
Vertical Acceleration: 1.6 m/s²
Max Speed: 30.0 m/s
Max Turn Speed: 10.5 deg/s
Max Vertical Speed: 10.5 m/s
Mass: 300,000 kg
Hull Profile: 352 m²
Balloon Profile: 459 m²
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SpeedAt first glance you'd expect a ship as the Pyramidion - high firepower, well balanced with tough armor and health to be slow. But it isn't - the Goldfish and naturally the Squid are faster, but not by much. Kerosene and Moonshine help you overcome any speed problems, especially when you want to ram the enemy.
Hull About two clips of a Gatling take the Pyramidions hull armor down, but having a dedicated engineer on the lower deck most of the time and
it's guns firing back at the enemy make it seem much tougher than that. Due the big hitbox of the Pyramidions hull, shots that were directed at the
balloon or front guns tend to go astray for the hull. Don't despair once your hull armor is down though - the high hull health of the ship
allows it to take some hits.
BalloonThe Pyramidions balloon located conveniently behind a light weapon hardpoint, it can be repaired
when the gun next to it is reloading. It'll likely soak damage that would be directed at taking your front guns out, and unless
someone tries to take out your front guns with a carronade it'll do a very good job at that due to the damage reduction.
EnginesThe engines on the Pyramidion are rather simple to repair - All very close to each other on the aft of the ship, you can reach the
side/turning Engines comfortably from the back of the lower deck, and from this position you can also reach up and repair the main engine. However, they're relatively easy to hit for the enemy gunners, and having an engine down will further slow the Pyramidion's turning. All in all, they're a prime target if your Pyramidion is under attack.
GunsThe Pyramidion heavily relies on it's frontguns, you'll constantly have them manned with the gunner and one engineer. Choosing which gun
goes next to the balloon might be tricky, for whoever mans this gun might have to repair the balloon at times. The gun on the right will
have better chances to be firing constantly, so you'll want to put the more important one there. On the lower deck, at portside, you've
got 2 guns as well - one opposite to the hull, and the other one next to the main engine on a slightly elevated position. They're spaced
farther apart then the two front guns, but still allow firing on the same target. Commonly they're used for long range or utility
weapons. (such as the Mine Launcher, or the Beacon Light Flare Gun).
Examples on Loadouts
While you can classify some ships as rather defensive, not fit to engage in close combat or bullrushes - offense is the Pyramidions
prime purpose. Of course long range weapons work just as good on it's front as close range weapons do, but I'd dare say that you miss
out on the Pyramidions capabilities entirely by doing that. A Pyramidion is supposed to be the vanguard in a match, taking and doing the bulk of damage. Choosing your front weapons carefully is key here - Make sure you have weaponry up front that work well in conjunction. |  |
To have an example for a fairly well working loadout, here's one that Tropo and YoloSwagJesus helped me come up with:
Front left: Scylla Double Barrel Mortar
Front right:Whirlwind Light Gatling Gun
Lower Portside: Beacon Light Flare Gun
Upper Portside: Artemis Light Rocket Launcher
This is straightforward and simple - you'll especially see the loadout for the front guns a lot. Focused solely on the front weapons, this
build aims to get in effective range for Mortar and Gatling and unleash their fire at the enemy ships hull. The portside weapons are
solely for utility purposes, and for giving the main engineer something to do while keeping the hull in check. The Flare Gun and the
Rocket Launcher are mid to long range, as opposed to the top weaponry which is rather close range.
Let's have a look at the individual gun positions in more detail:
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FrontOn the right we've got a Whirlwind Light Gatling Gun. Why on the right? Because this gun is supposed to be constantly firing,
keeping the enemy ships hull armor down or taking out specific guns when you're close enough. This will mean constant pressure for one of
the engineers on the other ship, and give the Pyramidion the option to ram - remember, ramming does the most damage if the hull armor is
down. On the left, next to the balloon is the Mortar. The Mortar comes into play when the hull armor is down on the enemy ship, to quickly
destroy any remaining Hull Health with it's explosive damage. However, the large clip allows it to also effectively damage other parts of the enemy ship. Behind the
Mortar is the balloon, so whoever is manning this weapon should take care of it - best an engineer.
Lower PortsideHere we have a utility weapon.which adds 10 firestacks to any component it hits and illuminates an area to flash out hidden ships even if it misses. It'll find more use on maps that have a lot of clouds on them, but once your gunner learns how to hit the enemy balloon with it, you're going to love it.
Upper PortsideThe Artemis light rocket launcher is our long range utility here - it reliably takes 2 shots to take down a component and shoots in a quite straight and predictable line. Together with the Beacon Flare Gun this serves to give enemy ships on long range a suitable welcome, disabling their guns or engines before the Pyramidion approaches.
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The common point with this loadout are the front weapons. You'll find those or a similar setup on most Pyramidions, the portside weapons are highly varying - they can be used for utility guns, such as with our loadout above, but also for close range defense with light carronades and flamers. Putting the same guns again would be redundant though.
Engineering on a Pyramidion
Engineering on a Pyramidion is a straightfoward job - one engineer will be the "Gungineer", firing one gun while doing minor repairs and the main engineer will be down on the lower deck, taking care of the hull and engines and ocassionally firing the portside guns. If the ship is under heavy fire, it's not unusual for the main engineer to ask the engineer from the top deck to come down and help while the captain brings the ship in a better position. This will greatly reduce firepower though, so the top deck engineer should always announce when he's leaving his gun for anything else than balloon or gun repairs. Top deck engineers should also get used to the thought of jumping from the top deck straight to the hull - don't even think about using the ladder 
| Buffing with the Pyramidion can be a bit tricky, because as the main engineer you won't bring a buffing kit, and as the gungineer on the top deck you won't always be able to get to the lower deck for keeping components buffed - However, the buff on the hull lasts fairly long and adds to the offensive capabilities of the Pyramidion a lot. Considering that the balloon is also right behind the top engineer, keeping this one buffed will greatly enhance the Pyramidions maneuvering. |  |
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That's where you jump off the top deck to help repairs on the lower Deck! | 
And that's from where you can comfortably repair the Main Engine and the turning engines together! |
Gunning on a Pyramidion
 | Gunnery is as well, a quite straightforward task on the Pyramidion. Especially if you're the front gunner, your captain will know exactly where the guns are pointing and usually turn the ship in the right direction without a lot of input needed from you on your gun. You will have one engineer next to you, making sure at least one gun is always able to fire but of course it's great if you can take care of your own gun.
The side guns will usually be manned by the main engineer if necessary, depending on what guns they are the captain might call you and the second engineer down to work with them for a short while though. This is usual if the Pyramidion has a close range front and a long range side, or defensive weaponry on the side when assaulted there. While your captain nearly has full visibility for the front, this is not the case for the portside - make sure to give your captain directions if you're working from here!
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Captaining on a Pyramidion
The Pyramidion doesn't give you the feeling of very smooth flying - more like a charging bull. With very slow acceleration and a high top speed, a charging bull isn't the worst of comparisations. Remember this when bringing the Pyramidion to a standstill, either when ramming didn't bring the desired result or when you neet to give up on a position - you are slow to run away at first! Contrary to most other ships, you'll be standing in the front of the Pyramidion as the captain, with having the two front guns and the balloon above you. Don't touch the ladder though, running a short distance to help in rebuilding the Hull makes much more sense, and you'll be back to your helm quicker. Very rarely, you might have to run to the back of the ship for rebuilding engines, but you'll generally leave this to your engineers.
Still, you are having a quite good vantage point from the front and will usually have no problems at all with finding a firing solution for your front gunners. For spotting targets behind you, your main engineer on the lower deck will have to look out, because the bulky Pyramidion's hull won't allow you to look back.
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Hydrogen If you're going in for a ram, many captains will use Hydrogen to avoid you by inches. Use Hydrogen yourself to crash full force into them still! Also, make sure you match your captains tools to your gun loadout - Mortars can fire down from a higher position gained by Hydrogen.
Chute Vent You need a quick pass trough under a enemy ship that tries to protect their ally? Chute vent is the less obvious choice for this, so the enemy pilot will not expect a maneuver like that. Also, if you are using carronades on your Pyramidion, they can shoot upwards better than downwards.
Drogue Chute Keeping your guns trained at the enemy is crucial for a Pyramidion. If you have to sink, sink slowly with the Chute to allow your guns to fire longer!
Kerosene Kerosene will increase the already good forward momentum of the Pyramidion, and allow it to even catch up with evasive Squids. If you ram with Kerosene, you are still able to turn around and adjust your position if the enemy tries to avoid you!
Moonshine Especially used for ramming on the Pyramidion. It will also keep you from changing direction too much after the ram, because it halts your sideways movement. Short boosts of it when you're turning will also increase maneuverability! While using Moonshine though, your turning is off - you'll speed up in a straight line.
Impact Bumpers Impact Bumpers have the disadvantage of taking away some of your speed. Impact (ramming) damage is calculated with several factors, among them ship mass and speed though - if you use the Bumpers too early, you'll lose speed and thus damage. Using them while ramming also makes it more difficult to use Moonshine at the right moment to keep your ship from turning away. If you have to rely on Impact Bumpers because you are worried about your hull health, then it's better to not go for that ram and get the kill with more convential means. Just as on any other ship, they will still be useful if another ship is going to ram you or if you are worried about terrain damage. Conclusion: Don't use them for ramming, but use them if you are getting rammed.
Phoenix ClawA standard on most ships, but even more so on the Pyramidion - Turning is your weak point, with the Phoenix Claw you can counter this!
Spy Glass Personal preference. If your crew feels up to it, have them do the spotting for you. And they better should - a third pilot tool is extremely useful.
Tar Barrel Sometimes your firepower just isn't enough to end a enemy ship - especially if their ally suddenly turns up. Using Tar Barrel to cover your retreat will discourage pursuers to give you time for planning your next attack!
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The Pyramidion is currently one of the most popular ships in the game - 2 forward facing guns, a simple layout and a good armor rating make it a firm choice for beginners as well as for veterans. You will often find yourself in the more active role when playing, because a Pyramidion is usually expected to lead the charge - make sure you coordinate well with your allied ships, and to have them watch your back and give fire support when you fly ahead!
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To any and all readers: I am personally unconvinced with the text in this Guide, I consider it my weakest so far. If you can give me some more pages of advice to add, please, go ahead! Of course I'll still be happy if you find it's good and you learned something!
Edit: Some updates on the 25th of July 2013, Contributors: N-Sunderland, QKQ
Text corrections on the 26th of July 2013, Contributor: Sprayer
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To clarify, I will largely be quitting GoIO for the next 3-4 months due to personal reasons, and while I will still be able to work on GoIO related things (for at least 2-3 hours a day I reckon, starting with the 6th of September), I won't be able to manage the same amount of work. That's why I've been pumping out guides these days. It was my aim to get the skeleton of the guide largely done until the 28th, and I think we've come very close to it. This will allow us or me or anyone who feels up to it to just update and add to the base now, which is a much less timetaking process. Jus to clarify, we are not done yet. But we're quite close.
Seit dem letzten Versuch sind einige Monate ins Land gezogen und seitdem ist unsere Steam Gruppe auf über 50 Spieler angewachsen, also rechne ich uns diesmal bessere Chancen aus! Sollte sich das ganze bewähren, können wir jederzeit versuchen daraus einen regulären Termin zu machen!
