With the introduction of new content, it's helpful to share your experiences and tips for other players. Here's my impression of the Magnate and ideas on how best to exploit its advantages and mitigate its weaknesses
Front Engi
Front engi choice is pretty straight forward: spanner mallet chem. Due to hull proximity and lack of other nearby components, chem is the right choice. When not facing direct armor damage the main engi can use their stamina and run to the main engine. This can be repaired from below like Galleon but the two other crew may be preoccupied with the four guns, two engines, and balloon. It's probably best to put the main engi in charge of main engine repairs full time when not in combat to allow constant engine burning and avoid engine damage.
This is the best position for a less experienced crew member, but doesn't mean it's any less critical than the rear positions
Rear Positions
The rear two positions are tricky. Normally the mid-deck would be a position for a wrench buff engi, but the position is further from the turning engines and balloon than the heavy gun position. Playing with a wrench buff in the middle and spanner mallet buff on the heavy gun felt lacking in repairs, and for this reason I switched to a second main engi kit with chem
A more natural setup is having the gunner in the middle and a main engi in the rear. This gives the main engi access to repairs and chems during reloads but loses the buff or gunner stamina on the heavy gun
With a double-buff setup it's possible to switch the roles and have the wrench buff on the rear and spanner mallet buff in the middle. The benefit is chem on the balloon and two buff hammers, but you lost the mallet on the heavy gun and balloon. I don't find this tradeoff worth it and would recommend only one buff hammer on this ship against dangerous opponents - similar to Mobula
If using a single buff hammer, there's arguments for both setups but I recommend starting with the buff in the middle and main kit in the rear. This gives better fire protection and is simpler for the crew
Loadouts can be built around these repair limitations. For example, if both guns use the same ammo then either engi/gunner can man them and positions can be swapped. A gunner could also move from the Hwatcha to the upper gun during reload if repairs are required by the main engi
Long range setups
Lumberjack Hades Banshee is a powerful combo. Arcs can get tricky so the 60 degree arcs of the Banshee are helpful. Either heavy clip or greased can be used for the Banshee. Heavy clip is great for long range precision, and greased can be used for closer range or the right side gun. Fewer heavy clip gun choices are available on the right side, but a great choice is Light Carro with its helpful 55 degree arcs
HCarro MK2 and Hflak are also viable for long range but more tricky due to the Magnate's vulnerability to disable. A Merc can even work in place of the Hades for extreme ranges. Coupled with a front Artemis or Banshee, the Merc and heavy gun can be deadly to large targets like Spire and Galleon at long range. Minotaur is harder to justify due to low kill power and lengthy reload
Mid range
Hwatcha is a natural choice due to its effectiveness at close and medium range. Minotaur, Hflak, and Hcarro2 can fit this role but may lack disable and kill power against dangerous opponents
Right side
Assuming your left side is for longer range, the right is usually built for closer ranges. Hwatcha, Hcarro, and HCarro2 can fit this role. HCarro is powerful but has limited arcs. HCarro2 can be used in combo with disable and kill guns, but is quite weak by itself. It holds the advantage of good arcs and being simple to use
Good front arcs still apply for the right side - I recommend Banshee, Flame, or Lcarro due to their arcs and close range power. The mid gun position is flexible with Gat being a popular choice
Favorite Loadouts?
My favorite loadout so far is double mine Hwatcha, flame mortar Hcarro. Mines are fun to use and the heavy clip Hwatcha can buy time before they start impacting. A gunner could fit well on this setup either shooting the mine or jumping to the Hwatcha for better arcs
The right side, flame (front) mortar Hcarro is potent at killing under-chemmed ships, but against Pyra Hwatcha is a clear better choice
Piloting Tips
I'm using the standard Kero, Claw, Hydro loadout. The Magnate is fairly maneuverable and easy to fly. Avoid heavy disable fire by protecting the rear. Be aware of your movement when using long range to avoid throwing off the gunner's shots. Plays pretty standard to me and nothing in particular to report, except to use Practice mode first to learn arcs
In summary, the Magnate is vulnerable to disable and heavily repair limited at the rear. Spread out repair cycles make transitioning from the mid gun to rear repairs time consuming. With organized crew roles or non-standard position setups these limitations can be partially mitigated. Powerful gun combos and good flying characteristics make it effective in pubs
What are your thoughts?
