This is absolutely my go to ship.
To me, flown right, with a good and coordinated crew, there is little it can't go against and come out on top.
My typical loadout is Barking Dog Carronade up front, Flamethrower starboard and Hades, Flak or mortar rear (rarely used).
My style is typically ambush or full rush attack (I prefer the former but the ship is capable of the latter).
Either way, the liberal use of kerosene, hydrogen and phoenix claw is a must - which puts a lot of stress on the main engineer, who is the most critical member of the crew IMO.
The Kerosene is used to close distance fast (in ambush, to get close before you're spotted, in bull rush, to close the distance to effective gun range as fast as possible). I tend to start low so that I can get under the arcs of most guns and blast right past. That's where Hydrogen and Phoenix claw come into play. With Hydrogen, I pop up behind and the claw lets me spin around to get the two guns on target before the enemy can even start turning.
At this point, the carronade blasts their balloon and the flamer does what it does. I keep both on target and sit slightly above (or slightly below a Mobula). I ride them all the way to the ground and sit on them.
It takes a while, but they always go down if I am not driven off by another ship.
When in multiple ship combat, I drive them to the ground and dart away with kerosene and hydrogen if an unengaged enemy moves toward us. I call out the disabled ship's location to teammates with more finishing firepower or take pot shots with a hull damaging rear gun on my escape.
It's biggest challenge are gat/mortar Pyras that locate me quickly and maximize the time it takes me to close as well as other well crewed and flown squids - especially gat/rocket squids as they do more immediate damage.
Like most, the biggest keys to this ship's success is the crew.
Most like to have three Engies on a Squid.
I don't, and here's why. The front gun needs to me manned CONSTANTLY. the window of opportunity for shots is often very narrow, so we have to make it count. If someone is off repairing when we swing around for a slashing pass, they won't get to the gun in time to do so.
Having them be a gunner usually ties them to the gun. If your crew is well-versed in their jobs it's okay to have them be an engineer, as long as they know that they only come off the carronade if we are disengaged an in full repair mode. A carronade gunner on a squid MUST be patient and realize that while he will not always have a shot, his shots are CRITICAL to the ship's success and the captain will always be working to ensure those shots are available even while staying out of heavy gun range/arcs.
The gungineer on this build needs to be offensively focused. The flamer carro combo is key. Both need to be operating to lock down an enemy. Also, the flamer has a better vertical range of motion and as the squid needs to stay above most enemies, it will actually have a shot more often than the carronade. Keep their balloons and engines on fire all the time and it will decrease firepower coming back at you. Also, the flamer takes down the armor pretty well itself, making the hull damage caused by bouncing off the ground/objects, more critical. When not flaming, the gungineer should help with the hull, but should not leave the flamer unless the main engineer is stuck on balloon or engines.
The main engineer of a squid like this is an extremely challenging job. He or she is tasked with keeping the ship alive as the gunners and gungineer are focused on dealing damage and the pilot is slashing and dashing at breakneck speeds, often crashing into things in the process.
The most important thing to remember is that the Squid is the only ship with four engines, and every one of them is critically important. With even one out, the Squid loses its primary advantages - speed and maneuverability.
With a pilot using Phoenix Claw and Kerosene liberally, these engines will ALWAYS be damaged. A main engineer will wear a path in the deckplates running between all four (don't forget the lower port engine behind the pilot!).
In addition to that, he will also have to watch the balloon - especially when the pilot uses hydrogen to attack or escape.
He may need to ask for assistance on balloon or engine and should not hesitate to do so as both are critical. The captain can override, but usually won't. If the main engineer is asking for help, he or she usually needs it.
In addition to these already daunting responsibilities, when the flamer is active, the main engineer also must watch the hull.
There's no question that a main engineer able to immediately and flexibly prioritize on the fly is every bit as important (if not moreso) than a pilot able to get the ship into position and out of trouble.
An engineer who can do all this is effectively doing the job of two men on any other ship and is therefore allowing the Squid to punch above her weight-class. This is key to her success in an environment where everything is bigger and hits harder.
Luckily, I have some truly spectacular crews, so I can get away with this system and make the Zephyr soar.
