I'm currently running. but was not getting good use out of ptl or juke. it could be that my sample size is low about 10 games. plus with black market St is ptl worth it on a defender? any suggestion for a different upgrade for those and possible a different pilot then vessery like maarek.

like this

To paraphrase another thread I posted to recently:

I am going to be controversial and suggest that it is not the Ryad/Vessery loadout that needs looking at but the Palp Mobile. You have nearly a third of your points tied up in that thing but Defenders don't need Palp the way Soontir does. They don't usually run SDs and they have twice the health meaning they can take a few hits and still keep fighting. Soontir is a glass cannon who needs Palp to remain alive and effective. Defenders are fairly cannony but a lot less glassy.

I would suggest that instead of taking a Palp Mobile that you want to hide from engagement, take a 3rd combat ship that can actually take part effectively and still paint Target Locks for Vessery. Having 2 wingmen to mark targets for him makes him a lot more flexible than if he relies on Ryad alone.

My 2 favourite wingmen are either an /x7 Delta Squadron pilot or Deathfire with LRS and ordnance of your choice (I favour HMs, CNs and EMs). Both have lower PS than Vessery meaning they can take a Target Lock and then use it after he has finished shooting. In the case of Deathfire, he can take a TL anywhere outside Range 2 which means once he has fired his missiles, you can TL anything you like for Vessery to shoot at and use Deathfire's free action to drop his Conner Nets.

Thanks for you post I appreciate your response. I do see your point because most of the time the shuttle just get like 2 shots be for it has to come around for another shot so why not bring more fire power to the party right/ sorry I missed your other post.

Omega Leader is a good wingman for the other Defenders too. And there's always the triple crack list of glaive, ryad, and vessery if you don't like PTL. Vessery's ability is more of a bonus for later in that one.

Palp does help though. Your greens will fail you and having Palp can mean the difference between taking damage or not. Also, I'd argue that Palp is even more important if you are running Maarek. Getting those key crits in can really swing a game in your favor.

I think one mistake people make with Palp Defenders is leaving the shuttle out of combat for too long. The Shuttle can put added pressure on your opponent. It throws a respectable 3 red dice and can be used to block. Likely they are going to kill it first, but if the shuttle can contribute some offense, then its points well spent.

I still like PTL on Ryad. It basically allows you to be have TL/Focus/Evade nearly every single turn. Expertise is nice, but its also one point more. Ryad really has no problem handling the stress either, especially with MKII engines. I honestly think the Palp Defender list with Vess/Ryad is kind of the perfect list. Its got easy synergy to pull off and it doesn't have any extreme weaknesses.

Obviously the Palp Shuttle Makes the defenders even harder to take down (not arguable). I personally run Deathfire much like Karhedron and REALLY enjoy the way it plays. I also like how it speeds up matches. Below is a happy medium I made, that plays well and cam really frees Vess up to chase what ever target presents itself and if ran well offers more potential damage the first 2 or three combat rounds than deathfire usually will. Just food for thought, its probably too middle of the road to be competitive, but as I don't have Palp this was my first list when I got the Veterans.

Lamda w/defender escort (100)

Colonel Vessery (35) - TIE Defender

Lone Wolf (2), TIE/x7 (-2)

Countess Ryad (36) - TIE Defender

Push The Limit (3), TIE/x7 (-2), Twin Ion Engine Mk. II (1)

Omicron Group Pilot (29) - Lambda-Class Shuttle Fire Control System (2), Weapons Engineer (3), ST-321 (3)

It had the benefit off TL's everywhere and the Lambda was super efficient as a shooter until he had to turn around.