Gotta concur on the missiles. I don't think anyone would argue that any missiles are currently a threat (with the exception of Barrage Rockets. I love them, but they should probably stay at 8). Ion missiles cost 1 less then ion cannon, can only be fired thrice, require you to have a lock, and can't be fired at range 1. In exchange, they deny the range 3 bonus. woo.

1 hour ago, hargleblarg said:

In exchange, they deny the range 3 bonus. woo.

And lose the range 1 bonus. It's really stupid. 2 points would be fair. It literally can't ionize a large ship in one shot, and isn't likely to do so in 3 or 4.

Just now, ClassicalMoser said:

And lose the range 1 bonus. It's really stupid. 2 points would be fair.

Not even relevant because they can't fire at range 1. woo

This may sound odd, but I promise that Ion missiles getting cheaper is not the solution here. Ion should always be hard to apply, and cost prohibitive because it is one of the least fun mechanics in the game to play against. Your ship is almost certainly going to die against consistent ion, but you just have to wait. Ion exists to counter expensive power pieces that rely on a lot of maneuverability, but if it even becomes semi-reliable against other things it rapidly becomes a problem.

Re: The 2400. Rebels have a lot of quite powerful support pieces that improve offense / defense in different ways. Jake, Fenn, and Magva to name a few.