Starsector: Best space combat 13 years in the making - 0.96 out (2023 update)

[Coldsteel]

@Fishbreath

Astral-class with four Trident wings and two Broadsword wings. The Broadswords go in first and launch flares to confuse enemy PD, which makes the torpedoes from the Tridents much more effective. With the paired torpedoes, the Tridents do a ton of damage, and eight bombers’ worth is enough to overwhelm point defense even in the absence of the screening fighters. Bring two Astrals to fight a battlestation, and you don’t really need much else beyond screening ships if they’re coordinating their strikes.

Yes! Astrals are my favorite carriers by far. I have a similar setup with 1 Broadsword, 2 Longbows and 3 Daggers. The Longbows help break the shields first and then the torpedoes from the Daggers finish the job. The coordinated strikes are devastating. Anything less than a cap ship can go down in one bombing run. For some real fun I like to deploy 2 Astrals and a Paragon.