Cartire wrote:So the issue with the drone is that on auto-assaults, it cant move between rooms. So you use it and its stuck in whatever room it went into.
In sector 1, if you meet either of these guys during a hazard (plasma/astroids/solar flare), you take plenty of damage.
Well there are two types of A.I. ships. One has connected rooms and you can just sit back and let the boarding drone go to town. The systems will repair and the hull will take one damage every time he takes one of them out. So, it's just a waiting game. If the ship has missiles you can unpower your boarding drone and power your defense drone every time a missile fires and you'll basically be safe as can be.
I love the Mantis B. I suggest getting level 2 teleporter ASAP. Then you can even take down the A.I. ships with disconnected rooms. Just teleport over and take out systems until they're down to one hull point and send in your boarding drone to do the last point of damage. If one of the rooms is empty you can put your boarders in that room while you launch the boarding drone. That way he can't land there. Also make sure no systems are destroyed before you launch him or he could land in that room and cause a breach meaning the room will never repair.
Then really your only problem is zoltan ships but they shouldn't be able to hurt you anyway. So, it's just annoying that you can't get past their zoltan shield without a weapon.
I also rarely invest in engines until I have 5 crew members. I'd much rather double down on boarding than worry about getting my dodge going. The ship is a defensive powerhouse to start. It just doesn't need the engines for a long time.
I also prefer weapons that don't do hull damage. Meaning ion weapons of the small bomb. That way you can disable enemy ships and take out their crew for more scrap.
Good luck. Once you get the hang of the mantis B it's the best ship IMO.
... I actually find Crystal_B to be more difficult in sector 1 than it, in fact...