Subset Games Forum

I can't decide if it's better to hit it every time it's off cooldown to keep enemy weapons from firing, or if it's more effective to try and hit it right before they shoot their guns.

I'm pretty sure you can't evade a shot after it's been fired though, so if they always fire right after CD, there's not much point in saving it.

The best time is when enemy missiles (or other weapons if your shields down) are flying, when the flagship is activating power surge and when you have boarders/fires/breaches which you need time to deal with (if enemy weapons are too painful for your ship).
There is absolutely no point of activating it each time right after cooldown (as in the beginning of battle), or you will be unprotected when you will need it most.

You actually can dodge shots that are already fired. Hits are determined just as the shots reach your ship. It's usually best to save cloak for dodging.

When missiles are incoming

When you have enemy crew on your ship and they are almost dead, you can cloak to ensure that your crew finish them off (so they can't teleport back to their ship and heal, and you get some combat experience)

When your shields are down and you are in a tough fight (flagship, anything with tons of burst lasers, or in an asteroid field). Just hit it immediately when your last shield drops.

Sometimes its worth using immediately, if a ship you're fighting has scary weapons (like glaive beam) and you want more time to prepare

Flagship power surges (duh)

When your ship is heavily damaged and you need to take a breather to repair and put out fires