Protector

In-Game Description
Difficulty: 2* (Normal)

''Protectors are generalized Support craft. They are fast and manoeuvrable and can repair allies, defend themselves and their team mates from enemy attacks using their defensive AOE, leech health from enemies and disable their abilities.''

Ratings:

Offensive: 41

Defensive: 41

Support: 87

Mobility: 71

Summary
The Protector is a light support ship, and is capable of providing allies with both damage reduction and healing. Its primary weapon is a SmartGun, which fires projectiles which automatically track whatever ship was targeted when the weapon was fired. The ship is very nimble, with a shortened jump spin-up time (5s/7s for jump drive/jump home), good handling, and high top speed. However, it is very fragile, with little armor and equally poor hull strength.

This vessel was formerly known as the Corvette.

When playing as a Protector

 * Do not stray far off from your allies, the Protector is vulnerable to ambush from fast attack crafts and stealth ships. Protector should never be more than 5 km away from their teammates to avoid being singled out and targeted.
 * Prioritize healing heavily armored ships such as the Destroyer or Gladiator. Due to its' % max HP healing, a Protector can usually heal faster than an enemy can damage these ships.
 * Activate the defensive shield and jump away when enemy forces are overwhelming. The Protector can be outgunned by almost any other ship in the game, but its high speed and powerful jump drive allows for a quick getaway.

When playing against a Protector

 * Stealth ships are the best counter against Protectors. Black Widow and Ghost captains should sneak behind an enemy formation and ambush the Protector.
 * Aim to kill the Protector before attacking other enemies. A single well-played Protector can render all your attacks pointless.

Tips
The Protector's main defense is its speed and the long range on its repair beam - there are few enemies that can engage a Protector that's 20 km behind your own front line. On the other hand, try not to be too conservative; while the Protector's DPS isn't high, it's not trivial, and early game the long cooldown on the Repair Beam means the team needs your damage as well, just healing won't always cut it. Your Defense Field also requires you to be within 5 km of an enemy that's being fired upon for them to benefit from it. Later game with some Utility upgrades the Repair Beam's effectiveness and shorter cooldown mean that your offense is less important, and you can focus on healing allies and surviving.

The Smart Gun, when blind-fired (i.e. fired without an enemy being targeted) is nearly worthless - make sure to have an enemy targeted when firing. Smart Gun projectiles are quite agile, such that firing your smartgun with an enemy targeted while keeping your turrets trained on an ally to heal them is quite viable. It's also very possible to fire the Smart Gun around cover you're hiding behind - positioning yourself behind cover such that you can see your allies, but are hidden from enemies AND can fire around it is a very effective tactic.

The Protector has a very fast jump spin-up time - use this to your advantage to save yourself from unfavourable situations, and to provide support across all fronts of the battlefield. The Protector's jump spin up time is almost the same as the Disarm ability's duration, and this combo can often be used to jump away from a single enemy.

The Protector's healing beam deals minimal damage to enemy ships - in desperate circumstances, it can be used with the smart gun to attack enemies. Its long range and instant hit means it can occasionally be used to finish off a ship trying to jump out on low health that thinks it's far enough away.