Hunting The NightHawk

I have developed various techniques for taking on all of the ships (though not always successfully), with the exception of the Nighthawk. My trick right now is to just wait till they are shooting at someone else, zoom up on their tail, and let them have it. Not the most noble method, but it works.
What are you doing to take these monsters out? More and more are getting good with the FM-25, and I'm starting to see a couple in most S&D matches.
Don't take this as a rant against the Nighthawk. I think it takes a lot of skill to use one of these, and have respect for those who fly one well.

Use cover. Lots and lots of cover. The rock or the carrier the Nighthawk lurks beside is your best piece of cover out there.
Watch out for the Nighthawk pilots who fly into dogfights; they look just like a Merlin until they blast you.

Don't ever EVER fly straight at a nighthawk.
I have killed so many people who just flew at me.
Turn a lot but don't slow down, even a slow turn makes it really hard to hit with the hawk but if you slow during a tight turn -BAM-

1. never stare directly at the business end of a nighthawk. you're inviting trouble

2. never try to out-beam a nighthawk except with another nighthawk. you will fail horribly trying. countless m10's & m3's have tried this: they get (maybe) one beam hit on you, possibly even a second (and you will still live), but to do so they have to fly right at you at a distance.

3. nighthawks are the 3rd slowest ships. for the same reason the merlin is effective, don't engage in turning matches with nighthawks unless you can be certain you're out of their field of vision.

4. learn to love that A80. ideologically and tactically they are almost polar opposites, and anyone in either ship will have a challenging time vs the other if skilled.

5. never allow your transversal velocity to drop to 0 - a still target is an easy target. incidentally, don't fly in straight lines at constant speed if you can help it.

6. if you see a teammate pop from a nighthawk in the distance, try to avoid flying at the same distance to the nighthawk - nighthawk pilots are very skilled with all-or-nothing shots, and distance is a key factor in their reflexive aiming in this regard. if the distance to target changes unexpectedly, they will have to pause a little to re-adjust their timing (or they miss).

7. for other beam ships it isn't worth the risk, but nighthawks can and will take shots at 1900m. i have popped many a light fighter from 1750+ because they thought it was too far to hit reliably (or couldnt see me) so they flew carelessly. as soon as a nighthawk is within 2km you get the hell out of its field of vision or go on the offensive.

8. nighthawks make fantastic brawler ships. a skilled pilot in good circumstances should be able to take on 3 others in close range in almost any ship that can turn fast enough. nighthawks are no exception, and their double beam will end you fast if you're not careful. they can also rocket spam as fast as G5/sidewinders, but they can't circle you as quickly.

9. nighthawks can fire their dual beams every 4.5 seconds or so. this is your window of opportunity. a battle of 2 nighthawks comes down to who misses first, ie, who fires first out of desperation. a skilled nighthawk pilot will not necessarily spam their beam, they will wait until a good opportunity; 4.5 seconds is a minimum and should be treated as such.

10. (not yet, but once the game is buzzing again...) nighthawk pilots-in-training slowly abandon their fear of missile ships. rightly so. only 1 missile ship poses any real threat (alpha for alpha, nighthawk pitched to win vs all heavies except maybe FH-90 and definitely A80).

I dread the day when there's a critical mass of good nighthawk pilots in a game, I really don't think there is a ship that provides the tactical rock-paper-scissors answer to it.

Ya, I learned not to fly head to head with Nighthawks the hard way. It was free X-99 week, and newbies were filling the sky with them. As X-99s sort of annoy me, I was taking my Hammer Head and flying straight at them, popping them with joyful glee. I saw one in the distance and even though I was singed a little, I decided to fly right at him and unload with my twin cannons. Before I pulled the trigger, twin beams of death lanced out and I turned into so much smoke. I just laughed, not a Merlin I guess.
Now I aviod using heavies if there are Nighthawks about, I have my best luck with the G-5 and its big afterburners.

longshot wrote:I dread the day when there's a critical mass of good nighthawk pilots in a game, I really don't think there is a ship that provides the tactical rock-paper-scissors answer to it.

so true i think its like that guy in FPS who uses the sniper rifle and kills everybody with one shot and when you finally get close to him with your killing face and ''i will have my holy revenge'' actitude he just uses his rifle as a shotgun and kills you with one well placed shot leaving you with the very definition of frustration

Best way to kill a nighthawk:

Step 1. get behind it in a sidewinder

Step 2. Pull and hold trigger

Step 3. ????

Step 4. Profit!

longshot wrote:I dread the day when there's a critical mass of good nighthawk pilots in a game, I really don't think there is a ship that provides the tactical rock-paper-scissors answer to it.

The FH-90 is the rock to break a Nighthawks scissors. That big boomer cannon has a range out to forever and it has the armor to take a full hit from a Nighthawk and keep fighting. While the Nighthawk can spam rockets the boomer can spam missiles at extreme range. Two good snipers in Stingrays can take two Nighthawks is my guess.

I think the real dominance threat in this game is mixed ship groups that cluster around a rock(s)/carrier and know how to work together. Two ranged fighters and something with turn and sprint capabilities to deal with whatever makes it through the snipers.

Actually in that situation the two nighthawks would win. If they both use their beams on one (which they can do before the rays can hit with anything) of the two stingrays (which they can do before the rays can hit with anything): 800+800=1600=INSTA KILL and then they out number the other stingray.

I can see that with voice co-ordination. In usual play mode having two Nighthawks in tight formation with their beams charged hitting the same ship at range is unlikely. Then the faster rate-of-fire of the FH-90 comes into play.

It's one of those things we'll have to test someday.

Actually a Boomer is not the answer to the Nighthawk I'm afraid, not unless the Nighthawk is sitting still - in which case sure the Boomer pilot can use zoom and blast it from distance as it can do to any ship - but good Nighthawk pilots rarely ever sit still.

If the Nighthawk is on the move and hunts the Boomer, its a heavy so the beams won't miss & it can easily win the maneouvre battle to finish it off quickly with the aid of rockets up close.

A good pilot in the Nighthawk vs a good pilot in the Boomer, no other factors like blindsiding or other enemies, and I'd back the Nighthawk to win 9 times out of 10.

Exactly, people seem to forget that the Nighthawk is a medium fighter not a heavy, and it can out maneuver a Boomer just like any lighter ship.

longshot wrote:Actually a Boomer is not the answer to the Nighthawk I'm afraid, not unless the Nighthawk is sitting still - in which case sure the Boomer pilot can use zoom and blast it from distance as it can do to any ship - but good Nighthawk pilots rarely ever sit still.

If the Nighthawk is on the move and hunts the Boomer, its a heavy so the beams won't miss & it can easily win the maneouvre battle to finish it off quickly with the aid of rockets up close.

A good pilot in the Nighthawk vs a good pilot in the Boomer, no other factors like blindsiding or other enemies, and I'd back the Nighthawk to win 9 times out of 10.

this.

You have to survive the trip to the Boomer first and there are almost always other factors like "other enemies."

Still waiting for that Nighthawk squad to show up in-game. That would be fun to test all of these ideas out.

I'm trying to get a squad going, need a good name though.

And before any one says it "Beam Dream Team" is not a okay name.

I was going to suggest something much better. Dream Beam Team

Team Beam Dream is much better, anyway.

I foresaw this outcome... but I still was not prepared.

I may have started laughing in the middle of a lecture.

Since you guys refer the beams as lances, just call yourselves the Hawk Knights or something (Knight Hawk har har)

On a more serious note : Daybreak Knights

"I Dream of Beamie"

The "Rays 'O Sunshine"

"Everybody loves Ray, man."

I like the lance Idea