Gauss Defense Platform

The Gauss Defense Platform is the TEC's defense platform.

Official Description: Featuring dual gauss cannons, these stationary defense platforms will defend nearby structures from enemy vessels. They are heavily armored and can do serious damage against opponents.

Overview

The Gauss Defense Platform is a very versatile defense platform that is meant to guard areas around a planet. Its range can be upgraded through the upgrade Highly Conductive Rails. In Sins of a Solar Empire: Entrenchment, the Gauss Turret received multiple new abilities, the first one being Burst Rockets, which gives the Gauss Defense Platform an Area of Effect (AoE) ability that deals damage to units around it. The next upgrade is Meson Bolt Cannon which gives the Gauss Defense Platform a long range, high damage strike against a single target that also reduces the target's armor.

Tactics

Unfortunately, like all of the defense turrets, these structures are very limited in their strategic use and are primarily used to assist with colonization efforts by using them to destroy siege vessels. In practical use the Gauss Turret beats the other tactical structures due to its utility, as in small numbers it complements a defense very well. This is mainly because of its long range, particularly when upgraded to maximum, allowing it to deal with a wider variety of enemies. it also has reasonable AoE damage and its single target damage is very good with the Meson Bolt Cannon upgrade.

Though they have a large amount of hull points, and do a moderately good amount of damage per shot, Gauss cannons are truly only effective when there are large amounts of them concentrated in a small area, not spread out, and backed up by at least 1, or preferably 2, Repair Platforms.

Fighting the Gauss Defense Platform

As the Gauss cannons will do some amount of damage, a tactic to use against it is to attack with long ranged frigates or light frigates. If that fails, a more cost-effective method is to use strike craft.