review AP Turret augments: Ranked

[LOLKILLERTOTHEDEATH 1,921]

One of the newest and most potent line of augments is here! Namely, the Armour Piercing augments, which allow you to penetrate the armor of enemies. Available through Ultra Containers, these deadly augments will enable you to ignore any enemy defenses, thereby rendering protection modules, drones, and supplies useless for a short duration of time provided certain conditions are met. In this article, we'll be going ahead and ranking every AP augment!

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Recently, Hornet's Overdrive was changed to an Armor-Piercing effect, which allowed for the creation of the following augments. If you're not already familiar with the recent changes and new augments, don't hesitate to take a look at this video provided to you by the Content Helpers:

 

Once you're familiar with them, let's hop into the review! I'll be rating these augments from worst to best - stick around to find out which augments will give you the best bang for your buck Ultra Container.

9 - Striker AP

This augment is similar to the Missile Launcher "Hunter" augment for Striker, but instead, firing your single salvo rocket now applies the AP effect. This augment isn't nearly as bad as Shaft's AP. However, it doesn't stand out from the rest of the AP augments. Being able to penetrate the armor of an enemy is quite helpful, especially given that you can fire another rocket shortly after to finish off your enemy. One interesting thing to note about this augment is that provided the AP effect is determined by the number of enemies hit directly. That is, if you can somehow make a rocket hit two enemies at the same time, both will have their armor penetrated. Splash damage does NOT have this effect.

On the whole, this augment is far from bad, but it's not the best either, given that locking on takes 50% of the time Striker with no augment would (as opposed to the much quicker 20% when using the Missile Launcher "Hunter" augment. If you are an avid Striker user, then this will likely be right up your alley. Getting used to it otherwise isn't much of a worthwhile or exciting task. In terms of dealing with AP immunity users, this will put you at a disadvantage due to essentially being a nerfed Missile Launcher "Hunter".

 

No video was found for this augment.

 

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8- Gauss AP

 

Yet another augment which is, frankly, not impressive. Gauss's AP augment allows you to penetrate the armor of enemies who are hit directly (thus, splash damage won't apply the AP effect). While the ability to penetrate the armor of enemies is undoubtedly helpful, it generally means you want to land a second hit quickly since the AP effect is applied for only 5 seconds. The problem with this is that teammates can often come between you and your prey (or for that matter, so can an enemy), making it significantly more challenging for you to lock on to an enemy. If you're willing to compromise damage a little bit, then this issue can still be dealt with. On the whole, it isn't particularly impressive or effective for individual players to use unless you're well versed enough with Gauss to be able to lock on to enemies every time with ease. Using it, as any other AP augment, certainly makes destroying enemies a much easier task. It can help out your team, though, which is perhaps the best part of the augment. In terms of fairing against AP immunity users, this augment leaves Gauss relatively unchanged when comparing it to Gauss without any augments, which is undoubtedly more than one can say for Striker's AP augment.  
 

 

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7 - Shaft AP

This is certainly one of the more interesting augments. Shaft's AP Augment will allow you to apply the armour piercing effect on enemies provided you land a scoped in shot. The AP effect lasts for 5 seconds. At first glance, it might be tempting to dismiss the augment as being mediocre at best for the 5 second AP duration (due to it's 3 second reload time). However, I'm happy to say, this is not the case. After you land your hit, you take 3 seconds to reload, which means 3 seconds to re-position yourself and then 2 seconds to scope in again and destroy the target. It sounds like something that's nigh impossible, but in actual fact, it's quite doable. Though, you will need to be quick to move, and target enemies because even though it's possible, it is far from easy. If you find yourself locking horns with an enemy using the AP Immunity augment, you'll have no advantage over them, and in fact no disadvantages either compared to using Shaft without an augment.
 

 

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6- Magnum AP

I wish I could rank this augment higher as it was one of my more anticipated ones, but unfortunately, it's a little bit of a disappointment. Landing a direct hit on enemies will allow you to apply the AP effect for 7 seconds. This is certainly doable at medium range, but the biggest problem with this is in close-quarter combat. Due to the turret's fixed 12 degree angle, it's often very annoying to land a direct hit (or even inflict splash damage) when fighting at close range, which is really what kills this augment. If you can somehow look past that, it's not at all bad. At medium ranges (and at the long-range after some practice), it's possible to land hits. If dealing with clusters of enemies, it's best to alternate between enemies so that you can penetrate all of them and deal damage to another while doing so. On the whole, I'd say this isn't everybody's cup of tea. It would require mastering the 12-degree angle, at which point it is certainly possible to destroy enemies with ease. Dealing with enemies using this AP immunity isn't different from using stock Magnum, so you're not going to be at a significant disadvantage in that regard. 
 

 

 

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5 - Freeze AP

This augment can be a beast in the right hands. Freeze AP allows you to apply the AP effect on enemies for 1 second provided you hit them. However, you lose a staggering 45% of your damage for the benefit. So how does the augment perform on the whole? Quite well, actually! So long as you can keep freezing enemies, they'll be extremely vulnerable. With the ability to freeze being retained, you can soften up and slow down targets for your teammates! On the whole, it's generally better to have fixed maximum damage using this augment than it would be to have variable damage (depending on what equipment your enemies are using). It will easily shred enemies' health, whether they use no defensive beneficiary or are using Defender, a 50% protection, and titan's dome. However, beware as this augment is not going to work in every situation. Since you're giving up 45% of your damage for the AP effect, a player using AP immunity will essentially render your turret completely useless. Thus, while it is unstoppable against enemies not using AP immunity, it will be virtually useless against those who do.

 

 

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4 - Hammer AP

This is one of the more interesting AP augments. In the case of Hammer's AP augment, you get a 20% faster clip reload and the additional benefit of applying the AP effect to enemies for seven whole seconds. The 20% faster clip reload is amazingly helpful as it ensures that you can fire at least two shots even after emptying your clip. This means that assuming you can survive, you can quickly and most certainly kill any enemy, assuming they are not using AP immunity. This alone makes it an extremely powerful augment. The AP effect's seven-second duration renders enemies vulnerable for a more extended period, which is perfect for helping your teammates finish any enemies that manage to survive your wrath. In terms of dealing with AP immunity users, Hammer's AP augment surprisingly isn't worse for wear. If anything, it's more competitive than using no augment, since your clip will still be reloading 20% faster. As such, AP immunity is not going to throw a wrench in your plans.

 

 

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3 - Rail AP

This augment is one that varies HEAVILY in performance. When dealing with enemies who don't have AP immunity, you can easily apply the AP status effect to as many enemies as you can hit for seven seconds. Using this augment, you lose 33% of your maximum and minimum damage, which is a fairly considerable amount. However, this is one of the 3 turrets (the other two being Striker and Freeze) which can apply the AP status effect to multiple tanks, making it quite a dangerous augment. The seven-second duration only makes it harder for your enemies to contend with you. One of the best places to use this augment, is with a Viking's overdrive against a Titan's dome in the Siege game mode. Hold down the spacebar, and marvel as you effortlessly destroy anything foolish enough to appear before you. The biggest drawback with this augment is that when dealing with enemies who do have AP immunity, you're essentially using a stock Railgun but with 33% less damage. "But LOLKILLER, how does that matter?" you say? Well, I believe my friend @Tidebreaker has a few words for you. In a nutshell, Railgun without any augments is rather weak. Slap on a 33% damage reduction, and you now have probably the single weakest turret possible.

 

 

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2 - Smoky AP

Another one of the best AP augments in the game (if you couldn't tell that from me ranking it 2nd). Smoky's AP augment will allow you to apply the AP status effect to enemies for 5 seconds, provided you land a critical hit, which loses 15% of its damage when used with this augment. While this may not seem like a potent combo, it most assuredly is. The ability to penetrate enemies' armor means that each hit can deal a lot of damage (even if you don't have double damage activated). The 15% decrease in critical hit damage is pretty much negligible, especially given that you're going to be able to penetrate the armor of enemies.

On the whole, this renders Smoky more of a wild card. Sometimes, the AP effect is applied at precisely the right time, allowing you to escape by the skin of your teeth. Other times, you hope beyond hope that it is applied, but nothing happens. When dealing with enemies who have AP immunity applied, you will be slightly worse off than if you were using Smoky without any augment. However, the 15% damage reduction will not cause too dramatic a change in your ability to play well.

 

 

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1 - Ricochet AP

By far the best AP augment there is. Words fall somewhat short in describing its splendor, but still, I will try. Ricochet's AP augment is such that if you ricochet a ball of plasma of something to land a hit on your enemy, it will activate the AP effect for 2 seconds. So what makes this particularly deadly? The fact that you can hit enemies without being visible to them. In essence, this allows (to some extent) re-ignition of the ricochet play style of old. Not the new-age, I-can't-turn-my-turret-and-will-literally-drive-in-a-straight-line-and-turn-my-hull-type-playing style. While this may seem controversial, most maps have LOADS of flat surfaces or objects you can ricochet shots off of. In essence, you'll be somewhat like Magneto: capable of harnessing your full power no matter where you are. No objects? No problem! Just ricochet the shot off the floor! This particular augment certainly does have a bit of a learning curve because you must learn to bounce your shots of objects and land hits, but you'll be extremely powerful once you master the skill. The ability to fire shots quickly is also something that makes this particular augment extremely powerful, so you can quickly apply the AP status effect and follow it up with a barrage of deadly shots. Combined with the already existent impact force, your enemies are unlikely to be able to fight back. When dealing with AP immunity users, the ability to fight is pretty much the same as using Ricochet without any augments.

 

 

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Conclusion: So there you have it! All nine AP augments ranked in my honest opinion! What are your favourite AP augments? How would you chose to rank them? Be sure to leave your comments and thoughts below!

TNK00-00000-04DJA-YMXAS-WQN?J

[Person_Random 4,991]

In today's issue, LOLKILLERTOTHEDEATH dives deep into the nitty-gritty of the AP Augments, letting you know if the new drop from today's container is an augment to invest time into. Check it out right now!

P.S. Don't miss out on the hidden treat - come and read quick!

[Hex 11,520]

A well-written review, concise and to-the-point, and on top of that, a really nice header to go along with it. Well done to everyone that took part to make this article possible!

[Spy 14,687]

Great article! In my opinion Railgun AP does not deserve the third spot, I would replace it with Freeze AP.

[LOLKILLERTOTHEDEATH 1,921]

13 hours ago, Hexed said:

A well-written review, concise and to-the-point, and on top of that, a really nice header to go along with it. Well done to everyone that took part to make this article possible!

Thank you!

13 hours ago, Spy said:

Great article! In my opinion Railgun AP does not deserve the third spot, I would replace it with Freeze AP.

To be honest, the only reason I put Freeze AP below Rail AP is because of the -45% damage fighting AP users, along with the fact that stock Freeze isn't particularly impressive at slowing down targets, thus leaving you with very little to work with

1 hour ago, krish123_super said:

  Hide contents

Just ricochet the shot off the floor! This particular augment certainly does have a bit of a learning curve because you must learn to bounce your shots of objects and land hits, but you'll be extremely powerful once you master the skill. @LOLKILLERTOTHEDEATH

bro did you add it ? or i did not read it earlier ?

Thanks, and the floor shooting thing was there earlier.

[Spy 14,687]

3 minutes ago, LOLKILLERTOTHEDEATH said:

To be honest, the only reason I put Freeze AP below Rail AP is because of the -45% damage fighting AP users, along with the fact that stock Freeze isn't particularly impressive at slowing down targets, thus leaving you with very little to work with

On the other hand, Railgun AP damage is reduced by -33% and the reload is very slow compared to other augments. I'd say Railgun AP is good for the teammates but not for the user himself.

[LOLKILLERTOTHEDEATH 1,921]

3 minutes ago, Spy said:

On the other hand, Railgun AP damage is reduced by -33% and the reload is very slow compared to other augments. I'd say Railgun AP is good for the teammates but not for the user himself.

Right you are! I completely agree. Railgun AP is not very helpful for individual players

[Tidebreaker 1,669]

Railgun AP's ability can be best seen when in use with Viking. It tears through all defenses and just keeps on punching people - you can see this best in Siege.

[Venerable 2,967]

This was a very concise review, lolkiller, and I enjoyed reading it!

[jsb 13]

whats the matter of ranking these ... augments, i will never get it though. pls first spent ur time on changing the game from a buyers game to a game where nonbuyers also can have fun, then spent rest of ur time on ranking augments that every player CAN buy with crystals... 

[Venerable 2,967]

58 minutes ago, jsb said:

whats the matter of ranking these ... augments, i will never get it though. pls first spent ur time on changing the game from a buyers game to a game where nonbuyers also can have fun, then spent rest of ur time on ranking augments that every player CAN buy with crystals... 

Hello

First of all, this is a Tanki Newspaper article. The TO Newspaper Reporters are Helpers of the game; they're basically volunteers. They are in no way responsible for any updates/changes in the game. The Developers bring about such updates and changes in the game.

Secondly, these augments are merely reviewed by a reporter in this article. Lolkillertothedeath has given his opinion about the augments. Just because one cannot get these augments easily doesn't mean that one shouldn't know about them, or indirectly call this article "pointless".

Thirdly, if you have any feedback about the Newspaper, feel free to give it in the Newspaper Suggestions topic. If you have any complaints about the game, please complain in Complaint Book. If you have any serious ideas or suggestions that can benefit the game, please post it in the Ideas & Suggestions section.

And lastly, never confuse official helpers with the developers; official helpers merely help us players out whenever we need help. They do so on a voluntary basis. It would be unfair to blame them for anything that you find wrong in the game...

Edited January 2, 2021 by Venerable
"we" changed to "one" :ph34r:

[Tanker-Arthur 2,971]

Not gonna lie, I am a huge fan of the Freeze Toxic Mix AP Augment cause it follows the style of the original "Alterations", there being a drawback to the boost. Thus you won't be too overpowered against people who don't have the augment, and thus keeping the game in a state of balance.

Same goes for the Railgun and Striker AP "augments", which are more so "Alterations" than upgrades XD.

But anyways, great article! 

Edited January 2, 2021 by Tanker-Arthur

[wild001 1,422]

can hammer last AP shot shoot multi enemies, since hammer shot has spread effet.

[LOLKILLERTOTHEDEATH 1,921]

On 1/2/2021 at 5:46 PM, Venerable said:

This was a very concise review, lolkiller, and I enjoyed reading it!

Thank you!

 

13 hours ago, Tanker-Arthur said:

Not gonna lie, I am a huge fan of the Freeze Toxic Mix AP Augment cause it follows the style of the original "Alterations", there being a drawback to the boost. Thus you won't be too overpowered against people who don't have the augment, and thus keeping the game in a state of balance.

Same goes for the Railgun and Striker AP "augments", which are more so "Alterations" than upgrades XD.

But anyways, great article! 

Certainly understandable. Freeze especially is less of a direct upgrade and more of a situational upgrade. As for Railgun, I personally find the AP effect duration of 7 seconds to be rather long, but the augment itself could've been made far, FAR more powerful. Striker to me is a bit underwhelming, but most likely because the turret itself requires a lot of skill to use. Thank you!

 

5 hours ago, wild001 said:

can hammer last AP shot shoot multi enemies, since hammer shot has spread effet.

I will test this and get back to you about it. I would think that this should be the case, but I don't know.

[Okami 3,041]

I actually disagree with a lot of these.

I would put Magnum AP at first because of how OP Magnum's damage is, the aiming guide on TO Mobile makes it easier to get hits, and most people on PC shoot at point-blank with Magnum.

I'd put Railgun, Smoky, Gauss, Shaft, and Freeze towards the top because you don't have to change how you play that much, thus making them easy to use. They have some sort of nerf, so they aren't as high as Magnum.

Rico AP can be very convenient but it's not very good at head-to-head combat because chances are you won't find a good place to bounce. This is the AP augment that requires the most deviation when it comes to playstyle.

Hammer AP is okay but since it's the last shot that gets the AP effect, it leaves plenty of opportunities for stolen kills.

I've never seen Striker AP get used so I can't say how good or bad it is.

My ranking:

1. Magnum AP [ OP ]
2. Smoky AP [ OP ]
3. Shaft AP [ great ] 
4. Gauss AP [ great ]
5. Railgun AP [ great ]
6. Freeze AP [ good ]
7. Ricochet AP [ decent, but inconsistent. needs a buff]
8. Hammer AP [ bad ]

not ranked: Striker AP

Edited January 3, 2021 by GrayWolf8733

[Akame 4,578]

On 12/20/2020 at 5:22 PM, LOLKILLERTOTHEDEATH said:

However, this is one of the 3 turrets (the other two being Striker and Freeze) which can apply the AP status effect to multiple tanks, making it quite a dangerous augment. activated).

 

Like you said, if you can get it to directly hit 2 targets at the same time, maybe, maybe if that was possible, they would both be AP'd, but this is much harder to do and personally have never seen it happen. But if you consider this to be 'one of the 3 turrets that deal multiple AP', then the same can also be said about Magnum. I have once hit 2 targets with the magnums projectile once which AP'd both targets, also a friend has also reported similar towards themselves.

As for my personal rankings, I'll have to make 2 sets, 1 for solo play, and 1 for teamplay. I will not explain my personal rankings though;

Teamplay AP Augment rankings:
1. Railgun
2. Freeze
3. Shaft
4. Smoky
5. Magnum
6. Gauss
7. Ricochet
8. Hammer
9. Striker

Solo AP Augment rankings:
1. Smoky
2. Shaft
3. Ricochet
4. Magnum
5. Railgun
6. Gauss
7. Hammer
8. Striker
9. Freeze

As for a symbiotic Viking OD relationship; everyone knows Railgun AP pairs magnificently with it. Magnum AP is also one that can work with it, but much harder to use. Ricochet can work with it too provided you get a first bounce touch and then direct hit. Freeze AP can be used with viking, but i wouldn't recommend it.

On the whole, the most annoying AP, has to be Railgun, but the one that requires the most skill, is undoubtedly Ricochet. Although my personal favourite from all AP augments is certainly Shaft AP (paired with crisis and hopper).

[Akame 4,578]

16 hours ago, wild001 said:

can hammer last AP shot shoot multi enemies, since hammer shot has spread effet.

Yes it can, although you may want some elevation, or levitation, using a low hull may not hit over some tanks if the case.

Cropped frame of the triple AP:

Spoiler

 

[Tokamak 1,021]

On 1/3/2021 at 8:37 PM, GrayWolf8733 said:

I actually disagree with a lot of these.

I would put Magnum AP at first because of how OP Magnum's damage is, the aiming guide on TO Mobile makes it easier to get hits, and most people on PC shoot at point-blank with Magnum.

I'd put Railgun, Smoky, Gauss, Shaft, and Freeze towards the top because you don't have to change how you play that much, thus making them easy to use. They have some sort of nerf, so they aren't as high as Magnum.

Rico AP can be very convenient but it's not very good at head-to-head combat because chances are you won't find a good place to bounce. This is the AP augment that requires the most deviation when it comes to playstyle.

Hammer AP is okay but since it's the last shot that gets the AP effect, it leaves plenty of opportunities for stolen kills.

I've never seen Striker AP get used so I can't say how good or bad it is.

My ranking:

1. Magnum AP [ OP ]
2. Smoky AP [ OP ]
3. Shaft AP [ great ] 
4. Gauss AP [ great ]
5. Railgun AP [ great ]
6. Freeze AP [ good ]
7. Ricochet AP [ decent, but inconsistent. needs a buff]
8. Hammer AP [ bad ]

not ranked: Striker AP

AP is a all or nothing effect, therefore turret with AP mechanics that can affect more than one enemy is the best. So hammer is actually good against enemies in group, but not in solo mode. Good for defending flag/base.
Maybe you do not like steal kill but with Hammer, the reload is so long that it is better that the wounded enemy is finished off by an ally while you are powerless.

Edited January 5, 2021 by Tokamak

[Akame 4,578]

9 hours ago, Tokamak said:

AP is a all or nothing effect, therefore turret with AP mechanics that can affect more than one enemy is the best. So hammer is actually good against enemies in group, but not in solo mode. Good for defending flag/base.
Maybe you do not like still kill but with Hammer, the reload is so long that it is better that the wounded enemy is finished off by an ally while you are unharmed.

well, the limitation of being on ur last clip is a bad one, like say enemies have swarmed your base and you just spawn, you won't be able to hit an AP till your last shot, if people know your augment, they won't stay grouped for you. Up to date, i've never seen any actual Hammer AP in game since the actual week of the release of the augments.

[LOLKILLERTOTHEDEATH 1,921]

On 1/4/2021 at 4:37 AM, GrayWolf8733 said:

I actually disagree with a lot of these...

My primary problem with Magnum AP is that in close ranged engagements, it's quite annoying to land a direct hit, especially if an enemy is circling you for example. Ricochet AP is, to me, the best because it's not very hard to use. Not easy either, but being able to bounce even a single shot off a surface, your next barrage will most likely prove deadly. Rail AP is not really that powerful for the player because of the -33% damage and the regular reload, which means that most of the time it's not you but your team mates who are making kills. Gauss is rather lacklustre in comparison to even Hammer, because you have to follow up your salvo with arcade shots, and quite often the time when you are reloading after firing your salvo is enough for your team mates to steal your kills. Hammer's AP augment actually isn't nearly as bad because the -20% clip reload essentially lets you fire off more shots very quickly. It doesn't always work out, but nothing always works anyways.

[Akame 4,578]

To add, AP augments main use is to help mainly fight off insane maxed protection modules, titan's domes reduction and mainly defender drone players.

Everyone knows, it is insanely infuriating to fight defender drone players, it's like facing a mini-Godmode_ON. If they don't have AP immunity, your team will scrub off this defender drone player like Flash removing stains off a table if someone inflicts AP status on them.

Let's take the game mode that armor type effects are very important in, which is SGE. Titans are common here, along with defender drone players. Railgun AP being a top tier AP augment, just get a shot in, 7s that player is vulnerable to A LOT of damage now. If your team cant finish the player off in that time frame, the team clearly isn't working well together. I have been on the receiving end and giving end of a Railgun AP, it is the most annoying thing even with the 33% damage reduction, because the damage reduction from one player doesnt matter, if the whole team can do more damage to you as a defender player who has just been Armor pierced.

If you wanted to, with railgun AP, you could pair it with booster, the shot after you apply an AP, will deal between 2240 damage and 4480 damage, which can be approximated with a normal distribution to give 3360 damage, although there isn't much of a need to go for this effort.

But let us not forget, when in team games, AP users are not meant to be on top of the leaderboard for kills, AP augments are meant to assist teams to kill players so you don't waste time trying to finish someone you just AP'd.

The best way an AP augment is used is on a new player everytime, provided the team can finish the player you AP'd, making it so you use all you abilities to the limit.

If you are first whilst using AP augments, you either have a team which is in the wrong places at the wrong time, is unable to deal sufficient damage, or you probably have done more objective work than your allies i.e capping flags/points etc.

Also to add, I would avoid using AP augments with hornet, because on the off chance you are matched against a few players who have AP immunity, i.e the latest being Viking AP immunity thanks to the prior BP, it will not end well.

[The_Pakistani 16,768]

AP = Pure skills.

[Excited 78]

23 hours ago, The_Pakistani said:

AP = Pure skills.

You Sir have no idea what you are talking about and what AP is. If this is sarcasm and I just didn't get it mb, but besides ricochet AP every other turret with AP is basically no skills. Viking railgun AP is literally spamming railgun shots with viking OD like some kind of OP Autocannon. And don't get me started on smoky AP or any other AP. Having your armour disabled is the worst thing that can happen in a Siege game or in a TDM. Easy kills and no skills required, anyone at Legend rank can you smoky AP and railgun AP, everything besides ricochet AP requires actually skill. Why do I say rico needs skill, well because you need to redirect the shots from the wall to get the AP effect and some maps are open and u have no where to deflect them from. 

[dolarichi 30]

23 hours ago, The_Pakistani said:

AP = Pure skills.

ok LCR user. People like you are hypocrites, you would probably use AP rail if you got it, same goes for people who complain how much they hate emp and call it 0 skill but would immediately equip it and always use it if they got the alt.

 

Edited January 7, 2021 by W4RUDO

[dolarichi 30]

On 1/5/2021 at 3:17 PM, LOLKILLERTOTHEDEATH said:

My primary problem with Magnum AP is that in close ranged engagements, it's quite annoying to land a direct hit, especially if an enemy is circling you for example. Ricochet AP is, to me, the best because it's not very hard to use. Not easy either, but being able to bounce even a single shot off a surface, your next barrage will most likely prove deadly. Rail AP is not really that powerful for the player because of the -33% damage and the regular reload, which means that most of the time it's not you but your team mates who are making kills. Gauss is rather lacklustre in comparison to even Hammer, because you have to follow up your salvo with arcade shots, and quite often the time when you are reloading after firing your salvo is enough for your team mates to steal your kills. Hammer's AP augment actually isn't nearly as bad because the -20% clip reload essentially lets you fire off more shots very quickly. It doesn't always work out, but nothing always works anyways.

The magnum problem is easy to solve. Just use light hulls and lean forward, this makes a low angle for you turret, guaranteeing a direct hit. Plus magnum can fire really quick after the first shot if you load all the way.