The Heavy Missile Frigate is specifically designed to counter frigates and capital ships. It is armed with two Fusion Missile launchers and a single self-defense missile battery. The Heavy Missile Frigate is extremely damaging to enemy frigates and, in larger numbers, to enemy Capital Ships. Its Fusion Missiles are completely useless against strike craft.
Background[]
The Heavy Missile Frigate is superior in several respects to its Hiigaran counterpart, the Ion Cannon Frigate. The guided missiles enjoy fire-and-forget target acquisition, and target reacquisition if its first target is destroyed before the missiles reach their destination. This allows the Heavy Missile Frigate greater maneuverability and tactical flexibility, especially when engaging enemy battlecruisers with weak flank protection. It also allows the missiles' damage package to be launched in a single instant rather than via a continuous stream as through the Ion Cannon. Thus, launched missiles remain active and continue to seek their targets even when the Heavy Missile frigate itself is destroyed. In contrast, Ion Frigates' damage stream is cut short the instant the frigate itself is lost. One of the only disadvantages that this frigate has compared to the Ion Cannon Frigate is that the Ion cannon's beam still fires when the current target is destroyed, allowing it to hit multiple targets with one salvo if the current target is destroyed. Moreover, the Heavy Missile Frigate's single concussion missile launcher also gives it a minor edge over the Ion Frigate against strike craft.
However, the Heavy Missile Frigate is still very weak against Strike Craft, particularly bombers. While the defensive Concussion Missiles can destroy a single bomber with little effort, they are very ineffective against even a squadron of bombers because of the long, 7 second reload time.
As the Vaygr use one common chassis for all their Frigates, the Heavy Missile Frigate benefits from all Vaygr Frigate-class upgrades. The Heavy Missile Frigate is also available by default without additional research once the Frigate Chassis is researched and a Frigate Facility is constructed. In contrast, the Vaygr's Assault and Infiltrator Frigates must be separately researched.