Stuff to use through out the game

[PiratedChaos]

I'm sort of new to FTL, as I've only unlocked 4 ships (Kestrel and Engi Cruisers A and B) and I'm thinking about what to get in the game. I'm playing with the standard Kestrel, in Sector 3, with Level 2 shields, Level 3 Engines, Level 1 Medbay/Oxygen, level 4 Weapons, Level 1 pilot, and level 2 sensors/doors. Also I have 2 humans and a rockman, and a Burst Laser 2 and Breach Bomb 2. Please help what I should use through the game, and remember, Burst Laser 2 is better than 3!

-PiratedChaos

[5thHorseman]

You need more engines. I like to be at level 5 by the end of sector 3 but won't sacrifice better weapons for it.

Your big problem right now is your reliance on bombs. BL2 is great but once you hit 3-shield ships, it's useless without the bomb and no matter what, if you rely on those things you WILL run out of ammo eventually. So another weapon is a priority. There is only one weapon that I'll take over a BL2, and that's a Flak1. It's cheaper and reloads faster, and in many cases the inaccuracy is worth the extra shot. Like against the 3-shield ships you'll be meeting soon.

So you need a weapon. Preferably something that shoots at least 2 if not 3 shots, or a top-tier ion like the charger or Ion 2. Or, if you find an Ion 1 floating in space and then come across an Ion 1 or Heavy Ion in a store, pick that up and you can start auto-firing those at shields to let your BL2 do its work on the ship. The Breach is a good bomb, but if you start to get low on missiles I'd consider selling it to buy other things.

And while I agree that BL2 is better than BL3 (and Flak1 is better than Flak2), BL3 is better than not being able to damage the enemy.

[PiratedChaos]

Thanks for the tips, I'll try to use them.

The strategy that I use (before this) is 2 BL 2's, Breach Missle, Halberd Beam, but I see. Thanks!

[stylesrj]

The Breach Bomb should be saved for those pesky AI ships. Throw one in a system and that ship will not be repairing it.
Also useful for the Flagship if you kill all the crew off and/or playing on Hard difficulty.

I'm not a big fan of missile or bomb weapons. Sure they're useful but at the same time they rely on ammunition. This also applies to the enemy.

Honestly, I think Flak I is the best weapon in the game. Burst II used to be it but that gun's a rarity. Flak I is very likely to crop up everywhere. Despite it being a bunch of slow, inaccurate rocks that can be shot down by defence drones, it has infinite ammo and fires 3 shots every 10 seconds.
Most of my strategies end up with the ship armed with two or three Flak I weapons. You're lucky to even get one Burst II and blessed by the Random Number God if you get two. If you get 3 or 4, you must be the chosen one from the Random Number Heavens.

[Twinge]

Laser weaponry is the main thing that's good in all builds throughout the game. Even Burst I (or its variants, Chain I and Charge I) are perfectly fine weapons that will serve you well. Lasers (including Flak, which is a laser sub-type) are so good because they take down shields efficiently and still do decent damage past shields. This means you can use them alongside bombs, beams, or even ion and they'll do work.