The EMP Field is an item that, when activated, bathes a circular area centered at where it was deployed with an electromagnetic field that disables all electronics caught in the field. This includes drones, systems, and any smart munitions the player may be packing.
Strategy[ | ]
This item is invaluable in higher-level Foundry or Garrison vessels, where no matter what kind of weaponry you bring it's still practically impossible to keep up with drone production. With an EMP field, you can run up to a system, deploy the field, and get some peace and quiet while you demolish it. Better still, if the system itself gets caught in the field, its own defenses will be shut down (so no need to worry about Hornets near a Repair System, for instance).
There are only two real drawbacks:
- The field will also disable electronics that some weapons rely on, for instance, smart machine guns or rockets with guidance systems. The player won't be able to effectively use such weapons within the field.
- The cooldown time is 120 seconds. When you have three Drone Factories cranking out a new drone every 5 seconds each, 120 seconds can be a very long time.
The first issue can be gotten around by sticking to dumb weaponry, including high-impact favorites like HE Rockets and the Chain Gun. As for the second, the cooldown is so long and the item is so situationally useful that it may be worth doubling up (or, if you're rocking a Jennet, even tripling up) on it.