does anyone think that the tempest is missing fire power. I know that the main objective is to explore but no one is so naive to think that they wont encounter trouble in a uncharted galaxy. i wish we had the option like mass effect 2 to talk with crew mates and upgrade the tempest. though that will provoke a heart attack to our salarian pilot LOL

I think that is to be expected for an upcoming sequel now that they realized they are not safe. But the excuse I would wager they considered Tempest not having guns is due their First Contact Protocols, besides the fact that long-range scanners had not pinpointed anything advanced and hostile.

Does the Tempest even have wepons? I'm still in my first playthrough, but sofar no-one mentioned weapons. Also, during that raid on the Kett flagship, while it's defences were down - courtesy of some crafty talking amphibians - if the Tempest had weapons, wouldn't it have been prudent to use them? Maybe put a few shots through it's engine deck while Ryder was savely in a different part of the ship? Just sayin'... But that doesn't prove anything, given Shepard didn't think of asking Joker to blast the Collector Cruiser out of the skies when it was wounded by the colony's defence lasers even if you allready installed the guns that would later curbstomp the allmost certainly fully repaired vessel. I guess some brain damage did slip past Miranda and her team... That being said, I think the Tempest is deliberately unarmed. It also fit's the image I have of Sara Ryder as a somewhat naive college co-ed in arms thrown into the deep end via nepotism that she went on anty-piracy patrol - in an unarmed ship!

@MaksSKS8 wrote: I believe in one of the original videos before the games release which was explaining the Andromeda initiative it stated that the Tempest was without guns so that they could keep it agile and quick. The idea being if you got into trouble just run away. Eventually they will need some kind of defense or the nexus is just a sitting duck for the kett... Not to mention the colonies they could just bomb from orbit. There had to be future plans for defense surely.

@MaksSKS8 wrote: I believe in one of the original videos before the games release which was explaining the Andromeda initiative it stated that the Tempest was without guns so that they could keep it agile and quick. The idea being if you got into trouble just run away. I equate it to the U.S. Air Force Blackbird. Built for intelligence gathering and unarmed because it can outrun any projectile fired at it. And it's that fast because it doesn't carry anything that isn't necessary for making it fast. They even look similar.

I think most posters here underestimate how difficult it can be to retrofit a ship for combat. Especialy a vessel so small and highly specialised as the Tempest. Weapons take up space. Not just for the guns themselfes (remember the guns seen aboard the Kett flagship? They were huge!). Just making room for some meaningfull guns allone would be next to impossible on a tiny ship like the Tempest. And that's not even thinking about magazines for disruptor torpedoes. Those would be pretty much out of the question. It's not like WW1, where you could just bolt a few small guns and machineguns to the deck of a merchantman or cruise ship and call it a naval auxillary or Q-ship. You also need room for the powerlines and targeting systems. And off course the capacitors to feed the guns, as the ship's powerplant was most likely never designed for the aditional power draw of anti-ship weaponry. And don't forget: Anti-Ship weapons in ME are mostly railguns and particle cannons. So they do have recoil. If the ship's structural members aren't designed for taking that recoil, just firing the guns could - over time - literaly shake it appart.

the tempest is a little unequipped in military terms

20 Replies

Anonymous
9 years ago
I think that is to be expected for an upcoming sequel now that they realized they are not safe.

But the excuse I would wager they considered Tempest not having guns is due their First Contact Protocols, besides the fact that long-range scanners had not pinpointed anything advanced and hostile.
BirdDog021
9 years ago
Does the Tempest even have wepons? I'm still in my first playthrough, but sofar no-one mentioned weapons.

Also, during that raid on the Kett flagship, while it's defences were down - courtesy of some crafty talking amphibians - if the Tempest had weapons, wouldn't it have been prudent to use them? Maybe put a few shots through it's engine deck while Ryder was savely in a different part of the ship? Just sayin'...

But that doesn't prove anything, given Shepard didn't think of asking Joker to blast the Collector Cruiser out of the skies when it was wounded by the colony's defence lasers even if you allready installed the guns that would later curbstomp the allmost certainly fully repaired vessel. I guess some brain damage did slip past Miranda and her team...

That being said, I think the Tempest is deliberately unarmed.

It also fit's the image I have of Sara Ryder as a somewhat naive college co-ed in arms thrown into the deep end via nepotism that she went on anty-piracy patrol - in an unarmed ship!
Anonymous
9 years ago
There's also the fact that your ship cannot afford being modified or stationary for too long, because your job as a Pathfinder is needed and urgent everywhere. Adding a gun to it would also make your pilot die. I'm sure the Tempest might get some teeth in due course. But I believe the Pathfinders' ships were never meant to carry weapons. I think shuttles have weapons, though.
Anonymous
9 years ago
@PandaTar wrote:

I think that is to be expected for an upcoming sequel now that they realized they are not safe.

But the excuse I would wager they considered Tempest not having guns is due their First Contact Protocols, besides the fact that long-range scanners had not pinpointed anything advanced and hostile.

They have the blue prints for the normandy SR2 in Tanns office. They will probably build one.
MaksSKS8
9 years ago
I believe in one of the original videos before the games release which was explaining the Andromeda initiative it stated that the Tempest was without guns so that they could keep it agile and quick. The idea being if you got into trouble just run away.
Anonymous
9 years ago
@MaksSKS8 wrote:

I believe in one of the original videos before the games release which was explaining the Andromeda initiative it stated that the Tempest was without guns so that they could keep it agile and quick. The idea being if you got into trouble just run away.

Eventually they will need some kind of defense or the nexus is just a sitting duck for the kett...

Not to mention the colonies they could just bomb from orbit.

There had to be future plans for defense surely.
mckrackin5324
9 years ago
@MaksSKS8 wrote:

I believe in one of the original videos before the games release which was explaining the Andromeda initiative it stated that the Tempest was without guns so that they could keep it agile and quick. The idea being if you got into trouble just run away.

I equate it to the U.S. Air Force Blackbird.

Built for intelligence gathering and unarmed because it can outrun any projectile fired at it.

And it's that fast because it doesn't carry anything that isn't necessary for making it fast.

They even look similar.
EmilliaClarke
9 years ago
Tempest was created for pure exploration and travelling.

Remember, Tempest was created at Milky Way, without knowing any Kett or Scource or even Remnants

Gil said this line "no one expecting this mess at Andromeda, so we must adapt our ship" something like that, not by putting massive cannon or guns, but by more agile and fast ship.

My only problem with Tempest is...

Why... Tempest... Doesn't... Use... A... F*cking... SHUTTLE SHIP??
You know... like the one you use at the first planet

Its small, i am sure it will fit well at Tempest

And is it hard to find another pilot from Nexus? There is Fisher.

And why the Nomad wasn't put in the Tempest?

I mean Tempest was idling for 600 years, so no one used the ship before

Why they created a big loading deck without any single transportation vehicle?
VladVonCastein
9 years ago
LOL I have a lesser issue of the Tempest not having guns than the Arks not having them. Especially silly when

Spoiler
They grabbed 100000 people and left the milky way cause of the pending reaper invasion, that's basically not an exploration mission, it's fleeing the galaxy and ensuring civilisation continues and they dont have any armaments on the arks? Even the Quarian civilian ships are armed like dreadnoughts.

story doesnt seem to tie in...
Anonymous
9 years ago
@VladVonCastein wrote:

LOL I have a lesser issue of the Tempest not having guns than the Arks not having them. Especially silly when

Spoiler
They grabbed 100000 people and left the milky way cause of the pending reaper invasion, that's basically not an exploration mission, it's fleeing the galaxy and ensuring civilisation continues and they dont have any armaments on the arks? Even the Quarian civilian ships are armed like dreadnoughts.

story doesnt seem to tie in...

Limited funding! :D

But really

All those cryo pods would need an exponential amount of power to keep running for 600 yrs. Thats basically 100k freezers running for 600 yrs. Not to mention the engines to keep the ark moving.

Weapons also take mass amounts of power. Like huge mass amounts of power. My guess is they had to forgo weapons to keep the engines and pods running for that amount of time as it was.