Ship Breakdown
The Phoenix rose from the ashes and so will you if you can control and master the dog-fighters favourite craft! Built for speed and maneuverability the Phoenix has paper thin shields (14% weaker than the Pyro-GL, and a whopping 25% weaker than the Magnum-AHT) and a very small weapons load.
Often called the "Skipnix" because of its tendency to skip or even teleport about levels when loss is a factor, the Phoenix is very fast indeed. Over 19% quicker than the Pyro-GL. This coupled with very quick response times and high sliding speed makes the Phoenix a real handful to fly successfully.
Here I must add a point about whether you should fly a Phoenix or not! It's my contention that a Phoenix flown fast in a server with PPS set to 7 is little more than a cheat. If you have upstream loss as well, you will be almost impossible to hit! If other players complain that you are "skipping" you will do them a huge favour by switching to a Pyro-GL (Or even a Black Pyro!) and get yourself some major kudos as a result! Resorting to a Tank if you are skipping badly is all you can possibly do - above and beyond the call really! Your time might be better spent reducing the loss inherent in your connection...
Prospective Phoenix pilots will need very good skills to wield the Phoenix's awesome speed to advantage. It will only carry enough weapons to make one kill, at which point pilots must swoop in, collect the spew of the deceased pilot and progress to the next victim.
Super Lasers are the shiznit in the Phoenix as the laser mounts are extremely wide and the reload rate is the fastest of all ships. Additionally, the Vauss capacity is the largest of all the craft (15,000 rounds) and sharp shooters will appreciate this.
The Phoenix will tri-chord in reverse just about as fast as the Magnum will go forwards making this an excellent "Don't chase me" craft. The extreme top speed lends itself to hit and run tactics, which may prove essential as it will not survive the impact of a smart missile.
Very weak shields means you'll need to have very good avoidance skills to rack up the kills. Avoiding every shot is crucial - you won't survive long otherwise! The afterburner runs extremely hot in the Phoenix and hence the cooling/recharging time is much slower than other craft unless you have an afterburner cooler.
