Laser Cannon Incident
The Laser Cannon Incident was a major military engagement in the Vega-Nova War located at Ilios Research Station in western Ilios. The battle saw the deployment of experimental Laser Cannon-based Destroyers by Imperial Nova, by means of which a small Novan force sunk an extremely large Vegan-allied armada with comparatively few casualties. The battle was the first and only significant usage of such powerful Laser Cannon arrays on Survival; even prior to the incident on 15 March, Laser Cannons were already slated for a significant nerf the following evening due to a widespread consensus that they were unbalanced. The Laser Cannon Incident was the most lethal battle of any in Horizon's End history, with a total of 24 ships being sunk over the course of the 90-minute engagement.
Context
On November 9th 2024, the server received an update that included a change reducing Laser Cannon weapon capacitor power drain to 160 from 1600, allowing Destroyers to fire over 70 of them at a time. The change occurred with little fanfare and was an open secret among a small number of players until the following March, at which point the change's potential became widely recognized. By this time, the Vega-Nova War had begun, and Imperial Nova opted to use the tactic before its inevitable nerf.
Summary of Events
(Video credit: AssassinXX)
Eyreke piloted thrawn's wrecked destroyer and used its still-functioning lasers against nova for about 30 seconds before it got sunk again.
(WIP)
Results
The battle concluded after Vegan forces decided to withdraw, failing to recapture the station or kill Novan forces.
Some time after the battle, server staff refunded Vega-aligned losses.