We ran seven C-788 loadouts on a Scythe against a Constellation in patch 4.9. One combo clearly won: C-788 Cannons + NDB-30 Repeaters — ~10.39 seconds to kill.

The takeaway: mixed loadouts beat pure ballistic and pure laser every time. Shields delay your damage. Fix that first, and everything dies faster.

TTK Test Results: All C-788 Pairings Ranked

Same ship, same target, stationary Constellation. Here's the full data:

Notice the pattern: the top three are all mixed. Paper DPS lies. Damage phases don't.

Why C-788 + NDB-30 Wins

Every large-ship kill goes through three phases: shields → armor → hull. This combo covers all three.

• NDB-30s shred shields fast — that's their whole job
• C-788s crack armor with raw penetration
• Once armor opens, both weapons hit hull at full value

Pure ballistics (C-788 + Tarantulas, ~18s) prove the point in reverse: great penetration, but shields stall you for too long. Penetration means nothing while the bubble is up.

Same lesson from the other direction — M6A + NDB-30 (~19s) strips shields fast but can't open armor. Shield damage without penetration is wasted time.

Loadout Picks by Playstyle

Fastest Kill: C-788 + NDB-30

Run this for PvE bounties and any large target. Nothing tested came close. One catch: mixed projectile speeds take getting used to.

Best Aim Feel: C-788 + M5A

~12s TTK, but the projectile velocities match closely. Against moving PvP targets, landed shots beat theoretical DPS. If you're whiffing with the NDB mix, this will out-kill it in real fights.

Burst Preference: C-788 + Deadbolt

~13s. Still fun, still hits like a truck. But it's a preference pick now, not the meta.

Skip These

• M6A + NDB-30 — too slow vs armor
• Full ballistic — shield phase drags
• Full laser — overfire once and cooldown gaps eat your window

Testing Caveats (Read Before Copying)

The target was stationary. Live combat adds variables:

• Targets evade, decouple, and rotate shields
• Projectile speed mismatch tanks your hit rate
• Ballistic builds run ammo limits
• Desync exists. It always exists.

The data is a solid baseline, not gospel. If your accuracy drops with mixed weapons, a slower-on-paper loadout wins in practice.

FAQ

What's the best weapon to pair with C-788 Cannons in 4.9?

NDB-30 Repeaters. Fastest tested TTK at ~10.39s vs a Constellation. Repeaters strip shields, C-788s open armor.

Is C-788 + M5A better for PvP?

Often, yes. Matched projectile speeds mean more landed shots. A ~12s TTK you can actually hit beats a 10s TTK you can't.

Are full ballistic C-788 builds worth it?

Not as a main pick. ~18s in testing — shields stay up too long without energy pressure.

Are Deadbolts still good in 4.9?

Usable at ~13s. Big burst feel, but the NDB-30 mix outperforms it. Run Deadbolts for fun, not for speed.

Best C-788 setup for PvE bounty hunting?

C-788 + NDB-30, no contest. Large ships melt once shields drop and armor cracks.

Bottom Line

C-788 + NDB-30 is the fastest tested loadout in Star Citizen 4.9 — ~10.39s on a Constellation. It wins because it solves shields and armor simultaneously instead of brute-forcing one phase.

Can't get comfortable with the mixed velocities? Run C-788 + M5A. Slightly slower spreadsheet, better real-fight results. Missing half your shots is the worst loadout of all.