Skyguard Vs Liberator...

Change the top-armor for Lightning to 500 Cert cost, 25% resist to all air-weapons, then an additional 17.5% x2 for 250 cert
each, ending up with 1000 Cert cost for 50% resist all against air-weapons.

Then add a high velocity barrel for a 30% projectilespeed increase for 1000 Cert. The Prowler's lockdown has an automatic
30% faster projectiles for much less cost.

In short. A dedicated Skyguard should cost alot, but it should be effective and not instantly die from air-units with Hornets,
daltons or busters. There is currently nothing specialized about a unit when its target can kill it almost instantly.

My issue here with top armor is that you're making it too optimal. Why would you ever run a skyguard with anything but top armor? NAR should be a viable option versus top armor. A straight up buff to top armor wouldn't be too far fetched since the amount of non-air AV you take is fairly limited and it will serve skyguards well without making top armor buff the lightning's tank vs. tank combat a bunch.

One thing i'm noticing though, is that you are saying air 'instantly' kills skyguards. That is not the case if they are hitting your top armor though, so the top armor thing doesn't address the issue you just raised.

Also, 1000 certs for a weapon attachment that is a straight upgrade is kind of much. Almost as stupid as max extended mags on AI weapons.

You know skyguards are broken in their intended role when I'm more inclined to pull AP to get air kills.

Skyguards should have top armor as a basic inherent design.. not something that you have to cert into.
Or it could have a tweak in top damage to Air weapons, by increasing its resistance substantially.

That'd be neat. IDK if possible but it'd be neat.

An inherent bonus to top armor w/ the skyguard turret, you could use NAR or double up on top armor if you want.

And I don't think that most pilots would terribly mind if only the dedicated Skyguard got some more top resistance to air weapons.
It's not like anyone would truly believe this would make the Skyguard OP..

OK, wtf are u alone in a skygard against a lib?
if i pilot a lib with spur and duster in main gun i will never kill a lighting in 3 sec
if the lib with cas30 tankburster (this name should make "tilt" ure brain" manage to get a 20 meters from u , lets say he his good or maybe ure pretty bad .

No sorry; there's something else wrong here. I was in a smallish fight a few days ago mainly infantry on Esamir running around in my solo AV Harrasser looking for Sundies to kill; consistently I saw a single man Lib chasing down Lightnings killing them and every Lightening failed to run away (not for lack of trying). My 'rasser got killed multiple times by the same Lib (full speed chassi on my 'rasser) and simply could not escape either (I was on my NC at a TR vs. VS fight so I was expecting to be doing a whole lot of running). Now reverse the situation and tell me when was the last time you saw a Skyguard chase after a Liberator who was running away and being successful at chasing it down and killing it solo?

The simple fact is a fully certed, fully loaded Skyguard can not take out a Lib on it's own (short of a very incompetent pilot who refuses to stop flying straight into the flak) yet a zero certed Lib can easily take out said Skyguard by simply by catching him off guard and fly around a hill to repair and try again if needed until successful. The Lib simply should get a more powerful belly gun (PS1 bombs please) and lose the nose gun on it. Let ESFs be the main counter to it (as it is today) or multiple sources of AA but don't have it be a solo man giant counter everything ESF (used to land on vehicles, nose gun them to death or simply ramming) as they are today.

The main counter to Skyguard should be other lightings, Harassers or MBTs. No air-unit should be the counter
to the Skyguard since they is what they are designed to kill.

This is what's so ***** wrong.. a 1/3 Liberator will kill any tank in 2-3 seconds, including the skyguard.
But the Skyguard takes roughly 20 seconds to kill the Liberator. The Skyguard's armor needs to have its resistances
increased greatly. A Liberator should NOT look at a Skyguard as free xp, but a great threat.

I've used a Liberator myself with Dalton and 2shots = dead Skyguard.. totally FKed up.

You dont get a decent lib under 10.000 certs...

the grind wall should never be taken into account for balance. its simply a time delay mechanic. once invested it means nothing.

If a lib is catching your lone Skyguard without cover, you are skyguard-ing incorrectly. Honestly, if I'm going to 1v1 a lib from the ground, I'd rather be in my AP Vanguard than a Skyguard.

The fact that you'd rather fight a Lib with an MBT instead of what's supposed to be the specialist anti-air tank is rather indicative of a problem, wouldn't you say?

I feel like the Vanguard AP is too good at AA, not that the Skyguard is too weak, and that's coming from someone who rolls around in a VG 75% of the time. Don't get me wrong, sniping air from a tank might be my favorite thing, but it is silly.

No so much. He's most likely comfortable with it over the Skyguard given how much time he has spent with his VG. Honestly I don't know how people are so bad at using the Skyguard, it really is good at it's job and is fun to use, players just don't realize how important positioning and awareness is for it, then come to the forums because they dont know how to use it properly. Source: my two favorite things in this game are Liberators and Skyguards. Find your bias.

Naw man, if the Titan AP didn't do what it does now to Liberators it wouldn't be any fun.

A Skyguard shouldn't have to fear getting insta-killed by anything from the air, period. Not unless a Galaxy crashes into it.

The fact that a LOUD enormous aircraft can sneak up on your skyguard and clip you with TB must mean LA with C4 is having a fun time with you... (omg they oneshot even MBT and cost 0 resources)

LA is in the air... "A little c4 knocking at your door"

I looked up the Monthly Cause of Death for Lightnings and I couldn't find one Air vehicle on the list, apparently the main counter to Skyguards and other lightenings is MBT's, Harassers and other Lightnings, no where in the top 25 cause of death was an air vehicle listed...odd?