AI War:Ion Cannons
What Do I Do About Ion Cannons?
A: To destroy an ion cannon, you'll need to have ships with a mark level greater than the ion cannon, or you'll need to have a LOT of lower-level ships. Ion cannons insta-kill any ships with a equal to or lower level than themselves, but they can only one-shot about one ship per 1 to 4 seconds, depending on ship cap level. So if you bring a few hundred ships, this gives you time to work - though the ion cannon will kill your more expensive, higher mark ships first. You can use this tactic to get yourself closer to the ion cannon and destroy it, or you can use it to slip scouts or other ships past the planet, avoiding it.
Do note that it isn't always a given that you want to destroy ion cannons. If you can capture the planet without destroying them, the ion cannons will become yours, helping you to defend that planet against future enemy incursions. You might take more losses in the short term, but the long-term payoff is sometimes worth it. Do note that Mark III and higher Ion Cannons have an AI Wave Multiplier that can be quite nasty.
NB: When scrapping high-value targets such as these, the player will not get the normal 10%, but a paltry 0.1% or so. Don't expect to get rich capturing mark-IV and mark-V ion cannons. We are also not sure if the enemy wave multiplier is still applicable - it seems to have been removed pre-5.000 release. --- zharmad.
Ships That Are "Immune To Being Insta-Killed"
Ships that have the ability "Immune To Being Insta-Killed" cannot be hit by ion cannons at all. These include Armored Warheads, Lightning Warheads, all starships, spirecraft, and golems, and the following bonus fleet ships:
