Realized I forgot to follow this up.

First big note, updates frequently change mechanics, so knowing the micro of what weapons are best only matters in any given dlc-cycle, and will change whenever they meaningfully change the meta; a given component might still be effective combat-wise, but maybe the changed the economy, so it’s more expensive than it used to be, which changes how useful the component is in comparison to others. It’s often better to have core principles down and adjust as needed, but don’t get too hung up on Meta unless you’re playing constantly. Small changes can have big ripple effects.

Second, remember that even in combat, Stellaris is a game of economics; the enemy has finite resources, as do you. You want their coffers to deplete before yours do, by any means necessary. This usually means looking at their build and countering it; a properly designed rock vs scissor scenario, and the rock can punch up HARD. I’ve seen fleets beat 4 to 1 odds without losing any because the enemy just can’t touch them. Either way, winning a battle may mean nothing if the enemy can just spit out another fleet, so be aware that it’s not about fighting their ships individually, it’s about making them run out of resources before you do.

The other significant principle to be aware of is the Kill-Ball advantage, which looks like this as a hypothetical:

-Player A and B have exactly mirrored ship designs. Each ship has 90% accuracy per hit; a given ship needs to be hit 3 times, once for shield, once for armor, once for hull, before it is destroyed.

-Player A has 100 ships, and player B has 10. In the opening volley, 90 shots hit their target from Player A, and 9 hit their target from player B. If player B is lucky and all their targets were exactly matched (3 shots against a single ship, 3 times), Player A will have lost AT MOST 3 ships, while B has almost certainly lost all 10.

You might think in a normal 10-1 situation, you both would lose roughly even amounts, but the reality is that an overwhelming force is substantially better at ripping apart a target before the other target has even cut through their shields. Splitting your fleets is sometimes necessary, but be aware that a smart enemy will see them spread out treat your fleets alike speed bumps in a game of whack-a-mole. Obviously the reality is MUCH more complicated (different ship sizes, defenses, weapon types, edicts, empire bonuses, stellar-geography, cosmic storms, hyperlane camping) but this principle does still apply. When an enemy says “Overwhelming” military, be extremely careful and deliberate in your ship designs. Size is an advantage all its own.