Khovey

Yes, this is true, so shouldn't the Indefatigable have more hp or thickness? To put it into different words, why does the Endymion have the same hp and thickness as a razee while being faster?

Even if we ignore the issue of permits altogether (and, yes, I think permits are an issue), there are still 2 problems here. 1. The Endymion is practically a lower BR, better version of the Indef, which is also a permit ship. 2. The Endymion is in many ways better than the Trinc, which itself is better than other 5th rates. In an fight between Endymion and any other 5th rate besides the Trinc, Endymion has a huge advantage. So in the end, Trinc and Endymion are both go-to ships for 5th rates, which means to create more variety we need to either nerf them or buff the other 5th rates.

As far as I know, Loki runes don't work for mission AI. In other words, I have never heard of anyone getting a Loki player in their mission, as opposed to in open world where it happens all the time. Also, with regard to AI boarding (you probably know this already), if at any point during boarding your crew count drops below that of the AI's, you're at risk of attack/counter-attack. This can happen just with the regular AI cycle with decks guns -> grenades -> brace, since I'm guessing a Bucentaure can kill 10-15 crew just with deck guns/grenades.

Edit: deleted because identical to my post on page 1

I think this is one solution but maybe not the best solution. I think the way to encourage more variety is to give other 5th rates some sort of advantage over the heavy frigates like Endymion and Trinc. The most reasonable advantages would be better sailing profiles (particularly upwind) and turn rates for smaller ships. This can give skilled captains a better chance against heavier opponents. We already know that this can work because ships like the snow in skilled hands can stern camp and kill much larger 5th rates and it is balanced by their squishiness (low hp and thickness). Obviously, this takes more work for the devs to implement compared to just making the Trinc a permit ship since it requires a lot of small changes. However, like @AeRoTR said, if we make the Trinc a permit ship it will usually give veteran players (either people very good at pvp or people that grind a lot) an advantage instead of making the engagement based on skill. Alternatively, we can nerf the Trinc and Endymion in some way, either hp or sailing profile/speed. I think it's pretty obvious that the Endymion needs a nerf anyway.

This is a good point. I think that giving smaller ships a sailing advantage against larger ships can make it possible for a skilled captain to win the engagement, and it's a way to balance ships without being too disruptive. This type of change with a few hp buffs can help make smaller ships more viable. This comment also points out one of the major issues with the Endymion's balance at the moment. The Endymion makes no trade-offs for its sailing profile and heavy armament. If we compare the Endymion and Indefatigable: The Endymion only has 3.5% less hp for a vastly superior sailing profile and speed. It is also a lower BR. The only advantage of the Indefatigable is more crew and a heavier carro armament (which is not a benefit that is universally applied, like Endymion's speed and sailing profile). I think ships like the Endymion can have these advantages but should also have disadvantages to balance them, such as much lower hp. For example, if the Endymion had 800 less hp (which is still more than Trinc) then the Indefatigable would have a reasonable advantage in a fight (12.5% more hp) instead of being worse than Endymion in almost every way.