Ships & Modules

Which Beam laser should I get for ratting?

I'm in a legion =).

I want dps output the most, thanks.

Pretty much. Heavies hit the hardest, so long as they hit, though.

Don't have that much experience with medium beams, but I'd probably stick with Focused or Heavy. Focused for fits too tight for Heavies and for better tracking over raw damage/dps, and Heavies if you can fit them without gimping the rest of your fit to make it work and for more force and better range. Just to note, Heavies can still track NPC frigs/dessies fine out at range, usually in the upper half of optimals, but sharply drop effectiveness closer in when confronted with small ships. Moving parallel to the target helps a lot if you have to maintain range in those cases -- "Keep at Range" works wonders here. Focused are more forgiving where that's all concerned, but don't pack the same punch or range. Heavies are no medium-sized Tachyons, though, so the difference in damage and range is not so massive, though they do still eat up a lot more fitting than Focused.

Results may vary, but I usually tell people asking "this or that" questions to try out both and get a feel for either rather than rely on other people's testimonies. It's not a trust issue, just that some will find one way better for them and other people will find the other a better choice. It's not always the case, but people are varied enough that one man's pet peeves are hardly even an afterthought at the most for another. We can describe the differences and outline faults and strengths, where one side fails to deliver while the other excels, but you'll know which works best for you by your own experience better than anyone else's.