Torpedoes

Damage TypeWeapon Type
Explosive Missile
GoodNot Good
One heat seeking burst of explosive damage. Moves at only 250 m/s, so can be outrun by almost all ships.  You need to sneak up on your target and fire before they start maneuvering.
Often used with Reverberating Cascade to wipe out shield tanks. The most you get is 4 in a large hardpoint, and no reloads. 
Highly resistant to point defense. Damage isn’t really much when you think about it. 
Armor penetration is 10000. Cannot be synthesized.

Size Notes

Larger Torpedo racks just carry more torpedoes.

Engineering

LightweightIf you want a torpedo on your lightweight ship. 
SturdyNo. Yes! Lowers the heat per shot which can be high otherwise. 

Experimental Effects

Double BracedUse module reinforcements instead.
Flow ControlFrees up a tiny bit of energy, but there are better ways to do that.
Mass Lock Munitions“Significantly inhibits” the target’s Frameshift Drive, but there are better weapons to do that.
OversizedIf you don’t care about other experimentals, a bit more damage doesn’t hurt…but you use torpedoes for the experimentals, so don’t bother. 
Penetrator PayloadLets you damage internal modules. 
Reverberating CascadeDirectly damages the target’s shield generator even through their shields. With enough hits, their shields drop permanently. The main reason people use torpedoes. 
Stripped DownFrees up a tiny bit of mass, but there are better ways to do that.