I agree with you Nerull, the Vasari weapon's tech tree is messed up. Here are my 2 cents about what could be a good change;
(The numbers in front of the upgrades are the number of labs required for that research)
1. Rapid Pulse Cycling (Pulse Gun and Pulse Beam Damage: +5%, +10%)
(Navigator, Skimisher, Migrator, Subverter, Overseer, Starbase, Devastator, Evacuator, Marauder, Desolator)
2. Enhanced Pulse Emission (Pulse Gun and Pulse Beam Damage: +15%, +20%)
(Navigator, Skimisher, Migrator, Subverter, Overseer, Starbase, Devastator, Evacuator, Marauder, Desolator)
(Requires: Rapid Pulse Cycling level 2)
3. Quick Pulse Streaming (Pulse Gun and Pulse Beam Damage: +25%, +30%)
(Navigator, Skimisher, Migrator, Subverter, Overseer, Starbase, Devastator, Evacuator, Marauder, Desolator)
(Requires: Enhanced Pulse Emission level 2)
4. Intense Pulse Beams (Pulse Gun and Pulse Beam Damage: +35%, +40%)
(Navigator, Skimisher, Migrator, Subverter, Overseer, Starbase, Devastator, Evacuator, Marauder, Desolator)
(Requires: Quick Pulse Streaming level 2)
1. Phase Miniaturization (no changes)
3. Phase Prediction (no changes)
5. Superior Missile Phasing (no changes)
7. NME Warheads (+1 lab required)
1. Pinpoint Bombardment (Planet Bombing Range: +13%, +27%, +40%) (-5 labs required)
(Destructor, All Capital Ships)
2. Basic Wave Cannons (-2 lab required)
4. Wave Amplification (-2 lab required)
6. Superior Wave Cannons (-1 lab required)
The Vasari are indeed in need of some firepower, their phase missiles are good, but that only pushes people to rely even more on their LRF. Thats one of the reason people spam LRF.
All the other Vasari ships are in need of additional firepower, especially the Navigator, the Skirmisher, the Enforcer and the Capships.
Combining the pulse guns and the pulse beams into one single-continuous upgrade and dropping the number of labs for the Wave Cannons could solve the Vasari dilemma.
Pinpoint Bombardment should be a really really cheap/very easy to research upgrade. The advantage of that research are minimal at best.
Anyway, Nerull, thats what I think should be done for the Vasari weapon's upgrades.