Fittings for [this post].
General comments (for all four):
- Be aware of your native resists, and what rat you are fighting. Angels shoot explosive, so you might not have to boost your 50% native resist. Sansha shoot EM, so you might want to boost your 0% native resist. Play it safe, first, and then move to maximizing your damage output. Small rigs are cheap.
- Rigs are customizable. If you have a rough time staying in long enough to kill all the rats in a spawn, then you can rig for more resists, or more speed. If you are doing fine, then rig for more damage to move faster.
- AB/MSE are required. Other mids can potentially be colored to taste.
- Lows are as many BCUs as possible, with fitting mods where required.
- T1 launchers are far easier to fit than T2. You can fit T2, but I can't endorse this yet, as I haven't tried it, and I'd bet that the cost or penalties associated with them would be hazardous to your stealth bomber's health.
- Your SB does have the ability to fit a turret, and this is not a terrible option if you don't want to carry probes. It probably won't save you against elite frigates, though.
- All of these fits are handily cap-stable.
- Green modules are flat out required to make this strategy work, as outlined in the other post.
COMMENTS
-----------------------------------------------------------------
FITTINGS
[Manticore, KIN RAT]
Ballistic Control System II
Micro Auxiliary Power Core I
Medium Shield Extender II
1MN Afterburner II
Target Painter II
Target Painter II
'Arbalest' Siege Missile Launcher, Juggernaut Torpedo
'Arbalest' Siege Missile Launcher, Juggernaut Torpedo
'Arbalest' Siege Missile Launcher, Juggernaut Torpedo
Expanded Probe Launcher I, Core Scanner Probe I /OFFLINE
Covert Ops Cloaking Device II
Small Warhead Calefaction Catalyst I
Small Bay Loading Accelerator I
Statistics:
431 DPS
732 m/s
------
[Hound, EXP RAT]
Ballistic Control System II
Ballistic Control System II
Micro Auxiliary Power Core I
Medium Shield Extender II
1MN Afterburner II
Target Painter II
'Arbalest' Siege Missile Launcher, Bane Torpedo
'Arbalest' Siege Missile Launcher, Bane Torpedo
'Arbalest' Siege Missile Launcher, Bane Torpedo
Expanded Probe Launcher I, Core Scanner Probe I /OFFLINE
Covert Ops Cloaking Device II
Small Auxiliary Thrusters I
Small Auxiliary Thrusters I
Statistics:
50% Native Explosive Resist (Good against Angels)
433 DPS
953 m/s
----
[Nemesis, THERM RAT]
Ballistic Control System II
Micro Auxiliary Power Core I
Medium Shield Extender II
1MN Afterburner II
'Anointed' I EM Ward Reinforcement
Target Painter II
'Arbalest' Siege Missile Launcher, Inferno Torpedo
'Arbalest' Siege Missile Launcher, Inferno Torpedo
'Arbalest' Siege Missile Launcher, Inferno Torpedo
Expanded Probe Launcher I, Core Scanner Probe I /OFFLINE
Covert Ops Cloaking Device II
Small Warhead Calefaction Catalyst I
Small Bay Loading Accelerator I
Stats:
431 DPS
765 m/s
Shield Hardener can be swapped for a TP, passive shield resist module (Magnetic Scattering Amplifier II), Tech II Hardener (Photon Scattering Field II), or Small Shield Extender II, depending on what you are fighting and how you customize your rigs.
----
[Purifier, EM RAT]
Nanofiber Internal Structure II
Ballistic Control System II
Ballistic Control System II
Medium Shield Extender II
1MN Afterburner II
Target Painter II
'Arbalest' Siege Missile Launcher, Mjolnir Torpedo
'Arbalest' Siege Missile Launcher, Mjolnir Torpedo
'Arbalest' Siege Missile Launcher, Mjolnir Torpedo
Expanded Probe Launcher I, Core Scanner Probe I /OFFLINE
Covert Ops Cloaking Device II
Small Anti-EM Screen Reinforcer I
Small Bay Loading Accelerator I
Statistics:
460 DPS
837 m/s
About Me

- K'endro
- I started playing EVE in 2009, and tried to jump straight to nullsec. I quickly figured out that there was a better way to progress, and joined EUNI. Since then, I've spent a little bit of time with Star Fraction in low and nullsec, and quite a bit of time with Adhocracy Incorporated in W-space.
Showing posts with label Fittings. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fittings. Show all posts
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Friday, July 22, 2011
ShipStudy: Drake, PvP
Starting Note: In all cases possible I am going to attempt to keep all of the fittings on ships posted here as Tech II for a number of reasons. First, they are easier to identify by sight, second they give you something easy to search for in EFT, and third it keeps me from having to make value assessments on Meta3-4 modules. A 3m warp disruptor is worth it for some, and definitely not worth it for others, depending on their financial state. As is, for the most part, I'll T2 it up, unless the T1 fit would look _seriously_ different (as will be the case on a few hulls that I can think of... but only a few)
If the name of the game for PvE was recharge, the name of the game for PvP is buffer. All the buffer you can fit.
That being said, for a standard issue PvP drake, you are going to be looking at a fit that is very similar indeed to the PvE fits in the last thread, with extender rigs replacing the purger rigs.
The other consideration is that an additional factor has to be placed on the tank vs. gank balance scale: tackle. My recommendation for a drake is a web and a long point, though you can put together any combination you like. The benefit of being in a drake is that the naturally heavy tank can carry you through losing 1-2 of your shield mods for the purpose of tackle.
Drakes also have the natural strength of high resists, which makes them rather effective in gangs with logistic support of some sort; any shield that is transported onto the drake will tank more damage (because of the higher resists) than onto a nearby Harbinger, for example. This is an important consideration for an FC coming up against drakes, but it is also important from the drake's perspective, as well. Shield Maintenance bots can be used in drake gangs to supplement your gang-mate's native recharge, to extend their lasting power. Because of the high resists that a drake has, these bots become very effective in relatively small numbers, and can soon boost your recharge beyond the opponent's ability to break your tank, in small-gang warfare.
Drakes also have the natural strength of high resists, which makes them rather effective in gangs with logistic support of some sort; any shield that is transported onto the drake will tank more damage (because of the higher resists) than onto a nearby Harbinger, for example. This is an important consideration for an FC coming up against drakes, but it is also important from the drake's perspective, as well. Shield Maintenance bots can be used in drake gangs to supplement your gang-mate's native recharge, to extend their lasting power. Because of the high resists that a drake has, these bots become very effective in relatively small numbers, and can soon boost your recharge beyond the opponent's ability to break your tank, in small-gang warfare.
While on the topic of recharge, because the name of the game is _mostly_ buffer, you don't get quite the flexibility of using Shield Recharger IIs, nor Shield Power Relay IIs, as these both only affect the recharge. Thus, we re-task your lows. Ballistic Control System IIs prove handy for gank, Nanofiber IIs prove handy for moving around, and Power Diagnostic System IIs help provide a little bit of shield buffer in the lows, as well as helping your capacitor.
This fact lends itself to mostly standardized PvP drake fits, that have been used by many.
[Standard Drake]
[Standard Drake]
This can be done equally easy in an HML flavor (321 DPS, more range), or with T2 missiles (514 DPS). It all depends on the situation, In a gate engagement, 20km is close enough to catch everything jumping through, and you can hit pretty much anything you have tackled. Some other engagements the additional range is very nice. The ecm drones are a must for small fleet warfare, in my humble opinion. They work miracles when used in swarms, so if everyone packs them, good news happens. Obviously your FC's orders override mine, but I love the little things. Cheap as chips, as well, so you can afford to carry 40 in your hold and eat them like candy.
Another potential role for the drake is in a cohesive gang called the Drake Nano Gang... This works like so. Fit a drake out like this:
Then get together with 5 of your best buddies who have done the same (possibly various drones), and warp to a distance from your target. Start shooting. If they run away, hope you chose your spot well enough that your long point reaches. If they close to engage, you're waiting for them with open arms and double webs, which slows them down really quick.
The "nano" part of it comes in when this gang starts to pull range from anyone who wants to stay an fight; those that chase are caught in the points and webs, and those that stay longer range are put at the risk of the drake-alpha and DPS, potentially without the ability to return fire. All in all a very interesting tactic that doesn't have an easy, obvious counter. Yes, there are counters, but those are for another time.
However, the drake doesn't _have_ to be used by this. Let me try a little exercise with you:
Call the primary:
Drake, Drake, Drake, Drake, Drake, Drake.
Which one has the lighter tank is purely a matter of luck.
Most FC's even faced with an enemy fleet built like:
Drake, Drake, Hurricane, Harbinger, Omen, Blackbird, Brutix
would end up choosing the drake as a likely _last_ primary, or at least not first. That Blackbird would suck to keep on the field, and that Omen looks pretty squishy. Even in an armor gang (where drakes are a bit more likely to get primaried, if there is logistics on the field) if the gangs are small enough, a weaker armor ship would be primaried over the drake's big buffer.
And this is a mentality we can take advantage of. Now, the next part is where you might go "naaaaah, this guy doesn't know what he's talking about"; and you might be right. But the point that I'm trying to get across is still somewhat valid: if you aren't getting shot at, you don't need to be tanking, do you?
But, without further ado, I give you the complete opposite end of Drake possibilities: The armor EWAR drake.
[Armor EWAR Drake]
[Armor EWAR Drake]
As per "Won't the enemy fleet notice if you are doing all this Ewar??": possibly. They might. But people in PvP have a penchant for playing their overview, as opposed to the space part of things. This means that the only clues of ewar would be if you are using ewar on them, or if that gets reported across comms (which many FC's would protest).
If you mix types of ewar, someone might get a bit suspicious; that is, if you have a target painter, sensor dampener, and turret disruption all on the same cruiser, he knows you're using at least 3 slots on him.
If you mix types of ewar, someone might get a bit suspicious; that is, if you have a target painter, sensor dampener, and turret disruption all on the same cruiser, he knows you're using at least 3 slots on him.
If you use your duplicate types of EWAR on the same person (2TD on that Zealot, 2Damp on that Falcon), then they aren't so quick to notice your duplicated EWAR. the only thing that tips you off is that the timer resets at odd times, and even then they can only peg you for having 2, which might leave you with a decent tank. Hardly the sort of thing you bother the FC with when he's in the middle of things. Doubling up like this also prevents the people that actually _are_ looking at the pretty space-lights from seeing your little spiderweb quite so vividly; you might look like you have a few effects out, but that won't tip most people off. A shield drake can project a few EWAR effects onto their opponents without hurting their tank; many drake pilots take a sensor damp with them instead of so much tackle. This helps the potential of an armor drake, because people are more used to seeing these effects, and it isn't a "dead giveaway".
If you're feeling braver, of course, you get better bang for your buck if you fully hydra your EWAR and nab as many targets as possible with negative effects, and switch your damp targets all over the place (break locks). If you have sufficient logistic support to do this, more power to you.
It's not _all_ that crazy to put together an armor-tanked Drake, if it is either supported by logistics or figures a way to keep range from the rest of the engagment. Though not a "native" armor tanker, like the Harbinger or Brutix, it still gets a respectable 61k EHP, plus an EWAR tank.
It's also important to notice that the three highest resists that you have are the three highest likelihood to hit you. Along the same lines as "you don't need to tank if they aren't shooting", you don't need to tank explosive if they aren't shooting explosive.
Yes, a lot of people will put a variety of DPS into a fleet, but consider: Amarr will only shoot EM/Therm. Drones will be Therm. Drakes will shoot Kin. Minmatar tend to use EMP for legacy reasons. And everyone thinks you are shield tanked and have an EM hole (and your shield _did_ melt when they used EM, right?) Fortunately for you, if they shoot pure EM, then you're actually working at 69k EHP. Who shoots explosive at a ship that's _only_ ever shield tanked, anyway?
PS: Yes, I've given you permission to put EWAR on your drakes. No, that does not mean you can put ECM on your drakes. For various and multiple reasons, ECM is not recommended on non-bonused ships, and if you happen to land a jam, it calls a _lot_ of attention to your EWAR. Have fun with your TD and Damps, though, those are very attractive.
So the drake is not so much a one-trick pony, as much as some nullsec entities attempt to make them one. You can fit a reasonably standard one, or go entirely the opposite direction, and still get interesting results. Possibly the two best things about a drake in PvP: they have to shoot you first, to test your tank, and your drake is fully Platinum-level insurable. Insurance is of course, a matter for another time, but as long as the mechanic exists, there's no reason you personally shouldn't be benefiting from it, right?
One last note:
Drakes in large numbers start to take on a bit of a life of their own. They are no longer so much about the DPS, and become significantly more about the alpha. If the fleet of drakes as a whole can put out more damage in one volley than a hostile ship can stand, that's an instant pop. The fact that the drakes themselves are pretty hardy makes them harder to take down, and makes it an interesting strategy to need to break. I could speculate, but I'll leave that there for now.
Fighting Drakes:
To prepare you against a drake, first of all, assume that it has a single point and a web, and is carrying a flight of light damage drones, until you see otherwise. In general, in a 1-v-1 type setup, nothing smaller than a BC will be able to break a drake's tank (though stealth bomber is a pretty even fight). The key to fighting a drake is preparation, however.
If you fit a Kinetic resist mod to your tank, you reduce the drake's DPS by 20-25%, either through those resists, actively, or through making them switch missile types, depending on the decision they make. This can be a game-changer, and is a moderately unexpected one in most cases.
If you fit a Kinetic resist mod to your tank, you reduce the drake's DPS by 20-25%, either through those resists, actively, or through making them switch missile types, depending on the decision they make. This can be a game-changer, and is a moderately unexpected one in most cases.
Fit to win.
Next Time:
Next Time:
I think that next time I'd like to cover Stealth Bomber ratting in Nullsec.
How to do it, why to do it, what to watch out for, and what might get in your way.
It is one of my personal favorite ways of breaking away from anything else I might be doing in EVE, and making some ISK while I do it ... and in a relatively safe fashion too!
Beyond that, I'm thinking that the next entry might be getting away from the shiptypes and combat side of EVE, and might be about some aspect of the market. That's a decision for later, however. Suggestions welcomed! K' out.
How to do it, why to do it, what to watch out for, and what might get in your way.
It is one of my personal favorite ways of breaking away from anything else I might be doing in EVE, and making some ISK while I do it ... and in a relatively safe fashion too!
Beyond that, I'm thinking that the next entry might be getting away from the shiptypes and combat side of EVE, and might be about some aspect of the market. That's a decision for later, however. Suggestions welcomed! K' out.
-K'
ShipStudy: Drake PvP (Fittings)
This post is just the fittings for the next post [found here]; follow the link for the discussion!
Green denotes "Required" Modules to make the fit "work", either in terms of fitting it or in terms of tactics. Other modules, I can think of at least one other module that I could see being useful in that slot.
Remember, as with all drake fits, these have a utility high slot that can be changed to taste.
NOTES
--------------------------------------------------------
STANDARD
The "Standard" Drake
[Drake, PvPHAM]
Ballistic Control System II
Ballistic Control System II
Power Diagnostic System II
Damage Control II
Y-T8 Overcharged Hydrocarbon I Microwarpdrive
Large Shield Extender II
Invulnerability Field II
Invulnerability Field II
Stasis Webifier II
Warp Disruptor II
Heavy Assault Missile Launcher II, Terror Assault Missile
Heavy Assault Missile Launcher II, Terror Assault Missile
Heavy Assault Missile Launcher II, Terror Assault Missile
Heavy Assault Missile Launcher II, Terror Assault Missile
Heavy Assault Missile Launcher II, Terror Assault Missile
Heavy Assault Missile Launcher II, Terror Assault Missile
Heavy Assault Missile Launcher II, Terror Assault Missile
Small Energy Neutralizer II
Medium Core Defence Field Extender I
Medium Core Defence Field Extender I
Medium Core Defence Field Extender I
Hornet EC-300 x5
STANDARD
----------------------------------------------------------------
NANO
The Nano Drake
[Drake, Nano]
Ballistic Control System II
Ballistic Control System II
Nanofiber Internal Structure II
Nanofiber Internal Structure II
Y-T8 Overcharged Hydrocarbon I Microwarpdrive
Large Shield Extender II
Invulnerability Field II
Stasis Webifier II
Stasis Webifier II
Warp Disruptor II
Heavy Missile Launcher II, Scourge Heavy Missile
Heavy Missile Launcher II, Scourge Heavy Missile
Heavy Missile Launcher II, Scourge Heavy Missile
Heavy Missile Launcher II, Scourge Heavy Missile
Heavy Missile Launcher II, Scourge Heavy Missile
Heavy Missile Launcher II, Scourge Heavy Missile
Heavy Missile Launcher II, Scourge Heavy Missile
Small Energy Neutralizer II
Medium Core Defence Field Extender I
Medium Core Defence Field Extender I
Medium Core Defence Field Extender I
Hornet EC-300 x5
NANO
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
ARMOR
The Armor EWAR Drake
[Drake, ArmorDrake]
1600mm Reinforced Rolled Tungsten Plates I
Energized Adaptive Nano Membrane II
Energized Adaptive Nano Membrane II
Damage Control II
10MN Afterburner II
Remote Sensor Dampener II
Remote Sensor Dampener II
Tracking Disruptor II
Tracking Disruptor II
Target Painter II
Heavy Missile Launcher II, Scourge Heavy Missile
Heavy Missile Launcher II, Scourge Heavy Missile
Heavy Missile Launcher II, Scourge Heavy Missile
Heavy Missile Launcher II, Scourge Heavy Missile
Heavy Missile Launcher II, Scourge Heavy Missile
Heavy Missile Launcher II, Scourge Heavy Missile
Heavy Missile Launcher II, Scourge Heavy Missile
Auto Targeting System I
Medium Ancillary Current Router I
Medium Ancillary Current Router I
Medium Trimark Armor Pump I
Hobgoblin II x5
Green denotes "Required" Modules to make the fit "work", either in terms of fitting it or in terms of tactics. Other modules, I can think of at least one other module that I could see being useful in that slot.
Remember, as with all drake fits, these have a utility high slot that can be changed to taste.
NOTES
--------------------------------------------------------
STANDARD
The "Standard" Drake
[Drake, PvPHAM]
Ballistic Control System II
Ballistic Control System II
Power Diagnostic System II
Damage Control II
Y-T8 Overcharged Hydrocarbon I Microwarpdrive
Large Shield Extender II
Invulnerability Field II
Invulnerability Field II
Stasis Webifier II
Warp Disruptor II
Heavy Assault Missile Launcher II, Terror Assault Missile
Heavy Assault Missile Launcher II, Terror Assault Missile
Heavy Assault Missile Launcher II, Terror Assault Missile
Heavy Assault Missile Launcher II, Terror Assault Missile
Heavy Assault Missile Launcher II, Terror Assault Missile
Heavy Assault Missile Launcher II, Terror Assault Missile
Heavy Assault Missile Launcher II, Terror Assault Missile
Small Energy Neutralizer II
Medium Core Defence Field Extender I
Medium Core Defence Field Extender I
Medium Core Defence Field Extender I
Hornet EC-300 x5
Statistics:
401 DPS (Kin)
86k EHP
Resists: 66/72/79/83
MWD Intentional (T2 underperforms)
Drones jam another BC 26% of the time
2m32s Cap; 10+ w/ MWD off.
----------------------------------------------------------------
NANO
The Nano Drake
[Drake, Nano]
Ballistic Control System II
Ballistic Control System II
Nanofiber Internal Structure II
Nanofiber Internal Structure II
Y-T8 Overcharged Hydrocarbon I Microwarpdrive
Large Shield Extender II
Invulnerability Field II
Stasis Webifier II
Stasis Webifier II
Warp Disruptor II
Heavy Missile Launcher II, Scourge Heavy Missile
Heavy Missile Launcher II, Scourge Heavy Missile
Heavy Missile Launcher II, Scourge Heavy Missile
Heavy Missile Launcher II, Scourge Heavy Missile
Heavy Missile Launcher II, Scourge Heavy Missile
Heavy Missile Launcher II, Scourge Heavy Missile
Heavy Missile Launcher II, Scourge Heavy Missile
Small Energy Neutralizer II
Medium Core Defence Field Extender I
Medium Core Defence Field Extender I
Medium Core Defence Field Extender I
Hornet EC-300 x5
Stats:
321 DPS (Kin)
122 m/s
2m32s cap all running; 20m just MWD
75k Targeting range
Instant death to any tackler that follows the burn-away.
NANO
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
ARMOR
The Armor EWAR Drake
[Drake, ArmorDrake]
1600mm Reinforced Rolled Tungsten Plates I
Energized Adaptive Nano Membrane II
Energized Adaptive Nano Membrane II
Damage Control II
10MN Afterburner II
Remote Sensor Dampener II
Remote Sensor Dampener II
Tracking Disruptor II
Tracking Disruptor II
Target Painter II
Heavy Missile Launcher II, Scourge Heavy Missile
Heavy Missile Launcher II, Scourge Heavy Missile
Heavy Missile Launcher II, Scourge Heavy Missile
Heavy Missile Launcher II, Scourge Heavy Missile
Heavy Missile Launcher II, Scourge Heavy Missile
Heavy Missile Launcher II, Scourge Heavy Missile
Heavy Missile Launcher II, Scourge Heavy Missile
Auto Targeting System I
Medium Ancillary Current Router I
Medium Ancillary Current Router I
Medium Trimark Armor Pump I
Hobgoblin II x5
Statistics:
360 m/s
317 DPS (Kin)
75k targeting
ewar optimal 45 (Damp/Paint), 72 (TD)
61k EHP
Resists: 75/72/67/55 (Armor)
Drones: combat to not call attention to yourself.
Auto Targeter: Allows additonal targets, since you will have separate EWAR and damage primary targets.
Auto Targeter: Allows additonal targets, since you will have separate EWAR and damage primary targets.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
ShipStudy: Drake, PvE
So, I made a rookie mistake.
I chose a huge project for my first ShipStudy. So, I'm going to break it into two. First we'll talk about the drake in PvE, along with some drake basics, and then we'll talk about the drake in PvP in my next entry.
The drake is the Caldari Tier 2 Battlecruiser.
It has a 5%/Level bonus to Kinetic damage on heavy missiles and heavy assault missiles per level.
It has a 5%/Level bonus to shield resistances per level.
Basics:
This gives us a couple of pretty good indications right off the bat. The drake is a boat for dealing missile damage while shield tanking. That's a good place to start. Let's dig a little bit into the ship properties, though.
The big thing that drakes are known for is their ability to passive shield tank. Two factors play into this ability on an unfit drake: the native shield (~5500 HP) and shield recharge time (1400 seconds, lower is better)
Comparing that to the other ships in its class, the shield recharge time is identical (I was surprised to find), but the base shield is over a thousand points higher than the nearest follower (Hurricane), which makes a big difference in the ability to passive tank.
It's also important to notice here that the big boon that the drake offers is twofold: high resists, and quick recharge once fitted. For the purposes of PvE, the buffer isn't the biggest factor ever, so I'm not reporting those numbers in the statistics section. They are available to you through copying and pasting these fits into EFT, however, so have a blast!
But let's throw some EFT at this, and see exactly how we can put together a solid drake fit for whatever it is that we want to do in PvE.
So, let's first just go all the way into the tanking-overkill zone that I like to call the Brick Drake. It's a brick because it moves like one, but is also about that hard to destroy.
[The Brick Drake]
Statistics:
997 Omnitank, Passive
406 Signature
10 Targets
175 m/s
317 DPS (Kin)
8.6s Align
Capacitor: 7m 29s (!!)
Notes: This setup can be played with, changing any of the modules there for other ones on the build, or shield rechargers. I chose to post this one because it was the highest omnitank that I could come up with on the fly.
What does this mean? Well, to me, it means that you can tank the drake hard enough that you could warp it into any given PvE site and go afk to make yourself dinner, knowing it will be okay when you get back. almost 1000 tank? Yes, please.
Unfortunately, all of this comes at a cost... an opportunity cost. What I mean is this: each module that you are fitting on there is costing you the ability to fit something else. A propulsion module would be nice on there in a lot of situations, as would a ballistic control system or two. Also, it would be really nice to keep this cap stable, especially given that the capacitor is responsible for a lot of your tank (drops to 633 DPS Omni without capacitor).
So we can say that while the fact that drakes can tank 1k DPS is something that we should keep in our back pockets, it probably is also not the most useful fact in the world, in terms of putting together most PvE fits that we will be interested in. It could be useful in certain fits for things like tanking an L4 mission with additional DPS being added from other pilots, but by and large, something more balanced sounds like a much better plan.
In search of this balance, let us consider the exact opposite end of things, a drake set up purely for damage.
[The HML Gank Drake]
Statistics:
460 DPS (Kin) (HML)
261 Omni Tank, Passive
446 m/s
378 Signature
9.8s Align
Capacitor Stable at 62%
So, the trade that we just made:
We can hit an additional ~150 DPS in trade for 700+ DPS in omnitank. Kind of sad. And yes, to be fair, you could throw on _one_ more BCS2 to give yourself 21 more DPS, but you lose 44 m/s mobility, and you are deep into marginal returns at that point.
Along these same lines, though, you can put together a drake that utilizes the other primary weapon systems for a drake: heavy assault missile launchers. These trade a lot of the range advantages offered by HMLs for a little additional DPS. This kind of loadout might look something like:
Statistics:
[The Capacitorless Drake]
Stats:
372 Kin DPS (HAM)
670 Omni Tank
Capacitor Stable at 100%
175 m/s mobility
8.6s align
Can be put together in either HAM or HML flavors, anywhere along the tank/gank spectrum
Closing Comments:
I like the drake for PvE. I've used one as my sub-level-4 mission boat for a long time. I used to explore in one in nullsec. I've used one in W-space sites many a time. They are the workhorse of the EVE universe, being very flexible for a lot of applications. They can be fit out anywhere along their own personal tank/gank spectrum, depending on the situation, and either tank or gank can be sacrificed to allow for utility slots to be opened up. There are a lot of different ways to put together a drake, so play with it! These are just pieces to work with, and hopefully gives you an idea of the range of things the boat can do, if you weren't familiar with it already.
If I haven't made this obvious yet, I don't think that there is a perfect drake out there. I think that each is tuned to its own particular situation where it is ideal, so the best way to go about it, in my humble opinion, is to have some spare fittings for your drake to be able to tune it to whatever situation you find yourself facing on any particular day.
TL;DR:
If you are fitting a PvE Drake...
HML's are pretty awesome for their range.
Purger rigs give you the best passive recharge tank.
Fit enough tank to comfortably survive what you are doing, and fit the rest with gank/propulsion/utility.
You can put together a drake that uses no capacitor for neuting resistance. Let them neut away, and it doesn't hurt.
If you are throwing a drake into EFT, make sure to change the missiles to Scourge before you cringe at the DPS.
Drakes are pretty powerful for the flexibility they offer, especially given the training time to get into one.
So long, and until next time, o7
-K'
I chose a huge project for my first ShipStudy. So, I'm going to break it into two. First we'll talk about the drake in PvE, along with some drake basics, and then we'll talk about the drake in PvP in my next entry.
The drake is the Caldari Tier 2 Battlecruiser.
It has a 5%/Level bonus to Kinetic damage on heavy missiles and heavy assault missiles per level.
It has a 5%/Level bonus to shield resistances per level.
Basics:
This gives us a couple of pretty good indications right off the bat. The drake is a boat for dealing missile damage while shield tanking. That's a good place to start. Let's dig a little bit into the ship properties, though.
The big thing that drakes are known for is their ability to passive shield tank. Two factors play into this ability on an unfit drake: the native shield (~5500 HP) and shield recharge time (1400 seconds, lower is better)
Comparing that to the other ships in its class, the shield recharge time is identical (I was surprised to find), but the base shield is over a thousand points higher than the nearest follower (Hurricane), which makes a big difference in the ability to passive tank.
It's also important to notice here that the big boon that the drake offers is twofold: high resists, and quick recharge once fitted. For the purposes of PvE, the buffer isn't the biggest factor ever, so I'm not reporting those numbers in the statistics section. They are available to you through copying and pasting these fits into EFT, however, so have a blast!
But let's throw some EFT at this, and see exactly how we can put together a solid drake fit for whatever it is that we want to do in PvE.
So, let's first just go all the way into the tanking-overkill zone that I like to call the Brick Drake. It's a brick because it moves like one, but is also about that hard to destroy.
[The Brick Drake]
Statistics:
997 Omnitank, Passive
406 Signature
10 Targets
175 m/s
317 DPS (Kin)
8.6s Align
Capacitor: 7m 29s (!!)
Notes: This setup can be played with, changing any of the modules there for other ones on the build, or shield rechargers. I chose to post this one because it was the highest omnitank that I could come up with on the fly.
What does this mean? Well, to me, it means that you can tank the drake hard enough that you could warp it into any given PvE site and go afk to make yourself dinner, knowing it will be okay when you get back. almost 1000 tank? Yes, please.
Unfortunately, all of this comes at a cost... an opportunity cost. What I mean is this: each module that you are fitting on there is costing you the ability to fit something else. A propulsion module would be nice on there in a lot of situations, as would a ballistic control system or two. Also, it would be really nice to keep this cap stable, especially given that the capacitor is responsible for a lot of your tank (drops to 633 DPS Omni without capacitor).
So we can say that while the fact that drakes can tank 1k DPS is something that we should keep in our back pockets, it probably is also not the most useful fact in the world, in terms of putting together most PvE fits that we will be interested in. It could be useful in certain fits for things like tanking an L4 mission with additional DPS being added from other pilots, but by and large, something more balanced sounds like a much better plan.
In search of this balance, let us consider the exact opposite end of things, a drake set up purely for damage.
[The HML Gank Drake]
Statistics:
460 DPS (Kin) (HML)
261 Omni Tank, Passive
446 m/s
378 Signature
9.8s Align
Capacitor Stable at 62%
So, the trade that we just made:
We can hit an additional ~150 DPS in trade for 700+ DPS in omnitank. Kind of sad. And yes, to be fair, you could throw on _one_ more BCS2 to give yourself 21 more DPS, but you lose 44 m/s mobility, and you are deep into marginal returns at that point.
Along these same lines, though, you can put together a drake that utilizes the other primary weapon systems for a drake: heavy assault missile launchers. These trade a lot of the range advantages offered by HMLs for a little additional DPS. This kind of loadout might look something like:
Statistics:
550 DPS (Kin)
237 Omni Tank, Passive
446 m/s
378 Signature
9.8s Align
Capacitor Stable at 55%
So this setup gets into a different DPS bracket than the BrickDrake, with almost twice the DPS, but it lacks both the tank and the range. This quickly begins to frame the fundamental tradeoffs that you can make when considering a drake fit. You can make a fit that is long range, high tank, or high DPS, but you can't have it all. Likewise, instead of making a higher DPS fit, you could keep the lows with shield power relays (still reducing your cap stability) while opening up a few mids for some kind of utility (a web or a target painter could work nicely). This basically gives you all the tools that you need to fit a standard issue PvE drake. Obviously, for most K-space purposes you'll want to use rat-specific hardeners to increase your tank even further to those types of damage.
Special Considerations:
Web: Adds ballpark 40-60 dps to anything cruiser or below you can web down.
Target Painter: Adds ballpark 20 DPS to anything frigate, or 40-60 DPS to any cruiser you can paint.
(These two "mostly" stack, but these mechanics are for a later entry).
Kin vs. Non-Kin Missiles
This one is a fun debate that I have with people from time to time. Drakes have that bonus to kinetic damage. Some rats tank kinetic damage more effectively than they tank other forms of damage. So when you are in a drake, should you be shooting other missiles, or should you still shoot kinetics? To math we go!
So, in order for a missile switch to be a better idea than sticking with Scourge or Terror, we need the other missiles to be more effective, even with the lost bonus. Assuming L5 skills, this is a 25% difference.
So...
\begin{MATH}
Scourge DPS = Missile DPS * 1.25 * (1 - Kinetic Resists)
Other DPS = Missile DPS * (1 - Other Resists)
So the condition to switch is
Scourge DPS < Other DPS
1.25 * (1 - Kinetic Resists) < (1 - Other Resists)
Solving this out, the condition to switch off of Kinetic Missiles to another is:
Other Resist < 1.25 * Kinetic Resist - .25
When this is true, you're doing better shooting the "other resist" whether that be EM, or explosive, or thermal.
Note: This math is based on using resists like: 86% is entered in as .86
Actually finding these numbers is a bit difficult, but can be done here (for example, search for Arch), but can be a bit of a pain to find any kind of generalization.
\end{MATH}
In other words, always do kinetic damage to rats that are weak to Kin, but in general you get good results by matching your missile damage type to the type the rat is weakest in.
The last possibility worth considering for PvE is a situation in which you expect you might be getting neuted (for example, facing sleepers or incursion rats). In this case, it could be to your benefit to run an entirely capacitorless drake, and the way the drake is put together doesn't actually stop this from being a reasonable decision. I haven't ever tried this myself (disclaimer), but the principle is no different than the brick, and the numbers line up reasonably.
The last possibility worth considering for PvE is a situation in which you expect you might be getting neuted (for example, facing sleepers or incursion rats). In this case, it could be to your benefit to run an entirely capacitorless drake, and the way the drake is put together doesn't actually stop this from being a reasonable decision. I haven't ever tried this myself (disclaimer), but the principle is no different than the brick, and the numbers line up reasonably.
[The Capacitorless Drake]
Stats:
372 Kin DPS (HAM)
670 Omni Tank
Capacitor Stable at 100%
175 m/s mobility
8.6s align
Can be put together in either HAM or HML flavors, anywhere along the tank/gank spectrum
Closing Comments:
I like the drake for PvE. I've used one as my sub-level-4 mission boat for a long time. I used to explore in one in nullsec. I've used one in W-space sites many a time. They are the workhorse of the EVE universe, being very flexible for a lot of applications. They can be fit out anywhere along their own personal tank/gank spectrum, depending on the situation, and either tank or gank can be sacrificed to allow for utility slots to be opened up. There are a lot of different ways to put together a drake, so play with it! These are just pieces to work with, and hopefully gives you an idea of the range of things the boat can do, if you weren't familiar with it already.
If I haven't made this obvious yet, I don't think that there is a perfect drake out there. I think that each is tuned to its own particular situation where it is ideal, so the best way to go about it, in my humble opinion, is to have some spare fittings for your drake to be able to tune it to whatever situation you find yourself facing on any particular day.
TL;DR:
If you are fitting a PvE Drake...
HML's are pretty awesome for their range.
Purger rigs give you the best passive recharge tank.
Fit enough tank to comfortably survive what you are doing, and fit the rest with gank/propulsion/utility.
You can put together a drake that uses no capacitor for neuting resistance. Let them neut away, and it doesn't hurt.
If you are throwing a drake into EFT, make sure to change the missiles to Scourge before you cringe at the DPS.
Drakes are pretty powerful for the flexibility they offer, especially given the training time to get into one.
So long, and until next time, o7
-K'
ShipStudy: Drake PvE (Fittings)
This post is just the fittings cited in the next entry (found here). Follow the link for the discussion!
I'm not quoting a statistic you don't like? Throw it in EFT yourself, everything is able to be copy->pasted from here into EFT!
I'm not quoting a statistic you don't like? Throw it in EFT yourself, everything is able to be copy->pasted from here into EFT!
The Brick Drake
[Drake, BrickTank/HML]
Shield Power Relay II
Shield Power Relay II
Shield Power Relay II
Shield Power Relay II
Large Shield Extender II
Large Shield Extender II
Large Shield Extender II
Invulnerability Field II
Invulnerability Field II
Invulnerability Field II
Heavy Missile Launcher II, Scourge Heavy Missile
Heavy Missile Launcher II, Scourge Heavy Missile
Heavy Missile Launcher II, Scourge Heavy Missile
Heavy Missile Launcher II, Scourge Heavy Missile
Heavy Missile Launcher II, Scourge Heavy Missile
Heavy Missile Launcher II, Scourge Heavy Missile
Heavy Missile Launcher II, Scourge Heavy Missile
Auto Targeting System I
Medium Core Defence Field Purger I
Medium Core Defence Field Purger I
Medium Core Defence Field Purger I
Hobgoblin II x5
Statistics:
997 Omnitank, Passive
406 Signature
10 Targets
175 m/s
317 DPS (Kin)
8.6s Align
Capacitor: 7m 29s (!!)
~85km range
~75km targeting
The Full-Gank HML Drake
[Drake, FullGank/HML]
Ballistic Control System II
Ballistic Control System II
Ballistic Control System II
Nanofiber Internal Structure II
10MN Afterburner II
Large Shield Extender II
Large Shield Extender II
Invulnerability Field II
Invulnerability Field II
Shield Recharger II
Heavy Missile Launcher II, Scourge Heavy Missile
Heavy Missile Launcher II, Scourge Heavy Missile
Heavy Missile Launcher II, Scourge Heavy Missile
Heavy Missile Launcher II, Scourge Heavy Missile
Heavy Missile Launcher II, Scourge Heavy Missile
Heavy Missile Launcher II, Scourge Heavy Missile
Heavy Missile Launcher II, Scourge Heavy Missile
Auto Targeting System I
Medium Core Defence Field Purger I
Medium Core Defence Field Purger I
Medium Core Defence Field Purger I
Hobgoblin II x5
Statistics:
460 DPS (Kin)
261 Omni Tank, Passive
446 m/s
378 Signature
9.8s Align
Capacitor Stable at 62%
~85km range
~75km targeting
The Full-Gank HAM Drake
[Drake, FullGank/HAM]
Ballistic Control System II
Ballistic Control System II
Ballistic Control System II
Nanofiber Internal Structure II
10MN Afterburner II
Large Shield Extender II
Invulnerability Field II
Invulnerability Field II
Invulnerability Field II
Shield Recharger II
Heavy Assault Missile Launcher II, Terror Assault Missile
Heavy Assault Missile Launcher II, Terror Assault Missile
Heavy Assault Missile Launcher II, Terror Assault Missile
Heavy Assault Missile Launcher II, Terror Assault Missile
Heavy Assault Missile Launcher II, Terror Assault Missile
Heavy Assault Missile Launcher II, Terror Assault Missile
Heavy Assault Missile Launcher II, Terror Assault Missile
Core Probe Launcher I, Core Scanner Probe I
Medium Core Defence Field Purger I
Medium Core Defence Field Purger I
Medium Core Defence Field Purger I
Hobgoblin II x5
Statistics:
550 DPS (Kin)
237 Omni Tank, Passive
446 m/s
378 Signature
9.8s Align
Capacitor Stable at 55%
~20km range
~75km targeting
The No-Capacitor Brick Drake
[Drake, NoCapBrick]
Shield Power Relay II
Shield Power Relay II
Shield Power Relay II
Shield Power Relay II
Large Shield Extender II
Large Shield Extender II
Magnetic Scattering Amplifier II
Heat Dissipation Amplifier II
Shield Recharger II
Shield Recharger II
Heavy Assault Missile Launcher II, Terror Assault Missile
Heavy Assault Missile Launcher II, Terror Assault Missile
Heavy Assault Missile Launcher II, Terror Assault Missile
Heavy Assault Missile Launcher II, Terror Assault Missile
Heavy Assault Missile Launcher II, Terror Assault Missile
Heavy Assault Missile Launcher II, Terror Assault Missile
Heavy Assault Missile Launcher II, Terror Assault Missile
Core Probe Launcher I, Core Scanner Probe I
Medium Core Defence Field Purger I
Medium Core Defence Field Purger I
Medium Core Defence Field Purger I
Statistics:
372 Kin DPS
670 Omni Tank
Capacitor Stable at 100%
175 m/s mobility
8.6s align
~20 km range
~75 km targeting
Also comes in HML flavor, just change weapon rack to taste.
All of the above fittings fit without implants or hardwirings of any kind. High slot utility can be changed to taste.
-K'
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