Ships & Modules

OK, first thread posted on the forums I hope I don't fail miserably.

Anywho on to the business at hand.

See I just gained access to level 4's and am currently wondering what ship to fly. I was thinking megathron or Apoc but hybrids and lasers just seem to fill 2 damage niches. I can go raven or maelstrom but am confused on just which ship to pick exactly. I guess I'm just looking for a ship that's pretty forgiving but can dish out punishment back, if you could help me find that ship then you would be most helpful!

Please help oh wise masters of ships and modules decide what ships to fly!

Using a Drake in a level 4 mission when you don't have good enough skills to fit a BS well is not likely to end well...and if it works, it'll take FOREVER.

OP, we need to know what sort of skills you have in order to give you advice that's more relevant to you. Shield? Armor? Turrets? Missiles? Race ship training?

My favorite is the Ishtar - good resists, fairly fast, can use high slots to tractor/salvage or for guns, and cruiser hull gets less ninjas - but you have to have good drone skills.

Based on your skill set, train for the Dominix. It has ample tank to handle Level 4s and eventually can be very competitive DPS-wise. Drone skills are useful no matter what race you want to fly in the future.

Obviously, everyone and their dog has an opinion about what a good Dominix fit looks like. Here is a fit that is something to aim towards. I'm not saying its perfect, but I think it's an easy to use fit for a younger player - obviously you have to use T1/named mods until you can fit the T2 stuff. It's not that tight a fit, so it may be a bit less optimal than some fits, but it should work without maxed skills. If you go this route, get your armor and cap skills up first, then T2 drones, then T2 guns last.


[Dominix, Dominix]
Capacitor Power Relay II
Armor Thermic Hardener II
Armor Kinetic Hardener II
Armor Thermic Hardener II
Armor Kinetic Hardener II
Damage Control II
Large Armor Repairer II

Omnidirectional Tracking Link II
Omnidirectional Tracking Link II
Omnidirectional Tracking Link II
Cap Recharger II
Cap Recharger II

350mm Railgun II, Antimatter Charge L
350mm Railgun II, Antimatter Charge L
350mm Railgun II, Antimatter Charge L
350mm Railgun II, Antimatter Charge L
350mm Railgun II, Antimatter Charge L
Drone Link Augmentor II

Large Sentry Damage Augmentor I
Large Capacitor Control Circuit I
Large Capacitor Control Circuit I


Garde II x5
Hobgoblin II x5
Hornet II x5
Hammerhead II x5
Warrior II x5
Bouncer II x5

So don't use blasters for missions but instead use railguns on my domi? Also just a quick question so after the domi should I go megathron?

Blasters are only good at close range - even using Tech-2 neutron cannons, with long-range T2 null charges, your optimal's less than 20km, the tracking on large guns isn't any good against anything lighter-weight than a battlecruiser, and it's only a minority of the NPC rats that will let you get into blaster range, especially with a Domi - the ship moves like a slug. For missions, you really need the longer range that railguns will give you.

As for the Megathron, it's more geared for PVP combat - much smaller drone bay, but it can be fitted with a massive armor buffer and set up for either railgun sniper combat or close-range blaster brawling. I got caught on the wrong side of one in a war earlier this year, and with an armor-repairing logistics ship backing it up, it tore me and my corp-mates to pieces and barely took a scratch.

However, it's not set up to solo L4 missions, which will throw all sizes of ships at you - that's where the Domi's drone bay comes in handy, as you'll have weapons on hand to counter everything from frigates to battleships. The Mega's only got a 125 m3 drone bay, enough for either a single flight of heavies/sentries, or an assortment of mediums and lights.

(Also, the drones will let you select your damage against the hostiles you can expect to face, whereas hybrid weapons always and only deal kinetic and thermal damage.)

Any BS can do L4's with relative ease. Some will have a tougher go early on with low skills. In essence, if you have **** skills, you're going to have a hard time with ships that need to get close (i.e. blaster and A/C boats). The Raven is always an excellent choice because you can just out-range most mission rats and take no damage. Your DPS won't be "omgwtflol", but slow and steady wins the race early on.

At first, your primary goal should be to not die. As you progress and perhaps get into a navy BS, you can start to worry about mission completion speed.

FT had good advice and fit for you. As for blasters, they simply don't have enough range. Missions are largely a kill things at range before they get close and do damage to you exercise. Whether you are using missiles, guns, or drones range is your best tactic.

That is why your domi should be centered on Sentry drones. Heavy drones are excruciatingly slow to get to target.

As for a Mega, I have seen people get frustrated with an lose them too often. If you want a Gallente mission BS other than a Domi I would suggest playing around with Hyperion because it gets a tanking bonus in addtion to a damage bonus. But the Domi will still outperform it as the 6 lows on the Hype means you have to have good skills and make intelligent choices with your fittings.

If flying a Domi, T2 drones come ahead of T2 guns. But otherwise good advice.

Don't fly anything too expensive at first (unless isk is meaningless to you). Get the feel for level 4's before you splurge for a Kronos or something. As said, Domi is good. Personally I flew a Typhoon for a good long while.