Missions & Complexes

Or you could fly a battleship and do far more DPS with less training.

Righetous point sir, but...

A battleship does not fit in an Orca.Travel and Noctis switching may be key for some play styles that require travel to multiple mission locations as mine does.

Also, while a battleship will clearly do more damage to an NPC battleship than this fit will, I have not come across a single battleship that does more consistent applied damage to frigs, dessies, and cruisers (esp elite frigs and cruisers) as this one. Mind you, most lvl 4 rats are not battleships.

First, let me say you will get no argument from me. Battleships rock esp Marauders. If you are happy in yours then good on you.

That said, there are times when an Orca adds considerable value. Epic Arcs are an example. Multiple modules, vast ammo, and mission items will take up space. Sure you can buy ammo on location but I think that unwise. Orca makes travel to multiple locations less of a logistic nightmare.

Also, yes I have flown multiple battleships (turret incl.) and when I am sedentary I will opt for one depending on the mission. But they are slow. Sure the ship I listed is no speedster but it is faster than most BS. And by speed I do not just mean velocity. Targeting is an issue. Sure you can get lucky and one shot a elite frig with a BS but most often not. Mean while this ship will kill them before most BS can get a lock.

EDIT : also Orca warps in 10 seconds.

Other problem with Nighthawk is that you're effectively limited to scourge ammo, which might not be good in the mission you're in. Compare to the Raven which can shoot all damage types equally well. Claymore for a command ship can also shoot all types but needs to use medium drones to approach Nighthawk dps which is a hassle.

Keep main in Raven all the time, drop MTU while doing the mission, have alt wait at the gate in a Noctis. Keep the Orca back at the mission hub. Then when you want to switch mission hubs, main flies the Raven, alt flies the orca with the noctis inside.

I am sure you are right I am no expert at fitting a BS to hit small NPC. Perhaps you can share your fit that blaps elite frigs at 20k consistently. For a BS turret that sounds pretty impressive.

People still use Heavies these days??? I've been killing L4's in my Vulture nicely, and using it to boost a low SP alt on his own L4's. Vulture is sweet... not a fan of the Nighthawk since the hull change (and I'm really tired of heavies these days; don't even really use my Tengu anymore).

Thanks for your post m8 It reminded me of when I first started this game.

Went out with a vet in EVE UNI who invited me to salvage his missions. Those were the first level 4 missions I had ever been in. He flew a Nighthawk. I fell in love with the looks and performance of that ship and knew it would be "My" endgame ship.

Hate the most recent change to the hull and the Range nerf to heavy missiles was indeed ham fisted. Loss of 1 missile hard point added insult to injury. That being said I still love her and have found ways to adjust.

Damage

Tengu does about 100 more as you pointed out and there is no way to get all that back. I tried to figure the best way to even the gap as much as possible. So the fist thing I have found to abuse is the 7.5 per level ROF she now has coupled with the 7.5 per level kinetic damage. This was changed to compensate for the loss of 1 missile hardpoint. I lamented this at first, but I was wrong. It flat out kills crap fast. I have to count missiles to reduce over kill. In missions against any NPC but Sansha, Amarr, and Bloods I substitute an SPR for a fourth CN BCU. This gives about 35 more DPS narrowing the gap a bit.

Application

Next was the change from a explosion velocity to an explosion radius bonus. This makes fits with multiple Rigors unnecessary.
For comparison. A Tengu with 2 Rigor IIs will have an explosion radius of 115 with scourge furies and 67.2 with CN scourge. Nighthawk with just 1 Rigor II gets 108 with scourge furies and 63 with CN scourge. While these numbers are too close to claim superiority, it keeps open options for the other rig slot (prime real estate on any T2 ship).

Range

I chose to fill that second rig slot with a range rig since that was what was most needed. I start every room with CN scourge which I fling out to 75 km, then switchyo Fury for BS rats. The synergy works well as I spend the time it takes to close on the BS to blap every thing smaller. All the time taking no more than 25% damage to my shield tank in most cases.

Cost

I also considered cost. I own and fly several Tengus but exclusively in NPC 0.0 missions. The Tengu certainly has a performance advantage in many areas, but cost is not one. To achieve the great tank it is known for often requires an outlay of cash for dead space active tank modules. In high sec that can be a gank magnet waiting to happen. Not to mention the price deviance for the hulls themselves. Tengu performs better, but does it perform so much better to justify the price variance? I guess only the buyer can make that decision.

When I first got a Tengu and used it in high sec It felt kinda like ratting in 0.0 the way I checked local and directional all the time. In my Nighthawk I yawn through missions.

Tank

Passive recharge makes me happy. If I know the mission is a snore I replace the two SPRs for 2 DDAs. Even then I am never worried about death to rats or ganks. Missions are about making isk and ship losses hurt that effort. It's hard to loose a Nighthawk in a mission but easier in a Tengu.

Personal Interest

I invent and make Nighthawks. (full disclosure)

Anything with blasters or auto cannons and a few tracking computers really. Heck even pulse lasers do it on the Apoc. The Vargur and Kronos are even more silly with their tracking bonuses. Never mind the Dominix and its silly tracking with Gardes and a few drone tracking links. You have heard of this new thing called a mobile depot right?

I was able to clear angel extravaganza in 23 minutes from activating the entry gate to final warp out in a BS without using any drones, webs, or prop mods. Guns only. I can clear Buzzkill in even less time without drones, webs, prop mods, or warping in at range. 800mm AC's in both cases. Guns really are amazing if you use them correctly.

Astarte is petty good too:

-1400 dps with blasters, drones and +5% imps
-good tank angainst serpentis and guristas
-good mobility
-very high rof, that makes it easier against angels and drones...

and doing missions in a nighthawk is very likely even more tedious.