Missions & Complexes

absolution

I used to use an Absolution for Amarr missions. I also used the Nighthawk for missions for many years.

I always wanted to use a rail commandship as I love my Ferox. Do you have a good fit for the astarte that I could use for lev 4s?

I've used a Sleipnir in both arty and AC setups, blaster Astarte, and Nighthawk. They all *work*.

The Sleipnir is actually pretty brutal, but it's still a shorter-ranged Machariel. Better for blitzing L3s than running L4s unless you're just in it for something different.

Blaster Astarte is a ton of fun to fly, but fly you will... back and forth, prioritizing targets, getting in to range.... Once you're there, things melt with charming alacrity. You just have to get there. Rail Astarte has real promise; I just can't be bothered.

Nighthawk.... Look. I loved that ship. But it just doesn't cut it in a world where the Tengu exists. Also it now has a Drake hull, which should never, ever be forgiven.

From here on I'm speculating as I haven't tested the rest.

Vulture is out. If you insist on doing the super long range thing try a Naga. It's not like you'll need the tank at that point anyhow. Damage just isn't high enough to justify the hull, and the range bonus isn't good enough to hack a blaster fit.

Absolution is a maybe from me. The lack of range bonus really hurts it, even in a beam fit. Legion shines much brighter here but I guess there's potential.

Damnation is, like the Vulture, more on the tanky side and a bit short on damage.

Eos could work but you're looking at an analog to the MWD blaster Astarte since you can't really use sentries effectively. Ishtar is a better choice of drone boat for missions as a result. Hell, the Gila is probably a better choice because mediums are so much faster than heavies. No doubt it will melt short range missions like, say, Damsel though.

Claymore... maybe? I can't find a fit I like for it. HMs are light on damage (shock, I know) and HAM fits are light on range -- and honestly not that great on damage. But yay, it will definitely tank.

So yeah. If you really, really want to use a CS, I'd say rail Astarte for efficiency, blaster Astarte or blaster/heavy Eos for fun, and Sleipnir for both. The others don't really offer much in my mind.

I'm currently in a Sentry Ishtar but wanted to get something with even more dps to increase blitz factor.

I use a command ship in a dual box to assist my main when a mission needs to clear a lot of npc. But for blitzing I'd think you'd be better off with something like a Mach since command ships tend to be slow.

If you want to use a command ship then what is your best weapon system?

I would not use a turret-based ship versus the rats you face in Amarr space, since they use turret disruption.

Should be a cinch to get the kind of tank you need from any command ship, so I'd just pick something that has a resist bonus to the types you're up against and go for high damage weapons. You'll mostly need to make the higher tracking work to your advantage because your weapons will be weaker than a battleship. Pulse lasers or beam lasers are ideal for blitzing, but drones, autocannons, and blasters can work great, too, and even HAMs aren't bad. You'll want a MWD.

Good choices:
really all of them


edit: The Nighthawk is absolutely a good choice, and anyone who hates it on the premise that it looks like a Drake is just mad their mission Drake got nerfed to not being overpowered anymore and is now merely an excellent choice among several.

edit edit: I just discovered that according to EFT, the two +10% per level damage bonuses on the Sleipnir are cumulative (as opposed to additive), meaning it gets 13.25 effective medium weapons but with a range bonus, which is equal to the weapon output of a T1 battleship with 8 turrets that has a damage bonus (13.33 effective medium turrets), only the Sleipnir's weapons track way better and don't have all that much less range.

So basically if one had the skills and was previously flying a T1 battleship for level 4 missions, that person could upgrade to a Sleipnir for almost entirely advantages and a hull price around the upper end for a T1 battleship. I can't believe I never realized this before, and I have to get one now.