Missions & Complexes

Barghest for the win. You can run a Polarized Torpedo Golem but it's very squishy, and if you screw up the aggro on a handful of missions you're deader than dead... There are certain missions where torpedoes are ideal - namely Cargo, Damsel, Zazzmatazz and Thief. Everything else you're running and gunning between gates and cruise missiles will always put you further ahead.

Yes, which in most cases means don't fit Faction or Deadspace modules.

Most of my blue and green hasn't been bought. Exploration is fun!

There's not necessarily a huge difference in applied DPS between the four Marauders. Fly what you enjoy.

I'm having fun with a 350mm railgun Kronos fit at present. There's something inherently satisfying about insta-blapping frigates...

That's such a painful way to get around... I know the cool-down bonus for the MJD is kind of slick, but with the range of cruise missiles you don't really need it. I've found that a MWD is much more efficient for getting around in missions. And yes, there's something to be said for being able to apply near 100% damage to maximum range. And it comes in black.

Why an X-large shield booster? I know they're cheap as sin, but anything larger than a medium is really overkill for the vast majority of missions (especially if you're in Bastion).

What are you running for rigs? Capacitor control circuits?

I've been pondering this and I've come to believe that a Rattlesnake will probably rival any of the Marauders and even a Machariel. Despite being slower and less agile, the Rattlesnake can put out an insane amount of DPS that with the right modules and implants can be applied almost perfectly. The challenge with balancing two weapon systems seems like a two-edged sword, but with the right setup this becomes an advantage.

The key is to deploy drones against larger targets (where any tracking issues are minimized) and utilize auto-targeting heavy missiles against smaller ships. With full skills and implants this gives the Rattlesnake a 65/85km operating radius. This also renders the Rattlesnake somewhat immune to all forms of EW, as auto-targeting missiles and aggressive drones will seek out the closest targets even if completely ECM-jammed or sensor damped. Being limited to thermal and kinetic missile damage does not pose a problem, either - as NPCs weak to EM or explosive damage are almost equally vulnerable to thermal or kinetic (including some Rogue Drones).

The setup I'm running is currently putting out 1483 DPS. This is not paper DPS, but applied. I lose a bit against frigates, but not much. I've been able to utilize either MWD or MJD to keep specific clusters of NPCs within <40km targeting range, which is optimal for not only missiles but Geckos. Geckos have been boosted with navigation modules, rigs and tracking speed - so they're moving at close to 5km/sec and shooting at 6km optimal. Omni-damage means I only ever need to deploy a single drone (which has the EHP of a battlecruiser) - and I have enough room for 2 spare in reserve.

The fit is cap stable for the most part so I can use generous amounts of MWD to get around where I need to or follow behind the Gecko and blast any NPCs that may harass it with missiles. EHP is over 108k so I've got a huge shield buffer to absorb incoming DPS while I let the passive recharge slowly trickle in or shield boost as needed. Align time is just over 10 seconds with a warp speed of 4.05 AU/s. Not as insane as a Machariel, but since almost all my mission destinations are within 1 jump and 10-15 AU we're talking a difference of maybe 10-15 seconds transit time.

I don't find I miss having a tractor beam for objectives as it's easy to pre-navigate and shoot as you go, and unless a mission is worth salvaging there's typically only one or two containers that are usually clustered together. Since drones are the primary weapon system, I have a lot of free cargo space for missions or MTUs, and it's almost always more beneficial to simply bookmark and retrieve these with a fast transport later.

yeah, that is def a rough mission for any tank.. i basically rely on MJD and stay out of 50km range