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How to Successfully Combat against Drones?
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Kirk Long
Northern Crux LLC
#1 - 2016-06-30 19:33:34 UTC
Hey guys i have been playing EVE for about 2 months so i am fairly new and i started to solo PVP a few weeks ago and had a few questions about how to fight someone who is using drones. Mostly i solo PVP in small ships frigs/destroyers and have been doing well in fights against ships without drones. But every time i seem to get crushed against ships that use drones.. i do a lot of damage to them but in the end their drones just kill me. When i check kill mail their drones always are top damage. Sometimes i try and kill the drones and other times i just try and DPS race the ship to death but doesn't seem to work. I have started to use ships with drones but still getting the same result. Most of these ships i am dying to are frigates and destroyers that can use drones i dont take fights against cruisers or anything bigger than that. Does anyone know a way to effeciantly handle fighting drones?
Jonah Gravenstein
Machiavellian Space Bastards
#2 - 2016-06-30 19:40:55 UTC  |  Edited by: Jonah Gravenstein
Kill the drones, preferably from range, if they get close a webifier should slow them down enough for you to hit them effectively; although some ships carry more than one flight so YMMV.

In the beginning there was nothing, which exploded.

New Player FAQ

Feyd's Survival Pack
Dirty Forum Alt
Forum Alts Anonymous
#3 - 2016-06-30 19:49:00 UTC  |  Edited by: Dirty Forum Alt
Generally in the frigate/destroyer range you can destroy the ship just as quickly as you can destroy the drones - so if you can get in range in general it is best to just kill the ship. If you find you can't control the range well enough to apply full damage to their ship, then it may be worth trying to scrape the drones off of you to buy more time - but best case in that scenario is generally just that you live but they get away.

You mainly want to consider hitting the drones first when you start getting into fights with bigger ships that take significantly longer to kill than a flight of drones does, which also deal a majority of their applied dps to your small ship through drones.


This being EVE of course things are complicated and it is really a case by case thing what is "best" in any given situation, but that would be my rule of thumb ^.

The dead swans lay in the stagnant pool. They lay. They rotted. They turned Around occasionally. Bits of flesh dropped off them from Time to time. And sank into the pool's mire. They also smelt a great deal.

Paula Nancy Millstone Jennings (Sussex)
ShahFluffers
Ice Fire Warriors
#4 - 2016-06-30 19:57:44 UTC  |  Edited by: ShahFluffers
You have to take it on a case by case basis.

If the ship you are fighting relies almost entirely on drones to deal damage, you may have better luck killing the drones... provided you can kill them quickly.
Examples of such ships: Tristan, Astero

If the ship is a high-DPS ship that has "split systems" (see: there is a significant amount of damage coming from the ship as well as the drones) then you may have to do a "DPS race."
Examples of such ships: Tormentor, Ishkur, Worm, Algos


You also have to take your own tank into account.

If you are fitted for buffer, you may want to go the "DPS race" route. Mitigating some of the incoming DPS by killing drones will only stall the inevitable (and put you at a disadvantage when you shift your priorities back to the offending ship).

If you are active tanking (see: repping yourse) then by killing off some of the incoming DPS you may reach a point where your opponent can't apply enough damage to break through your ability to repair it.

If you are kiting at range... wiping out the drones should be your first priority as they should be the biggest threat to you.

How did you Veterans start?
W33b3l
The Scope
Gallente Federation
#5 - 2016-06-30 21:08:30 UTC
If you are using turrets you want something with a really good tracking speed. Using missiles against small drones would probably be rapid light or rockets. As said a webbifier helps A LOT. They are fast moving and small. Its why so many new players get blown up against the NPC versions in the Sisters of EVE Arc. Most people arent equipped with the knowledge to fight them the first time they come across them.

Depending on where you are smart bombs are great for swatting away drones but if you're in a Frig IIRC you wont have one fitted.

Using drones of your own.. something the same size that is attacking you is generally best and if you can guess what kinds of drones they are going to be using against you, you can pick something to use against the race weakness regardless of what you are using to fight back.

A little secret. A lot of people do not have drones on there active PVP overview. Some do but a lot dont. I get yelled at for having them on mine when I do lol. They do it to free clutter. If you attack with your own drone ship there's is a chance the other person wont see them right away and make it harder for them to shoot them. If you are getting attacked my them, make sure to have a tab that puts them on the overview so you can lock them easily.

Most people just try to blow up the ship before the drones kill them though, in most cases thats the correct initial reaction. If its a longer fight and they see they are loosing, people tend to divert their attention to the drones instead. It just depends on the situation. You never know WTF is going to happen for sure.

Make sure your skills are good for what you are using and you are using mods the ship is bonused for as well. The people killing you just might have max drone skills and are out DPS-ing you that way.
Hal Morsh
Doomheim
#6 - 2016-06-30 21:57:06 UTC
W33b3l wrote:
If you are using turrets you want something with a really good tracking speed. Using missiles against small drones would probably be rapid light or rockets. As said a webbifier helps A LOT. They are fast moving and small. Its why so many new players get blown up against the NPC versions in the Sisters of EVE Arc. Most people arent equipped with the knowledge to fight them the first time they come across them.

Depending on where you are smart bombs are great for swatting away drones but if you're in a Frig IIRC you wont have one fitted.

Using drones of your own.. something the same size that is attacking you is generally best and if you can guess what kinds of drones they are going to be using against you, you can pick something to use against the race weakness regardless of what you are using to fight back.

A little secret. A lot of people do not have drones on there active PVP overview. Some do but a lot dont. I get yelled at for having them on mine when I do lol. They do it to free clutter. If you attack with your own drone ship there's is a chance the other person wont see them right away and make it harder for them to shoot them. If you are getting attacked my them, make sure to have a tab that puts them on the overview so you can lock them easily.

Most people just try to blow up the ship before the drones kill them though, in most cases thats the correct initial reaction. If its a longer fight and they see they are loosing, people tend to divert their attention to the drones instead. It just depends on the situation. You never know WTF is going to happen for sure.

Make sure your skills are good for what you are using and you are using mods the ship is bonused for as well. The people killing you just might have max drone skills and are out DPS-ing you that way.



If you aren't being shot at thrashers absolutely maul drones.

Oh, I perfectly understand, Hal Morsh — a mission like this requires courage, skill, and heroism… qualities you are clearly lacking. Have you forgotten you're one of the bloody immortals!?
Sustrai Aditua
Intandofisa
#7 - 2016-07-01 00:54:00 UTC
"...if you aren't being shot at...." Drones as additional damage from a ship with guns, however. Enter:

SMART BOMBS!!


Smart bomb early and often.

If we get chased by zombies, I'm tripping you.
Dirty Forum Alt
Forum Alts Anonymous
#8 - 2016-07-01 00:55:34 UTC
Sustrai Aditua wrote:
"...if you aren't being shot at...." Drones as additional damage from a ship with guns, however. Enter:

SMART BOMBS!!


Smart bomb early and often.

OP only flies frigates and destroyers.

Which frigate would you choose for your next smartbomb op?

The dead swans lay in the stagnant pool. They lay. They rotted. They turned Around occasionally. Bits of flesh dropped off them from Time to time. And sank into the pool's mire. They also smelt a great deal.

Paula Nancy Millstone Jennings (Sussex)
Sustrai Aditua
Intandofisa
#9 - 2016-07-01 00:58:18 UTC
I thought frigates were swollen drones....

If we get chased by zombies, I'm tripping you.
ShahFluffers
Ice Fire Warriors
#10 - 2016-07-01 01:05:27 UTC
Sustrai Aditua wrote:
I thought frigates were swollen drones....

*snerk*

How did you Veterans start?
Felix Judge
Regnum Ludorum
#11 - 2016-07-01 12:03:10 UTC
You might also want to look at the drone race, i.e. their damage type. If your resistance against that damage type is good, consider to ignore them. If your resistance against them is poor, consider destroying them first.

If you PvP a lot, that train of thought will get on track quickly, once you start to think about it (and learn from your losses).
Memphis Baas
#12 - 2016-07-01 12:32:07 UTC
Drones are a solid weapon system, not just backup. Drone ships that have bonuses to drone damage can push similar DPS to gun ships that have gun damage. So your solution may have to be not attacking drone ships.

If you're flying small ships, you're probably relying on a speed tank (orbit close, fast), and there are a few direct counters to you (to frigates):

- energy neutralizers, webifiers, warp scramblers (to neuter your speed tank, and possibly turn off your point and run)
- drones (often the only weapon on a big ship, that can still hit frigates)
- smartbombs (typically only if they expect to fight frigates and want to use a smartbomb fleet/doctrine)

A lot of ships can carry drones, but if the ship has bonuses for drones, it's likely the pilot has installed drone damage and tracking modules, to make your life hell. You'll probably have to avoid engaging. If the drones are an after-thought on an otherwise gun ship, then you can probably take them out and expect the target to run out of drones pretty fast. Just keep in mind that you're fighting against the scissors to your paper, and as a result you will die often.