Ships & Modules

Machariel for blitzing L4s in auto-cannon config and warp rigs

For incursions it usually goes arty fitted and rigs will be different so it is sorta problem to use same ship for both.

Tachyon NM works for both L4s and incursions with minimal if any rig differences.

Going from memory here things might changed.

both very good ships but for different reasons. This post will mostly cover missions as I'm not sure exactly what incursion FCs want. As for the rigs, they don't really matter on a mission mach, I use warp speed to minimize travel time as I blitz missions, but could easily use any other rigs. If you aren't blitzing warp speed is kinda a waste for rigs as the Mach already has the built in warp speed bonus. The nightmare's rigs are also pretty flexible, I haven't really found a set of rigs that I love on it.

Mach wins on raw dps, but uses autocannons so it relies a lot on falloff. The mach is fast enough that it can reposition itself to mitigate any range issues. Also with projectiles you have some damage type selection so there aren't any npcs that are highly resistant. It is useful to have an arty refit available but arty have pretty low dps. I think the nightmare will win on projected dps, it isn't all that far behind the mach and will hit for full damage at 50km+ with tachyons. Lasers have very good range and the nightmare has a ton of slots to take advantage of tracking enhancers and computers for more. A pulse refit will have a ton of dps at short range so if you know you are going into a brawler mission you might want to refit.

For tank both are fine, NM has more mid slots so it could do better but I run 4 slot tanks on both, although might be nice to have an extra hardener as a newer player. Also my AC mach fit uses an armor tank these days so I can run a MWD and MJD.

on mobility the mach has better speed with a MWD, although the nightmare can get going pretty fast with an afterburner. The nightmare typically doesn't have to move too much as its projection is awesome. Also nightmare has 2 utility highs so it can easily fit a tractor beam to grab the mission specific loot cans.

ok this is so helpfull, thanks man, really, can you explain difference - dps vs raw dps ?

and how falloff works ?

Thankyou.

Just for dps blitzing incursions last time I heard thats what most fleets ran was shield vindis with 2k+ dps could be different these days do some digging talk to some of the main incursion fleet fcs and or people that help organize them and they'll prolly tell you what you need.

my mach has falloff to 51km with Hail, that means I'm doing ~39% damage at 51km. Luckily like I said earlier the mach has enough speed it can get into good range to apply damage, but it involves active flying to do so and many people prefer to be a bit lazier when running missions.

I prefer the mach for bltizing but I only run a few missions in the normal pool, the ones I can get up close and apply that 1300 dps kill only what I need to and warp out to go to the next mission. I also like the ones where I can warp in, kill a few things with arty, and warp out to the next mission. For other standard lv4s the nightmare may be preferable as you can just sit there and blap anything in targeting range.

The mach has better dps, but only if you are within 5 km or so. The mach has a lot more flexibility in terms of your tanking options; armor and shield work equally well. The mach has selectable damage as well, so it is easier to move to different regions and still shoot into the local rats resistance hole. AC machs are freaking bullet hoses, though. Overhead on large projectile ammo sucks.

The NM is a monster, especially in amarrian space where you mission vs sanshas and blood raiders. Deadspace ABs are cheap now, so between a gist X type AB and the projection from tachyons rats die fast. The NM has plenty of grid and cpu, so fitting an AB and a MJD can get you around mission pockets quickly and safely. Faction crystals are a lot more economical than faction ammo, so there is no excuse not to be using them. It aligns and warps much slower than the mach, though.

Both are pretty fantastic ships, so it really depends on if you intend to blitz or kill everything. Don't neglect your gunnery implants.