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EVE New Citizens Q&A

 
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Drone Selection

Author
Siegereaver
Perkone
Caldari State
#1 - 2011-10-05 03:00:45 UTC
I am currently doing level 4 missions in Caldari space with a raven (will be bringing a maelstrom online soon). I am about to leave for a 4 day trip and when I come back I will have access to T2 Hob's. As a mission runner (and a complete newb), what other drones should I be looking to include in my arsenal? I know T2 Hammer heads are only a few hours training away as well.
Flakey Foont
#2 - 2011-10-05 04:22:06 UTC
Siegereaver wrote:
I am currently doing level 4 missions in Caldari space with a raven (will be bringing a maelstrom online soon). I am about to leave for a 4 day trip and when I come back I will have access to T2 Hob's. As a mission runner (and a complete newb), what other drones should I be looking to include in my arsenal? I know T2 Hammer heads are only a few hours training away as well.


In Caldari space missions, Hobs, Hammerheads and Ogres will do the trick.
Zi'Boo
Zi'Corp
#3 - 2011-10-05 04:25:29 UTC
If it's just for mission running, you'll probably want all kinds of t2 combat small and medium (you can skip amarr ones, as they're crap, but as it takes just a couple hours, why not get them).

Other than that you can train for repair drones if you want to use them to repair damaged combat drones during the mission.

One thing to note about drones - train some of the support skills for them - especially drone interfacing, which at lvl 5 doubles your drone damage.

If you want to stick to the raven and even maelstrom, you can pretty much skip heavy and sentry drones (at least in the early days of your career).

Siegereaver
Perkone
Caldari State
#4 - 2011-10-05 04:54:00 UTC
To clear things up, what do the different drone types do?

What I understand:

Hobs: frig and perhaps cruisers.....


I know nothing else
ShahFluffers
Ice Fire Warriors
#5 - 2011-10-05 05:31:35 UTC
For reference...

Gallente Drones = deals thermal damage, has the highest damage potential of all drones, and is also the slowest
Caldari Drones = deals kinetic damage, has the highest optimal range of all drones
Minmitar Drones = deal explosive damage, is the fastest of all drones, and has the best tracking.
Amarr Drones = deal EM damage, either the second or third in all categories compared to other drones.


For PvE

Light Drones = good for anti-frig duty and, with very good support skills, anti-cruiser duty.
Medium Drones = good for anti-cruiser and up duty.
Heavy Drones = good for anti-cruiser and up duty.
Sentry Drones = good for anti-cruiser and up work... AT RANGE.

My personal opinion? Always have 5 light drones with you at all times. Whatever you can fit in after that can be toyed with. With what type of drone you should go with... stick with Gallente drones. Their damage type is listed as either the primary or secondary weakness for almost all NPCs (bar Angels).
Nicski
Radchak's Raiders
#6 - 2011-10-05 14:29:53 UTC
IMO the only racial combat drones worth considering for a Raven are Gallente ones, the Hobgoblin and Hammerhead, 5 of each. The Hobgoblins to take down the Frigates and Hammerheads for Destroyers and above.

If you move onto ships with bigger drone bays, then add Gallente Heavy (Ogre) drones, but always have at least 5 Hobgoblins. The base damage of Gallente drones far outweigh the other racials. While other racials might have different advantages they are largely irrelevant. Speed is not a factor when fighting NPCs and Optimal Range of light, medium and heavy drones is so small that the difference is irrelevent. Only when you get to Sentry drones could there be a case for taking a different race on account of the range, but I've never used sentries so can't say.

When you get into PvP, opinion is split between Gallente and Minmatar drones, the latter on account of their speed and the fact that small Player ships tend to be a lot faster than NPC frigates. However, I still prefer Gallente ones. Whilst there are cases when a Warrior II can catch a target that a Hobgoblin II can't, it is usually outside tackle range and the target just warps off. On the otherhand when you get something locked down or in a close battle, the damage output of the Hobgoblin/Hammerhead/Ogre is far more important.
Khanh'rhh
Sparkle Motion.
#7 - 2011-10-05 16:16:26 UTC
I'd just like to say, that getting T2 drones before doing missions in a battleship is a very good idea overall, so well done there.

To echo the above, applied damage is highest on all rat types when using Gallente drones, except Kin/Expl weak rats - which is basically Angels. For those, use Minmatar drones.

Oh, and a Maelstrom is a very nice mission boat :)

"Do not touch anything unnecessarily. Beware of pretty girls in dance halls and parks who may be spies, as well as bicycles, revolvers, uniforms, arms, dead horses, and men lying on roads -- they are not there accidentally." -Soviet infantry manual,

Sister Ignatia
Ministry of War
Amarr Empire
#8 - 2011-10-06 00:07:14 UTC
T2 hammerheads then t2 warrior for pvp applications

Most ships have no drone bonus but if you ever move into a Gallente Domi or an Ishtar, Sentry drones can really shine, they are stationary and apply instant damage and lots of it with max skills. There is a t2 Caldari sentry drone that can actually do real well against gurrista because of their kinetic weakness but your targets have to be like 20 or 30km away for them to track. The gallente Sentry is the mainstay though.
Sir Substance
Sebiestor Tribe
Minmatar Republic
#9 - 2011-10-06 07:39:13 UTC
Broadly speaking, based on what I can remember off the top of my head, drones may be categorized as follows:

Minmatar drones are the fastest moving and fastest tracking, but second lowest damage. They are good for killing fast and/or small targets. Their strength is in small and medium drones, but also paradoxically in bouncers (sentry drones), which have, including falloff, a longer effective range then the caldari sentries, and also slightly higher damage.

Caldari have the longest range and IIRC the highest effective hitpoints. They are not commonly used, but when they are it is mostly for sentry drones, where the long range is advantageous.

Gallente drones have the highest damage but the shortest range and slowest movement speed. Their lineup shines most with medium and heavy drones, but hobgoblins are still favored in missions as well. Their sentry drones are far too short range to be of any use in most situations.

Amarr drones carry no advantages that lift them above another races drones in any situation. For reference, I think they are second highest EHP, lowest damage and second fastest. You'll have to double check that though.

I have never found a mission where the resists of the rats are high enough to persuade me to choose a race of drones based on damage type rather then the innate properties given above.

Most missioners take gallente drones for primary damage, and some bring a flight of warriors (minmatar light) incase they need to shoot down fast moving warp scramblers.

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