Player Features and Ideas Discussion

Hello again Features & Ideas. Today we're going to be showing you the current designs for the last three revamped Combat Frigates, set for release this winter.

Many of you will have guessed that the Amarr weren't going to remain the only race with two Combat Frigates. Having the Punisher and Tormentor representing different combat styles within the same general use case is a pattern we want to repeat with the other races, so we're revamping the Kestrel, Tristan and Breacher.

You will also see that the direction we're going with these frigs means that our plans have changed somewhat since the dev blog a few months ago.

Without further ado, here's the ships we have to show you today!

Kestrel:
Frigate skill bonuses:
5% Bonus to Missile damage per level
10% Bonus to Missile velocity per level
Slot layout: 4 H, 4 M (+1), 2 L, 4 launchers
Fittings: 45 PWG (+15), 180 CPU (+30)
Defense (shields / armor / hull) : 500(+109) / 350(+37) / 350 (+84)
Capacitor (amount / recharge rate / cap per second): 330 (+80)/ 165s (-22.5s)/ 2 (+0.667)
Mobility (max velocity / agility / mass / align time): 320 (+24) / 3.27(-0.6) / 1163000 / 3.56s (-0.65)
Drones (bandwidth / bay): 0 / 0
Targeting (max targeting range / Scan Resolution / Max Locked targets): 50km (+10) / 620 (+155) / 5 (+2)
Sensor strength: 11 Gravimetric
Signature radius: 38 (-9)
Cargo capacity: 160 (-145)


Tristan:
Frigate skill bonuses:
7.5% Bonus to Hybrid Turret tracking speed per level
10% Bonus to Drone tracking speed and hitpoints per level
Slot layout: 3 H (-1), 3 M, 3 L, 2 turrets, 0 launchers (-2)
Fittings: 35 PWG (-3), 130 CPU (+5)
Defense (shields / armor / hull) : 350(-41) / 450(+20) / 550 (+167)
Capacitor (amount / recharge rate / cap per second): 350 / 175s (-59.38s)/ 2 (+0.5)
Mobility (max velocity / agility / mass / align time): 310 (+4) / 3.44 (-0.21) / 1106000 (+100000) / 3.56s (-0.02)
Drones (bandwidth / bay): 25 (+20) / 40 (+35)
Targeting (max targeting range / Scan Resolution / Max Locked targets): 40km (+12.5) / 600 (+10) / 5
Sensor strength: 9 Magnetometric
Signature radius: 41 (-1)
Cargo capacity: 140


Breacher:
Frigate skill bonuses:
5% Bonus to Missile damage per level
7.5% Bonus to Shield boost amount per level
Slot layout: 3 H (-1), 4 M (+2), 3 L (+1), 3 launchers, 0 Turrets (-1)
Fittings: 35 PWG (+4), 180 CPU (+45)
Defense (shields / armor / hull) : 500(+149) / 350(+37) / 300 (+50)
Capacitor (amount / recharge rate / cap per second): 300 (+112.5)/ 150s (+9.37s)/ 2 (+0.667)
Mobility (max velocity / agility / mass / align time): 350 (+16) / 3.16 (-0.62) / 1087000 (-100000) / 3.21s (-0.99)
Drones (bandwidth / bay): 10 (+10) / 10 (+10)
Targeting (max targeting range / Scan Resolution / Max Locked targets): 35km (+2.5) / 650 (+75) / 4 (+1)
Sensor strength: 8 Ladar
Signature radius: 36 (-5)
Cargo capacity: 175

Should the Tristan not be named Navitus?!!?!?!??!?!

I only ask because we were all under the impression the Tristan was to be a missle frigate (synergy with Nemesis) and the Navitus a drone boat

Ooooh, mantanking droneboat. Me like :)

This Tristan look nice ; though I thought the navitas should be a drone boat ; which role will the navitas have ? Drone brawler ?

Is the bonus of the Kestrel for all missiles ? Or only for kinetic ones ?

i read it like:

Kestrel - long(er) range missile frig; emphazising on the caldari long range philosophy

Tristan - combi drone, blaster brawler (hybrid tracking and drone HP); up close & personal gallente style

Breacher - missile frig; don't know here but shield boost implicates intention to make it more suited for small skirmishes. on the first glance less pronounced to have a certain combat style. suit minmatar.


interesting is the bonus for missiles only, no rockets. kestrel is designed for long range, the breacher seems to be similar but will have a shorter range. im excited to see how this will turn out. 4 mids with a shield boost amount bonus and 3 mids. hardcore range control and asb - goodiness is in the air.

I saw this tristan as a drone kiter infact : drone brawlers have bonuses to drone damage and hybrid damage ; this one won't have enough damage to brawl whereas the tracking allow to use big railguns.

It's getting a new role, to be unveiled along with the last set of frigs.

Perhaps the tracking bonus is supposed to help the Tristan kill enemy drones that attack it when it keeps range and enemy ships can't reach it with their turrets. Small Blasters track very well already, so they should have no trouble hitting drones with this bonus.

I know someone who will be very upset about the changes to the Kestrel, but i like it, as well as the Breacher. ASBs will work great on that ship....

didn't thought about the rails ... ^^
but i guess both could be worth testing. but fitting some rails which would make a difference will be hard on the fittings.

as for the breacher, every shield booster will work great. its more of a question, how you plan to use your cap. active shield tanking can be awesome with normal boosters too.
actually, asb should use a bit more fitting resources and boost shield amounts depending on cap charge size. would add some depth.

CCP Fozzie, can you guys also please look at other frigates for winter? (i'm thinking the interceptors as I feel the other t2 frigs seem fairly balanced at the moment, sb being weak against other frigs, and good chance of being popped fast by a bc or cruiser, and assault frigs being quite nice at the moment where they can even take on battlecruisers and win)

So yes... please look at the interceptors? I am saying this because it would suck if that took an additional half year after all other frigs had been balanced