Missions & Complexes

I just returned to Eve after a few months absence. I read about the AI changes regarding drones and started training for a Drake.

Currently I'm running level 2 missions in a Vexor and it hasn't been too much of an issue. In some of the longer mssions I do have to dock once and repair some drones. Do things get worse in level 3 missions? I hate to waste all the time I put into training those drone skills.

It gets worse. The facts of it is, if you lose a single T2 Drone in a level 3 you've essentially lost any profit you would have made from the mission right there. Just use a Drake unless you're willing to put up with the awfulness of T1 Drones.

Alright, you can fit out a myrmidon with a drone nav computer and a target painter. With those two things, your drones should do just fine in level 3s.

By the time you get to level 4s you should have access to sentries and a Dominix, and at that point you'll very very rarely lose a drone, especially if you prioritize your targets, and do things by the book.

Another good resource is Eve-survival.org

You can look up any mission on that data-base and get all the information you need, what ships web and scramble, what ships trigger what spawns, etc. Take out the webbing frigates first, and if your drones do get targeted you should be able to pull them back in.

Of course, you could just sit and mindlessly tank and slowly chew through entire rooms in a drake, but that's no fun.

can we make a sticky with the title "When in doubt, fly a drake"?

The wtf is strong with this thread.

Sentry drones are the future, if they do grab aggro recall them, so train murm with armor tank and drone skills so you can get into a domi for lvl 4s soonish.

I've recently stepped away from my Drake and started using a rail Ferox for L3s. It requires some more piloting, but it kills smaller ships a lot faster. I fit it with a very weak tank, 2 magstabs, 2 tracking enhancers and an afterburner. It's a lot of fun to play, because most L3 rats don't even hit me if I fly it right.

My point is that you don't have to limit yourself to "cookie cutter" ships.

On a related note, drone skills aren't wasted. Almost every mission running ship has use for drones to take out frigates that get too close.

Every weapon is about the same. Every weapon has it drawbacks and strong points. Every pilot should find his best liked weapon system and use it to his advantage. There's no 'legendary' or 'epic' or w/e in EVE. There's only good tactic and bad tactic.

I've used both since Retribution.

Myrm: I've been having good luck using projectile artillery and keeping drone range under 20 km for mediums, 5 km for lights. Watch the overview and recall using the keyboard shortcut when you start seeing yellow. I've not tried sentries with a Myrm yet but had good results with them in other ships with mediums and lights as a backup. If you're set up to hear incoming damage, you can hear the aggro switch as well. You'll get the worst aggression against drones from elite frigates, so prioritize them.

Drake: Keep at range, point, and shoot. Deploy light drones on any frigate that gets within 5K. Prioritize elite frigates because they're more likely to go after drones.