Missions & Complexes

Hi i started with amarr ships only to get to level 4's and find that laser dmg sucks for most missions.

Im now skilling towards a tempest as it has projectile weapons which can shoot various dmg types. and also becuase ultimately i want a machariel

I have a few questions though:

1. Is this a good idea?

2. what skills will i need for the tempest to work? I know the reccommended certificates are something like battleship projectile turrets, core competency and active shield tanking.

3. should i fit artillery or autocannons and why? (i was thinking of going for artillery first then skilling up autocannons specialisation when i have the machariel.)

and finally does anyone have any decent low sp builds for the tempest as a pve lv4 mission runner?

its not really about being similar to the mach for me i just want a ship that shoots projectile ammo and can handle level 4 missions.

answer would still be the maelstrom

tempest is not a favourable pve ship due to it's split weapon type high slots and pure damage bonuses with nothing in it's attributes directly relating to tank.

The mach may not have anything obvious attributed to it's tanking abilities but if you look a bit closer you can see that it's much faster than your standard BS hull, has a smaller sig radius and has decent cap to boot.

Making it perfect for speed tanking and the tempest cannot do the same.

The Maelstrom is much more forgiving in the hands of a beginning Minmatar pilot, and more efficient for an experienced one.

In the meantime, you might want to try a Hurricane in lv3 and easier lvl4 missions, to get a feel for projectiles and Minmatar ships. It should give you a good idea about how, when, and why to use AC's or arties, and how the ammo works. It will also make it obvious why you really want a prop mod, and how to use it.
You don't even have to wait for shield skills. An active armour 'cane is not ideal for missions, but it works well enough to get the job done.

the mael is a excellent ship for minnie pilots. it puts out solid dps with a very good tank. it can last you a while, when your are comfortable grab some faction gyros or TEs, aswell as some other goodies. itll last you well until a machariel or vargur

In some missions, the MWD can be a help, such as when you've got a long travel time in a room between the warpin and the acceleration gate. I prefer an afterburner myself for such missions; the Maelstrom doesn't move very fast in any case. And if you've got missions where you don't have to be as mobile, then it makes sense to trade out the prop module for extra tank or a tracking computer.

The nice thing about the Maelstrom as a mission boat is that it can be easily refitted to handle just about anything. Jamming Guristas at 50km? Use ECCM and 1400's (one-shotting battlecruisers gives a nice little thrill). Close-range Angels? Use the 800 autocannons and basically chainsaw them. Blood Raiders? Beef up your EM resists and lay waste with EMP from the 1400's.

That's it - electronic counter-countermeasures: an active mid-slot module that boosts the sensor strength of your ship, making it harder to jam out with ECM.

First off, laser boats do not suck for Pve L4. It's just that they require a tremendous amount of SP to make it efficient. Lazors also props you for other pvp and pve activities that require mid range and long range pew pew. The Nightmare and Paladin does things faster and more efficiently than a Mach in certain instances.

Second, the Mach isn't as optimized for mission running despite what people say, it does not have enough tank to sustain itself properly. A Vargur does. The Mach should ideally be fit with AC not Artillery (too slow except for sniping and alpha damage in pvp) and must include MWD/AB for a proper speed tanking experience. AC however eats up ammo like Lindsay Lohan drinks vodka, the Mach hits hard but cannot compare to that of a Vindi. Lack of webs means reliance on small drones to contend with pesky frigs.

Third, the Vindicator with proper rigs and blasters outperforms ALL of the above in any given situation except when they're against neut towers. The damage from sentries and optimal/falloff range up to 70km in my case with MWD or AB (and of course webs) makes it does tremendous damage output. That being said, it needs to be fitted pvp style in order for it to work rather than pve, which means no CCC but due to it's humongous tank it can just wade through it all.

Now going to your issue of why you're doing so little damage in certain cases, is because of Faction Ammo projectile damage types is vastly superior to standard T1 and in some cases even T2. The Pest isn't bad but again it's not great either, Maelstroms are more better suited for this purpose of low skilled BS pilots. CCCs are overrated think outside the box!

The other alternative is to train up for Lokis which make very good in between mission runners due to easy to manage tank and prodigious amount of web and ac falloff.

Hope that helps, and if you require more help feel free to contact me in game.

I have been told on many an occasion that I am crazy for running beam boats in level 4's. If you are a proud amarrian you will use lazors and win every time. If you lose you were just not proud enough and rack disiprine

NO!!!! I use the Tempest Fleet Issue on my missioning alt and it is something you need to stay away from until you have Minmatar BS trained to level 5 AND you can bling it up with 2-3 Republic Fleet Gyros. Otherwise you get much lower DPS than the Tempest.

When you are skilled and blinged up, the Tempest Fleet becomes better due to higher agility and speed, and lower sig radius, while keeping the same DPS.