Missions & Complexes

Hey all, I just got back from a break, and was wondering how viable drones are for lvl 4s (domi) . I ask because last I remember, when the AI changes hit, there were horror stories of entire rooms aggroing your drones and leaving you stranded, or making missions generally impossible for drone boats.

I've been sifting through forums/dev blogs and can't seem to see anything stating a change in this, but perhaps I had overlooked it. Figured I'd just ask.

Thanks in advance. ♥

I dont have any problems at all. I use my Dominix as a pure sentryboat since they are making it a pure droneboat in the new expansion. I have a drone range within 125 km and i snipe with sentry's at 100 km (and closer, since they move towards me.)

+ I use the MJD (Microwarp Jumpdrive) to jump away from the NPC's - and this is actually working really well.
And im not that good at EVE yet, 6 m skillpoints soon and above 1 m in drones. And i bring around 400 DPS (pure drone damage) and i like it.

.. And yet i suck.

Sentry, light, and mediums work. Though not much use for meds.

The horror stories come from people that throw out drones and ignore them.

I use heavy drones from a navy 'thron, they don't get aggro, let alone pop. Apparently 1000 blaster dps + self rep + web = more annoying than drones, so they do not get switched on.

I also use berzerkers from a dominix for angel missions, and they also do not pop. The typical pattern for an angel mission is arrive at beacon, shoot with bouncer IIs, then change over to the berserkers at either the point where I'd like to move onto the next gate, or where the npcs have reached the point where bouncer IIs won't track battleships - for me thats about 10km.

The idea of shooting 1 npc with a civvie gun, releasing 5 heavies, then alt-tabbing over to a movie is what doesn't work anymore, and also leading out is more dangerous than being the second set fielded from a ship with a drone bay big enough for multiple large sets (more ships alive = more chance one or more switch).

blanket statements that heavies insta pop or whatever are far from believable, nor are drones particularly difficult to use, in fact I have not changed my pattern since the patch. People who sat there and watched ogre IIs travel 40km were always doin it rong.

"I felt a great disturbance in eve, as if millions of drones suddenly cried out in terror, and were suddenly silenced. I fear something terrible has happened."

When npc AI first changed it was pretty rough, Missions ate drones along with an annoying full room aggro upon warp in, for some missions.

Today npc AI is not that bad, I use light drones for the most part and lose a few from time to time. So I replace lost drones a bit more often, its just a small annoyance now.

Maybe my advanced levels of "trolling" have bought me special powers from the Devs, but mine dont. Just sayin.

Star Wars reference for the win.

Not entirely true. Just yesterday I've finished Caldari Epic Arc and in the final mission my Hobgoblins got attention of elite cruisers too. (which turned out to be a blessing as I subsequently was relieved somewhat from the damn strong ECM)

So you're simply avoiding the problem.

Aggro switching seems to be extremely range/falloff sensitive. I.e. when you are presenting yourself as a target that is in a comfortable range to shoot at, NPCs may not switch to drones. On the other hand, when you're out of range, they will switch to your heavy drones instantly - since those are then the only targets in comfortable shooting distance.

Combined with the effect that everyone and their mother consider heavy drones a valid target, that makes them a weapon system purely for brawling - while before they were a good weapon system (if you fit something to compensate for their movement speed) for fast ships like Gila or Ishtar that are less than ideal for sentries.

Sentries are currently the ONLY drone weapon system with non-negligible DPS to cover the 90% of time targets are outside of the 10km zone heavies are useable in.

Missions is the only thing I have tested drones on, and I have done some rather heavy testing since the patch, as that's the way I have fun in this game, I go screw with stuff when it gets "nerfed" or changed.

Anyway, general drone behavior stuff and how I saw it. For the record, there's a LOT of send-and-recall involved, but with practice and timing it can be kept to an absolute minimal. I just recall at first damage, as all the button pressing does not bother me.

* Rattlesnake, BS Skill Caldari/Galente 4/3, Drone Durability 3, Drone Nav 3. I'm saying this to show I am far from "optimal". I'm currently just using it to finish off Storyline Missions for my other toons or mates. ~850 Omnitank with a single Drone Damage Amp cause I'm too lazy to NPC spec. With 3 Dam Amps and NPC specific tank drone damage is HEAPS better. I want to do tests in a Dominix next, but I can't mount the guns or the T2 armor reppers yet yet :(
In the Rattler I can normally just tank the entire room, so It's rather lazy flying.

* If you start a mission at a distance you can control, Wardens will kill first and Gards will clean up what's falls inside the Wards tracking. If a mission spawns on top of you for whatever reason, then a MJD can turn the tables again. If you don't/can't do that, then the below normally applies.

* I only had trouble with Hobs II getting popped when I tested them on SiSi on a L5 mission when 26 - yea, that many - Frigates were swarming. I had to kill one, retract, kill another retract, etc. I lost all 10 (had two sets) in killing most of those 26 frigs as fire on the drones started almost instantly. There's was like a 13/13 split of 2km range and 8km range from memory, it was the ones at 8km I had trouble with due to long travel time.

* Sentries, only lost 1 ever. That once, I must of clicked on a wreck so I moved about 8 km before I realized I couldn't call them and they were getting shot at, in a slight panic, I abandoned them, switched to a different set and started shooting again, hoping NPC would switch - which they DID - but still lost 1 cause I was slow.

* Have never used Ogres in L4's. I carry 2xMeds, 2xLights (1 set of T1 and one T2), and 2xSentries (Wards, Gards) all T2's. Reason for the T1 is cheap "send and forget" when I think they might get killed, usually at long range (a full flight of T1's is like 250K ISK). I have never so far had major trouble tracking normal Battleships with Gards, even with no extra tracking modules, I guess they move too slow to outdo tracking, mostly Minnie/Caldary type NPC ships.

* Up to about 10Km range, Hob's have no difficulty killing a frig and returning home even under a swarm of 5-10 frigs. I usually just send the next set, and alternate to get shields back. I have a bunch of hotkeys to control them and make them switch targets, and recall them. The only time I need a mouse is to launch them, if I could hotkey that it would be awesome.

* Like it's been said, drones only seem to get attacked by the same "size" NPC ships, although I have to admit, not always the case, and when only Battleships are left, I can't really recall a time any Sentries have been fired on by Battleships. I think I have had Cruisers shooting at Sentries before for example. I think the it's the "Elite" ships that behave a tad different.

* I have issues with Hammerhead's cause they are so gaddam SLOW and I don't have high skills to make them much faster. When dropped on the field with too many ships still around, they get shot up quite a bit, so I only use them when the Gards won't track, and Hobs are taking too long, and honestly, Gards don't seem to have too much trouble with 1 tracking mod even on Cruisers; Gards only really miss Frigs. If I have killed everything else with Sentries/Lights, I sometimes unleash mediums.

* For the record, the "augmented" and Faction version of the drones have like, TWICE the hit points of the regular ones, so are far more tolerant to getting shot at. Have not had a chance to test them yet though.