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Is the Caldari Crane worth the effort?
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Xiagan
Chute'n Loads Mining Collective
#1 - 2013-08-03 02:09:20 UTC
So I'm hooked on the idea of the Blockade Runner class of ships. That path will let me get some decent mining barges, so it's not a total loss. However I'm worried about the actual profitability of "Blockade Running". Are there special missions for this? Is there a market for player contracts to haul valuable cargo through gate camps?

Thanks in advance :)
Froggy Storm
KarmaFleet
Goonswarm Federation
#2 - 2013-08-03 02:50:32 UTC  |  Edited by: Froggy Storm
Xiagan wrote:
So I'm hooked on the idea of the Blockade Runner class of ships. That path will let me get some decent mining barges, so it's not a total loss. However I'm worried about the actual profitability of "Blockade Running". Are there special missions for this? Is there a market for player contracts to haul valuable cargo through gate camps?

Thanks in advance :)


No special missions. Well there are the occasional transport to/through low I guess but they are not special per say.

Neither is it wise to take "valuable" contracts in and out of nul (due to locked stations) or low due to high instances of being a setup.

Where the blockade runner shines is transporting your own goods from low/nul back and forth from jita. At least until you can use a jump freighter. Use where a T3 cargo space is insufficient.

Also BRs are used as fuel and ammo trucks for black ops wings.
Alexander McKeon
Perkone
Caldari State
#3 - 2013-08-03 08:01:43 UTC
The real glory of the blockade runner is that it can't be scanned, so unless suicide gankers have specific intel or decide to attack ships at random, and have an insta-lock ship ready to catch you, you can move valuable cargo in and out of market hubs without a massive risk of high sec camps. If you ever want to move a couple billion ISK worth of modules through hisec, a blockade runner is the way to do it.
Marc Callan
Center for Advanced Studies
Gallente Federation
#4 - 2013-08-03 08:18:03 UTC
The "blockades" you'd be running in a Blockade Runner are mostly player blockades, i.e. gate camps and the like. The Crane's okay if you don't have any Industrial Ships skills to V except for Caldari; it aligns fairly quickly, which helps it get underway from a gate more quickly, but it's only got two low slots, and it can't carry 10,000 m3 (the magic number for being able to carry a "flat-packed" cruiser) without T2 Medium Cargohold Optimizations. The Gallente Viator and Amarr Prorator only neeed T1 LCO's to do a flatpack-cruiser transport, and the Minmatar Prowler, while it can't reach the 10,000 m3 threshold even with T2 rigs, has a utility high slot which allows for other uses (it's the preferred BR for wormholes, and it's probably the most common collier to accompany a Black Ops drop).

"We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be." - Kurt Vonnegurt
Mavis O'Day
Total.
#5 - 2013-08-03 15:21:30 UTC  |  Edited by: Mavis O'Day
Crane is pretty much the best of blockade runners for hi-/low-sec hauling. I've got 4 of my alts trained it because:
1) it got the best align time;
2) it CAN haul 10241 m3 of stuff with T2 rigs and T2 cargohold expanders, and if U're going to throw a 100M+ ship into the places where the S can hit the fan in any moment (and hey, it is supposed to carry on some pricey stuff), I don't see a reason why U'll act a cheapskate and don't rig it with T2s.
3) Even with only one T2 rig it can haul 6038 m3 of stuff, which allows me to bring 6 command center wherever I want 'em in one single run - perfect ship for my perfect low-sec planet managers.

Prowler is a great ship for WH hauling because it can fit probe launcher (and with perfect Transport Ships skill along with some fitting/hardwiring tricks it can even fit a combat probe launcher), also it provides roughly the same level of safety, because while it's align time is a bit worse than Crane's, it's sig radius is smaller (= it take more time to lock it), and while it got one less midslot, it has good EM resist on it's shield (= it doesn't need a EM shield hardener). But still, it has smaller cargo bay, so I've decided to train it later, when I decide to move myself into a WH. However, Prowler can be the better fueler for a BlOps than the Crane is, because of it's highslot paired with ability to fit a covert cyno generator so it can be not only fueler, but a spare cyno alt (and don't forget about combat probe launcher option if U got a handful of cyno toons in Ur stealth squad). I'm going to train one dedicated toon for it, but for hi-/low-sec hauling my choice is clear - it's the Crane.

P.S.: Those who will yell that I'm a stupid SP waster for training two almost equal ships - keep in mind that I'm a crazy 18-boxer and I can afford such a "waste" :) I could even train all four BRs, but I consider the Amarr and Gallente versions not being worth a spit. Sorry Amarrians, I really love U in all the other ways.
Soporo
#6 - 2013-08-04 03:45:45 UTC
I second the Crane. I've had the same one for years and used it in no, low and highsec. I don't fit cargo rigs though. Dangerous territory means my own competence with align/mwd/cloak trick and speed, agility and aligning to me, and that means using as many slots as I can to achieve that. Wanna move larger m3? There are other options.

Every normal man must be tempted, at times, to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats. - H.L. Mencken
Celeste Taylor
Ruby Dynasty
#7 - 2013-08-05 10:51:34 UTC  |  Edited by: Celeste Taylor
I do Crane and Viator between my characters. The 3 LS on the Viator shines if you have 3 cargo expanders. The Crane however with 2 expanders I believe performs better than the Viator fitted with 2 expanders and one nanofiber and also has one more MS over the Viator so despite the Viator's versatility I agree the Crane does end up a little ahead.

Like many I use low friction nozzles for rigs. There are definitely times when you can't activate your covert ops cloak because something is too close to you as you gate in.
Zaxix
State War Academy
Caldari State
#8 - 2013-08-05 15:11:08 UTC
Mavis O'Day wrote:
Crane is pretty much the best of blockade runners for hi-/low-sec hauling. I've got 4 of my alts trained it because:
1) it got the best align time;
2) it CAN haul 10241 m3 of stuff with T2 rigs and T2 cargohold expanders, and if U're going to throw a 100M+ ship into the places where the S can hit the fan in any moment (and hey, it is supposed to carry on some pricey stuff), I don't see a reason why U'll act a cheapskate and don't rig it with T2s.

The Crane does not have the fastest align time, esp if you've got expanders in the lows instead of nanos. T2 rigs are generally a waste of ISK, esp since you can do better with a prorator or viator without the t2 cargo rigs and add on something more useful.

That said, they're good enough. Esp if you're looking to use the largest freighter in the game, which the Caldari line has. You should probably also take a look at the coming changes to industrial ships. It might affect your final decision. The new industrials will be very different.

Bokononist

 
Ginger Barbarella
#9 - 2013-08-05 17:21:38 UTC
Big fan of the Crane for travelling thru low sec systems I know get camped regularly. Only time I've been caught was when I timed a flight thru a smartbombing camp PERFECTLY. P

I've never been caught in my Bustard anywhere... Blink

"Blow it all on Quafe and strippers." --- Sorlac
Chainsaw Plankton
FaDoyToy
#10 - 2013-08-05 17:42:19 UTC
my alt can fly a crane and I love it for quick ammo or sell runs. warps like a frigate, and can cloak. is it better than another races blockade runner I can't say. but it is very nice to have access to at least one blockade runner. and I'm not afraid of someone ganking it for luls in a thrasher like they might do a buzzard or other cov ops.

@ChainsawPlankto on twitter
Cage Man
Fusion Enterprises Ltd
Pandemic Horde
#11 - 2013-08-06 00:20:56 UTC
Soporo wrote:
I second the Crane. I've had the same one for years and used it in no, low and highsec. I don't fit cargo rigs though. Dangerous territory means my own competence with align/mwd/cloak trick and speed, agility and aligning to me, and that means using as many slots as I can to achieve that. Wanna move larger m3? There are other options.


You really shouldn't be using the mwd+cloak trick with a blockade runner. Exploding you sig so you can be targeted easier with a mwd is pointless when you can just cloak and warp. Being more agile is also really no great benefit to the blockade runner as you should be cloaking. Being more agile is not going to change this.
I bought a crane 4 years ago and have T2 cargo rigs. It has survived living in C3\C4\C5\C6\LS and Null life. The only time I was sad is when CCP decided to drop the black and red hull and then to make it worse they made it so they can fit cyno's and only the prowler has 2 high slots.. but still love my crane.
Soporo
#12 - 2013-08-06 03:40:30 UTC  |  Edited by: Soporo
I fit an AB sometimes (I know, I know) and a multispectral in a mid. Like I said, haven't been caught yet.

Every normal man must be tempted, at times, to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats. - H.L. Mencken
Mike Whiite
Deep Core Mining Inc.
Caldari State
#13 - 2013-08-06 10:38:56 UTC
as for special missions,

There are transport missions, there are certain NPC 0.0 Systems which have several of these agents in a cluster of a few systems.

Make sure you prepare well (Safe spots at gates, systems and stations) and you could run 4 to 5 transport missions at the same time, picking up new ones at your dropping stations and stay within these 4 to 5 systems.

The amount of LP and standing you'll get is quite impressive as a solo player.

And the pirates hunting you makes it fun.
Sergeant Acht Scultz
School of Applied Knowledge
Caldari State
#14 - 2013-08-06 18:21:07 UTC  |  Edited by: Sergeant Acht Scultz
Xiagan wrote:
So I'm hooked on the idea of the Blockade Runner class of ships. That path will let me get some decent mining barges, so it's not a total loss. However I'm worried about the actual profitability of "Blockade Running". Are there special missions for this? Is there a market for player contracts to haul valuable cargo through gate camps?

Thanks in advance :)



Blockade runners are absolutely fantastic.

Cargo is short indeed but it's the trade off for a perfect invulnerable high sec transport unless you're the unlucky guy popping at the can on the other side of the gate and can't manage to get cloak before warp off.

Extremely hard to catch in low sec and more often just impossible

Cloak/mwd trick (and not the other way around or your sign bloom will help the ceptor get target on you breaking your cloak), in null sec we often move around with those, cross gate camps with bubbles which add an extra challenge than low sec, we fly them through systems with hundreds of hostiles and bubbles AND gate camps, just because these ships are really awesome.

Don't think it's an I win button, it's very hard to catch it WHEN you do it right but it's perfectly possible to get them if camps are set for or you do something wrong.

Short story: rush it, there are some skills and ships in Eve you'll never regret, Blockade runners is one of them.

removed inappropriate ASCII art signature - CCP Eterne