EVE New Citizens Q&A

What would be considered a good number of maximum locked targets, beyond which additional locks aren't really all that useful.

For example, you can lock two targets in the beginning. This is obviously too few since you often want to attack more than two ships at the same time, mine more than two asteroids at the same time, or don't want to have to target new stuff *immediately* after you blow up that one ship. So I'm thinking of increasing it to 4 or 5.

But beyond that, how useful are additional locks? What would you need them for?

Currently I'm just flying frigates and destroyers, and am slowly training up the skills I need to fly cruisers for L2 missions.

It's not so much that I'm curious about more targets in my personal situation, though. I mainly want to know what the use is for other people - in whatever situation they may find them useful. Pre-locking for logistics and bigger ships with slow targeting sound like good reasons. :)

Since your looking for reasons:

another one off the top of my head is to target drones in addition to your primary target

I sometimes use it to target objects I want to keep at a certain range so I don't have to keep searching my overview during a fight without giving up manual control.

I have used as many targets as possible when flying support against bomber gangs with inties and other fast lockers. Not to actually do much beyond try and prevent them from cloaking back up

Hope this helps

Everyone has different styles. I tend not to lock things until I have to, or think I might have to. Might delay me a few seconds now and then, but it keeps my focus on the ships I have to care about. Same deal regarding watch lists, I don't really set on up unless I'm a logistic pilot, which means more of my attention is freed up to look around and watch my surroundings.

Other people tend to like as much information as possible, and thus tend to lock and watchlist everyone. If you're just looking for a number usually 4 or 5 tends to be a reasonable number. This has never really been an issue for me ingame, though, and you shouldn't have problems with it either.

7 for most ships. 11 for logi pilots, other ships require other numbers.

I would get 10, as the training time between 7 and 10 is miniscule.

I tend towards 8.

If you mission with a few others, locked targets can vanish pretty rapidly, and if you're working on frigates, its nice to have 3/4 locked at a time to offset the long lock time.

If you're solo then 4/5 is fine, but you need more in a group to make sure you're never waiting on locks.

If you're asking for pvp, no idea, sorry.

That "hard-set" limit can be modified with Automated Targeting Systems.

Fit a couple of Auto Targeting System II on a marauder and you could lock up to 31 targets. Of course, nobody does that as your skills will limit you to 12 targets or less. However, it is not unheard of to fit one ATS on a Logistic ship to allow 12 targets.

I often fit an automated targeting unit for extra targets. It doesn't even have to be activated to get more targets.

I just prefer locking-up a lot of targets, especially when locking is slow.

I think I'd aim for 10. I don't think I've used more than that.

Automated Targeting Systems are a very, very niche module. Forget they exist unless you get into PVP Logistics and are flying in a 12-13 person gang.

Whilst it may be true that 6 is the most common number of locks, 7 is common enough (all or almost all t1 battleships) that you should train for 7 in short order. Then the next three are used enough to merit thesingle day of training they take to get.

5 is optimal for almost everything. Many ships can't even lock more than 5 targets. So if you're not going to often fly ships able to lock more - 5 targets is good.

About noktis: in any dangerous (at least a bit) area you don't need more than 4 targets to loot wrecks, because you will be always aligned to a safe spot or pos while pulling 4 targets with 4 tractor beams and salvaging them with 4 salvagers in the process, on the move.

In pvp, grunts also don't need more than 6 targets locked, it's just pointless.

Conclusion: don't rush for maximum targets, you can spend your time for much more useful skills - always.
It's stupid like learning Salvaging to 5 on a character which is not a dedicated looter-alt (because rewards of that 4-5 lvl change are not worth the time for main characters).

p.s. if you need more than 6 targets for ratting or pvping (as a soldier) - most likely you're stupid and just can't effectively manage your targets: even 20 won't look enough for you.