Player Features and Ideas Discussion

The tiericide and rebalancing of ships breathed new life into a lot of the lesser AFs, but the Jaguar was not one of them. It only received very slight tweaks that did not change the underlying problem: the Jaguar has no niche or role it fits into. Some of its current problems include:

• poorest damage of all AFs by a mile
• inability to capitalize on range bonus; ACs get nothing out of it, artys are very hard to fit and automatically out-performed by the Wolf and its falloff bonus
• Fastest of the AFs, with decent tank, indicating a "heavy tackle" role, but it's outperformed here by many interceptors and even T1 frigates.
• Slot layout is not unique and makes it a much more expensive flavor of the Rifter/Firetail pattern.
• Overall eclipsed by the Wolf for damage, and other frigates for mid slot utility.

Seeing as how CCP is shifting Minmatar closer having a whole line of missile ships... why not turn the Jaguar into a missile boat? A less-tanky and faster version of the Hawk/Vengeance?

My thoughts:



All other stats should stay pretty much the same. The inspiration was a more offensively-focused Hawk.

Ed:Sample working fit. Running the damage results in 197.4 DPS with Caldari Navy Nova Rockets, and 238 DPS with Nova Rage Rockets. Non-explosive faction rockets would do a mere 131.6 DPS, with non-explosive rages doing 158.7 DPS. Its signature radius would be 32.5 with MWD off, and 113 with the MWD on.

Redone for missiles, the Jaguar can provide a credible threat on field as an "attack assauly frigate" (yeah, sounds stupid) that can be both mobile and apply damage well, but has to be cautious about overwhelming damage. I feel this conforms to the Minmatar ship archetype and serves as a nice step-up from the Breacher.

Your thoughts?

Comparisons to existing AFs:

• Wolf has higher damage, projection, armor tank potential, and damage type flexibility. Jaguar has extra mobility, smaller signature radius, better utility (mids), and a lot more fit versatility.
• Vengeance has much better tank, capacitor, and overall short-range brawl ability, plus a utility high slot. Jaguar has higher damage, is significantly faster, and applies the damage better (but does much less damage with non-exp missiles). Jaguar is probably hard-countered by Vengeance.
• Hawk has much better tank and range, plus some utility (including +1 high slot) and other Caldari attributes (e.g. crazy good sensor strength). Jaguar is faster, applies damage better, and is harder to hit. They do the same damage. Jaguar is probably hard-countered by Hawk as well.

They got a fourth bonus and extra slots in addition to the MWD bonus. Problem is, they were rebalanced against T1 cruisers back when T1 cruisers were mostly crap. Buffs to destroyers and T1 cruisers (especially T1 cruisers) have pretty much relegated them to sports car-equivalent status.

They were some of the first ships rebalanced in this balance pass: https://forums.eveonline.com/default.aspx?g=posts&t=54037

However as Milton said, the other ships getting largely improved has put AFs in a tough spot again. Most of them are viable (yes, even the Ishkur), but the Jaguar is in an especially poor spot where it cannot shine at anything.


And it's a Rifter hull, too!

I find it makes me feel a bit better to think of it as adding one extra bonused weapon, or to think of the storm of rockets around a fighting Jaguar.

Petrus, regarding your suggested stats



I'm not sure that would be necessary. The Jag already has a merely average tank for an assault frigate, so I'm not sure there's a need to offset the moderate gains from switching to rockets. My greater concern would be that with that set of bonuses and the Jag's speed and slot layout, an LML Jag would be able to do terrible things to pretty much any other frigate.

Sure, turn it into a missile boat if it loses no damage, tank, speed, sig or anything while changing. Jag is atm the best AF for piracy, tanky enough to kill pretty much any drones, fast enough to avoid guns, and enough damage to kill targets before next DT.

It is terrible for "honorable" 1v1 pvp, which doesnt matter if you can use the ship.

edit: the optimal bonus is pretty much useless, as arty jaguar is missing damage anyway, but other than 1 useless bonus the ship works really well.

I can't say I like the idea of a rocket Jaguar. I'd just as prefer getting a 4th turret on there (with a little extra pg/cpu for it) and call it at that.