Missions & Complexes

If you run level 5s with a carrier expect people to actively hunt you. Same with multiboxing tengus. Yes i know some parts of low sec can be pretty dead but just expect it.

It depends on the mission. Tengus if there are no Neuts. If neuts/Hi Dps and blitzble - use carrier.

Choose your missions according to your ship type. Decline those troublesome ones.

Thanks for your reply.

I understand what you mean. I usually have my cyno alts in the adjacent systems when ratting or mining in npc nullsec, for the same reason you explained... I expect there will be people looking for them.

I don't plan to constantly run them, just want to get the Fed Navy and Rep Fleet leadership implants, which I don't see very often on the market...

Use an ESS in null and get your LPs that way without being constrained to low sec.

It can help you make more isk over the long haul as well. JUst watch your intel channels and if nuets/hostile come in empty your loot quick.

ratting with one at max bonus means you make 105% isk on bounties plus 2k lp per 1m isk you make.

Missions would be quicker on the lp gain but hell not having to leave your space to find a way to get your lps etc. is better imho. Plus lining my wallets with whatever anomolies i am running on my alt and generating lp for my mind links etc is always nice.

I read somewhere, quite a while ago, that you can solo level 5s in a rattlesnake.
If this is still possible it might be an alternate option to using a carrier.

Carriers make me nervous heh.

I run level 5 missions in a carrier (on a different toon/corp). You are far more vulnerable than you used to be with the warp changes, a friend lost his Thanatos to a Hel a little while back because he didn't see the probes and they got him mid end warp.

Some things I've learned:

1. D-scan
2. If you don't have a carrier in every potential system you can get a mission in you'll tank your efficiency, raise your risk and spend a fortune on cyno ships and fuel;
3. D-scan
4. Fighters aren't a great choice, they die due to webs and dps and they take a lot of focus to keep up, logistically when you lose them they are expensive and harder to replace, (5km3), there are very specific missions where I will use fighters (1 or two out of the ~10 viable carrier missions for a *slight* increase in speed, if all I have is sentries I won't sweat it);
5. D-scan
6. Use T1 sentries (all races), buy the blueprints and manufacture them in bulk, use them like ammo. I don't rep them, on a fortress mission I might go through 50 t1 sentries. They die, I replace with the 100 I have in the blockade runner I use to move between systems. Black frog deliver them from Jita to the lowsec staging by the ton, refuel blockade runner, rinse, repeat. Locking them is tricky before they die and I'd rather a DCU, nuet, smartbomb in the high.
7. D-scan
8. Because you aren't using fighters, ditch the Thanatos, it has issues tanking anyway even with a dual rep setup on some of the harder missions. The Chimera and Archon are pretty closely tied, I use dual rep archons.
9. D-scan
10. Anything that takes your focus away from obsessive compulsively pressing the scan button gets you killed
11. D-scan
12. people *really* want to kill you
13. D-scan
14. Smartbombs are mandatory to deal with scraming rats, waves and waves of warriors are a good idea too.
15. D-scan
16. Stay aligned, make sure you're aligned, the warp in beacon sometimes breaks that you'll be webbed and moving at 2m/s it can be hard to see that you are aligned, don't try to scoop your sentries, the carried can try to align to them if it gets out of range, abandon if disabled.
17. D-scan
18. set your auto pilot to the station you're aligned to, it makes it easy to find if you see probes.
19. D-scan
20. Between every action you take and at a minimum of every 5 seconds.....
21. D-SCAN!

You need very high standings with the factions to be able to decline the number of missions at the rate required to run these in a carrier constantly, personally I use it as a more entertaining form of pve and run a mission or two a day before getting a set I can't do and need to wait out the 4 hour timer so off to pvp or do something else for the rest of the night.

Could just be me but I'll also walk away from anything that feels off, if there are a few nuets in system I can't find/don't recognise or if I see a ship traditionally used for dropping or scanning I'll go back to null sec anoming. Combat probes? Get the hell out, note anyone in system and their corp, come back in a day or two or even abandon the mission. A serious sense of paranoia should keep you safe unless you are truly unlucky.

To answer the original question, carrier or tengu? the start up costs for carriers are nuts, but you can pay for them all surprisingly quickly but once you get someone hunting for you, you really need to go away for a day or two so they get bored. I've no doubt my carrier toon is on a few watch lists but the plan is always in and out in under 15 minutes max, with a carrier in system, no cyno's also lowers the profile. I find with the constant d-scanning, checking local peoples corps and kill boards, managing sentries and targets, looking for triggers and such, I couldn't imagine adding in dual boxing into that equation, but I just might need more SP in multitasking...

Sorry should have been clearer;

1. Align
2. Drop sentries
3. Sentries engage
4. Due to aligning you move past recovery range of the drone
5. Sentry takes damage
6. If you hit scoop at this point, you will break your alignment as your carrier moves to scoop the drone, the webs/environment seem to make this take a while to fix and you end up quite vulnerable if you don't notice

The take away point is, at least in my opinion, use a carrier with t1 drones and under no circumstances try to save them (maybe hit recall as you warp away when you're done but i usually only get 4 or 5 back for that).

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edit: also the "carried" bit was a typo, should have been carrier.

I'd debate that, a lot of the time I've seen hot drops they are done with supers and when that lands a point you're not leaving, falcons would die instantly in a spawned level 5 too.

Why are you using sentries? Fighters (with drone nav computers to make them faster) are now way better, you can stay aligned and with some drone damage mods you are doing way more dps. An ECM burst in the mids keep aggro off the fighters and helps you if you get tackled.

Sentry Carriers for lvl 5s are so last month lol.[/quote]

Because sentries are disposable and level 5's eat fighters, when you warp out due to probes you'll lose fighters. You need to give up a high slot for reps etc etc.

They are certainly more viable than they used to be, I just still find the sentries to be less effort and concern. I've heard the ecm burst trick but not had the chance to try it, will give it a go.