These forums have been archived and are now read-only.

The new forums are live and can be found at https://forums.eveonline.com/

Ships & Modules

 
  • Topic is locked indefinitely.
123Next page
 

Solo PVE - In a Merlin, want a... something better than a Merlin.
Author
Previous Topic Next Topic
Cyrus dePlague
Doomheim
#1 - 2014-07-21 14:29:51 UTC
I'm currently doing solo Caldari PVE in a blaster Merlin (3x Light Neutron II w/Null S) with some shield tank to boot. My main PVE has been either Level 2 Security missions or Hideaway/Burrow combat sites, but I think I'd like to upgrade from the Merlin to the next best thing.

At first glance, I was thinking a blaster Harpy (4x Light Neutron II w/Null S plus Salvager in high spots), but was hoping to get some input as to whether there's something else out there that might be better suited for higher-level PVE (Level 3/4 missions, Refuge/Den combat sites).

Any thoughts/fits that people can point me to? Thanks!
  • Part-time Ferox railgunner
  • Part-time Data Site hacker and Relic Site digger
  • Part-time Mining monkey
  • Full-time Awesome
  • Occasional Pain in the Butt
Caleidascope
Republic Military School
Minmatar Republic
#2 - 2014-07-21 14:38:03 UTC
Have you heard of Destroyers, Cruisers, Battle Cruisers (battle bruisers) and Battleships?

Life is short and dinner time is chancy

Eat dessert first!
Jessica Duranin
Doomheim
#3 - 2014-07-21 14:41:53 UTC
Assuming you are doing missions in highsec: get a bigger ship.

L1 Frig/Destroyer
L2 Cruiser
L3 Battlecruiser
L4 Battleship
Cyrus dePlague
Doomheim
#4 - 2014-07-21 14:48:02 UTC
Huh. Never heard of 'em. Blink

Seriously, I had been thinking on staying with the smaller frigates, but you bring up a good point about the larger ships. All the better to blast the hell out of things with, I guess.

Any recommendations as to which ones to start training towards (or, more importantly, avoid with every fiber of my being)?
  • Part-time Ferox railgunner
  • Part-time Data Site hacker and Relic Site digger
  • Part-time Mining monkey
  • Full-time Awesome
  • Occasional Pain in the Butt
Nalelmir Ahashion
Industrial Management and Engineering
Mouth Trumpet Cavalry
#5 - 2014-07-21 14:49:26 UTC
start with destroyers, they use same weapons\modules as frigates but pack some more serious punch in the process.
Caleidascope
Republic Military School
Minmatar Republic
#6 - 2014-07-21 14:50:56 UTC
You can run L4 Recon 1/3 is mwd fitted noob/t1 frig. But I think that is the only one L4 you can do in a frig.

Life is short and dinner time is chancy

Eat dessert first!
Jessica Duranin
Doomheim
#7 - 2014-07-21 15:04:23 UTC  |  Edited by: Jessica Duranin
You won't get very far in regards to PvE with frigs. It's one of the rare cases in EvE where bigger actually IS better.

Some T1 BS you could aim for are : Raven(missiles, shield) , Dominix(drones, armor), Apocalypse(lasers, armor), Megathron (Hybrids, armor), or some Minmatar BS (don't know which one gets used for L4s)

Personally I would stay away from missiles, since they are really boring to use and the support skills don't help with other weapons systems - but that's just me. (Also if you want to do incursions some day you will need gunnery skills anyway)
Owen Levanth
Sagittarius Unlimited Exploration
#8 - 2014-07-21 15:08:38 UTC
Cyrus dePlague wrote:
I'm currently doing solo Caldari PVE in a blaster Merlin (3x Light Neutron II w/Null S) with some shield tank to boot. My main PVE has been either Level 2 Security missions or Hideaway/Burrow combat sites, but I think I'd like to upgrade from the Merlin to the next best thing.

At first glance, I was thinking a blaster Harpy (4x Light Neutron II w/Null S plus Salvager in high spots), but was hoping to get some input as to whether there's something else out there that might be better suited for higher-level PVE (Level 3/4 missions, Refuge/Den combat sites).

Any thoughts/fits that people can point me to? Thanks!


A Harpy is fine up to level 3, the Hawk would have been even better, thanks to variable damage. But well, if you have the skills for T2 hybrids already, then a Harpy would work.

Level 4 with a T2 frigate is simply not possible, battleship-rats have so many HP you would take an eternity, even though you would most likely take almost no damage.

If you really don't want to take large ships, skill into a Tengu and missiles, or try a blaster-Proteus. Both are T3s and can easily shred level 4 missions.
Cyrus dePlague
Doomheim
#9 - 2014-07-21 15:09:48 UTC
Jessica Duranin wrote:
Personally I would stay away from missiles, since they are really boring to use and the support skills don't help with other weapons systems - but that's just me. (Also if you want to do incursions some day you will need gunnery skills anyway)


Much appreciated - not a fan of missiles myself, and I've already been putting a decent amount of time in with my gunnery skills. I'll check out those ships you mentioned in ISIS when I get home from work.
  • Part-time Ferox railgunner
  • Part-time Data Site hacker and Relic Site digger
  • Part-time Mining monkey
  • Full-time Awesome
  • Occasional Pain in the Butt
Degnar Oskold
Moira.
#10 - 2014-07-21 16:06:51 UTC
If you want to stay away from Missiles, then

Level 2 : Rail Moa
Level 3: Rail Ferox
Level 4: Rail Rokh

Rails have lower DPS than blasters, but you'll do missions faster than having to MWD/AB in range of everything.
Netan MalDoran
Hail To The King
The Silent Syndicate
#11 - 2014-07-21 16:52:41 UTC
Degnar Oskold wrote:
If you want to stay away from Missiles, then

Level 2 : Rail Moa
Level 3: Rail Ferox
Level 4: Rail Rokh

Rails have lower DPS than blasters, but you'll do missions faster than having to MWD/AB in range of everything.


Do what he said, this works perfectly as the Ferox can pack a massive tank and they all have drones. If you do want a dessie, then the Cormorant works well (As the Corax is a missile boat) especially with multiple weapon types. For my corm highs I have 2 rails, 5 blasters, and a rocket or lite missile launcher so that you can pre-damage the rats with the rails and missiles (Or if their running and you can't keep up) then you can get in close and brawl them to death with the blasters. Or you could go all rails but you will still take some damage as light rails don't have the best range.

"Your security status has been lowered." - Hell yeah it was!

Falcon's truth
Caleidascope
Republic Military School
Minmatar Republic
#12 - 2014-07-21 17:09:09 UTC
Netan MalDoran wrote:
Degnar Oskold wrote:
If you want to stay away from Missiles, then

Level 2 : Rail Moa
Level 3: Rail Ferox
Level 4: Rail Rokh

Rails have lower DPS than blasters, but you'll do missions faster than having to MWD/AB in range of everything.


Do what he said, this works perfectly as the Ferox can pack a massive tank and they all have drones. If you do want a dessie, then the Cormorant works well (As the Corax is a missile boat) especially with multiple weapon types. For my corm highs I have 2 rails, 5 blasters, and a rocket or lite missile launcher so that you can pre-damage the rats with the rails and missiles (Or if their running and you can't keep up) then you can get in close and brawl them to death with the blasters. Or you could go all rails but you will still take some damage as light rails don't have the best range.

LOL
Classy dual range weapons fit.

Life is short and dinner time is chancy

Eat dessert first!
Paranoid Loyd
#13 - 2014-07-21 17:27:24 UTC
Netan MalDoran wrote:
Degnar Oskold wrote:
If you want to stay away from Missiles, then

Level 2 : Rail Moa
Level 3: Rail Ferox
Level 4: Rail Rokh

Rails have lower DPS than blasters, but you'll do missions faster than having to MWD/AB in range of everything.


Do what he said, this works perfectly as the Ferox can pack a massive tank and they all have drones. If you do want a dessie, then the Cormorant works well (As the Corax is a missile boat) especially with multiple weapon types. For my corm highs I have 2 rails, 5 blasters, and a rocket or lite missile launcher so that you can pre-damage the rats with the rails and missiles (Or if their running and you can't keep up) then you can get in close and brawl them to death with the blasters. Or you could go all rails but you will still take some damage as light rails don't have the best range.


Roll Please don't do this.

"There is only one authority in this game, and that my friend is violence. The supreme authority upon which all other authority is derived." ISD Max Trix

Fix the Prospect!
Riot Girl
You'll Cowards Don't Even Smoke Crack
#14 - 2014-07-21 17:47:11 UTC
Go with Gallente imo.

Oh god.
Khan Wrenth
Viziam
Amarr Empire
#15 - 2014-07-21 21:44:09 UTC
Caleidascope wrote:
You can run L4 Recon 1/3 is mwd fitted noob/t1 frig. But I think that is the only one L4 you can do in a frig.


I routinely run Level 4 security missions in assault frigates. I haven't kept a spreadsheet to check off to see if I've done every single one of the missions, but I have been doing it for months. Including that one day where I got "Angels Extravaganza!" twice in a row.

Let's discuss overhauling the way we get intel in EvE.
Caleidascope
Republic Military School
Minmatar Republic
#16 - 2014-07-21 21:48:56 UTC
Khan Wrenth wrote:
Caleidascope wrote:
You can run L4 Recon 1/3 is mwd fitted noob/t1 frig. But I think that is the only one L4 you can do in a frig.


I routinely run Level 4 security missions in assault frigates. I haven't kept a spreadsheet to check off to see if I've done every single one of the missions, but I have been doing it for months. Including that one day where I got "Angels Extravaganza!" twice in a row.

I am not a masochist.

Life is short and dinner time is chancy

Eat dessert first!
Ralph King-Griffin
New Eden Tech Support
#17 - 2014-07-21 22:02:35 UTC
Netan MalDoran wrote:
Degnar Oskold wrote:
If you want to stay away from Missiles, then

Level 2 : Rail Moa
Level 3: Rail Ferox
Level 4: Rail Rokh

Rails have lower DPS than blasters, but you'll do missions faster than having to MWD/AB in range of everything.


Do what he said, this works perfectly as the Ferox can pack a massive tank and they all have drones. If you do want a dessie, then the Cormorant works well (As the Corax is a missile boat) especially with multiple weapon types. For my corm highs I have 2 rails, 5 blasters, and a rocket or lite missile launcher so that you can pre-damage the rats with the rails and missiles (Or if their running and you can't keep up) then you can get in close and brawl them to death with the blasters. Or you could go all rails but you will still take some damage as light rails don't have the best range.

A player from 2013.09.07 should know better than this.
Seriously man, troll in general discussion, not here.

Murderers of Negotiable Motivations

=]|[=
Praxis Ginimic
The Scope
Gallente Federation
#18 - 2014-07-21 22:41:25 UTC
Netan MalDoran wrote:
Degnar Oskold wrote:
If you want to stay away from Missiles, then

Level 2 : Rail Moa
Level 3: Rail Ferox
Level 4: Rail Rokh

Rails have lower DPS than blasters, but you'll do missions faster than having to MWD/AB in range of everything.


Do what he said, this works perfectly as the Ferox can pack a massive tank and they all have drones. If you do want a dessie, then the Cormorant works well (As the Corax is a missile boat) especially with multiple weapon types. For my corm highs I have 2 rails, 5 blasters, and a rocket or lite missile launcher so that you can pre-damage the rats with the rails and missiles (Or if their running and you can't keep up) then you can get in close and brawl them to death with the blasters. Or you could go all rails but you will still take some damage as light rails don't have the best range.


This is terrible advice. Don't "pre-damage" anything. Just a pick a range at which you would like to destroy things and destroy then at that range.
Khan Wrenth
Viziam
Amarr Empire
#19 - 2014-07-21 23:17:40 UTC
Caleidascope wrote:
I am not a masochist.


Okay, you got me on that one.

Let's discuss overhauling the way we get intel in EvE.
IIshira
School of Applied Knowledge
Caldari State
#20 - 2014-07-21 23:22:03 UTC
Riot Girl wrote:
Go with Gallente imo.


This^

Caldari PVE is missiles. If you want to stay with hybrid weapons go Gallente since they have far better choices.
123Next page