Player Features and Ideas Discussion

Require that Ishtars be in bastion to deploy sentries, but do not release a bastion module for Ishtars.

removing a midslot might be a good idea too nerf the dps kitey shield configs and perhaps some shield HP removed aswell

Just scrap the second bonus and put in something else like 5% Drone speed. Sentrys still possible, but unbonused.

You're right, and also I forgot about the stratios. Still, more concessions need to be made. Damage bonus reduction to sentries is not enough IMO.

doing that just makes it a worse gila or a more expensive VNI, it needs the sentries otherwise people won't use it.
its more the ability too replace high HP sentries over and over in high dps kitey shield fits, if you address these points they might have more success, and -2 slots for all droneboats would help give stronger drawbacks too not needing highs for dps,
would also like too see race specific bonuses too drones, so ishtar gets gallente drone bonuses only, forcing gardes would certainly reduce their range.

I used Ishtars for aslong as I could fly them, long before there was any drone modules and rigs available for them. The same applies to the Dominix and the Ishkur.

Actually I've never flown anything else than droneboats for PvE, including doing all my LvL 4 missionrunning in an Ishtar since I can fly it.

Drone Damage Amps aren't needed to make droneboats effective. All they do is make them overpowered.

not a bad idea too reduce sentry drone RoF, easier on the server aswell as making them more alpha less dps based and would make them less powerful. so long as no extra damage is added ofc.

"The Ishtar has proven strong enough with its current bonus...."

no sir,it only proves numbers are stronger.drake/heavy missiles nerf,never forget,never forgive.

So many people keep saying that sentries are doing BS DPS and complaining that the Ishtar has it. So indirectly CCP is seeing lots of comments complaining about the amount of damage that Sentries do. So nerfing the damage is addressing every single post that says Ishtar does BS DPS. Get people to stop complaining about the DPS and maybe I will agree that it is not a factor.

There are also some posting here that are clearly against the drone weapon system in general and are making it harder to constructively talk about a single ship being balanced.

When you look at the Ishatar bonuses, it is clear that it was designed to use Sentries and Heavies as the main weapon system. Unless CCP feels that ship is utterly broken then there are 2 ways to address "BS DPS" with excellent application, nerf the DPS to sub BS (as proposed) and leave excellent application or leave the BS DPS and nerf the application. If you nerf both, without buffing the ship elsewhere, then you could break the ship and CCP has probably learned that is not a desirable outcome.

CCP has to balance around more than large scale PvP. The fact that a fleet can offset a DPS nerf with more ships has nothing to do with ship balance. Drone boats are unique, it is part of why Dominix are a popular meta when bombers are not around.

I like drones, always have, I don't want to see them or a drone boat nerfed into oblivion. All HACs need to be excellent ships. And clearly the dominant role of the Ishtar doctrine shows it is superior in fleet combat. So let's compare it to other HACs.

• When you pull up all the HACs the Ishtar is the slowest already (185m/s), for those complaining about its base speed.
• Its base targeting range is middle of the road 80km only better than the Sacrilege 70KM and Zealot 75KM, the other HACS range from 80 to 95KM.
• Those that want larger signature: it has the 2nd largest already, 145m. Deimos is 150m.
• Fitting: It has the worst power grid and CPU among HAC 780MW power and 340 TF CPU.

EDIT: All stats taken from EveUniversity Wiki

SO the only thing special about an Ishtar is its unique weapon system and how that is bonused. Any talk about balancing this ship should revolve around these bonuses.

I'll post my ideas about that in another post.

I see lots of people saying just remove Sentries from Ishtar because BS weapon on a HAC doesn't make sense. HAC = HEAVY Assault Cruiser, so being a size up in weapons actually does make a lot of sense.

No body is talking about nerfing Navy Vexor, which is basically a poor mans Ishtar. It can field Sentires and no one cares. So adjust the number of Sentries the Ishtar can carry a call it a day.

If you remove the Sentries I really want to see something different to keep it as a Drone HAC. Maybe give it a drone control unit so it can fly 6 L/M/H instead of the normal 5. Something though that it's not another gun boat, and still fits it's title of "HEAVY" Assault Cruiser.

Maybe limit it to Garde only, shortest drange Sentry, so the it's rails have a longer range than the sentries. Easy Lore sell, as the ship system can only handle Gallente Drones, something about interface for BS weapons on a cruiser.... yada yada.