Intergalactic Summit

My sentiments exactly.

Maybe I'm misunderstanding something, or perhaps I'm simply too ignorant to understand...

What good, exactly, does it do to have a measuring contest about this? How, exactly, does being able to "solo" a Drifter accomplish anything in the grand scheme of things? Particularly when those pilots apparently capable of doing so are more interested in using that capability as boasting leverage than actually using that knowledge and ability to aid the rest of the cluster?

Further, how does someone's ability or inability to "bring a Drifter near structure 'solo'" lend any credence at all to their viewpoints or make them, in any way, more or less valid than anyone else's in matters that aren't directly related to combating them?

You were called out for being a self-righteous, egotistical prat that was discrediting the work of others simply because you, and apparently your family, have had a different experience with the Drifters than many others have had; and then for refusing to lend anything of any significant value to the effort other than to mock the efforts of others while trumpeting your own.

Whether or not someone has "brought a Drifter to near structure 'solo'" has absolutely no relevance to the truth of the situation.

Yeah I did, and I didn't mind the losses. I learned so much and had a lot of fun.

Don't you think it's interesting though nobody even asked how I did it?

Well hi, I'm Dani, and I'll tell you how I nearly killed a Drifter all by myself and how you can too!

First up though it wasn't really by myself. I had our friend, Ferni Ka'Nviiou, with me to coach and give guidance. Ferni is pretty much the best Drifter hunter in New Eden as far as I know, and nobody knows more about how to deal with them in space than her. Ever since the first appeared, Ferni has been out there spending countless hours and immeasurable ISK testing theories and killing Drifters by the score, even in Frigates. Yes, really, and even in a Venture.

All by herself!

Despite having little interest in these events in Empire and stuff, my family has followed Ferni's story since she started her quest to learn about Drifters with much interest, because she's a friend. Earlier today my younger sister Kellie was speaking to Ferni who expressed a desire to try out a theory against Drifters using Cerberus class heavy assault cruisers. Unfortunately Ferni was a few days from being able to fly one, so my family volunteered both two pilots and enough ISK to purchase several Cerberus and to be Ferni's guinea pigs. She accepted our offer, and I set off with her from Amarr along with another of our family's pilots, Ms Amber Patoria.

Firstly, I needed a ship that could hit the Drifter from a very long range, around 200k, the Drifter cannot hit very accurately beyond 160k. It also needed to be able to outrun a Drifter. Drifters will pursue you at the speed of approximately 3300ms, so it's gotta be faster than that. Ferni had designed a Cerberus for exactly this task and here is the fit I used...


Now we're ready to go, so all we need is a Drifter or two. We set off from Amarr, where there's lots of Drifter and seeker activity recently, and found ourselves four jumps away in Jennim. Here, we located a Jove Observatory. After some loitering we managed to attract some Circadian Seekers. Hoping to lure some Drifters, we engaged the Seekers and sure enough as the third went down two Artemis Tyrannos appeared.

Now comes the fun!

Ferni: "You will be aligned to the same celestial at all times, speed must be set to 3.5km/s"
Ferni: "At 160km you will begin firing."
Ferni: "If at 230km and Drifters are flying out of range, slow to 2km/s until Drifters have caught up (or 220km)"
Ferni: "When fifth volley is fired, according to the database, the Drifter's overshield will be depleted."
Ferni: "This means you will be doomsdayed, however, you will warp out before the fifth volley has landed."
Ferni: "You will actually leave the system."
Ferni: "So your celestial of choice is a Station (preferred) or a Stargate (if no stations)"
Dani: "Okay, so after launching the 5th volley he'll prepare to doomsday me, I wait a few seconds after the fifth volley has fired and warp out/dock up?"
Ferni: "Correct."
Dani: "And I take it the first thing he will do when I return to him is doomsday me? So I'm kinda defusing his doomsday on the noobship, reshipping to cerb, and coming back a third time?"
Ferni: "Yup."
Dani: "Gotcha"

Once the Drifters had arrived I did some bookmarking and warping around to position myself around two hundred kilometers from them and began to engage the first. It took a loss or to before I got my distance and timing right, but this is essentially what happened: The Drifter would pursue me, but I could hold him at 160-220k range easily. Artemis was missing me with ever single one of his shots. Meanwhile I depleted his Overshield. Now this is important to remember - once the overshield hits 0% the Drifter will engage you with his doomsday weapon. Period. And if you're in it's way you are toast, no matter what you're flying or how much reps you have.

As his Overshield hit 0% my target lock was broken and a deep sound filled my sensors, this is Artemis about to doomsday my poor little Cerberus. But thankfully I am aligned out already and off I warp without a scratch. I reshipped to a Reaper and returned, though unfortunately Artemis didn't seem interested in doomsdaying me.

Dani: "Warping in with noobship"
Dani /emote waits
Dani /emote trembles
Ferni: "Maybe come in close, and shoot with civilian guns?"
Dani: "Will do."
Ferni: "They shoulda done it by now."

So I did my best to get them really angry, anything to try and make them doomsday me...

Dani: "DOOMSDAY ME BOYS"
Dani: "Your mother was an Emergent Patroller! She had great melted nanoribbons. Oh the sounds she made as I salvaged her ******* WRECK m8."

Nothing. It seemed the Drifters had adapted to this reshipping tactic (though there was some delay in my reshipping, would be worth re-testing to be sure) and no doomsday was forthcoming. So I reshipped to my Cerb and returned to find myself ... instantly doomsdayed! Yay!

(Cont...)

Thank you, Danika.

There are thousands of pilots out there better than my sister.

There are many too who've likely spent as much time as our friend researching this stuff.

Drifters can adapt, but we humans have been doing that for far, far longer.

It is not us who needs to be afraid, it is them.