Ships & Modules

Disclaimer: This is not the ideal setup for blitzing L4s (see: Machariel) nor the ideal setup if you want to simply apply massive amounts of damage (see: Rattlesnake). It is however, perfect for methodically shooting, looting and salvaging L4 missions. By yourself.

How Not to Fly Your Golem
First and foremost, if you're flying a Golem with more than one target painter, use rigors, flares, T2 ammunition and salvagers or fly non-cap stable - you're doing it wrong. Well, not completely - but you've created a lot of unnecessary headache for minimal gain.

The Offensive Golem
4x Faction cruise missile launchers, Faction ammunition
1x Faction target painter, 3-4x Faction Ballistic Control Units
Optional (recommended): +5 Zainou implants (CM-605, MP-705, GP-805, TN-905, RL-1005)
There are several reasons for these. Even with Cruise Missile Specialization V, Faction launchers are still 2.7% faster (around 5% if you only have IV trained) and hold 3 more rounds (11.1%) of ammunition. Faction launchers are a reasonable investment when you consider 4 are less than the cost of a pair of Faction ballistic control units. If you notice the absence of missile guidance computers, this isn't a coincidence. You'd need a pair of T2 rigors/flares along with a scripted MGC just to equal the damage application from a single Faction target painter. We won't even talk about missile guidance enhancers...

The difference in T2 vs. Faction ammunition cost is negligible if you obtain cruise blueprints, manufacture your own and convert with LP. Golems typically use 33-50% less ammunition so this is really cost effective anyway you look at it. But the primary reason to avoid T2 Fury ammunition is that it just plain sucks. T2 Fury ammunition has a 71.8% greater explosion radius with 18.9% slower explosion velocity - all for 21.8% "more" damage. But what's the real number? With V skills the DPS difference is actually only 11.6%. The use of Faction ammunition also eliminates extra target painters and rigors, and you can apply damage way better to smaller ships.

The Utility Golem
1x Bastion Module I, 1x Auto Targeting System II
2x Small Tractor Beam II, 5x Salvager Drone I's, 'Packrat' or 'Magpie' Mobile Tractor Unit
2x Large Hyperspacial Velocity Optimizer II rigs
Optional (recommended): High or mid-grade Ascendancy implants (Alpha, Beta, Delta, Gamma, Epislon)
'B' is for Bio, pretty much the only reason you should need to activate this other than when ECM'd by Guristas (because with cruise missiles you certainly don't need the extra range). The ATS is to give you a (passive) maximum of 11 targets when in non-Bastion mode and (active) automatic hostile target selection within 60km. The two tractor beams are for mission objectives that you want to ferret out from the MTU and the salvager drones can be set to selectively/auto salvage (so you have 5 recyclers instead of 1-2). 'Packrat' MTUs are definitely worth the upgrade cost to gain the 25% boost in tractor speed over standard MTUs

Hyperspacial rigs are essential as they boost your warp speed to 3.35 AU/s (4.48 AU/s with Ascendancy implants). This is literally the difference between enjoying EVE and watching paint dry, because battleships are sluggish.

The Defensive Golem
1x Gist C-Type 500MN Microwarpdrive
3x Gistum C-Type EM, Thermic and Kinetic Dissipation Amplifiers
1x Gistum C-Type Adaptive Invulnerability Field, 1x Gistum C-Type Medium Shield Booster
The MWD is to primarily get you between gates and occasionally within range of a mission objective. You can use an afterburner, but it's not advisable. While Marauders receive an excellent bonus for large micro jump drives, there's really not much need with cruise missiles. Still, if one absolutely needs a MJD it can be swapped with the thermic amp or refit in-mission. Here are the two most important aspects of this fit: 1. It is cap stable (and this is invaluable if you routinely experience unexpected disconnects) and 2. It will tank 270.9 DPS/omni and 683.9 DPS/omni while in Bastion mode. Being cap stable means that you also don't need to micromanage your missions to the same extent (because you'll already be doing that by salvaging as you go).

Tactical Observations
Everything is great "on paper", but here's how the Golem performs in reality with V missile skills, +5 missile implants and the above setup. I've used Guristas rats because they are without a doubt the biggest PITA to eliminate.

Battleships - 4 volleys (5 for named)
Battlecruisers - 1 volley (2 for named)
Cruisers - 1-2 volleys (2-3 for named)
Destroyers - 1 volley (2 for named)
Frigates - 2-3 volleys (3-4 for named)

Obviously there are a lot of factors (range to target, speed, how aggressive it's being, etc.) so YMMV. Serpentis are roughly equivalent to Guristas in terms of resilience while Mercenaries and Drones are probably the easiest (the exception being Elite Drone Parasites).[/i]

Final Thoughts
With one type (Faction) of ammunition, you'll save a lot of cargo space by not having to carry both T2 variants or wasting time swapping out ammunition. I highly recommend the use of shortcuts if you haven't already done so as it just makes life a lot easier. I also suggest the use of filters to easily sort your cargo bay (and it makes it easier to tell at a glance how much ISK your loot and salvage is worth). Here are my remaps/filters that I found have proved convenient.

Z-MWD, B-Bastion, D-Target Painter, F-Fire
C/V-Tractor 1/2, A-Adaptive, S-Shield, X-Auto Target, G-Drones
Q-Align, W-Approach, E-Dock/Jump, R-KeepRange, T-Orbit

Ammunition Filter: Group Is Charge All, Meta group Is Faction
Deployable Filter: Group Is Deployable All
Loot:
Group Is not Deployable All
Meta group Is not Faction
Assembled Is false
Name Is not (insert mission objective here)

I don't like this write up. Too much thought has been spent in pursuit of a very simple proposition. And Faction launchers on a PVE hull? Just no.

The problem I have with your fit is that would be fine if you were using the extra mid slots to create or apply extra damage, but you aren't. All you've done is massively over-tank an arguably already over-tanked hull.

I've had a quick look in EFT and the DPS reduction by using Faction launchers and ammunition is just too great - well over 200 DPS. Unacceptable.

I understand precisely how it works. I even have a Golem myself. And multiple other missile hulls before that. I don't accept what he's saying.

Exactly my point.


I'm not disagreeing that there's slightly less paper DPS. What I am arguing is that there's more damage application and less micromanagement with Faction ammunition. For example, I can engage battleships and battlecruisers and apply 100% damage without the need for even a single target painter - while I instead use that against a frigate that my light drones are engaging.

If we're going by pure DPS then I should be using a Barghest. Except it uses about 31.25% more ammunition, has zero damage application (the Golem at least has a 25% explosion velocity bonus) and limited salvage capability.


I cited frequent disconnects as reason for cap stability, because if you disconnect while in Bastion it gets nixed and it doesn't take long for NPCs to chew through the Golem's shield buffer.

That's not the reason to use the Golem. The reason to use the Golem is the Bastion module; the fact that you can have a sufficient tank with T2 mods and be EWAR immune (which is a blessing if you run Lvl 4s in Caldari space).

Re: Disconnects - I'd personally focus on the reason for those and sort your connection out, then you won't be forced to use a sub-optimal fit.

None of those things are an issue to me. I play to relax, not to make cash. A few seconds extra warp time is really no chore!

Good luck to you. I hope you enjoy using your Golem, it's a very nice hull. I like some of the other Marauders more for different reasons, but the Golem has great utility. Being able to use any damage type is incredibly valuable.

imo at that point just use auto-targeting missiles.

-1

Two Rigor 1s + 3 TPs + MGC w/Script + 5% dmg implant == one shotting non-elite NPC cruisers with Fury. So damage application with Fury ammo isn't a problem.

I've seen NPC Destroyers die to just TPs. Never mind that I rarely have to shoot NPC frigates to complete a mission. Even then, the non-elite frigates die so fast, I've seen MTUs pull them in while and salvage drones disassemble them mid flight.

Elite frigates are the only thing that Fury ammo is a waste for, but that's what light drones are for.


Fury does 18% more damage than Faction launchers with Faction ammo. Cruise Fury DPS 900. Faction DPS 762.


tl;dr - I very much disagree with OP.