Missions & Complexes

I'm getting tired of having my arse chewed out when trying to run COSMOS missions.

Currently I'm using a Myrmidon and that does not seem to be heavily enough gunned or armoured. Nice though it is I was thinking about getting something like an Ishtar to run in COSMOS missions. I've got good drone skills and can run T2 heavy drones for example; so is it worth investing time and money in gaining the skills needed for an HAC? As Gallente I am aware of some of the drawbacks on running Gallente ships at the moment but is an Istar capable of acting as a sniper and letting the drones get up close or would it be better to use the drones as extra targets and run in under a MWD and use blasters at short range?

Any ideas would be welcomed as I really would like to take advantage of the opportunities in COSMOS systems.

Oh yes! I wish I'd trained for HACs earlier.

I've not flown one, but the Ishtar has a good reputation.

I did most COSMOS missions (gallente & minmattar) in a Drake which is kinda finger in the nose.
Ishtar would be good for the job (wisely fit) but I'm surprised a myrmidon can't hold it..

Confirming that a shield tank Myrm should not have too many problems with the Gallente and Matari COSMOS missions -
provided you avoid drawing full aggro in some of the plexes which can be painful.

So the BC with a bonus to armor tanking tanks better when you shield tank it.

Imagine if there was a BC that you could shield tank and actually had a bonus to shield tanking, that would be stupidly overpowered in the tanking department and everyone would be using it.

One would think so, but as luck would have it, the Myrm disproves this notion by, even without that kind of help, being just as good at shield tanking as the ship in the game that does just what you're suggesting…

I fly a sentry Ishtar and can handle most missions and most plexes (did a 9/10 solo the other day) just orbiting the sentry to tank or play sentry tank if you know how to do that. If you don't want to use sentries then you do have the option to passive shield tank the ishtar and use heavies; if you want to use sentries you have to armor tank. Either is a viable option as the ishtar bonus is with drone operation range and drone bay space.

A few things aboput that. The Myrm is able to this because it has an extra mid+low slot compared to the Drake. Also, the post-nerf Myrm no longer has the offensive capability that a Drake still enjoys (and even training for 3 sentry IIs is a harder slog than training heavy missile launcher IIs) in range and overall dps. Lastly, while a multiple MAR and Cap Injectored active armor tank can make good use of the Myrm's ship bonus, it will only last as long as there are cap charges in the cargohold. The passive shield Myrm will tank indefinitiely as long as it is not overwhelmed.

I've said it many times on the forums, imo the general BC shield regen stats are a long-standing problem. To give this ship class an almost BS hp in shield, but at the same time give it an almost Cruiser shield regen time is stupid. Wherever both stats are placed between those other two ship calsse they should both have been placed at roughly the interval. This is how we get passive or buffer shield BCs (even Harbys ) appearing everywhere in pve and pvp. Seriously, why CCP doesn't question this with the incongruity of active armor bonuses with more low slots, and how the ships are overwhelmingly fit as shield tankers, is a mystery.

However, people like icecream. And, even when it becomes the main course and not just a dessert, and causes weight related health problems, it will still be consumed in quantitiy. And oh the toddler aged tantrums that will errupt if CCP even had the courage to restrict icecream. So, CCP keeps feeding icecream.

As to the OP. At this stage of EVE history, why bother training the HAC skill itself? Sure the support skills to get into HACs are worth training. And, in the past they were quite the bomb. But, with tier 2 BCs, pirate faction cruisers, and tech III cruisers all outtanking and outdamaging HACs, and with easy ISK to be made in the game as it is now, it is no longer a worthwhile time expenditure to train HAC.

edit- HAC 5 checking in as well. edit 2 - yeah the Ishtar is still situationally possibly worth it, but HACs in general are near obsolete now. edit 3- and I'll add another grump about command ships being almost obsoleted by tech III also (command ships 5 checking in )