Ships & Modules

I think you have the wrong idea. You have to figure out what you like and what you don't like. Nobody is forcing you to fly the Noctis if you don't wanna.

[Noctis, Noctis fit]

Damage Control II
Signal Amplifier II
Shield Power Relay II

Large Shield Extender II
Large Shield Extender II

Small Tractor Beam II
Small Tractor Beam II
Small Tractor Beam II
Small Tractor Beam II
Salvager II
Salvager II
Salvager II
Small Tractor Beam II

Medium Anti-EM Screen Reinforcer I
Medium Anti-EM Screen Reinforcer I
Medium Anti-Thermal Screen Reinforcer I


Salvage Drone I x5

Passive Shield recharge is 201 HP/s, targeting range is 122km, and it can hold 1460 m3 cargo. How is that not better than a salvage destroyer?

I've ran into this very same issue so many times, it hurts to count. This same problem use to drive me absolutely insane. But, then, I had one of the most amazing ideas. Okay, so here's what happened. I kept thinking, "Ah, what the 'f am I suppose to do with this ship I no longer use or find reason to keep? I have another ship that just does this job better." Then, the idea just popped in my head. You know what I did?

...My Face...

(whispers excitedly) I sold it.

...Your Face...

I know, right!? Freakin' brilliant, yeah!? Best part is I keep the ship that works for me better!

(Seriously, though, how the hell is a dessy fit for loot and salvage better than a Noctis?)

1. cargo space. how often do you have to run back to station to unload cargo with the destroyer? a noctis has way more cargo space

2. range. pretty much all wrecks should be inside tractor range of the noctis. with targeting skills it should have 93km lock range, and ore industrial 4 gives it a 68/81km range on t1/t2 tractor beams. If you find the targeting range lacking are you fitting warp core stabs? MWDing all over the place with a destroyer is just inefficient :<

3. duration bonuses so you can salvage and then swap targets faster.

4. wrecks are among the easiest things to target... this also leads me to believe you are fitting warp core stabs.

5. salvage drones. like having an extra salvager equipped.

Now if you are dropping an MTU and going back when it has already tractored everything you probably won't see a huge difference. although I'd still probably use the noctics for the duration bonus, the extra cargo space, and the salvage drones.

This. Drop the Packrat on your pass to kill the room, come back and everything is in one nice pile. 8x salvagers can't be wrong. Add a flight of salvage drones, set them loose to work on the closest wrecks in working their way out, and you use the salvagers on the furthest out in the pile.

It really can't be beat. As long as you're not one of those anal "every second counts!" gamers.

Surprisingly, full salvager rack MWD cargo expanded Coercer is great if you use an alt.
From the other side, salvaging itself isn't that great. When it can give a rookie odd million on lucky blood wreck tackling, there is no point of salvaging non-elite/non-sleeper wrecks, especially with probably not super profitable, but engaging and chilling your spine null/wh exploration.
Even if you'll go after large ones, there are not that many of them even on BS heavy sites/missions.

True if the only thing that matters is the ISK per hour. There are players who enjoy the whole salvage / loot aspect of the game and could care less about how much ISK they are or are not making they prefer using the fun per hour to measure things.

Highs...
1 - Small Tractor Beam II ( 96Km range / 2400m/sec tractor velocity )
2 - Small Tractor Beam II ( 96Km range / 2400m/sec tractor velocity )
3 - Small Tractor Beam II ( 96Km range / 2400m/sec tractor velocity )
4 - Small Tractor Beam II ( 96Km range / 2400m/sec tractor velocity )
5 - Small Tractor Beam II ( 96Km range / 2400m/sec tractor velocity )
6 - Salvager II ( 6Km range / 80% access difficulty )
7 - Salvager II ( 6Km range / 80% access difficulty )
8 - Salvager II ( 6Km range / 80% access difficulty )

Mediums...
1 - 50MN Microwarpdrive II
2 - Sensor Booster II ( no script = 122Km targeting range / 146mm scan res )

Lows...
1 - Expanded Cargohold II
2 - Expanded Cargohold II
3 - Expanded Cargohold II

Rigs...
1 - Medium Salvage Tackle II
2 - Medium Salvage Tackle II
3 - Medium Salvage Tackle II

All w/out MWD = stable
All w/MWD = 2min 10sec

Base maxV = 118m/sec
maxV w/MWD = 691m/sec

Cargohold = 3026.1 cubic meters capacity

Pretty much have been using this build since the Noctis' inception. Generally, I invert the high slots if I left an MTU in the mission and know it won't be finished by the time I return with the Noctis. If the MTU has had sufficient time to tractor everything, I strip all tractors and replace them with salvagers. Rigs are the iffy part, as they are not as cheap as the other mods at around 30M a pop, so T1's will net you 65% access difficulty. With T2's, you pretty much one-cycle everything save for the occasional two-cycling on a BS/elite wreck. Without T1's at least, though, your salvagers will fail a lot more often and require repeated cycles to finish off wrecks. Cargo should be more than enough for most missions, you can often trade one or more of the expanded cargoholds for inertial stabalizers or anything that doesn't give a hit to velocity if you need to sprint at all.

The only time cargo has ever been a problem for me was Enemies Abound 5 of 5 back when cap charges would drop and when scrap metals ate up 5 cubic meters per unit. I'd include salvage drones, but I hardly use mine since the salvagers burn through wrecks much faster than they can anyways (really wish the salvage tackles would buff them too). Obviously, don't get shot in this (or rather, don't put yourself in harm's way while in this ship) as the stock Noctis hardly has any real natural tank to speak of.

No it does not, and I know this as fact because I find it enjoyable and I have been doing it for 5 years now.
Mining bores me into a go out and hurt people mind set, and yet I have friends that have been happily mining since they started playing this game back in 2007. In fact they have never shot at anything but belt rats and they still cannot fly even a level 1, T1 fit frigate mission ship.

Essentially this all comes back to personal preferences and the sandbox thing. We all get to pick what we like to do and then we get to do it simply because we like it.

My noctis has 96km tractor range and with a single signal amplifier II in low slot I can target to that range. Pulling them in from that range is FAR more efficient than flying round a dessy.

But, if a dessy is all you can afford it is a very good stepping stone to a noctis.