Ships & Modules

After returning to the game a few weeks back I am getting ready to tackle L4 Missions. While I used Railguns and Gallente ships back then I found I am more comfortable with weapons with better tracking, which means shorter ranged weapons. Since blasters are TOO short ranged I checked other platforms and since my main is from Amarr, I started there. My second choice would be the Machariel and thus I need to decide between the two.

I realize the Machariel is more versatile due to ammunition, but it is also slightly more expensive. I don't have shield tanking skills yet, so I need to train those. Other than that, let's pretend I could fit T2 autocannons (actually I can't, but I could switch skillpoints over from Rails).

Anyway, I prepared three fits which my limited experience said would probably make sense, to better compare them.

Tank will always be adjusted to fit the missions, I also keep T2 medium drones around. I can't fly heavy or sentry drones yet, though.

I also put a slightly higher emphasis on tank and cap, since I just returned from a 2,5 years hiatus and am not a very experienced player. Better safe than sorry, I can always change that with more experience.

Those ships will be used to do highsec L4 missions, I am not interested in lowsec or 0.0.

So, any opinions? :)


[Apocalypse Navy Issue, L4]

Capacitor Power Relay II
Heat Sink II
Heat Sink II
Heat Sink II
True Sansha Large Armor Repairer
True Sansha Armor Thermal Hardener
True Sansha Armor EM Hardener
Imperial Navy Energized Adaptive Nano Membrane

Large Micro Jump Drive
Tracking Computer II, Tracking Speed Script
Cap Recharger II
Cap Recharger II

Mega Pulse Laser II, Scorch L
Mega Pulse Laser II, Scorch L
Mega Pulse Laser II, Scorch L
Mega Pulse Laser II, Scorch L
Mega Pulse Laser II, Scorch L
Mega Pulse Laser II, Scorch L
Mega Pulse Laser II, Scorch L
Mega Pulse Laser II, Scorch L

Large Capacitor Control Circuit I
Large Capacitor Control Circuit I
Large Capacitor Control Circuit I


Hobgoblin II x5


[Machariel, L4 Armor Tank]

Gyrostabilizer II
Gyrostabilizer II
Gyrostabilizer II
True Sansha Armor Thermal Hardener
True Sansha Armor Kinetic Hardener
Imperial Navy Energized Adaptive Nano Membrane
True Sansha Large Armor Repairer

Tracking Computer II, Optimal Range Script
Tracking Computer II, Optimal Range Script
Cap Recharger II
100MN Monopropellant Enduring Afterburner
Cap Recharger II

800mm Repeating Cannon II, Republic Fleet Phased Plasma L
800mm Repeating Cannon II, Republic Fleet Phased Plasma L
800mm Repeating Cannon II, Republic Fleet Phased Plasma L
800mm Repeating Cannon II, Republic Fleet Phased Plasma L
800mm Repeating Cannon II, Republic Fleet Phased Plasma L
800mm Repeating Cannon II, Republic Fleet Phased Plasma L
800mm Repeating Cannon II, Republic Fleet Phased Plasma L
Drone Link Augmentor II

Large Capacitor Control Circuit I
Large Capacitor Control Circuit I
Large Auxiliary Nano Pump I


Hobgoblin II x5


[Machariel, L4 Shield Tank]

Gyrostabilizer II
Gyrostabilizer II
Gyrostabilizer II
Damage Control II
Tracking Enhancer II
Tracking Enhancer II
Tracking Enhancer II

Pith A-Type Large Shield Booster
EM Ward Field II
Thermal Dissipation Field II
100MN Monopropellant Enduring Afterburner
Shield Boost Amplifier II

800mm Repeating Cannon II, Republic Fleet Phased Plasma L
800mm Repeating Cannon II, Republic Fleet Phased Plasma L
800mm Repeating Cannon II, Republic Fleet Phased Plasma L
800mm Repeating Cannon II, Republic Fleet Phased Plasma L
800mm Repeating Cannon II, Republic Fleet Phased Plasma L
800mm Repeating Cannon II, Republic Fleet Phased Plasma L
800mm Repeating Cannon II, Republic Fleet Phased Plasma L
Drone Link Augmentor II

Large Capacitor Control Circuit I
Large Capacitor Control Circuit I
Large Capacitor Control Circuit I


Hobgoblin II x5

The Navy Aproc has a MJD fitted, only my Machariel doesn't. I never used it, but I heard good things about it and it seems like almost being mandatory on Amarr and long range sniping ships.

Of course there will be problems with lasers, I plan to stick to Amarr space though. If I move out of Amarr again I will dump the Apoc and every other laser boat anyway, due to resists and damage types.

In my opinion it boils down to what you like better. Except for the blaster Gallente ships most battleships will do just fine.

The blaster ships are not bad of course they just don't give you much range to work with and are more suited for close range combat.
If you like armor tanking, the Apocalypse Navy Issue will be your choice and if you like shield tanking better then I guess you want to try the machariel.

Good luck applying em damage on Angel cartel ships.

Machariel is concidered one of the best ships for mission blitz because of warp speed bonus and simple fact, that it let you choose, what damage type you will apply.
Rattlesnake let you apply tons of DPS of proper type even if you are jammed to oblivion (drones and fof missiles). It is concidered to be one of the best mission runner when you wants to clean entire room.
Dominix allow you to sit 150 km from target and still apply reasonable DPS because it is still inside its optimal range for wardens II.
Marauders are the correct tool for L4 missions from the CCP point of view. But Kronos and Paladin are still limited in what concerns applied damage type.

buy all the ships

using 2 or 3 different ships for different missions is better than bodging 1 for all

napoc is good for em damage and tanking but terribad against angels explosive tank and damage. mach is great against angels

i have a nightmare and mach that use often and am replacing my raven with a rattlesnake for kin/therm . that covers every possible mission

choose a combo thats good for you, your skills and preferred playstyle

I recommend a Garmur, a Wolf, a Daredevil, and a Retribution.


Whoopsies

Welcome back to the game! Okay, on to ship choice.

If you have hybrid weapon skills, have you considered moving into Gallente or Caldari space to mission? Rail fit Gallente battleships (Hyperion, for example) can eat through L4s at a decent pace. Also, your current skills are easily adapted.

But on to your question. IMO, Machariel is just about the perfect ship for clearing and/or blitzing L4s, apart from Marauders . So I would recommend going for that over anything else.

My personal preference is a shield-tanked fit. In that L4 Shield Tank fit you have pasted, I would swap out the Shield booster + shield boost amp for an XLBS and a cap booster using navy charges. Yes, you get lower shield boost rates, but the cap boosters allow you to burn your AB longer, allowing you to zip about the room faster. Speed is the name of the game with the Machariel, and with the insane fall off from your ACs and the high speed, you can clear rooms and move on to the next one seriously fast.

As for the rigs, replace two of them with one Polycarbon Engine Housing (moar speed) and one core defense field extender (to improve buffer). The third rig is around for any fitting issues you have, because this is a tight fit: I suspect CPU problems abound, depending on your fitting skills, but if there are none, get an EM shield rig or something.

So the fit would look something like:

[Machariel, OMNOMNOM]

Gyrostabilizer II
Gyrostabilizer II
Gyrostabilizer II
Damage Control II
Tracking Enhancer II
Tracking Enhancer II
Tracking Enhancer II

100MN Y-S8 Compact Afterburner
Adaptive Invulnerability Field II
Adaptive Invulnerability Field II
True Sansha Heavy Capacitor Booster, Navy Cap Booster 800
Pith B-Type X-Large Shield Booster

800mm Repeating Cannon II
800mm Repeating Cannon II
800mm Repeating Cannon II
800mm Repeating Cannon II
800mm Repeating Cannon II
800mm Repeating Cannon II
800mm Repeating Cannon II
Drone Link Augmentor I

Large Core Defense Field Extender I
Large Polycarbon Engine Housing I
Large Processor Overclocking Unit I

Warrior II x5
Hornet EC-300 x5
Hobgoblin II x5


Navy Cap Booster 800 x20


About 520 mill in total, including the hull.

So in L4 missions, you warp in, drop your MTU, and burn for rat groups. Use EVE Survival to stay smart about aggro/spawn triggers. Pick off scramming/webbing rats with your drones. Then have fun :D

If you're concerned about being ganked, consider missioning in 0.7 space and up. 0.5-0.6 are prime ganker territory... just take a look at the killboards for systems like Apanake. Usually, you can avoid gankflies by keeping your d-scan open, with a dedicated overview to warn you about being probed down. Setting up zero-warp bookmarks is also a good practice. Also, a fit with hundreds of millions worth of deadspace modules will attract gankflies. And they really aren't necessary; L4s aren't easy, but your tank works with plain old T2s just fine.

What is wrong with abaddon? I use to use it on sansha null rats, its a great ship.


Also you have to watch your bling in high sec. To much bling and you will find yourself getting suicide ganked.

Yeah that sounds good. I have both a Nightmare and a Rattlesnake.

YW, and yes, an armour tank works just fine, Machs are very flexible that way. It's your choice, really, what kind of tank you fit. You don't HAVE to train into shields, you can continue to use the armour tank fit if you prefer. Of course, it is always useful to have both tanking skills trained up.

The armour fit you've posted earlier would work. Here's another variant, modified for speed.





I've left the final rig slot blank. You can fill it in with anything you'd like; perhaps an explosive pump, just to plug the hole, or for when you get Angel missions. As for the polycarbon housing: is it worth sacrificing armour for speed on an armour-tanked fit? To me, yes, absolutely.

The rest of the fitting is pretty standard. MWD is interchangeable with an AB. AB is better suited for manoeuvrability and sustained burning, MWD is for larger rooms.




Megathron isn't an ideal missioning ship, TBH. The Hyperion is a better option than the Thron for L4s, which is sad, given how awesome the Thron hull looks. Of course, Dom = best Gallente mission runner, because flexible damage type and ridiculous range.