Ships & Modules

I prefer the fixed descriptions above.

The Condor may have a range bonus, but it's also easily the fastest Caldari frigate, and hence the obvious choice for an attack-type vessel. The Kestrel isn't tanky at all, really, certainly not when compared to the Merlin at least. The ability to fit four SMLs on it would make it the archetypical "bombardment" ship, although clearly it needs more CPU.

The Merlin is the classic all-round combat vessel, but with a Caldari theme - so slowish but agile, with flexibility of range and a solid tank.

One trap I'm hoping they don't fall into is the notion that each race needs a frigate to use X. So, the idea of "industry, exploration, support, attack/tackle, bombardment (really, long-range fire), and general combat," while keeping with the racial themes on how to go about doing those things. To me this would be especially true in the "bombardment" category, where rather than just 4x missile boats it would be far more interesting to have the Caldari apply the Kestrel, but the Gallente hull does get turned into a drone boat, Minnies a specialized arty platform (maybe RoF bonus but lackluster agility, so it doens't turn into an AC-based murderboat), and similar for Amarr with beams. All of them end up having long-ranged (for frigates) weapons with good damage output, but with more variety than a Kestrel, a Kestrel that looks like a Gallente ship, a Kestrel that looks like an Amarran ship, and a Kestrel that looks like a Minnie ship.

If there's one T1 frigate that I think is completely impossible to catch by other means than smarties activation on gates is well this Atron, it's just a fumy speedy gonzalez this little thing. (so many high/low/null sec travels for lols with it)

But back on topic, as like every other frigate lacks of PG/CPU and slots to equip/fit stuff, so not worthy to use a ship that cant fit more than one overdrive and a long point with 0 tank or other mods (just for the example), probably in the hands of an older player but it's not their purpose, they should be easily capable of fit completely with T1 mods and low skills (lvl3's), actually they're not.

Making ships that fit a role rather than a silly "tier" stuff no one understands quite well the reason why whatsoever, it's a very good thing.
One they are easier to identify and choose for a specific role because "x" role = "y" number of slots/pg/cpu, then change slots order high/med/low and base scan/mass/agility/speed to stick with racial aptitudes/lines.

Thing is that once you can fit a ship like T1 frigs for a specific task that will ask noobies a certain training for them and also piloting accordingly to their racial characteristics, then you start learn to pilot your ships from day 1, you have the same fitting abilities than any other race ship of the same type but it's your skilling and piloting knowledge that will make the difference.

I think this is much better as game basis than new players in rifters they can barely fit (and rifter is by far the frigate that you can completely fit) versus old players in faction fitted dramiels at 12Km/s.
Of course this will still happen but, I hope, this will make a lot more ships be used and bring variety on the field rather than what I'm over tired of seeing witch is canes/drakes/maelstroms/abbadons/tengus/tornados and lokis.

I am told to fly the rifter for PvP. It's a great ship. But, ......... it's the only ship? Due to the tier system it seems that way. Oh sure I can cross train, but I am limited sp-wise as a newb. Can't go 3-4 directions at once for T2 weapon systems plus all the core skills, and racial ship command skills I need to make fits really work


If ccp gets rid of the "tier" system it'd be awesome. We'd see the rifter as a good all rounder as we do today, but perhaps it fills the more of the "brawler" role. Maybe the slasher becomes a mini interceptor, and the breacher can be fit for either rockets or longer range missiles, both with the slots and pg/cpu to actually fit them well

Hopefully ccp does do away with the tier system, but also hopefully they don't embrace whole heartily the "roles" they laid out. Would be a shame to see them replace the restrictive tier system with a role system that locks each and every frig into one role and one way to fit it. An example of that would be giving the breacher a mid and low, with the pd/cpu to support it, yet give the damage bonus only to rockets, and some other stupid limitation, like a hyperionish low lock range preventing kiting fits with standard missiles.