Ships & Modules

Granting blops the ability to warp cloaked combined with its current strength would likely make it overpowered.

It needs the cov-ops cloak in order to get people to use it for more then merely bridging duty, but it return it should be nerfed in some ways as well to make sure it's balanced, not overpowered.

If it is supposed to become part of bigger cov-ops strike teams, instead of simply obsoleting others (the hefty pricetag is hardly an issue for a ship that has such freedom of engagement), it should be balanced so it's mostly suited for a specific role that's currently not very well-represented within the cov-ops family (besides the bridging part).

Logistics is missing, though perhaps it's better to wait with that until CCP releases toned-down versions of the Etana and such. Perhaps giving it a better tank, but reducing it's offensive power? It's pricetag and being the bridger, will still make it a likely primary, allowing it to soak damage for the gang.

But perhaps there is another possible role?

How would it be a solo pwnmobile? Still would be better off using cloaky proteus over cov ops blops.

yep give the Black Ops some buffing loving

No, PL was using a fleet of BLOPS to attack the CFC not that long ago, I was told by a friend who was involved in defending against them the addition of the MJD makes them very difficult to pin down, make them able to warp cloaked and they will be unstoppable.

why would a black ops have a 0% retargetting delay. Minimum delay for cloaking has always been 5 seconds even with highest skills trained. Then theres the gimped BS targetting time. Id rather a Blops decloaked and locked me with cov ops than T3 sinceT3 is 5 sec and much faster scan res.

Because the Black-ops have a role bonus simular to stealth bonus on decloaking,

and although it sounds pretty op, I can asure you it isn't. the scan resolution of B.O.'s make's sure that without any boosts, anything but a freighter will be able to warp aftert a BO decloaks.

SB's have a 300+ scan resolution the BO's have a third of that. then there is the fact that E-war doesn't come in sizes, so the recons will still be better at their game, because they will lock faster, are faster, their weapons will do better damage against smaller targets. SB's are exactly the same, are faster lock faster and have a better damage aplication, not to mention bombs.

Blops with cov cloak would logically fit with the other cov ops that get a 10 sec recal delay without skills. SB get instant because they have a distinctive role - being fragile bombers.

And yeah as you said their scan res is aweful so they wouldnt be OP in that sense.

I don't think that a fleet of BLOPS that took out carriers repping a POS would have any problem with a Proteus and a couple of instra canes, and if someone did setup for them they would not engage, simple as, its nothing to do with man up! Actually it would be funny to see a fleet like that with covert ops cloaks running around making 0.0 even less inhabited, yeah CCP do it, makes sense, not...

my Panther is nothing more than an expensive jump bridge. It carries guns and drones cause it might get in a situation someday where it has to use them, mostly though, it doesn't, If I want dps for a fleet I bring the maelstrom, if Im doing anoms I use the tengu. the Panther mostly gathers dust in the hanger. I used it for doing anoms for a while to see how that was, but my tengu is just easier.

The Panther's scan resolution is gimped by the crappy cloak so it takes forever to lock on anything, and its speed is gimped by the crappy cloak, while cloaked, so even with my maxed skills in navigation and level 4 black ops im just creeping along. I may as well use a maelstrom with the prototype cloak.

The one good thing it does have is a big drone bay, however, the dps of my five T2 sentries is no better then having regular guns on it. So that isn't all that good either.

basically Im disappointed the Panther isn't what I thought it would be.

The idea of a BO BS is great though I am not sure that a very clear role was ever defined for it. I personally would keep the jump and covert cyno abilities as well as fit the covert ops cloak to it.

With the covert ops cloak I would remove the scan res penalty as well as dramatically improve its tanking ability.

To finish it off I would remove all turrets and launchers from it and give it logistic abilities. This would give it the role as a covert ops utility platform making covert ops a realistic role to be that forward, self contained hit and run black ops assassin squad.

The simple idea of having a bs class covert ops killer ship just seams wrong when looking at it in relations to other covert ops ships and their weaknesses / strengths as well as looking at what is missing within the covert ops team, which as yet has no utility ship.