Warfare & Tactics

Hey,

After few years of inactiveness I decided to try it again but questions pop up, since I couldnt follow all the nerfs and buffs in EvE.

1. Drakes. Are they still passive tanked machines like they used to be in PvP? In my day, when you met drake alone, you simply ignored it..

2. ECM. Any changes? The biggest thread of solo/small gang PvP was meeting stupid gang, who had falcon/ecm support close by. How do solo PvPers fight against ECMed gangs these days?

3. Hotdrops. Are they still so popular? Any insight on how to prevent being hot dropped when solo or in small gang? What are signs of hot drop ready gang?

4. Tacklers on gate. Whats the todays meta for tackler on gate? It used to be some remotely sensor boosted Arazu or Rapier. Can they still catch pods or frigs/ceptors after rubicon warp changes?

5. Alts. From movies it seems there is no EvE without at least boosting/scouting alt. Is this still true? I know in my days, alt was standard. It seems now its even more demanded in small gang PvP.. How to play without alts?

6. ISKies. My wallet is ofc empty now. L4 missions are nerfed? I tried to go one L4 mission but I earned like 10mil with salvage and loot. How do ppl make iskies now? I know about trading alts, but thats about it. Is PI still profitable? Invention?

7. Tanking PvP. For example: Vargur. XL ASB? XL SB? Mix? Dual? Rather go for high resists with two invuls? Rather two amps? GTFO card is MJD?

Enough for now, will ask more later.

Please dont smack or be smartass, I'm just trying to get back into the game..

Note: I'm a lowsec guy

1. They are still as tanky as before, but far less manuveurable.

2. ECM still blows, there are a few skills that increase your sensor strength, but it doesn't change much in practice.

3. go to FW space, fight in plexes. Cyno's don't work.

4. remote sebo's were nerfed some, you should be able to get a ceptor or frig through in general. If in doubt burn back to gate, MWD is your friend.

5. Same as before: alts are helpful. Lots of people have booster alts. How to counter? Again I use plexes to control initial engagement range. But char + booster > char alone all other things being equal.

6. Again, FW. See test spamming threads recently just realizing they be rich from FW/.

7. if you are looking for solo/small gang, don't fly a BS. In fact, stick to frigs and dessies, maybe cruisers. Anything above that is too slow and juicy.

1a. Drakes have received a few nerfs over the years. The most obvious ones are that their passive recharge and shield resistance bonus has been reduced. They are also a fair bit slower. And HMLs have been nerfed slightly so you can't deal a consistent 400 DPS @80km... especially against smaller ships without using precision missiles.
Beyond that... Drakes are excellent for brawls with HAMs and really shine with logi support. You won't be written off as "bait" like before, but you can still hold your own.

2a. ECM has been nerfed a bit (look into the "sensor compensation" skills in the Targeting Skills section)... but it still is what it is; an infuriating mechanic that can make or break a small gangs.

3a. Hotdrops have been steadily gaining more popularity. Even small "nobody" pirate groups in low-sec sometimes have a Titan for bridging. Look out for any tanky ship all by itself... or a random frigate that isn't do much in a big-ship brawl.

4a. Still the same... though people are now using HICs more often because Warp Core Stabilizers are becoming more common.

5a. Still the same... though now with MANY ships having been rebalanced it is viable to truly "solo" or have a small gang without a booster.
(NOTE: the DEVs are working furiously on this. They want to remove off-grid warfare links and it's only a matter of time before they are forced on-grid to give bonuses. The code just needs to be optimized so the server doesn't have a seizure).

6a. You have more options than before to earn ISK. Shipping and selling stuff to Faction Warfare people in low-sec can be quite lucrative (provided you know the right people and/or can ensure your safety)... Faction War complexes can be run by cheapo Frigates and Destroyers for Loyalty Points... you can probe and explore (most sites don't have to be scanned down)... wormhole space can offer up large amounts of goodies that you can sell on market (just be prepared for PvP at all times)... etc... etc.

7a. This is better to ask in the Ships and Modules forum. Just explain what you intend to do with it (PvP? PvE? Exploration? Missions? etc.) as most ships and fits are specialized now.

Welcome back Lord.

For hotdrops, there is now a new mobile cyno jammer that can be deployed. If you are going to fight an obvious bait ship, just deploy the mobile jammer before you get in point range of the bait ship, then tackle him, web him, and enjoyable an honourable 1 v 1 duel against the bait tanked ship.