Player Features and Ideas Discussion

Okay. Everyone knows the Tempest is bad. In my opinion, it's the worst of the battleships, by far. While mulling over the changes in the last wave of re-balances that impacted battleships, I remembered that the Armageddon was given a new lease on life by being turned into the Amarr E-war boat with its new bonuses to neuts. So... why can't the Minmatar have the same thing?

So, here it is:

Minmatar Battleship bonuses:
10% bonus to Large Projectile Turret damage
10% bonus to Stasis Webifier range

Slot layout: 8H, 5M, 6L; 6 turrets, 2 launchers
Fittings: 16000 PWG, 550 CPU
Defense (shields / armor / hull) : 6800 / 7800(+800) / 6800
Capacitor (amount / capacitor per second) : 5400/ 4.69/s
Mobility (max velocity / align time): 130(+3) / 16s
Drones (bandwidth / bay): 100 / 175
Targeting (max targeting range / Scan Resolution / Max Locked targets): 67.5km / 100 / 7
Sensor strength: 20 Ladar
Signature radius: 350(-10)

Now, I've thought long and hard about this, and, even though the 10% per level damage bonus is a slight drop in turret damage, the increased drone bay gives it a slight increase in overall DPS, while maintaining the slot layout that makes it so unique among battleships, while also giving it increased tactical flexibility. In fact, with two RHML's in those extra high slots, it could now do almost 1200 DPS without implants or overheating, while webbing to 20k with T2 modules and no skirmish boosts. Personally, I would use heavy neuts, but the option for really good, extremely well-applied DPS is there.

To counter, slightly, the fact that the Tempest is an obviously armor tanked ship with only 6 low slots, I think an increase in base armor HP is fair. This gives it, given a fit of 2 Energized Nano Membranes, 2 1600mm plates, and triple trimarks, an in-game EHP of 114k. Again, I will state that this is without boosts.

I think this fits really well, lore-wise, with what the Minmatar strive for in ship design, and I think that flying one of these would not only be fun, but beneficial to any BS gang, with the addition of cheaper long-range webs with the tank and damage of a true BS.

A Megathron or Abaddon can still out-tank it, obviously, but the long range webs would make it a much stronger threat than its current form.

Any ideas or suggestions, fire away!

Edit: Changes to bonuses

web range on something as cheap and durable as a tempest would be a disaster...

TBH if the matari get an ewar battleship it should be the typhoon and it should get target painter bonuses

If it were up to me, i'd give the tempest another turret, change the damage bonus to 7.5% per level, drop the ROF bonus for a range bonus and give it extra agility.

That would make the maelstrom the brawler and the tempest would be an alpha strike hit and run sniping machine.

Cheap is debatable, but durable? The Tempest is not durable. The Typhoon has no problems, and is already a great ship. The Tempest needs help, not the Typhoon.

As far as giving it more turrets and the like, I'm not really a fan of that, as I like having the utility high slots. It makes it unique.

would be interesting to see a gun boat with a buffed TP

No. Not a T1 BS at least. There's the Bhaalghorn, if that's what you're referring to, but by that reasoning, the Vindicator shouldn't get its web bonus either.

The problem with a target painter bonus is that it's extremely narrow in its application, whereas webs are good in pretty much any situation. Plus, both are, lore-wise, the e-war of choice of the Minmatar.

lore wise this always bothered me, you'd think webs would be an ammarian or gallente thing.

anyway I just think the ship just needs straight up more gank, the nado is much faster and agile with more DPS and projection and is cheaper.

The Maelstrom is a very nasty ship with solid tank, amazing alpha, and great reach. This version of the Tempest would not tread on those toes, very specifically by keeping only 6 turrets, and only 6 lows.

As I was talking about in my above post, a tracking bonus with the 50% damage modifier would be excellent for its function as a flexible multi-purpose battleship. A 7/6/6 slot layout would allow it to be used interchangeably in a shield OR armor fleet to great effect.

The scorpion is a very fun boat that fills a niche the rook or falcon could never hope to fill, and I sincerely hope they don't get rid of its bonuses, because then it would just be a crappy Raven. Or an awesome Raven. It would in either case be pointless. I personally think e-war battleships are awesome, because they can tank things a cruiser should never be able to take, while lacking the speed and maneuverability of those cruisers.

I think a web bonus would come in very handy in a battleship gang, because your only other option for webs, which are very, very helpful to battleships, is a loki, which is extremely expensive, or a huginn or rapier, which both have the tank of a wet paper bag.

I really think there is already a fleet alpha boat: the Maelstrom. I don't think there needs to be another one in the same race. Small gang is still a thing, and a web bonused battleship that isn't a billion isk would help out small pirate corps, in my opinion.

the Huginn and the Rapier both have Target painter AND web bonuses. Both are the e-war of the Minmatar. Gallente have scrams and sensor damping, Amarr have tracking disrupting and neuts, and Caldari get ****** as usual with only ECM.


The vindi and the bhaal both have web bonuses. different kinds, but nonetheless, they both have them.

Also, for some reason the forum thinks my account is 2 days old, even though my char is two years old, so I'm going to be a little slow in replying.