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Levi
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Posted - 2004.04.13 15:51:00 -
[1]
i got, what i believe is an important mission (kill missions), to kill an Olufami & a Rouge Pirate Escort, w/ a high ranking official's daughter being kidnapped.
first, i just re-activated my account so don't be too cruel. but i'm in a thorax although training BS skills, just to give some background info.
question is: do you have to have a Battleship to do these important missions or are they designed to force someone to group everytime i get an important or decent mission? these rites pawned me like i was still in diapers. 
i'd hate to fail this mission, it's a pride thing. is it possible to gain any decent items in a thorax, don't you loose standings when you fail or decline a mission and how does one know when the next rite is gonna waste your cruiser?
how do you control this? or is there a way? i'm open to any advise or comments. serious ones pls! 
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Hardin
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Posted - 2004.04.13 15:55:00 -
[2]
Edited by: Hardin on 13/04/2004 15:56:21
If you have good skills you can probably do all Level 3 kill missions in a Cruiser...
If you're not sure get a mate to help you!
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The Sloth
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Posted - 2004.04.13 16:10:00 -
[3]
Levi,
I do all lvl 3 agent 'kill' missions in a thorax and i don't even lose my shield. I have only been playing a few months so my skills aren't very high. Evemail me in game and i will help with your set up.
The Sloth.
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Levi
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Posted - 2004.04.13 16:25:00 -
[4]
maybe i've just lost my touch or things have changed that much, but it was the missilles that pwn'd me. 3 hits and i was running like a scalded dog!
my skills, although rusty, are mainly fighting oriented. been months since i played so a lot has changed and missions seemed to be a good way to hone my old skills and get some nice goodies in the future. so i do have to admit, i tucked tail and left 0.0 space, things have changed so much, hard to solo out there in a thorax no more.
don't know what kind of missiles they were but they knocked me down fast, and there range was incredible. but i am open to suggestions, always. i've used smartbombs effectively before but these rites didn't leave many options but to run atm.
personally, i don't want to 'have' to call for help everytime a decent mission comes up, that's the reason for post. this mission was the first that caused probs.
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voogru
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Posted - 2004.04.13 17:07:00 -
[5]
I've done this mission several times in a thorax, with very crappy gunnery skills (had 170k gunnery skills at the time).
Hell, I even used a blaster'rax on this mission, course I got heavy hull damage but it was fun 
What setup are you using?
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Your 425mm Prototype I Gauss Gun perfectly strikes Guardian Enforcer, wrecking for 827.3 damage. |
Peppermint Patty
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Posted - 2004.04.13 17:08:00 -
[6]
Edited by: Peppermint Patty on 13/04/2004 17:09:58
look here for some info of what is awaiting you out there.
These guys are in cruisers, some spamming cruise missiles (cataclysm in Olufamis case if I recall right), others spam only heavys. Check ot missile type and fit shield hardeners accordingly. Get some decent anti-missile defence (i.e. big enough smartbomb/defenders/drones) if you can't tank.
These cruiser guys ususally have a very effective em resistance, so make sure to have enough em fire power to not only bring the shields down but KEEP them down too.
Try to stay at range and note that the cruiser guys use warp drives and EW.
I do these missions in a caracal with a missile only setup, works fine if you know what you'r up to, but takes some care to not have the cans go *poof*
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Athule Snanm
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Posted - 2004.04.13 17:14:00 -
[7]
I do my missions in an Omen usually and (bugs apart) I find them all pretty easy unless I get impatient. Basically I sit at longish range and snipe away with radio crystalled lasers and take out any missiles with smartbombs. Sometimes I get a bit bored and close range to kill them quicker, which can expose you a bit to bugs (my ship refused to warp, despite being aligned etc once). All-in-all, keep your distance and you'll stay safe - if the worst comes to the worst warp away then recharge your shields and warp back again. Their shields will have recharged a bit too, but their armour/hull will be the same.
_______________________________
Doomheim - EVE's only hygiene! |
WhiteTiger
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Posted - 2004.04.13 17:38:00 -
[8]
I don't remember Olufami having missiles, but I might have him confused with another npc. I thought he just had a nasty beam of some type with good range.
In general you need to look up the npcs or scout carefully when a name turns up that you don't know. The missions are very predictable because they tell you what you are facing before you accept the mission. You can fit you ship for the bad guy, call friends or decline the mission.
The difficulty of the lvl 3 missions depends on the corp you are working for. Out of the few I have tried there is a large difference in the difficulity of the missions- Home Guard, Lai Dai Corp, and Ammatar Fleet. Home Guard might send me after a couple of 65-85k rats, while Lai Dai mostly is in the 30-40k range, and Ammatar Fleet maybe will give a few 30-35k but not that often.
To a large extent the npcs can be divided into 2 groups for me. Those that can attack at over 45km and those that can't. For the npcs that can't hit over 45km you just need enough speed and range to pick at them from a distance. I have done 100's of a lvl 3 missions in a kestrel using this tactic. For the guys that can hit over 45km things get harder, you might need a bigger ship, missile defenses, hardeners, etc. Also note the bounty size doesn't tell you the range or my opinion the difficulity, with my kestrel I am more afraid of a bunch of 12.5k kestrels spamming unlimited range high speed light missiles than I am of the 85k merc commander that can't hit me unless I really screw up.
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Asharee Intrefer
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Posted - 2004.04.13 18:01:00 -
[9]
Edited by: Asharee Intrefer on 13/04/2004 18:11:47
I have done all the damsel missions (except the battleship-flying Zor which was removed before i could have a go at him) in a Thorax and a Rupture, and I haven't had any serious problems with them. So no, I don't think these missions take a battleship, my personal complaint is that they are too easy for a single cruiser, but I suppose that some people don't share that opinion, so I'll wait and see what level 4 missions bring.
You have to find the right tactic to handle those missions. The first problem is the escorts, they launch Thunderbolt missiles that eat shields like they are going out of fashion. But those missiles only have 40km range, so you will either want to be able to stay at +40km range, or equip your ship with EM shield hardeners to limit the damage if you go close.
The pirates are also equipped with MWDs so they are able to close in fast, which makes bringing an MWD of your own to keep your optimal range a very good idea.
But you have to work out your own tactic. Just make sure you don't get closer than you want, and be able to warp out asap if needed (setting a destination for the autopilot helps, then you only have to hit the button to activate it).
Edit: I don't think this mission is an important one. I have only had it as a normal mission, and that is quite a few times. You will clearly see in your journal if it is an important mission or not. I have only seen two important combat missions, one is the "Mercenary assassination", and the other is the one where you are told that your kill will be broadcasted on the news network to boost morale of the local population.
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AlexisMachine
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Posted - 2004.04.13 18:42:00 -
[10]
I have done just about every kill mission in a rupture fitted for long range with a shield hardener and some defenders in standard launchers which i use only occasionally. If anything, the kill missions available now are all too easy. Best setup is for long range and just keep them from getting too close to you.
Also, Damsel in distress is (i believe) *not* an important mission.
Good luck.
Unban Lord Zap and Reverend |
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Levi
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Posted - 2004.04.13 18:42:00 -
[11]
great info, and thx for the replies. got someone to help with this one, until i can get my strategy figured out for them.
have to admit, things have changed some and i have always been more toward blasting than playing defensively, so these 2 caught me off guard. i'll have to plan better stratagies for these missions i can see that.
oh btw, are smartbombs supposed to tick your drones off and make them fire at you? had this to happen when i hit the smartbombs too fast, saw my shields dropping, just to look and see it was my own drones going at me. i blew 2 up before i even realized they were mine. 
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Undri
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Posted - 2004.04.13 19:08:00 -
[12]
Just wanted to point out that i was able to do that mission with the two 35k escorts in a thorax with no guns equipped :P Just 7 heavy drones. So it can't be that tough.
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Darius Shakor
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Posted - 2004.04.13 22:42:00 -
[13]
First of all, welcome back. Secondly, dump the thorax and get a rupture. Much better npc killer for lvl 3 kill missions. But thats just my bias.
It does help to train skills that will increase your speed as most higher level rats in kill missions are fast too and will get in range quickly. It helps to beable to outrun them or at least hold your distance to your optimal gun range. The rupture is a fast cruiser in it's own right and I have had no problems outruning anything up to 85k so far. And thats a bad as it gets.
Also make use of the new warp to ranges and come in at 60km. You can take several minutes to assess the problem ahead of you if you do and plan accordingly untill you get used to what different rats are capable of. Also invest in cruise missiles too. Several strikes in a short space of time will take down most shelds quickly. My tactic is to use these with artilery. Warp in further than the artilery distance, then fire a barage of missiles as I get closer for the artilery. Once I am in artilery range, (using the keep at range function on my target to stay there) the missiles should have striped the sheilds and made way for my guns using good ammo for taking out the armour. (Fusion is my best type.)
Also, pop into the Minmatar channel some time. You might find some people willing to help you on tough missions and walk you through the tactics. I myself have done this on occasion with other minmatar.
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Analysis[Ceasefire]....Complete - 'Term given to the act of firing, causing the ceasation of the life it is directed at |
Douro
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Posted - 2004.04.14 10:12:00 -
[14]
Levi, stick some 250's with Iron on your Thorax. Warp in at 60 away and then set the keep at range for as far away as you can but still within your weapon range.
You should be able to do this mission without getting closer than 40k and avoid most of the missiles if not all.
When I was first doing these missions like this I could do any level 3 kill mission without taking a single hit using this method. Not the most fun I will admit, but it gets the job done.
Also, ask in local/corp/help for some help. You'll get a whole fleet of ships there and the poor NPC won't know what hit em!
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AbraKadaver
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Posted - 2004.04.14 13:40:00 -
[15]
It's a struggle without missiles thats for sure, but I feel that the top end ones are a bit *too* easy for more advanced players, I mean yeah easy isk is cool, but a challenge would be nice. Maybe I should use more periods and less commas? 
..:: Electro-shock therapy ::..
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Levi
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Posted - 2004.04.14 15:55:00 -
[16]
Well if i had missiles on 'My' thorax like those 2 thoraxs had in the mission that took forever, yesterday, i'm sure this would be a lot easier.
i did load guns for range, since they use MWDs (wonder what kind of cap, 'they' have?) and there missiles pound you like no tommorrow, those 2 took the longest of any mission so far, it was like they had glue on thier butts 'cause they sure wouldn't seperate from each other! 
but i did switch down to the vex, just in case they got lucky!
PS- has anyone found the ship's logs that mention a platform in loot, found one in a can yesterday. a very interesting message.
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Orion Yoda
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Posted - 2004.04.15 03:14:00 -
[17]
my rax setup for lvl 3 mission was 4x 250 rails with iron ammo, trained sharpshooter to get optimum range to 44km, loaded one SB just in case missles got through or I got too close. MWD to run away from the MWD rats. shield booster, fill the rest with Cap power relays. takes a while to kill them all but very safe. Now I have a BS and i just jump in at 15k and blast away.
You say you are lying. But if everything you say is a lie, then you are telling the truth. You cannot tell the truth because everything you say is a lie. You lie, you tell the truth ... but you cannot, for you lie.-- Norman the android, "I, Mudd", stardate 4513.3 |
DarkStar251
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Posted - 2004.04.17 08:26:00 -
[18]
I did missions in my rax till I got a Megat.
Hislots: 4 250 rails, preferably protos of course =), Lead ammo (range and cap)
Midslots: Medium C5-L or Shield Booster 2, Photon Scattering Field, Heat Dissapation field
Lowslots: 4 Power Diags, 1 Cap Power Relay.
You'll need engineering 4 to fit it all, but it worked well for me. You can of course adjust it for speed when you have those missions you need to kill a load of frigs in. Heavy Drones, if you have the skill, are very powerful, tho its best not to release them till the rats are all locked and firing at you, so they dont get eaten.
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Greenrock
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Posted - 2004.04.17 09:05:00 -
[19]
I do most of my level 3 kill missions in a Thorax.
To be on the safe side I often look up the NPCs and their missiles on www.eve-db.com, especially for NPCs I haven't fought before, and fit my ship according to what I'm in for.
This allows me to determine the optimal range for the combat, the speed I need my ship to be able to handle to keep that range, whether or not I have to be wary of warp scrambling, what drones to take along, what shield hardener to choose, whether I need to be prepped for in-space repairs, etc. Also adds some nice gameplay to the task of wiping out NPCs.
The difference between going in prepared like that and going in with a generic ship setup can be quite amazing, especially for rats with missile launchers where you can't kite them safely. Takes time though, so I'd recommend only doing it on the more difficult missions.
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Levi
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Posted - 2004.04.17 14:05:00 -
[20]
omg.. i had hoped this post had disappeared into the annals of eve forum history.
i've solved most of my probs, took some time to adjust but i've been running missions in vex without many problems. it seems that these 2 thoraxes i had a run in with that day, had some kind of bond between them, they stayed very close to each other and had dual cruise missiles firing at me. the thoraxes and the rats with cruise are still one of the harder missions when they do the sychronous cruise missiles trick on ya. i have only 2 250s on atm, w/smartbomb of course, i have thought about trying to cram another 250 on board, but harder to do on vex than a thorax.
want to thank everyone that helped by posting, it got my head straight and back in the groove. it had been months and so many things changed and i'd only done a limited amount of missions since i'd been in 0.0 space for so long before returning. it's sad one can't lone it out there anymore, without unlimited resources or a garage full of BSs. 0.0 space is soooo.. territorial now.
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Mandros Aslay
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Posted - 2004.04.17 22:04:00 -
[21]
As I have adopted a Frigate mission approach I was gald to see you return to withdraw "Too Hard " comments.
I can dispatch the Commander (Caracal) and his three pals very safely in my Kestrel.
Yes I do use cruise.But thats my choice at the moment. I could use heavy and take more time...been there.
But the missions at level 3 are ok ....repetitve and need some new content but otherwise ok .
I WANT LEVEL 4 ....but I know that is Soon (Quite Soon)
I want to see the missions they say are too hard to complete on your own ......I will believe that when I see it , and welcome it .....
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Calio
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Posted - 2004.04.18 11:31:00 -
[22]
Edited by: Calio on 18/04/2004 11:37:31
 Quote:
Try to stay at range and note that the cruiser guys use warp drives and EW.
Just started doing lev 3 kill missions in a Moa and keeping distance seems to be my biggest problem, even with my MWD. The Merc commander (and Schultz for Damsel)- both rated 80 or 85k (forget which) on these missions - seems to cut my speed in half and closes VERY fast. He also seems to be able to prevent me from warping out to regen my shields (though sometimes I can warp out after a VERY long delay). I've been able to win the two fights I've had with this type rat (barely) so far, but both times left me with estimated 300-500k repair bills.
Any suggestions for how to counter whatever they're doing to cut my speed?
"Those people who think they know everything are a real annoyance to those of us who do" (Issac Assimov) |
Caeneus
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Posted - 2004.04.19 02:01:00 -
[23]
hi calio, when your speed drops by 50% are you launching defender missles? These when fired on the move would slow my ships down. This was last week, I'm not sure if they fixed the problem yet.
As for taking out the bad guys, keep your distance and if you find you are having problems fire a couple of volleys of torps into them to 'soften' them up a little then hit them with heavy missles. Rails are good to stop them recharging their shields.
If you do use missles use the right ones for the job, a couple volleys of em torps/missles then switch to explosive ones, this will make sure you are doing as much damage as possible.
Also using the correct shield hardners is a big bonus.
Can't think of anything witty to put here. |
Jazz Bo
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Posted - 2004.04.19 08:22:00 -
[24]
Edited by: Jazz Bo on 19/04/2004 08:25:54
I only have one complaint:
It seems some of the cruiser rats can web you at 10km+ (ie. they can web you and move away from you before you can web them and keep close), which makes them near impossible to fight in a Blaster Thorax (And quite frankly they're a bit boring to kill in a Megathron).
I just think it's be fair if:
1. They used the same modules as us
or
2. They dropped these superior modules (however rarely) so we could get even
PS. I know this is what NPCs do everywhere, but I'd just like to have a Blasterax that was good for something other than PvP. Then again, I think the NPCs are beong overhauled so that from now on it'll be the frig rats (in Interceptors actually) who do the webbing and warp scrambling instead of the high-end cruisers and Bships.
Originally by: DB Preacher
Celestial Apocalypse - Brave souls fighting the endless smak.
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Calio
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Posted - 2004.04.19 11:59:00 -
[25]
Quote:
hi calio, when your speed drops by 50% are you launching defender missles? These when fired on the move would slow my ships down. This was last week, I'm not sure if they fixed the problem yet. Quote:
Yes, he spams heavies so I keep my defenders going. Is this my problem? Will my speed go back to normal if I abandon the defenders? Am I unable to warp beacuse due to the slow speed (I can't get to the 75%? - or whatever it is warp threshhold speed?
The problem with torps and heavies for me right now is I don't have the power grid to get more than 3 x 250 rails, the MWD, and 2 regular launchers on-line (can't even get a dual 150 in the 4th turret slot yet). Working on Engineering 5 right now and hopefully have 1 heavy launcher in 3 more days.
"Those people who think they know everything are a real annoyance to those of us who do" (Issac Assimov) |
Grey Area
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Posted - 2004.04.20 15:55:00 -
[26]
Couple of points - Calio's first - Why are you PAYING for repairs? Have an armor and hull repairer back at base, fit 'em and nip back out into space and turn them on. Depending on the ones you have, 2 or 3 minutes and no more damage.
I do level three kills in a Moa, coming in at 60km, and use two Heavy Lasers (mediums) with Radio Crystals. Takes a while, but even when it was one Caracal and four Kestrels (i.e. missile city) I managed to survive. If it's all missile boats I take out the weakest first to reduce the sheer quantity of missiles. the Caracal can REALLY close you down fast though, so you have to be aware of that.
My skills are set up to use lasers, so I have things like Controlled burst to reduce the cap drain, and Energy Systems Management (to increase my cap faster) at a fairly high level. I used to use defenders, but as they are now busted up (explode on launch), I fire heavies to beef up the damage a bit (and to surprise that nasty Caracal when he gets too close).
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* I'm ALLOWED to cheat. I'm a STARSHIP. *
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