We are also splitting the current Combat Drone Operation skill into two new skills, Light Drone Operation and Medium Drone Operation. This means that all light combat drones will now be unlocked and bonused from the Light Drone Operation skill, and medium combat drones will be unlocked and bonused from the Medium Drone Operation skill. During the patch downtime, existing players with the Combat Drone Operation skill trained will receive both new skills trained to the same level that their Combat Drone Operation skill was trained to.

Sorry for the delay in answering some of the skill questions guys.

As many of you have suggested, we'll be giving pilots the same level in both Light Drone Operation and Medium Drone Operation as the highest level they have in either Scout Drone Operation or Combat Drone Operation over the patch downtime.

The Light Drone Operation skill will be rank 1, the Medium Drone Operation skill will be rank 2.

This is a warning to those of you currently training Combat Drone operation to 5 in anticipation of the drone changes detailed in the 4/1/14 dev blog: Giving drones an assist




This was changed in the discussion thread on 4/3/14 (page 32)



Now to get the 2 new skills to 5, just need scout drone operation 5 (rank 1 skill). Don't even need combat drone operation (rank 2) at all!

No word on which new skill will unlock drone link augmentor II (currently require CDO 5).

The dev blog as of this writing is not updated to reflect this new change.

I hope for those of us that trained CDO to 5 based on the dev blog will get a skill point refund.

Not likely, as CCP has stated many times, any information regarding skill requirements or such is subject to change at any point leading up to and even past deployment date. You take the risk by choosing to train those skills in advance, it sucks....but unfortunately thats the way of it.

I hope for those of us that trained CDO to 5 based on the dev blog will get a skill point refund.

To clarify: in order to recieve light drone operation 5, you need scout drone operation 5. In order to recieve medium drone operation 5, you will need combat drone operation 5.

To clarify: in order to recieve light drone operation 5, you need scout drone operation 5. In order to recieve medium drone operation 5, you will need combat drone operation 5.

I think the problem at hand here is that this updated information is hidden in the middle of a 44 page thread and not that it is subject to change. But yeah there will be no refund

I think the problem at hand here is that this updated information is hidden in the middle of a 44 page thread and not that it is subject to change. But yeah there will be no refund

That's why I'm just putting this out there as public service anouncement.

It is worth it if it saves one person from training CDO 5 at this point.

In the overall scheme of thing, this is not a big deal. Rank 2 skill which takes ~11 days from 1-5. But it sucks when you keep up with the dev blogs and are mislead.

Imagine if this happened with the destroyer and battlecruiser change from last year. After month long train, you're told nevermind, you just need the frigate skills and cruiser skills.

Things change... It happens...

On my Main I had all Gunnery Trained to Level 5. When they did the last change, suddenly Doomsday Weapons were added to Gunnery. My main will never use them, but I wanted my little Gunnery Skills all at V because well I just want it. So I decided I would train Doomsday Weapons to Level V. From IV to V took me 57 days. All because I wanted those little bars to say V...

No complaints, my choice...

We are also splitting the current Combat Drone Operation skill into two new skills, Light Drone Operation and Medium Drone Operation. This means that all light combat drones will now be unlocked and bonused from the Light Drone Operation skill, and medium combat drones will be unlocked and bonused from the Medium Drone Operation skill. During the patch downtime, existing players with the Combat Drone Operation skill trained will receive both new skills trained to the same level that their Combat Drone Operation skill was trained to.

This change makes light and medium drones consistent with heavy and sentry drones in their skill paths. It also allows us to create new ships and modules with bonuses that only affect light or medium drones separately, such as the newly rebalanced Guristas Worm faction frigate.

Sorry for the delay in answering some of the skill questions guys.

As many of you have suggested, we'll be giving pilots the same level in both Light Drone Operation and Medium Drone Operation as the highest level they have in either Scout Drone Operation or Combat Drone Operation over the patch downtime.

The Light Drone Operation skill will be rank 1, the Medium Drone Operation skill will be rank 2.

Finally, we are renaming two drone skills to clarify their roles. The Scout Drone Operation skill is being renamed GÇ£Drone AvionicsGÇ¥; the Electronic Warfare Drone Interfacing skill is being renamed GÇ£Advanced Drone AvionicsGÇ¥ to better represent their roles. The effects, prerequisites and unlocks provided by these skills will not be changing.

That's why I'm just putting this out there as public service anouncement.

It is worth it if it saves one person from training CDO 5 at this point.

In the overall scheme of thing, this is not a big deal. Rank 2 skill which takes ~11 days from 1-5. But it sucks when you keep up with the dev blogs and are mislead.

Imagine if this happened with the destroyer and battlecruiser change from last year. After month long train, you're told nevermind, you just need the frigate skills and cruiser skills.

There seems to be a lot of confusion about this issue. Some quotes below:







I'll illustrate my understanding of the change through an example.

Current skills on one of my characters:
Skill name / skill rank / trained level / accumulated skill points
Combat Drone Operation / Rank 2 / L4 / 90.510
Scout Drone Operation / Rank 1 / L5 / 256.000

Current combined SP: 346.510

Predicted post-change skills on the same character:
Skill name / skill rank / trained level / accumulated skill points
Light Drone Operation / Rank 1 / L5 / 256.000
Medium Drone Operation / Rank 2 / L5 / 512.000
Drone Avionics / Rank 1 / L5 / 256.000

Predicted post-change combined SP: 1.024.000


So, if I understand this correctly and there won't be any additional changes to the planned implementation, I will gain 677490 SP.

Pleas read the dev quotes again.

I just did read them again, and I am still correct. Whatever level your Scout Drone Operation skill is at when the patch hits, you will recieve Light Drone Operation at the same level. The same is true for Combat Drone Operation, which will translate into Medium Drone Operation.

If you wish to recieve both Light and Medium Drone Operation skills at 5 after the patch, then train Scout and Combat Drone Operation 5 now.

I have been building an anonymous alt to actually play the PvP portions of the game again.

*looks on op*
Scout drone operation > 5.
Combat drone operation > 5

nothing to see here move along.

And it's worth to train both of them... the dps increase :)

I just did read them again, and I am still correct. Whatever level your Scout Drone Operation skill is at when the patch hits, you will recieve Light Drone Operation at the same level. The same is true for Combat Drone Operation, which will translate into Medium Drone Operation.

If you wish to recieve both Light and Medium Drone Operation skills at 5 after the patch, then train Scout and Combat Drone Operation 5 now.

If you trained them both a long time ago and got use out of both skill... great.

Nothing to see and move along as you said.

Just letting people know at this point, don't train this skill. In fact, save some isk and don't even inject the skill book.

You can get all the benefit of the skill split and damage increase on 6/3/14 by just training scout drone operation to 5.

combat drone operation 5 is no longer needed and is going to be removed from game.

I have been building an anonymous alt to actually play the PvP portions of the game again.