EVE Search - Sticky:[Proteus - January] Recon ships

Suitonia wrote:

Hello Rise, I think the changes you've made to the covert recon line are great and all make perfect sense.

I'm not really sure what direction you're taking the Combat Recons in, the undetectable on directional scanner feels like a really situational bonus that will either incredibly powerful if you're in situation which allows you show up to a fight your opponent is unprepared for (like at a 5000km bookmark off a gate, or in wormholes). Or otherwise negliable, I don't think the Combat Recons offer anything for small-med gangs aside from people who are setting up traps. And when you're setting up a trap, why not use a Falcon instead of a 5000km bookmark Rook, or their varients, it doesn't offer much in addition to the Falcon. The main problem with Combat Recons is that they don't offer much different game play from the Covert variant, with exception of the Curse. Why take a Huginn in a fleet when a Rapier does the same job with more tank, with cynosural field and covert cloak.

I would much rather see a heavier focus on damage bonuses on the Combat Recons, remove the directional scan immunity. Take them in a direction similar to the Heavy Interdictor changes that you rolled out in Oceanus. Which will make them more appealing to use in small gangs and solo, where people care more about DPS.

Here are a few examples

Huginn
High: 4, Mid: 6. Low: 4 (3 Launchers)
MC: 5% to Missile Launcher Rate of Fire, 10% to TP effectiveness
RC: 60% to web optimal, 10% to Missile launcher velocity, 5% to missile launcher explosion velocity
Role Bonus: 100% bonus to missile damage.
Drone: 40m3
(8 Effective Launchers)

I think this is much more interesting than a projectile focused Huginn, and also provides progession from Bellicose -> Huginn. Both Short and Long range missile launchers benefit from longer ranged webs and bonused target painters which has more synergy. The Rapier already has more of a focus on turrets anyway, and it provides it with something to differentiate itself from the standard web loki which uses projectiles.

Rook:
High: 4, Mid 7: low: 4 (3 Launchers)
CC: 10% to Kinetic Missile damage, 10% to ECM capacitor cost
RC: 30% to ECM Strength, 10% to launcher velocity, 5% to missile launcher explosion velocity
Drone: 25m3
Role Bonus: 100% bonus to missile damage
(9 effective launchers kinetic locked, 6 effective launchers non kinetic)

The Rook needs to differentiate itself more from the Falcon, an extra low allows it to achieve better DPS output, better tank, or more EWAR power at the expense of not having the covert cloak. In contrast to the Huginn, the Rook has higher raw damage output than the Huginn but locked into kinetic, not having the synergetic web/TP bonuses that the Huginn has, and being slower, it comes close to the Cerberus/Othrus in terms of raw DPS output, but at the expense of being much less mobile, more vulnerable and with lower cap stability.

Lachesis
High: 4, Mid: 6, Low: 4 (3 turrets)
GC: 5% to Medium hybrid damage, 7.5% to damp effectiveness
RC: 20% to Warp Disruption range, 10% to Medium Hybrid Optimal range, 7.5% to medium hybrid tracking
Drone: 50m3 (+10)
Role Bonus: 100% bonus to Medium Hybrid damage
(7.5 effective turrets)

I like your redesign of the Lachesis a lot, but think it should be focused more towards higher damage, 5 effective turrets isn't enough imo.

Curse. - Keep it the same, remove the directional scanner immunity, 3rd bonus added to recon ship skill, +5% to Drone MWD Speed and Tracking.