Overkill isn’t fast enough!
Posted: 2009-12-22 Filed under: eveonline | Tags: battlecruiser, caldari, cruiser, eve online, level one, level two, mining, mission running, ships 6 CommentsWhen I first started Eve, after struggling through the tutorial, giving up halfway through, getting lost twice, losing a cruiser in nullsec, lowsec and to some very prepared rats with a warp scrambler(Still have no idea how that happened), I started mining in, in order, rookie ship, navitas, two navitas’, an exequror, a brutix, a retriever, a covetor, a borrowed mawkinaw and my first hulk, followed soon after by my second, third, fourth and fifth hulk.
With highsec mining, you can practically fall asleep at the laser with no problems (Only practically, lost hulk #3 that way), and with WH mining you need to constantly be aware, but with good returns promised. Grinding level one missions, however, is the most annoying thing I’ve done in Eve since I got into an argument with some Dead Terrorist gate campers on whether or not they were simply stargazing. After they blew up my industrial
“We thought it was a comet about to hit us and took preemptive measures”
With what I would laughably call my combat alt, a month old character able to fly up to Caldari BS and baseline missile skills, L1 missions have that special combination of arduousness and simplicity that leaves me irritated out of my mind. This ironically coming from the person who mines for five hours straight often and doesn’t complain about the monotony.
Even with my inhuman tolerance for boredom, these things are irritating. My alt is compitent enough that her caracal eliminates frigate threats before they even know they’re threats, which was fun for the first ten-odd missions, but every other mission, the frigates take three to four missiles before they’re blown ta smithereens, and when you can’t tell which kind of frigate is going to take three missiles, I usually assign two assault launchers to my first two targets and a heavy missile launcher n target painter to the third and hope my missile find some sort of exhaust port.
And, even with the mission type I’m running (Internal security), I’ll eventually get chain missions with courier requirements, which are similarly samey while different enough it takes conscious thought to work out where to go.
Here’s my problem: with mining, you can unfocus your brain to the point that every three minutes, you drag the ore to the can then unfocus your brain again, hence the name “miningzen”. WH mining isn’t too different. You click the mouse every ten seconds, if your directional doesn’t scream at you, you get to live another ten seconds. The excitement and terror wears off about three days after your last ganking encounter and it’s back to monotonous clicking over and over.
With l1 missions, you have to click the mouse all over the place, finding where to go for the mission, who to shoot/not shoot/look at until you get a complete flashy journal, warp back, ask for a new mission. It’s so mind-numbingly boring while at the same time requiring enough thought that I can’t fall into a stupor while doing it.
While missions are the way they are, I’m afraid to ask CCP to change them or for people to rally behind me for more excitement, since if I do they’ll probably make mining more exciting in a completely horrible way, like make you keep your ship pointed at the asteroid or something silly. What I’m asking from the missioners who read this blog to laugh at miners or for something to do as their t2 fitted domi’s slice through L4 missions, is what Caldari ship n fit should I be using to make this task easier? I’m currently running w/ 4 assault launchers w/ random missiles, one heavy missile launcher, two ballistic controls, a medium shield booster, target painter and afterburner. Suggestions?
P.S. Anyone else find it silly that “prototype exploration ship”, the Zephyr, is one of the ship types acceptable for combat missions?
Fly to the warp-point and wait for your serpantis contact to show up.
k162space 
http://eve.battleclinic.com/loadout/6769-L2-Caracal-fast-standing.html
not a bad fit this one. You can swap a large shield extender for a shield booster if you don’t feel comfortable with a passive tank, or add some rigs to have a “small drake”.
Also, use fof missiles, so you can go to the mission room, activate the missiles launchers and just sit there watching all that frigates being destroyed. It’s exactly like mining at some point.
But the ideal is to have a corp mate that do lvl 4 missions to tag along. your stand rise really fast and you are free of the boredom of lvl 1 and 2 missions. Not that lvl 4 are more fun, but at least you got some more ISK of it.
Wow dont use FoF Missiles please sheesh you’ll always go faster picking targets. Stick with assault missile launchers only and use this site:
http://eve-survival.org/wikka.php?wakka=MissionReports
Seriously that site is your best friend. It will help you pick what hardeners you should be using, etc. (not much of a concern till lvl 3 and 4’s tho) When you get to level 3 get a drake and use this fit:
[Drake, L3 Drake]
Shield Power Relay II
Ballistic Control System II
Ballistic Control System II
Ballistic Control System II
Invulnerability Field II
Invulnerability Field II
Shield Recharger II
Shield Recharger II
Large Shield Extender II
Large Shield Extender II
‘Arbalest’ Heavy Missile Launcher, Thunderbolt Heavy Missile
‘Arbalest’ Heavy Missile Launcher, Thunderbolt Heavy Missile
‘Arbalest’ Heavy Missile Launcher, Thunderbolt Heavy Missile
‘Arbalest’ Heavy Missile Launcher, Thunderbolt Heavy Missile
‘Arbalest’ Heavy Missile Launcher, Thunderbolt Heavy Missile
‘Arbalest’ Heavy Missile Launcher, Thunderbolt Heavy Missile
‘Arbalest’ Heavy Missile Launcher, Thunderbolt Heavy Missile
[empty high slot]
Warhead Rigor Catalyst I
Warhead Rigor Catalyst I
Core Defence Field Purger I
Hobgoblin II x5
This fit drake will destroy lvl 3s in no time. With the rigs you will be doing 100% damage to cruiser sized vessels! When you start doing level 4s, if you do not yet have a raven fit, use this fit:
http://eve.battleclinic.com/loadout/30991-The-level-3-4-Mission-Drake.html
When you do get into a raven, i’ve been using this fit:
http://eve.battleclinic.com/loadout/27770-Perfect-Starter-Lv4-Mission-raven.html
Just be careful with the cap, if you get scrammed or fit the wrong hardeners you will run out quick! You can even loose some of the BCSII and put more flux coils on there and one of the mids for a recharger to run the XL booster cap stable if you have a friend that can bring more dps.
In reality the lvl 1 and 2s will blow by and you’ll be in 3’s and 4’s before you know it. Just don’t forget to go back and loot / salvage the lvl 4s in a salvage ship (i recommend a dedicated destroyer with 4 salvagers, 4 tractor beams and cap mods in the lows / highs with a couple salvage rigs and a microwarp drive. If you bookmark all the sites you can turn in the mission grab the salvage boat and warp back out so you can use the MWD. I can clean a multi stage lvl 4 mission of all wrecks in 15 mins. Just drop the big stuff loot in a can and come back out with a hauler to pick it up. Also keep in mind salvaging when you are on the mission, fly back and forth in one area to keep the wrecks in a big blob, it really helps. On a good lvl 4 with bounties i can clear 2-3 mil for the mission, 3-5+ mil in bounties, and anywhere from 5-15 million in loot and salvage in 1/2 an hour with my main and alt account (Osprey remote rep on the mission (gank fit raven) and hauler for the salvage op). That nets about 20-40 million an hour. When you factor in LP points that can be turned into isk through the sale of faction mods or implants its quite profitable for almost nil risk.
But you are right, you cant space out while doing it!
For level 1 missions use a dessy, cruisers are for level 2s. Having said that, train social skills and avoid level 1s altogether. Standings increase should be higher with those.
My two cents
Cross train Gallente cruiser 3 or 4, and use a Vexor, If you have spare ISKs give it some faction lover, drones and then warp in, agro, turn on tank, let the Hammerhead/Whatever loose. About as involving as mining. Once in a while a drone does something stupid and dies so use T1 drones.
Once you need a bit more punch, switch to Myrmidon, same tactic. Faction/deadspace mods can make up for a lot of training. Myrmidon can use 2 heavies, 2 mids and one light for maxmum damage *and* a full set of both mediums and lights for pesky frigates/cruisers.
Otherwise, 5 assault launchers on caracal, Kinetic missile (you get big enough bonus other types are usually not worthwhile). Best named launchers. Group them and don’t worry about waste. You’ll one shot all basic frigs, 3-4 shots elite frigs and grind down most cruisers quickly enough.
My experience is Caldaris get it done quicker with missile damage and Gallente get it done with least effort with drones. And yep, I’m Caldari and I use a Domi to slice through L4 like butter. Though with my skills I have about half the dps of a Cruise Raven and something like 50% more tank.
Use a frigate for level one missions. It makes you actually have to do something, and it’s considerably faster than a cruiser. Much more fun.
For level 1’s in a Caracal use light missiles and a buffer tank, same for most lvl 2’s really.
for lvl 3 or if you’re finding lvl 2’s to be hard go Drake. Aim for as much T2 as possible, passive tank and 7 Heavy Missile launchers with mission specific damage.
for lvl 4’s Raven/CNR/Golem.