Covert opps class redesign to be more comparable to Astero

[Makshima_Shogo]

The current event has shown how small the options are for exploration + pvp, pretty much its only the astero, a normal ship doesn’t have enough bonus’s to be able to scan down the site’s and covert op’s ships like the anathema stands 0 chance against an astero.

The astero is an absolute monster, it can tank another of itself for 5-10 minutes np which allows plenty time for calling of reinforcement’s.

My suggestions:
Increase build cost of covert op’s ships so that they cost a similiar price to the astero hull.

Astero - 1 mid slot + 1 high slot, this will allow for less cap stability and more neuting power resulting in faster fights and less chance for reinforcement’s to arrive which will result in more good fights and less blob’s.

Covert ops more utility high + damage + Powergrid at some sacrifices to cpu. mid and low slots at a min of 3 mids.

[Lloyd_Roses]

The astero is alone in its class but that doesn’t mean that covert ops require that sort of rework.

Asteros are at the core just t1 exploration frigates with a cloak, drones and a hefty tank.
Covops are much, much better at scanning (something that becomes apparent if you live in a wormhole, mapping a chain in an astero gives you a stroke compared to a covops).

They should bring covops up to speed and rebalance a little so it’s for one not the helios and the bad ones anymore, with the exception of hero tackle cheetah, and allow for a sensical tackle fit, but they have no business with both a significant scanning bonus AND 1v1 capability.

[Solstice_Projekt]

My first covert ops was the Cheetah.
I loved that ship for some reason.

In light of your thread I’ve looked for PvP videos containing the cheetah …
… and in the very first one a Cheetah kills an Astero.

Eve Online - Dark Petrel - Bitten By a Cheetah - YouTube

This guy here loves flying the cheetah.

Mothercluckers - YouTube

One of his video is named “29th KillMark on my Cheetah”.

In light of this finding I’d like you to explain more about why they need a buff.

Not even saying I’m for or against it.

[Lloyd_Roses]

A decently fit astero fights back against T3Cs, spits on sabres and mauls cruisers to shreds, that a cheetah can defeat an astero is rather due to your average astero pilot having no clue what they’re doing

[Solstice_Projekt]

He fought (at least) twenty nine astero pilots in a row …
… who all didn’t know what they’re doing?

[Lloyd_Roses]

If you look closely, somehow he doesn’t even have to disarm the astero to be able to bleed it dry of cap boosters. That’s not 29 in a row, but 29 in full exploration fit, when an astero can just swap its web for an analyzer.

Else, something like this happens.

I’ve seen that astero fit kitchen blog on reddit that also does exactly these mistakes that get your astero killed.

[Makshima_Shogo]

Still a nice kill but I mean:

Astero | Dark Petrel | Killmail

That was a new guy with a terrible fit, a normally fit astero could tank your 60 dps cheater for about 20 minutes no problem at all.

I’m surprised you guys are fine with only 1 ship being viable?

Isn’t the point of sig’s in space with value so that it can spark off fights? If a ship can’t even defend it self then what is the point. I would rather have a more diverse exploration meta than a stale one with asteros everywhere, just my opinion.

I mean compare the helios to the astero 25 bandwidth 75 drone bay compared to 5 bandwidth 5 drone bay, its a little rediculas how huge the difference is.

[Solstice_Projekt]

@Makshima_Shogo

I’m surprised you guys are fine with only 1 ship being viable?

I’m not actually against this.

You made me remember my old Cheetah.
I’ve only ever flown it in my early days,
but it was my very first t2 ship and I’ve skilled “hard” for it.

I consider the idea of exploration fits to be closer to PvP fits a good one …
… and improving their combat capabilities might be a nudge in the right direction.

[Salt_Foambreaker]

It’s been years but doesn’t the Cheetah end up having a really high scan as a trade off for its relative weakness?

[Solstice_Projekt]

It’s been years indeed and I have no idea.

[Makshima_Shogo]

I mean sure but what really requires all that scan, I pretty much dont even have my specs at 4 and can scan everything pretty decently with a combat fit astero, with the harder sites just have to go lower once capped at 0.25.

Maybe for combat probing it would be worth but if that is their niche maybe they should get a combat probe launcher fitting bonus.

[Derath_Ellecon]

@Makshima_Shogo

I mean sure but what really requires all that scan, I pretty much dont even have my specs at 4 and can scan everything pretty decently with a combat fit astero, with the harder sites just have to go lower once capped at 0.25.

Plenty of people. Try living in WH space awhile. being able to lock up half the sigs at 2au is a huge timesaver.

Also even for exploration. In HS having that extra scan strength can mean the difference between hacking that site with top loot, and being the second guy to warp to it. In dangerous space it can mean the difference between getting the site done and out before that guy in local finds you, etc.

Honestly IMO it’s fine that different ships have different roles. The astero being a faction ship has more combat ability. It has a trade off of being more expensive. Nothing wrong with that.

[Salt_Foambreaker]

Right but that is a choice, which is kind of the point of things. Intentional Imbalance adds to the game by giving us choices and covering special case uses.

Normalization is the enemy of game design. This is why 1v1 balance should never be considered an important criteria. Balancing 1v1 is what caused the ECM nerfs 2 years ago.