Golem Build need feedback plz

[Golem, Andrew Swann’s Golem]
Ballistic Control System II
Ballistic Control System II
Ballistic Control System II
Damage Control I

500MN Y-T8 Compact Microwarpdrive
Gistum B-Type EM Ward Amplifier
Pith X-Type X-Large Shield Booster
Gistum B-Type Thermal Dissipation Amplifier
Adaptive Invulnerability Field I
Republic Fleet Target Painter
Republic Fleet Target Painter

‘Arbalest’ Cruise Launcher I
‘Arbalest’ Cruise Launcher I
‘Arbalest’ Cruise Launcher I
‘Arbalest’ Cruise Launcher I
Bastion Module I
Salvager I
Small Tractor Beam I
Drone Link Augmentor I

Large Warhead Flare Catalyst II
Large Warhead Flare Catalyst II

Warrior I x15

Mjolnir Auto-Targeting Cruise Missile I x10000

plz be kind this is the first build i have ever posted. Yes i know i need T2 on some things but i am training for them now. any feedback would be helpful. I am using this for missions L4

You need a Bastion Module II.

2 Likes

A well fitted Rattlesnake would work way better than this golem and would cost way less both in ISK and skill investment… Also If you don’t already have the skills to run a Marauder fully Tech 2 you shouldn’t fly one…

4 Likes

Perhaps the most important thing to consider, yes. Buying a (very) expensive ship before you have all the skills to use it effectively will only lead to frustrating losses. Hell, I have the skills to fit a Marauder with T2 and I’m not willing to risk one! Basic battleships do L4s just fine as long as you know what you’re doing, and there’s the aforementioned Rattler and other pirate BS (if you prefer some other weapons/tank etc) which are also cheaper and easier to get into.

2 Likes

Seems you are trying to build a golem able to AFK level 4s. However with this build it will not work very well, as the pith x-type XL booster will cap you out over time. Also Missile guidance computers are a lot more helpful for this kind of build than Target Painters.

Also for maximum lazyness: The Golem does not really need specific hardeners for every mission, with 2x T2 Invul you have good enough resistances for any mission, especially if you use the Basion Module.

So what would I change for an AFK Golem?

  • Remove Pith x-type shield Booster -> Switch to Gist x-type Large

  • Remove Hardeners -> Swtirch to 2 Invuls + Add Large Republic Fleet Cap Batery.

  • Remove MWD -> Add MJD (With the short cooldown of MJDs you can just jump back and forth very fast to get to acceleration gates and you don´t want the capacitor penalty as that again breaks the ability to AFK tank the missions)

  • Remove Target Painters -> Add Missile Guidance Computers x2 (If you run multiple AFK Golems at once a target painter however can help to get initial aggro on a ll chars so the auto-targeting missile work for all of them, so in that case 1 cheap painter + 1 Missile Guidance Computer)

  • Remove the Rigs: Add Semiconductor Memory Cells or CCC rigs (I prefer the Semiconductors as it will help keeping your tank alive better if you fly missions against Blood Raiders)

  • Last step: Add an MTU and salvage drones and ready is the Level 4 AFK golem.

Due to the low amount of damage of auto-targetting missiles it will not be very fast at doing Level 4s. Even with maxed out skills it will be nowhere as fast as a setup for active grinding. But get´s the job done with minimum input in return.

And always keep in mind, a setup like this basically screams for being ganked, because AFKing is bad!

I agree with other points, just not those. painter gives more increase in apply on a golem thanks to its bonus.

concerning rigs, I use calefaction T2+ rigor T1.
with two painters, frig to cruisers (non elite) die in one shot.

How are you going to paint the target while not targeting it as in while being afk?

Thanks for all the feedback. And i have to agree i do need all T2 to fully get everything from this ship. The setup i have now is just the skills i have for now. I have ran a few mission and it does them all with ease but very slow lol. What would be the best ship for farming L4 mission with easy not a afk build i am still fairly new to the game but i love it very much. just having a hard time picking a ship to master lol i am into missions and maybe some ratting for fun. thanks again for all the feed back

golem need torpedos, for cruise use barghest

1 Like

Torpedoes ? I thought those things had a limited range among Large missiles. And since once Golem is in a room it’s immobilized by Bastion (or webbing frigates), what if a key ship wander out of the range ?

Terrible fit to be honest OP. If you want to pve then cruise is fine…if you want pvp then rapid heavies are the order of the day plus neuts or nos or maybe a smart bomb if in low or null. Also, ditch a target paint for something like a mjd as it’s a default mod on a marauder…depends what you want to do, but would recommend no tier 1 stuff on such a ship regardless of what you want to do. A properly fitted out Golem or Kronos is like 3 billion and the hull is 1.5 so you shouldn’t be flying this thing without pimping it out with the skills to match.

Hi there.

I’ve flown a Golem for about 9 years. I’ve run thousands of LVL4’s in it. I’ve tried lots of fits and styles. So, I think I’m fairly qualified to speak to its strengths and weaknesses. I’ve also flown the Rattlesnake, Machariel, Nightmare, Vindi, Barghest, and a few other T1 battleships, so I’ve got some comparison shopping under my belt.

The big difference between the two of us that I will apologize for up front is the skill point differential - it looks like you are just getting started out. I’ve had the luxury of time to dump a lot of SP into areas that really allow the Golem to shine. So I will try to tailor my advice, but may end up describing things that while, you can look forward to them, you might not be able to accomplish just yet.

Let’s start.

  1. Implants

If you are serious about long-term mission running in a Golem, you can’t forget about implants. As you can afford them, ramp up to the more expensive ones. I don’t recommend the 6% implants, however, as the risk / cost far outweighs the reward. I’ve had the +5’s for as long as I’ve had the Golem and haven’t regretted it a bit. (When you see ‘x’ in the implant names, sub a number 1 through 5.)

Slot 6: I recommend either the Zainou Snapshot CM-60x or TD-60x series to boost Cruise Missile or Torpedo damage. (I highly recommend torpedoes, more on that later.)

Slot 7: Zainou MP-70x series for Missile Projection. (Missiles fly faster, hence further)

Slot 8: GP-80x for tighter explosion radius on all missiles. Quintessential for large missile types.

Slot 9: TN-90x - explosion velocity bonus. Do more damage against faster moving targets.

Slot 10: RL-100x - rapid launch / increased rate of fire. Mandatory if you’re going into a career of killing things with missiles / launchers.

  • The High Slots

Marauders, including the Golem, were designed to do two things in the following order:

  1. Park itself in one place for a little while
  2. Annihilate the crap out of everything around it.

Therefore, you are right on with the bastion module.

I’m honestly not a fan of the drone link augmentor. If your drones draw aggro, and are far enough away that you actually need the agumentor, they are probably going to die by the time you can recall them. Training Drone Avionics to V and Advanced Drone Avionics to III (as I have done) gets you 54km range on drones, which should be plenty for LVL4 missions.

Instead of the DLA, I recommend a second salvager. Between your tractor beam and the help from a Mobile Tractor Unit (which I ALWAYS have in my Golem), you’ll have a lot of wrecks coming in that you’ll want to “keep up with”. As able, upgrade both the tractors and salvagers to T2. Being able to pull from 48km out instead of 40km out is huge if you use loot and wrecks as part of your income stream.

Ok, so we’ve got Bastion, Tractor, and two salvagers.

Cruise missiles I think will give you safety and range while you’re getting a feel for the Golem, its range, tactics, etc. But… once you have the skills…

Now comes the controversial part, but I need you to trust me:

You. Want. Torpedoes. On. A. Golem.

I truly believe, at the bottom of my heart, that anyone that says “Torpedoes suck - use cruise missiles”, is experiencing one of the following:

  • They haven’t sunk enough SP into the right areas
  • They haven’t spent the time to train into T2 torpedo ammunition and launchers
  • Haven’t gotten set up with the +5 implants I describe above
  • They are academics that have never witnessed first hand what the right skills + the target painter bonus can do
  • They are only paying attention to the slowness of torpedoes, and assume (incorrectly) that a large portion of their DPS is wasted due to various forms of inefficiency.

Let me hit you with some stats that you can look forward to:

  • I can take out any non-elite frigate, destroyer, cruiser, or battlecruiser in one volley out to 65km, or 95+km if I switch to Javelin Torps.

  • I can take out Gist Commander and Mercenary Overlord Battleships in two volleys out to 45km, 3 volleys out to 65km.

  • I can take out virtually any other BS in a level 4 mission (except the couple that block e-war) in 3 volleys out to 45km, and 4 volleys out to 65km. This includes ships like Gist Cherubims, Pith Massacrer’s, Core Grand Admiral’s, etc.

It really is like clockwork.

For launchers, meta (Arbalest?) for now, T2 when you have the skills down the road. Don’t bling your launchers; no need to and the price tag starts to move you closer to gank-bait.

Let’s move on to …

  • The Mid Slots

A shield booster is a must, given the nature of a Golem’s bonuses and how it fights. Find what works for you based on skills. Personally, I use a Pith C-Type 95% of the time. A Gist variant might be fine - it’s all about how much rep you need and how much cap usage you can afford.

I go with two mission-specific active shield hardeners, but as someone pointed out, you can be lazy and go with 2 invuls if you really want to. (I don’t recommend this against Sansha or Blood Raiders - the EM hole is still too large on the Golem with nothing but invuls.)

I don’t think you need to go faction on your shield hardeners - meta 1, then T2 when you can fit them. (Although who knows - maybe the faction ones are cheap these days?)

Next is another point of controversy. I use 3 Republic Fleet Target painters. TPs on a Golem is one area where you want to bling. Each TP increases my target’s sig radius by * 62% *. And that’s for EACH target painter. You don’t need to start with faction target painters, but you’ll want to work your way up. This will allow you to take out even elite frigates with just a couple of volleys, in case your drones get chewed up from aggro.

In rare scenarios, you may decide to drop one of your 3 TPs in favor of adding a third mission-specific hardener. This will tend to be, in my experience, in scenarios where you take a lot of EM damage.

The 7th and final slot I fondly refer to as my “Auxilary” slot. It changes based on the mission I’m running. (I have fits saved for each mission, so I don’t have to think about my loadouts at all.)

By default, I use a missile guidance computer loaded with a precision script, and will swap to a range script if I need it. I’d say 4 out of 5 missions, my aux slot is the MGC. Sometimes I’ll swap to a Microjump drive - say for something like Worlds Collide. Others, like Gone Berzerk, I’ll drop on a MWD. (I can never seem to land where I want with an MJD on that mission.)

No need for any faction mods in the auxilary slot that I can think of.

  • Low Slots

You’re on the right track. When starting off, the damage control is a great idea, with damage mods for the rest of the lows. In my opinion, the damage mods on a Golem are another area where you’ll want to bling, because, unlike many other types of low-slot damage boosting mods, the ones you’ll use on a Golem (or any launcher-based ship) boost both rate of fire AND raw damage. Personally, I prefer the Caldari Navy Ballistic Control Units. You’ll be fine with the BCU Is for now. I even have some spare Crosslink metas I’d be happy to contract to you for cheap.

And yep, even though there’s a stiff stacking penalty, I load up all four lows with damage mods. It still makes a huge difference.

  • Rigs:

In general, for the long run, I would recommend a Fuel Cache Partition and Hydraulic Bay Thrusters to get yourself more range. With cruises, it’ll add even more safety margin, and with torps, it’ll get you those delicious stats I mentioned above. (You want the two rigs to be different so that you avoid their stacking penalty. One affects flight time, the other flight velocity.) However, if you need the other bonuses more, like raw damage, or explosion radius / velocity, feel free go with those as your skills dictate.

  • Drones

I generally recommend mostly light combat drones, with maybe 5 salvage drones in missions where they don’t draw aggro. I’ve found that salvage drones really do round out a Marauder’s “full clear” approach to missions. Even once you’ve killed everything, they can help speed up the clearing process by a few minutes.

  • Ammunition

Personally, I believe the biggest point of transition when flying a Golem is when you hit the skill Torpedoes V, and can start using T2 Rage ammunition. Rage Torpedoes, combined with the TP bonus, your implants, and your mods… is truly staggering. But again, it will take time. Once you can use T2 torps, you’ll use mostly Rage and standard T1 torps, along with the occasional T2 javelin for the pesky stuff that starts 100km away and flies slow. (Or you could use a prop mod to handle that scenario.)

Overall, I’m generally impressed with your fit being that it’s your first attempt. You’ve put some good thought into it and I strongly feel you are on the right track. If you feel that a demonstration of torps vs cruise would help, I’ll try to make the time to put up a youtube video or something. For now, you’ll be fine with cruise; it’ll just take awhile to complete mission.

One final note:

Launcher Rigging V really helps you eek out every drop of CPU on the Golem. Missile rigs generally spike the CPU usage of your launchers, and this can add up. Launcher Rigging IV is fine, but jacking mine up to V, I was able to get an MJD plus a decent faction shield booster.

From one Golem pilot to another, I sincerely wish you the best of luck. If you generally align yourself with my advice, you should be able to keep the fit to below 500 mil ISK, which helps reduce the bling bait factor a bit. Remember: TP and Damage mods are where you want to splurge a bit.

Let me know how it goes. Fly safe!

P.S. Skills not to forget about:
Signature Focusing
All relevant Missile Skills
Marauders (I took the time to jack mine all the way up to V, because Golem.)
Launcher Rigging
Long Distance Jamming and Freq. Modulation (for your TPs)
And of course, core skills.

11 Likes

IMO it’s more about how much sustainable tank I want to have. Pith have awful hp/GJ, and hard fitting requirements (which is not very important on a golem but stil)

faction domination hardener only have reduced cap/fitting requirement over T2 (angel line), while the other (cn, …) have increased resist. typically EM pith x-type can go 100M, and that’s the most you may need to pay. for a huge increase in tank.

On the other hand, faction invuls are very expensive

Nope. stacking penalty reduces the effect of the second and third. 2nd is 54% added sig, 3rd is 35%. which translates to up to +35% DPS on small rats.


Now, considering torps or cruise.
Keep in mind I only have torps spe, cruise spe and marauders IV.

With 3 faction BCU (and range implants), on inferno ammo, I give the values of DPS, signature, dps/sign value and dps*velocity/sig value

  • fury : 228.7 425 0.538 58.5
  • CN cruise : 187.7 247 0.76 98.31
  • rage : 304 580 0.524 59.99
  • CN torp : 258.7 337 0.77 102.3

Assuming the rats go slow enough, the applied dps is a linear function of the rat sig (multiplied by DPS/sig value) . If the rat is not slow enough, then you take the last number, multiply by sig and divide by target speed (and should use the power of the ratio but it’s almost 1).

What is important to note is that torps and cruise have the same DPS/sig values, and torps have a slightly better dps*speed/sig value.
Now if you remove those missile range rigs and instead use one calefaction II, you gain a raw +6% to those values (because DPS is increased by 6%) ; and adding a rigor removes 15% of the missile signature, hence increase the applied dps by 17.6 %
so the new values for cruise become

  • fury : 242 361 0.67 72.9
  • CN cruise : 199.3 210 0.95 122.8

What it means is that, if the signature is small enough *, you will deal more DPS with cruise than with torps. At a distance equal to your targeting range ^^

*: when speed/sig of rats is lower than expl_velo/expl_sig/3.37 from your missiles (3.37 is the reduction by the painter effect)

2 Likes

wow thanks for all the info and your right i dont have alot of skill points i do have 16mill but all over the board because i didnt know what i wanted to do in the game lol
Is the any chance you can link your fit for Golem lvl 4 mission running plz that way i have kinda a guide to build towards thanks again

A Golem requires you to be on top of your game in knowledge of game mechanics, I would spend a couple of weeks practicing in a Raven or Navy issue variant until you feel more comfortable to upgrade to the Golem.

2 Likes

@Andrew_Swann - yes, I will soon link you my Golem fit - sorry I can’t do it right now.

@Gleb_Koskov makes an excellent point - there are a few “soft” piloting skills that take awhile to learn; you do need to be on top of game mechanics knowledge, etc.

His advice of learning in a Raven is perfect. (Also - Marauders are expensive - I can’t remember if you said you’ve bought one yet. If not, running LVL4s in a T1 battleship, optionally collecting loot and salvage, is the way to earn the money for the T2 Golem.)

I’d say the most important skill I had to learn personally was how and when to pulse the shield booster. I started off in a Raven setup where I could leave the shield booster on all the time. (DPS sucked.)

That’s an example of the subtle skills and mechanics Gleb was talking about. Definitely do not rush into a Golem - it’s the quintessential example of ‘Don’t fly what you can’t afford to lose.’.

Hell, I bet you could round up 8-10 folks who might be willing to toss in 10-15 million ISK a piece to buy you your raven so you get plenty of chance to practice. :slight_smile:

Fit coming soon.

As it stands already i have a Raven, Caracal, Tengu, and my Golem. The Golem will be my main ship i stay in high sec and just run missions. I know there is a ton more things to do in game but that is just what i like to do lol i am really looking for a long term build one i can use for lvl 4 mission and not worry too much about getting killed too easy.

I… don’t quite agree if your goal is mission running. I’ve heard nothing but bad things about mission Barghests, but then again I think that the hulltank torpedo Barg is a great idea so it’s not like I know anything on that front.

As far as torpedoes vs cruise, I think cruise may be preferable but someone downthread makes some excellent arguments as to the value of torpedoes in missions.

Of course for a PvP Golem…

Rapid heavies restrict your engagement profile much more than torpedoes do in something that intends to just sit and facetank for days. That long reload will cripple your ability to break the active tanks of some ships (or simply kill certain buffer tanks in a reasonable timeframe).

You do need to invest into a fair amount of application to make torpedoes work, but- particularly due to the quirks of missiles vs turrets- an appropriately fitted missile battleship can potentially 3-shot an afterburner Dramiel.

Now if you want to do something like a kitey Typhoon then yes rapid jesus launchers are the preferred solution, but for a facetank brawler like a Golem then torpedoes are the preferred choice, even if they are painfully difficult to fit.

WTB Bastion II.

1 Like

I’m always experimenting, but here’s my current Golem fit:

HIGH:
DREAD GURISTAS CRUISE MISSILE LAUNCHER
DREAD GURISTAS CRUISE MISSILE LAUNCHER
DREAD GURISTAS CRUISE MISSILE LAUNCHER
DREAD GURISTAS CRUISE MISSILE LAUNCHER
BASTION MODULE I
SMALL TRACTOR BEAM II
SALVAGER II
SALVAGER II

MEDIUM:
GIST C-TYPE INVULNERABILITY FIELD
ADAPTIVE INVULNERABILITY FIELD II
GISTUM C-TYPE MEDIUM SHIELD BOOSTER
PITH X-TYPE SHIELD BOOST AMPLIFIER
REPUBLIC FLEET TARGET PAINTER
REPUBLIC FLEET TARGET PAINTER
REPUBLIC FLEET 500MN MICROWARPDRIVE

LOW:
CALDARI NAVY BALLISTIC CONTROL SYSTEM
CALDARI NAVY BALLISTIC CONTROL SYSTEM
CALDARI NAVY BALLISTIC CONTROL SYSTEM
CALDARI NAVY BALLISTIC CONTROL SYSTEM

RIGS:
LARGE WARHEAD RIGOR CATALYST II
LARGE WARHEAD RIGOR CATALYST II

DRONES:
AUGMENTED HOBGOBLINS X 5 (LOOK AFTER THEM!)
SALVAGE DRONE I X 5

CARGO:
MAGPIE MOBILE TRACTOR UNIT
STANDARD CRUISE MISSILES TO SUIT MISSION

NOTES:
CAP STABLE WITH SHIELD BOOSTER RUNNING
879 DPS (APPLIED WELL!)
1079 TANK