LASB mutaplasmids have to become cheap again (or LASB buffed), and here is why

[Alex_Dicer]

Beforehand, I want to say that the issue I want to discuss is very niche. But nontheless, I belive it is an issue. Also, I will be stating a lot without presenting any kind of proof, but I don’t wanna make this post too big. I can present fits I have in mind while im writing all of this if needed, and can present battle reports as well. Also, I should add that I do not fly stuff smaller than a cruiser, because rock/paper/scissors factor is just too big in that bracket.

I caught corona and logged back in after a prolonged break cause I have to do something with my time. I am a relatively new player if you don’t take breaks into account, mainly did solo/smallscale PVP for the sake of it, with some abyss to fuel it. When I looked into my container where I stored all of my ancillary shield boosters and mutaplasmids, I found an absolute crapton of ISK instead of cheap PVP material, and I am unhappy.

As a common knowledge, active shield tanked PVP fits are not up to money/performance ratio as active armor ones. You either have to buy shield boosters which cost three times your whole fit does, or your HPS will be so low that you are better off going untanked. Unlike T2 armor reps, T2 shield boosters have awful specs. I don’t know why it is so, advantages of shield tank are nonexistant by how the ship stats are currently implemented, but that is another topic entierly.

And passive tank is just, well, meh…

Dual ASB tanks are the only option for budget active shield concepts. But while dual XLASB battleships are decent in comparison to dualrep armor BSs, dual LASB cruisers/battlecruisers a quite sucky before armor ones. With resist module nerfes, I would even call LASB unusable alongside T2 SBs.

But, unlike XLASB mutaplasmids, LASB ones became cheap with Invasion. They made dual LASB tank viable, which opened alot of ships for solo PVP which previously were out. Dual asb tank is clunky, and fits which use it are barely on par with armor ones even with mutaplasmids, but it created a much-needed variety.

But with current price for LASB mutaplasmids, dual LASB tank costs as much as simply buying some dedspace shield boosters. While not even being on par in performance. Alas, useless.

Current cost for LASB mutaplasmid is completely unjustified. While you can (and should) put a single XLASB in a cruiser, you cannot put a single LASB in a t3d. XLASB is good as it is, and mutaplasmids only make it better. But unlike XLASB, LASB is a very niche thing and does not compare in performance.

Ten LASB mutaplasmids, the average amount needed for getting the one of the pair you need for the fit, should cost no more than 15 mil. They should drop from abysses, presented on events etc untill it is so. In current state of things, they are simply not worth it, and ship variety for solo PVP suffers heavily. While ancillary modules themselves are not even useable anywhere else.

[Archer_en_Tilavine]

@Alex_Dicer

I don’t wanna make this post too big

Alright

@Alex_Dicer

I am a relatively new player

New players + commentary on mutaplasmids don’t mix

@Alex_Dicer

You either have to buy shield boosters which cost three times your whole fit does, or your HPS will be so low that you are better off going untanked.

You could also get fleetmates to provide logi instead of doing all the tanking yourself, or kill the enemy faster than they kill you (esp. if your fit is relatively expendable relative to the target in fleet setups such that some cheap ships can be sacrified to take down a pricy target).

@Alex_Dicer

Current cost for LASB mutaplasmid is completely unjustified.

Mutaplasmids are a luxury, not a necessity. Luxuries can be charged whatever while depriving no one of anything. (Some believe the game would be better if they were never introduced, but I digress…)

[Xeux]

So is this guy talking about solo PvP battleships?

[Salt_Foambreaker]

Did the wall mention where he flies those?

[Archer_en_Tilavine]

@Salt_Foambreaker you haven’t paid me yet

[Scoots_Choco]

@Alex_Dicer

Current cost for LASB mutaplasmid is completely unjustified.

Then run the Abyssal sites and farm them yourself.

If you need a hint, Gamma filaments will provide you with Shield based Mutaplasmids.

[Alex_Dicer]

@Archer_en_Tilavine

Alright

yes, I failed…

@Archer_en_Tilavine

You could also get fleetmates to provide logi instead of doing all the tanking yourself, or kill the enemy faster than they kill you (esp. if your fit is relatively expendable relative to the target in fleet setups such that some cheap ships can be sacrified to take down a pricy target).

I would rather not take a logi into a 5 man filament jump though. You need a scout, that makes four dps ships. Then you take out two more, unless you go with solo logi T3C to rep some trashcans… You can see where it goes. So selfrep is sometimes a must even outside of solo.

@Archer_en_Tilavine

Mutaplasmids are a luxury, not a necessity. Luxuries can be charged whatever while depriving no one of anything. (Some believe the game would be better if they were never introduced, but I digress…)

We are talking leisure PvP ships. In a computer game which has balance. Thus, a luxury for a luxury…

There is nothing too luxurious in them though. I just checked the prices, they went up since May but not by much. They are actually very cost efficient relative to buying faction modules if you purchase them via buy orders or bulk contracts (and do not go to zkill =). They are very handy.

But for ASB, and LASB exactly, they were the thing which make whole module competitive. With current price for them, whole module is not viable. Also, buff for LASB itself would as well fix the issue.

@Salt_Foambreaker

Did the wall mention where he flies those?

Well, desto is always the same.

@Scoots_Choco

Then run the Abyssal sites and farm them yourself.

If you need a hint, Gamma filaments will provide you with Shield based Mutaplasmids.

I krab(ed) lvl5 abyss for a living. And ASB plasmids do not drop there. I would actually love them to drop there, I even wrote this at the bottom of my wall of text…

Prices for them were low because they were botted out like crazy from Emerging conduits, which were easily the least skill-demanding activity added into this game. While (as I hope) CCP rightfuly fixed bot issue a bit, this created another one.

[Do_Little]

Mutaplasmids are a form of gambling - good ones should be rare and expensive - not something you consider part of a “standard” fit unless you are wealthy enough that cost is irrelevant. CCP did not create a problem by nerfing bots - they corrected one - good rolls should never have been inexpensive.

That said, if armor is so much better - why not fly an armor ship?

[Archer_en_Tilavine]

@Alex_Dicer

They are actually very cost efficient relative to buying faction modules

Keeping in mind that the primary (or even secondary or tertiary) motivations for introducing mutaplamids were not to make mods cheaper than comparable commodity mods at relatively static price points, the fact that you can accomplish this is a reason -not- to complain. And if you ever need better mods but don’t want to pay mutaplasmid prices, the better metalevel base mods are available.

@Alex_Dicer

We are talking leisure PvP ships. In a computer game which has balance. Thus, a luxury for a luxury…

There is nothing too luxurious in them though.

I wholeheartedly disagree with this assessment. The premise is flawed, and therefore the conclusion. You are asking for gambling to be made more readily available and/or for gambling to yield more favorable results on a regular basis: absolutely not.

[Alex_Dicer]

I did said that a buff to LASB itself would fix the issue as well… Buff to shield repair amount, if to be specific.

@Archer_en_Tilavine

Keeping in mind that the primary (or even secondary or tertiary) motivations for introducing mutaplamids were not to make mods cheaper than comparable commodity mods at relatively static price points, the fact that you can accomplish this is a reason -not- to complain.

Thats… very debatable.

All this gambling edge… Maybe that is true for applying unstables on faction modules or something. For me and everyone I know of, this was more of a prospector work. You buy 100 or so plasmids as cheaply as you can, same amount of modules, and get 20 or so good modules in return. I can’t belive that trash plasmids were intended to be a “luxury”.

I know that ASB plasmids have “Unstable” in them… but I want to point out that performance ceiling for LASB fits is low. No matter how much money you put into them.

And, unlike pretty much any other plasmid, LASB one is useable only for some fits on a small number of ships, and only in cheap sub-5 man PVP setups. There is no other plasmid with a scope as low as this. Even XLASB have way more uses and potential.

@Do_Little

That said, if armor is so much better - why not fly an armor ship?

Variety. Cheap LASB plasmids made up good 7-9 ships comparable in performance and price to cheap dualrep armor ones. Resist nerf took pretty much all of dual-LASB out of null - they don’t have the ability to take out damage module in favour of additional resist (brawl armor ships lost almost nothing with close range ammo buff). But with partial crystal set, they would be still useable for low sec… but the price for them puts a final nail in the coffin.