My most recent char killed Dagan after two weeks in a Dragoon without any Skill injections. But we mustn’t underestimate the difference resulting from experience.
These skills you cannot inject 
I still remember my first encounter with Dagan, even in a Thorax I was not able to get through his repping. I had to do some reading and find a way to fit my damage above 200 DPS - that was absolutely news to me that time, and not too easy because of the lack of cap, skills - and experience.
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I’m not sure anymore about Sisters of Eve. But I can recall that I asked for help in local and some guy offered to help out and he took care of the enemies in the last few missions. Because I can recall that there was actually 2 pretty hard missions near the end not just 1. But that was pretty fun. I could just sit back and watch him take care of it lol. Pretty cool to watch.
And I read somewhere that the point of those missions was actually to use teamwork to tackle them. But yeah this time around I’m going to try it myself first… or at least have another go at it.
Thanks for all the replies everyone!
Edit: Right somebody asked about the fit. As I said I currently decided to switch to a Cormorant for the level 1 missions. And it’s going pretty well.
[Cormorant, Yuri Paaltomo’s Cormorant]
Magnetic Field Stabilizer I
Micro Auxiliary Power Core I
1MN Monopropellant Enduring Afterburner
Medium Shield Extender I
Adaptive Invulnerability Field I
125mm Railgun I
125mm Railgun I
125mm Railgun I
125mm Railgun I
125mm Railgun I
125mm Railgun I
125mm Railgun I
Small Core Defense Field Extender I
Small Core Defense Field Extender I
Small Core Defense Field Extender I
Lead Charge S x3000
Antimatter Charge S x5268
Iron Charge S x5420
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The Sisters of EVE Arc has some very good teaching missions, including the penultimate mission (which requires you to fit for a moderately difficult target - Dagan). The other “ship killer” is “Burning Down the Hive”, which you mentioned earlier.
Dagan is by far the most instructive target for an “L1/L2” player. He’s a hard target, but every race has several different weays to take him out. Even better, you have to fit your ship to the task.
IMO the best thing a new player can do is loop on Dagan until they’ve tried evry technique they’ve ever heard of. IMO getting boosted is a missed opportunity.
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Yuri
About that ship: It looks ok, but most of my experience at that ship size/power is in a Tristan, so I may have missed somehting.
One thing strikes me: rails and antimatter are not a natural combination. Rails provide longer range in exchange for lower dps and slower tracking. Antimatter ammo provides dps at the expense of range.
I’ve never used the two together, and I love kiting and fly Gallante, which means rails (and drones) 
I don’t remember using iron or lead either.: tungsten & iridium iIRC, with Uranium for special cases.
High-damage, range-reducing ammo goes well with speed-tanking and blasters though. Which, FWIW, is one way to drop Dagan with a small ship - I think a T1/T1 destroyer is enough, but it’s been a while - I might be wrong.
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OK, that’s a budget ship 
Nice shield fit, enough guns, all the same type. That’s a prototype of a T1 Dessie.
And now you can start trying: What effects have 150mm guns? What’s Iridium for? Should I try blasters, they have more DPS and less range? Are there holes in my shield, perhaps weak against EM? How much is the effect of the third Small Core Defense Field Extender, how do shield values change in simulation?
You can/will spend hours just simulating fittings. And if you get a nice result, it’s even fun!
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It’s good to carry multiple different kinds of ammo so you can be effective at different ranges. Some missions you want antimatter because you are in close and the extra damage helps more than being at close range hurts, other missions you want the long range ammo because you either need to stay at range to take less damage or it’s just not worth flying all the way over there to shoot a few small ships.
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I agree about the need for different ammo. But for rails mine is uranium, not antimatter.
It’s a numbers game though - Yuri’s choice might be correct.
If you plan to run from fast ships, extra effective range increases the time you can dps them, but reduces dps. If they catch up, but can’t speed-tank you, extra dps is nice. As a kiter using drones, the numbers favored more time / lower dps.
I don’t remember any L1/L2 missions where it seemed possible to brawl with the initial waves of rats, bit I very rarely set up for brawling, so I probably missed some opportunities. Later waves/groups, with fewer but larger ships, I can see it working, especially when you can spread them out via careful positioning.
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The career agent gave me Railguns and let me produce Antimatter ammo. I don’t think they are intended only to be used separately.
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That’s a solid fit. Two ammo types is probably fine. I wouldn’t choose lead though, you might not even be able to target that far.
Treat yourself to slightly improved rails. Scout or Compressed-coils shouldn’t be much more at all! If you’ve not already fitted them, I’d change one field extender rig for an anti-EM. Much cheaper and gives a pretty flat resist profile for very little reduced total ehp.
Do you need an MAPC? See if a cheap PDS won’t let you fit everything and will also help a touch with capacitor and shields.
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its better the way it is - aside from drones there is no real need to bother with em if he flies in caldari space
I haven’t missioned in years, but don’t you get a mix of pirate enemies in any space?
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Yea you get a good mix of all variants, some more than others.
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Hello, ok so I’m at level 2 now. I have bought the Caracal together with your fit for it. I got a little help from someone who donated me some ISK so I didn’t have to do all the career agents (yet).
Any notes on how to fly this thing? I probably need to use that missile guidance computer, wich is kinda new. I also bought the skills to start training them and I wondered if there is a more natural way of gaining skills like if you ever get gifted these skills automatically? I bought them now wich wasn’t that big of a deal. I have to wait one hour now for everything to be operational. I saw that on the wiki university page the caracal got a special recommendation for level 2 missions wich is nice.
And one more question, wich I noticed for the Kestrel already but probably is the same thing with the Caracal… because the missiles are pretty expensive I noticed that when grouping these launchers together sometimes I damage the enemy like almost completely and it would take only 1 more missile to finish them off. Is it recommended to not group them so you can spare a little ammo?
Edit: And I can only get 12km range from these missiles… Wich is kind of a pain.
Firstly, missiles are cheap - at least the T1 basic missiles are. Compare the missile cost of killing a mission ship with the likely bounty or loot from that ship and you’ll see you are normally in profit. The only costless weapons are drones (don’t loose them through) and energy turrets with the basic crystals - though they have other issues.
As an Amarrian pilot I still hate paying for ammunition, but given I use T2 and Navy crystals that both have limited life and are expensive then that’s an illogical hatred!
Skills: shy of buying skill injectors, it just takes time. That’s how Eve works. Eve is a unique game in many respects - and long may it remain as such.
Personally, I’m about 9 days off flying Minmatar HACs, and that’s taken about a month from “I’m going to…” to now. You have my sympathy, but the time gives you familiarity with what you can fly - learning strengths and weaknesses - which in the long run is more valuable. Life with Eve is a long-term relationship with a demanding and addictive mistress. You will love her, hate her, never forget her, and always want to see her again.
sighs deeply remembering light glinting off a shapely hull
Omega clones train at twice the speed of Alpha clones.
The Caracal is like almost all Caldari ships: you fight at range, keeping mobile to mange the incoming damage.
The Missile Guidance Computer when active increases range and application - how effectively the missile damages the target. It can be loaded with a script that makes it all range increase or all application increase (at the cost of the other).
If you are using heavy or assault missiles you’ll want improved application against ships smaller than a cruiser. Increasing the range has the obvious advantage of I can hit you, you can’t hit me!
Basic range: Training Caldari Cruiser has a good benefit to the Caracal’s missile range - 10% per skill level. And train the Missile Bombardment and Missile Projection skills.
Application is driven by two factors - the missile explosion velocity compared to the target’s speed (does the target out run the blast?) and explosion radius compared to the signature size of the target (is the blast wasted on empty space?). Massive simplification, but it’ll do.
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Ok well I am probably doing something really wrong cause I can’t hit anything in this ship.
Edit: and I have fitted the script… for whatever it’s supposed to do though…
I’m up against The Blockade (level 2). Eve Survival says I got to take out the tower first but I can’t even get in range before my ship is taking too much damage.
Caracal is great for easy mode L2 missions. Don’t use HAMs in missions. I’d use something like this. Put into pyfa or whatever and compare away. If you can’t fit T2 BCS, use T1 or, if you have them already, the expensive cross-linked ones. Don’t use fancy ammo and maybe two missile groups.
[Caracal, Caracal fit]
IFFA Compact Damage Control
Mark I Compact Power Diagnostic System
Ballistic Control System II
Ballistic Control System II
10MN Monopropellant Enduring Afterburner
Missile Guidance Computer I
Medium Shield Booster II
Eutectic Compact Cap Recharger
Limited Adaptive Invulnerability Field I
XR-3200 Heavy Missile Bay, Scourge Heavy Missile
XR-3200 Heavy Missile Bay, Scourge Heavy Missile
XR-3200 Heavy Missile Bay, Scourge Heavy Missile
XR-3200 Heavy Missile Bay, Scourge Heavy Missile
XR-3200 Heavy Missile Bay, Scourge Heavy Missile
Medium Semiconductor Memory Cell I
Medium Anti-EM Screen Reinforcer I
Medium Core Defense Capacitor Safeguard I
Yes, don’t use HAMs, mate. They are short range and hit small things poorly (well, so do heavies, but not as bad…). The heavies will go out past 30km though.
shield active tanks are hard for new-ish players and require quite a few crutches to make them work. Its more efficient to go with buffer fit and just laugh at NPCs in level 2 missions trying to shoot at you:
Caracal buffer fit with better application and damage and similar-ish sustained tank
[Caracal, Caracal fit]
Missile Guidance Enhancer II
Ballistic Control System II
Ballistic Control System II
Ballistic Control System II
10MN Monopropellant Enduring Afterburner
Missile Guidance Computer I, Missile Precision Script
Large F-S9 Regolith Compact Shield Extender
Large F-S9 Regolith Compact Shield Extender
Limited Adaptive Invulnerability Field I
XR-3200 Heavy Missile Bay, Scourge Heavy Missile
XR-3200 Heavy Missile Bay, Scourge Heavy Missile
XR-3200 Heavy Missile Bay, Scourge Heavy Missile
XR-3200 Heavy Missile Bay, Scourge Heavy Missile
XR-3200 Heavy Missile Bay, Scourge Heavy Missile
Medium Anti-EM Screen Reinforcer I
Medium Warhead Rigor Catalyst I
Medium Warhead Calefaction Catalyst I
Hobgoblin I x2
An art of quoting oneself:
If you’re having trouble with L2 missions, then you’re not going to be able to fit that ^
Also, way too tight on grid for missions where you know you want to swap to an MWD
One LSE and invul can be easily swapped for 2 rat-specific resists IF extra PG is needed.