Just started eve a month ago. For now I’m just doing PvE missions. I’m gallente, and I’m using a vexor. lvl2 missions are quite easy (except for recon 1), so I’m thinking that maybe I should move on to lvl3 (already have 5.5 standing with SoE). But then, I don’t even have the second certificate for my vexor… I’m not sure if I should move into a myrmidon, or train for hammerhead II’s (8 days left…), armor rep 2’s, afterburner 2’s & train fitting & skills to V, etc. in other words, how important is it to get lvl 3-4 certificates / T2’s before moving on to lvl3?
my fit is below, but I think it works quite well.
Thx!
[Vexor, Feonar Cadelanne’s Vexor]
Drone Damage Amplifier II
Drone Damage Amplifier II
Medium ‘Accommodation’ Vestment Reconstructer I
Mission specific “Prototype” armor hardener
Mission specific “Prototype” armor hardener
10MN Monopropellant Enduring Afterburner
Eutectic Compact Cap Recharger
Medium Compact Pb-Acid Cap Battery
Denny Enduring Omnidirectional Tracking Link
Normal progression will take you from Level 1 (frigate) to Level 2 (cruiser) to level 3 (battlecruiser) and level 4 (battleship). Having traveled that path several years ago, I now wish I had spent more time developing my core skills and small/medium weapons - getting good at flying small ships.
You can run level 2 missions in an assault frigate, pirate frigate or tactical destroyer. Aim to get the certificates for level 3 mastery first. Pirate cruisers like the Gila can easily run level 4 missions once you have a bit of piloting skill - you’ll be using speed tanking to mitigate incoming damage. Strategic cruisers are expensive and skill intensive but can run just about any PVE content in the game.
The large weapons on a battleship will kill other battleships a lot faster than the medium weapons on a cruiser so, if level 4 missions play a large role in your plans, the normal progression is probably the best choice.
I’d recommend you do t2 medium and light drones as well as heavy drone operation to lvl4 to take full advantage of a myrmidon also get all your drone support skills to lvl4.
As far as tank for the myrmidon you want to go up to what we call t2 tank that is your armor repairer,damage control,hardeners etc. should be t2 modules or better.
The isk investment will feel huge for you but if you’re well trained you should recoup it decently fast.
Lvl3 is also where npc tackling frigates start appearing as well as masses of medium range cruisers/battlecruisers and elite frigate/cruiser rats along with heavy ewar begin.
So bottom line is get as many support skills up to lvl4 find a good tanky pve myrmidon(Google it) and start reading up on what you’ll expect in your missions on eve survival.
I’d recommend training for Gila, level III’s will be a breeze, with the added advantage of slaughtering DED 3/10’s and 4/10’s on the way to and from missions if you scan on the way.
Technically any correctly fitted BC can do any 3lvl and any BS can do any 4lvl. ‘Correctly’ means you do not use rapid lights and armor tank on drake and so on. Even meta modules and t1 drones are okay. ‘Technically’ means that you have Medium/Large micro jump drive which allows you to jump out and GTFO in a very short time. So you do not care about too high incoming dps or scrambling frigs and always have another chance.
So if you’re going to stick standard path (BC for 3lvl, BS for 4lvl) you can do it as soon as you can fit minimal fit (I’m not very good with fitting Gallente ships but as sun as you can fit Raven with meta cruise launchers, X-Large booster and MJD) - you’re ready for 4lvl. And it will be more profitable than doing 3lvl on BC and pimping BC.
TL;DR - find any appropriate BS. Get any recommended fit for 4lvl (just be sure to have MJD fitted), downgrade any stuff that you can’t use to meta4 and go 4lvl. Then fix you fit and skills accoring to issues you might have. T2 guns (drones for droneboats) are priority but you may want to have better tank first.
Another good idea is to nale newer players with you in frigates to handle the enemy smaller ship. My 1st experience of lvl IV’s was exactly this in my incurses, alongside a corpie in his domi.
He didn’t need me there of course, but it helped me and sped up his missions nicely too. The laser show you get as the BS in the site try to shoot your orbiting frigate are really quite pretty, and it keeps dps off your BS corpie.
I agree with answers about myrmidon, then gila, to do L3s as of now.
Doing L4 efficiently requires a lot more skills; while with medium drones V you should be very close to your max L3 mission.
Also train core skills : cpu/power/capacitor to IV the fastest possible (just after medium drones V and drone spes III ), for the gila shields also are useful. don’t get gallente BC skill too high, as soon as you have the funds you should hop in a gila.
Use Gnosis. You get all bonuses like if you would have racial BC at 5 already. Medium micro jump drive is awesome GTFO module in missions because NPC use disruptor, not a scrambler.
At least for the time being. It will let you do L3s whle you train up some of those core skills. L3s will net you plenty of isk for skill books and leave enough extra to start welping ships in PvP on occasion.
Since you like the game enough to be Omega, you should probably start thinking about what you want to do with this character longer term.
Remember that you do not have to do everything on one character (alts cut down on the skilling tradeoff decisions you need to make for long term play).
Level 3 rewards are much greater than level 2 and will get you to level 4s faster as well as LP etc… A vexor is capable of doing level 3 but to make sure you get the job done a Myrm would do well.
heck you could probably do most lv3s with that vexor. moving up to a myrm with a similar fit should make them go well with a myrm you get some extra slots for more damage or tank.
I wouldn’t worry about the certificates too much, if you wait till you have lv3-4 you will be overskilled. Additionally some of the skills are pretty irrelevant for mission running, and/or irrelevant for your fit. Can use the mastery to help guide your skill training.
I’d mostly try and focus on getting lv4 skills on the general skills and the things you use often, and then train lv5 skills you need for useful items like t2 drones. Things like CPU/PG management, weapon upgrades, the capacitor skills, targeting skills for the general skills, as these will help every ship you fly. Then things like the armor skills, and drone skills to help your vexor/myrm. And working on t2 small/medium drones will also help, I’d go for the lights first.
Dude, certificates are just CCP saying, 'Hey, keep that subscription up :)" You should ignore them completely.
Focus on getting into a BS with level IV skills across the board. You will be able to handle level 4s quite well while you are topping off skills to level V. A Domi is the most efficient level 4 mission runner I’ve ever used in my 9 years. Get your sentries and use faction until T2. Get your capacitor and armor resist skills up to V. Get a MJD and you’re golden to run level 4s until the end of time while you become more and more efficient as you cross off your skills.
wow, thx for all the replies! I’ll buy a myrmidon, start working on lvl4 skills and use faction mods before I switch to T2s, then. mjd is also a good idea
I’ll stick to a myrmidon simply because it’s cheaper (faction / pirate ships are really expensive for a beginner). Considered gnosis as well - it’s basically an (arguably better) myrmidon with significantly more (+20%) DPS but a bit worse tank (I get 34k effective HP against guristas; vs. 39k with myrmidon. Myrm also has higher ehp/sec gain). just need to grind a better ISK buffer before I buy the myrm. thx again!
this is the fit I’ll be using for the myrmidon:
[Myrmidon]
Drone Damage Amplifier II
Drone Damage Amplifier II
Medium ‘Accommodation’ Vestment Reconstructer I
Prototype Armor Thermal Hardener I
Prototype Armor Kinetic Hardener I
Damage Control II
10MN Y-S8 Compact Afterburner
Denny Enduring Omnidirectional Tracking Link
Medium Compact Pb-Acid Cap Battery
Eutectic Compact Cap Recharger
Medium Micro Jump Drive
250mm Prototype Gauss Gun, Antimatter Charge M
250mm Prototype Gauss Gun, Antimatter Charge M
250mm Prototype Gauss Gun, Antimatter Charge M
250mm Prototype Gauss Gun, Antimatter Charge M
250mm Prototype Gauss Gun, Antimatter Charge M
Medium Capacitor Control Circuit I
Medium Capacitor Control Circuit I
Medium Semiconductor Memory Cell I
Drone Navigation Computer. If one (or two) can be shoehorned in there (ideally with the skill drone navigation trained up some as well) your drones will be harder to hit and get to your targets faster.
Projectile weapons - even if they are the favoured weapons of those disgusting rust-loving traitors (/rp) - are the easiest on your capacitor. As the drones on a droneboat are it’s main weapons, turrets aren’t always all that important anyway depending on your personal preferences and the situation.
Replacing at least one of the turrets with a drone link augmentor might be something useful.
Maybe taking all the turrets out and seeing if you can get a 100MN oversized-for-that-hull afterburner in the fit might be doable (not sure on myrmidon). Orbiting something at 1000m/s / 30km while your drones blap npc is useful for getting to lvl 4s asap or ratting, if not the most fun possible perhaps.
I say grind to lvl4 missions, get yourself a Dominex and T2 large armour repairor / damage control, scream “YOLO, WAAAAGH!” at your screen whilst warping into hot zone knowing you might well lose that ship. Stupid? Maybe. Fun and a bit challenging? Yes. Anyway, that’s what I did. (of course…I do have an “idiot but at least not a chicken” medal…)
Going a BC is definitly the way to go.
Once you make the isk to move up to a battleship THEN start skilling for a battleship, in the meantime skill to fly the myrm well, as its skills transfer nicely to cruisers which is nice if you decide to move into pvp, and general skills are good all over.
I personally think the jump to pirate is too big for what it does to justify skipping steps.
Havent read all the comments so sorry if I’m already covering a base but: Alphas will have the standings and isk for lvl3s well before the skillpoints to properly fit a BC… So grind 2s and get them storylines! Once you can nonshitfit a BC, grind 3s for storylines.
In my tengu with 925dps I can BLOW through 3s so fast its great for faction standing boosts with getting multiple storylines per gaming session.
