Hi. I’m still a relative newbie to Eve as I know many players have been at this game for years, so please forgive me if my question (idea?) has been mentioned before or has an obvious answer.
Just for fun I got a shiny new Velator with the standard civilian fittings and went out mining in HS. I have three Skiffs and an Orca but was bored so left them docked up. Anyhow, I found rats in the asteroid belts and found that my newbie Velator was still very able to take care of them with relative ease. In fact, my Skiff just ignores them these days as they hardly even scratch my shields. So to my question or idea…
Does it seem reasonable that three npc frigates can be so easily outclassed by a single Velator? My idea (or ask) would be to perhaps make the npc rats in HS tougher to handle, more of a threat or challenge.
Three player controlled frigates would have me running for cover in my Skiff (not to mention in my Velator), so surely there should be little difference if those same frigates were npc controlled save for tactics and varied ship fittings. At the moment npc frigates in HS asteroid belts are like flies to be swatted away or simply ignored as they beat ineffectually against a ship’s shields. I think it would be much more interesting if these frigates could pose a real and serious threat, even to a player controlled mining barge. I know they are in HS and that LS rats may be stronger, but I would propose to let the HS npc rats be as deadly as the Sansha npc frigates during an incursion in HS space. So much more fun.
To give an example of how easy the HS rats are to kill, I have taken to parking my Skiff next to a Guristas Refuge, deploying drones, and then just salvaging while the rats die all around me. Such a situation should see the rats seeing a Skiff off in a good short order. At the moment the rats in HS seem to have pop-guns. On the other hand I tried the same thing with a group of Sansha rats during an incursion in HS (as I thought they would be just as weak) and barely escaped in a very beaten up Skiff.
Many may say “Go to LS or Null”, but I die every time I do at the hands of a PvP player and so i am not ready for that yet. Incursions are awesome in HS as you really have to be on your toes even when mining. HS should be that much fun all the time. Just a thought. 
I’d like to know what others may think.
Try to mine with your skiff in a system with an active Forward Operating Base first and then tell us how you like that.
To be fair, the belt rats should be tougher. An AFK venture with a single tech 1 drone can handle them, and that is too weak. They don’t need to get to FOB levels, but double or triple the EHP & DPS they have at present would make them a little challenge without becoming annoying to experienced and well fitted players.
Bear in mind a new player with a noob ship shouldn’t have hard time in a belt.
Mining anoms have tougher rats. Turn more belts into anoms. Solves a lot of issues including this one.
I have to disagree with this. They should have a hard time but a well fitted with meta modules corvette should be able to win without warping out. No skills + basically no modules should present a challenge for the ‘low end content’.
That way they can see their progress initially against the weak end of rats as once they get some T2 modules or a better frigate or destroyer they’ll see the difference.
But the current level of belt rats you can just about kill them with the free ship setup without adding any modules to it at all.
Hey again. I found Guristas Forward Operating Base in Tuuriainas and Kaaputenen. Go mine there. You’ll probably have fun in that system after a while.
This just means new players mine even slower, making them spend more time fighting, swap ships or go else where. Why is this good for the game?
Even if you make belt rats tougher, they will never be tough enough to threaten exhumers. Only make it a struggle for new players.
No one should be seeking tougher rats in belts. They will always be inclusive for the weakest and most cash deprived players.
Anoms on the other hand can provide the progression you describe.
Maybe there could be some improvements on that front but it’s not so important now. There are more critical things to work on.
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