RIP Drones

PvE Gameplay Center Missions
1

Seams all the methods to prevent drone agro are now moot.
Doing missions you don’t seem to be able to rely on using drones effectively.

I am in a Golem targeting and shooting missiles at rats and still drones get killed.
Do a Burner missions drones now useless unless you need to escape as the Burner will always drop scram on you and target your drones.

This kills off quite a few meta options aka drone boats.

CCP needs to find a better medium for Null ratting personally I feel they take the easy option. A better way would be to make the sites less brain dead boring.

2

Did they change something? Haven’t noticed anything being different recently… and even the Event Sites where NPCs are ultra aggro on drones are doable in DroneBoats…

3

I just came back from null and been a year since done pve missions. So its a limited exposure to recent changes. My Golem applies well to frigs and so does my Nergal for Burners but I love drone boats as well.

4

I work on shooting all the small hull class NPC’s first, then launch Drones to help take out med and large hull class NPC’s… If more small hull class NPC’s spawn, I’ll recall Drones and switch targeting to those NPC’s… If some of those small hull class NPC’s manage to get up close under my guns, I’ll relaunch Drones to attack them.

Usually the Drones don’t take much damage when doing that… Course my main weapon is projectile so I’d say my Drones are sitting in Drone Bay about 70% of the time…

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5

With the exception of whichever small ships are the trigger, i tend to work the same as DMC. Which i assume they do the same.

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6

I’m having no issues with my drones. I’m using Sentries at range though. Armageddon Navy Issue with cruise auto targeting split into two groups and stagger their start. I put a target painter in the mid and just pick off the small stuff then focus fire with the missiles. Runs a Blood Haven in a single tick

7

There are different types of drones for different reasons. Light for smaller craft, Medium for medium-size craft and Large for larger craft. And Sentries can take out a lot of all types.

If you are using medium or heavy drones to fight frigates and destros, then yes, there will be issues. Try switching to faster drones and they will take less damage. When you have drones out and enemies are engaging you, that is what you want. But when they start targeting your drones, pull back those that were targeted and then relaunch them and they won’t be locked anymore.

8
  1. (Most) Burners have always gone after drones with a vengeance.
  2. The (NPCs) in most missions and ratting have similarly been hard on drones. I lose a light drone every now and then.
9

Drones are still effective in PvE. You just have to know how to handle aggro and how to juggle your drones.

I’m probably one of the few people who uses a Proteus for C3 ratting. I’ve had to deal with rats smart enough to attack my drones.

What’s your problem?

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