Since Mobile Tractor Units, the noctis kind of feels, pointless, sad too, it was one of the first ships I aimed to fly to help salvage my friend’s L4 missions when I first started the game.
Any ideas how to change it? With MTUs everything a noctis can do, a tech 1 destroyer does better for a fraction of the price due to it having faster warp, increasing overall efficiency.
So far some of my ideas is
-Reduce build costs so that they’re closer to what a tech 1 industrial should be
-replace the salvager speed bonus with guaranteed 100% salvager attempt role bonus (no loot is still a possible)
-improve its tractor + sensor range to 2-3x the ammount of a MTU
-Give it the role ability to scan down wrecks with probes
Most of time salvaging takes is mostly from locking up the wrecks, the speed bonus on a noctis doesn’t do much, the drones even more so.
You’re roughly paying 70x more to salvage for very little gain, and most of that extra salvage speed can be made up by the align time and warp speed of a destroyer.
It can’t be made as cheap as a T1 hauler, but certainly could be somewhat cheaper. Bit faster to warp, bit more agile, bit more cargo. A mix of small buffs.
No salvage fail probably isn’t imbalanced, but takes away a level bonus.
I find that the MTU is slow if the wreck field is large, so unless you leave it an hour then there are wrecks quite far away that need to be pulled closer so I sometimes use the Noctis for that. I tend to not use salvage drones and salvage the wrecks too.
In saying that I’ve had my Noctis a while and so it may not be worth buying one if you don’t have one already.
On the old forum someone had an idea for an AoE tractor module that I think should be unique to the Noctis, that can pull every wrecks and containers in a radius simultaneously.
Combine that with wreck probing and the Noctis will be awesome!
I tried a Noctis despite it being much worse and it was the most intense ship in the game to fly; tractoring, salvaging dscanning, opening and looting containers. Wish it was maybe more like a faster MTU or something. Yes really like that AoE tractor module idea.
Noctis is still the fastest salvager and tractors faster than an mtu. And an mtu can be shot in hi-sec by anyone.
The mtu has spoiled things, but not enough to warrant making the noctis ridiculously broken. Nerf the mtu before you buff the noctis. Its the mtu thats the problem.
Absolutely no afk noctis. Its the afk play of the mtu that has ■■■■■■ the salvage market. Don’t make it worse!
I agree that the Noctis is due for an update to make it the king of salvage again.
Two ideas:
As a role bonus, either allow the bonus to tractor beam range (+60% per lvl) to be stacked, or replace the current tractor range bonus with a flat +25km per level. Either way, that should max out tractor beam range at between 120km and 130km at level V. Keep the tractor beam speed bonus (maybe even knock down to 50% per level). A sensor booster with range script would be required to take advantage of this.
Give the Noctis a better bonus to salvaging. Something like +5 to +10% salvaging chance per level of Ore Industrial. Could probably go down to two rig slots to help balance this.
Edit - Nerfing the MTU would probably be another good way to make the Noctis the king of salvage, but would probably go over like a lead balloon with the majority of the Eve community (including myself).
Pretty sure I vomited that idea up at one point in time -,…,-
I wouldn’t mind seeing better align time and/or smaller mass, a salvage hold a slightly bigger standard hold. Should be able to pick up at least 4 combat sites worth of junk without needing to cargo expand and rig for it. Balance as needed.
It would be cool, main problem is, it would propablly affect salvage materials prices in negative way, and that would kick in ass relics exploration. It would be fun profession - scrap metal collector.