Revisiting the Drake's fitting
30th July 2009 – 5.13 pmEven though it is a relatively simple matter of buying a new battlecruiser, back in high-sec, and fitting it out with identical modules, losing my Drake to Sleepers has the unfortunate effect of causing an irrational concern over the quality of the passive shield I am running. I pause to wonder if I could improve on my shield's performance, or even change to a more active set-up to utitise the untouched capacitor. I consider this an irrational concern only because it was the combined force of three Sleeper battleships that destroyed Lightness of Being, a pounding that was to prove too much even for an armour-tanked battleship. Even so, if the destruction of my ship leads me to seek an improved set-up it can't be an entirely bad event.
My first thought, to replace the shield power relays with shield rechargers, is a good reminder of why I should only consider my options so far when not in New Eden. Although it seems reasonable initially—lose a little recharge capability in favour of removing the shield power relays' drain on the capacitor recharge time, thus allowing for a more active fit—it overlooks the important point that shield power relays are low-slot fittings and shield rechargers mid-slot. Not to be deterred once I discover this I press on to examine my options.
The passive shield tanking fit I have been using gives a good shield recharge rate and some respectable shield resistances, and although it destroys the capacitor recharge rate this isn't a concern in a fitting that uses no capacitor charge. However, if I want to move from a passive set-up to a more active one I will need to enhance my capacitor's output. How much I need to boost the capacitor will depend on the active set-up chosen. I could fit shield hardeners in place of the shield amplifiers to increase my resistances a little further, including a shield booster would help survive short bursts of high damage, but to do either or both of these I will need to swap out a shield power relay or two and that will affect my shield recharge rate.
I have options on how to increase my ship's capacitor output. I can fit capacitor flux coils, which increase the recharge rate of the capacitor at the expense of its overall capacity. There are also capacitor power relays, whose drawback to increase recharge rate is decreased shield booster effectiveness. But first I ought to find out what I am able to fit before needing to think about boosting anything, so I strip all my mid- and low-slot fittings and experiment a little. My first alternative fitting includes:
mid-slots
3 × invulnerabilty shield
1 × large shield booster
1 × shield recharger
1 × large shield extender
low-slots
3 × capacitor power relay
1 × ballistic control system
The fitting isn't capacitor stable with the booster running constantly, but hopefully the capacitor will recharge quickly enough between boosts to sustain a decent shield recharge rate, whilst improved resistances compensate for the reduced shield capacity. I speak to my mission agent to get in to some action to test the fitting, being handed Cargo Delivery to complete.
Even though the shield holds it lacks the sturdy feel I got from the passive fit, warranting another experimental fitting.
mid-slots
4 × shield amplifier (one for each type of damage)
1 × large shield booster
1 × large shield extender
low-slots
3 × capacitor flux coil
1 × ballistic control system
This time I get to Intercept the Saboteurs! Whilst the tank holds up fine I don't actually use the active portion of it at all, which would suggest the shield power relays and an extra extender instead of the booster would be better, which is the initial fitting I am experimenting away from. I change this second fitting slightly, removing the flux coils and replacing them with:
low-slots
3 × capacitor power relay
before heading out to Break Their Will. This time, the tank doesn't hold—the power relays' impairment to shield boosting causing too much of a penalty for the booster to be an effective replacement for passive recharge rates—and I need to return to repair some armour damage on the Drake. Perhaps a compromise is needed.
mid-slots
4 × shield amplifier (one for each type of damage)
2 × invulnerability field
low-slots
2 × shield power relay
1 × capacitor power relay
1 × ballistic control system
With this fitting the capacitor is stable but I have no shield booster, a slower shield recharge rate and far fewer effective hit points, with no shield extenders. Despite getting the best shield resistances from any of the fittings, and understandably so, the tank is quite poor overall, probably mostly owing to the lack of shield extenders.
Despite a Drake exploding with my original fitting, a bit of experimentation highlights the fitting as probably optimal for my budget and current skills. In attempting to find a suitable active fitting I discover that the lack of capacitor is a good reason why the Drake is renowned for its passive set-ups, where trying to compensate for an inherent inadequacy can become an expensive and ultimately futile pursuit. Instead, I shall continue to use the Drake's strength, maintaining a massive shield and excellent recharge rate.
4 Responses to “Revisiting the Drake's fitting”
As we talked about, it really is a delicate balancing act in our Drakes. [Well, delicate in the sense of which side of the sledge hammer to stub your toe against.] There's a point where too much shield is less effective than adding more resists and where more resists are unsustainable due to cap and none of this even begins to address the actual enemy that you are facing who really wants nothing more than to smash your face in.
In reaching for an omni-tank [one that is fairly balanced against anything] in a drake, the thermal and EM amplifiers are sufficient, after which it is usually better to fit either an invulnerability shield or even a shield recharger. No matter what you do, someone [ok, a lot of people] will have suggestions and tell you to do it another way. I'd say keep with what works until it doesn't and then look for something else.
--
kf
Think your blog marked my last comment as spam?
Anyways, not trying to knock those fits down, serious just trying to help :)
But... (there's that but)
- Shield rechargers (mid slot) are worthless and it would be way more beneficial to fit something else in its place.
- Don't mix tanks (active/passive) as it doesn't work.
- The Drake is a passive boat.
It is not always a smart idea to fit one of each resistance hardeners and then put on two invul fields, as it is not really covering the resist holes. In this scenario, one resist might be raised just by a few percent (10%) when if the module was switched to the lowest resist type, that resist type could be boosted (another 20%, hypothetically).
And, it is not just about resists, resists reduce damage, but a solid shield buffer is still necessary to keep the recharge rate (very important in a passive boat) up. So instead of using all resist increasing modules, always fit at least 2 large shield extenders on the Drake (PvE wise).
On closing, it is always fun to play with fits, but the Drake has it pretty much all figured out. I hope you found my tips to be helpful and not demoralizing, and I hope you will take a look at on of my fits that has never ever failed me in the thousands of activities I have put it through.
[Drake, L4 Mission - PvE copy 1]
Co-Processor I
Ballistic Control System II
Ballistic Control System II
Ballistic Control System II
Ballistic Deflection Field II
Ballistic Deflection Field II
Heat Dissipation Field II
Heat Dissipation Field II
Large Shield Extender II
Large Shield Extender II
Heavy Missile Launcher II, Scourge Fury Heavy Missile
Heavy Missile Launcher II, Scourge Fury Heavy Missile
Heavy Missile Launcher II, Scourge Fury Heavy Missile
Heavy Missile Launcher II, Scourge Fury Heavy Missile
Heavy Missile Launcher II, Scourge Fury Heavy Missile
Heavy Missile Launcher II, Scourge Fury Heavy Missile
Heavy Missile Launcher II, Scourge Fury Heavy Missile
Small Tractor Beam I
Core Defence Field Purger I
Core Defence Field Purger I
Core Defence Field Purger I
Hobgoblin II x5
This version pushes out about 400 DPS with my average skills, more than enough tank for most (95%) level 4 missions, and resists are easily bumped up and switched.
A T1 version can be easily replicated, though not as powerful, is going to power through any level 3 mission with ease.
If you just need a tank in a super hard L4 mission, switch out the low slots with shield power relays and this thing can tank any L4 there is.
Best of luck!
Sorry about being marked as spam, and thanks for reposting.
I always appreciate more feedback and I think you make some good points. Your fit makes a lot of sense for PvE missions and is similar to what I would fit for the same situation. However, what I think I failed to state explicitly is that I am trying out fits specifically for Sleeper engagements, which is why I am aiming for an omni-tank rather than to cope with rat-specific damage.
I'm looking to rig the Drake with some core defence field purgers, once I stop sweating about the cost.
Fin: thanks for the feedback and suggestions. I think the conversation in-game the other night might have been at cross-purposes too. I probably am confusing myself or others about what it means for the Drake to have an 'active' tank. I suppose a traditional active tank has a booster of some kind, but I find the Drake's capacitor to be so weedy that it has no chance of supporting a shield booster without making too many sacrifices to the shield capacity and recharge rate.
My idea of an active Drake shield tank was putting hardeners on for resistance instead of relying on amplifiers. In this case, it may be possible to boost the damage resistance of my Drake whilst keeping the recharge rate of the shield, but the capacitor is only just stable and won't be able to support any remote repairing.
To make a shield booster as effective as a passive recharge fit would require remote energy transfer to the Drake to sustain the capacitor, which relies on other ships. But it seems to me that if I am not getting hit I won't be using my capacitor anyway, not needing to boost, and there is simply not enough capacitor energy in the Drake to help remotely repair a battleship's armour, so an active fit just won't be beneficial. If I am being hit, I can get a similar recharge rate through boosting but at the cost of another ship's capacitor, so I may as well fit a passive tank. Or, at least, a self-sufficient tank.
I don't mind :)
To take the setup I suggested into class 1, 2, 3, or 4 W-space, just use one of each type of hardener and it is good to go.
Rigs are invaluable, especially on the Drake. Once Apocrypha 1.5 is released, you should really look into using them!