Damnation at last

Seventy days isn't so long. Then again, the path always looks shorter when looking back. Re-treading your steps lets you gloss over long and slow periods of little change, the occasions when you pause to wonder if you are still heading in the right direction, and the journey always seems easier when you know it can be made, instead of the uncertainty that stretches ahead of you at the beginning. It was over two months ago that I started on my skill training plan directly towards piloting a Damnation fleet command ship, and there is no clearer sign that it was worth it as when I don't think twice about making my most expensive purchase in New Eden so far.

I find a good deal on the command ship, a region or two away from home, and, sadly, dump my Crane to take newly christened Bad Badtz Maru out for a test flight. Oh, and to get fitted. The ship skill bonuses are impressive, but I understand that they are only really effective when modules are installed. I have to admit that I have been so intent on keeping to the scheduled plan, and I really surprise myself by sticking rigidly to the training plan, keeping only the required skills in the queue and ensuring that the queue remains full and relevant, I forget to research Damnation fittings. Picking what to fit is not as straightforwards as a new ship normally would be for me, because I can't just throw on a shield tank and launchers, what with the command ship being Amarrian technology. Although the Damnation can fit launchers, which is part of its appeal, I need to concentrate on the armour.

Of course, the first three modules fitted are obvious for me, buying the three armoured warfare gang links, after which I fill the remaining high slots with heavy launchers. I then take some hints on how to fill the remaining Damnation slots from my corporation nemesis. I fit four capacitor rechargers in the mid slots, and then harden my armour tank in the lows. I don't have the powergrid to complete the fitting as required, though, so some fiddling is needed. Luckily, my nemesis is around to annoy for information.

As I am going to fulfil a support role with the Damnation, probably flying it exclusively in wormhole operations, I don't need to rely on much DPS, letting me remove one of the heavy launchers to reclaim some grid. To compensate for one fewer launcher, a drone augmentation link is added, letting my drones hit targets further out than normal. The released power lets me add a second set of 1,600 mm armour plates, boosting my buffer significantly. Training further in command ships, each level giving the Damnation 10% more armour, will give my ship a formidable tank, particularly with the huge resistances I can achieve with various skills and modules.

Another suggested change is to remove one of the capacitor rechargers in a mid slot to replace it with a sensor booster. The capacitor remains stable with one recharger less, so I take a look at the sensor booster, which can increase targeting range or locking speed. I am not convinced it will come in useful at first, as the targeting range of the Damnation is a little over 60 km and the heavy missiles fired from my Drake only hit to around 65 km, so increasing the targeting range seems superfluous and improved target locking speed is more of a benefit to PvP. However, I fail to take in to account the Damnation ship bonuses for having trained the battlecruiser skill, which boosts missile velocity by 10% per level, instead of the missile damage of the Drake. A quick calculation suggests that my heavy missiles can power their way to over 100 km! To hit that far out with heavy missiles seems incredible to me, but if it is true I will certainly first need to be able to lock on to targets at that distances. I fit a sensor booster with a targeting range script.

In fact, the Damnation's capacitor remains stable with only a single recharger in a mid slot, letting me add a couple more handy modules. My completed first fitting of the Damnation is:

high slots
3 × heavy launcher
3 × armoured warfare link
1 × drone augmentation link

mid slots
1 × sensor booster, with targeting range script
1 × capacitor recharger
1 × target painter
1 × 10 MN afterburner

low slots
1 × damage control
3 × armour hardener; thermal, kinetic and EM
2 × 1,600 mm armour plate

I am relying on the fleet to repair any damage I sustain, but I also don't plan to fly Bad Badtz Maru outside of a fleet, not with this fitting at least. The armoured warfare links will help with passive armour resistances; reducing capacitor needs or armour repair modules, either local or remote; and decreasing the cycle time of armour repair modules, to speed up repairs.

Now I simply need to pilot the Damnation to w-space so that I can give it a proper test flight. I am a little wary about putting it in to such a hostile environment as my introduction to its systems and capabilities but, unless some capsuleer pirates show up, I can't think of a better test of my new, shiny, most gorgeous and coveted Damnation fleet command ship.

Posted in Gaming |
Tags: damnation, eve online, mmorpg, penny ibramovic, w-space