Nerf The Drake

I admit I don't read the CSM minutes. Never have, probably never will. I let lots of other people with more time on their hands read them and post the summaries and relevant bits on the forums and blogs for me to comment on.

Case in point: Corelin over at Mad Haberdashers points out this:

Source:  http://www.eveonline.com/council/transcripts/2011/CSM_CCP_Mettings_7-9_12_2011.pdf
The Drake: The CSM and CCP both acknowledged the need to rebalance the Drake, which ‘does everything too well’. CCP is considering giving it a more offensive role like a Raven or Caracal where it would lose the shield resistance bonus and the 5% Kinetic damage bonus and instead gain a rate of fire bonus and a missile velocity bonus. The CSM vehemently approved of this idea. CCP and the CSM also agreed that this possible change to the Drake would help add more uniqueness to the Nighthawk, which is presently overshadowed entirely by the Drake.

[Emphasis mine]

If you study the Caldari lineup you know there is a pattern in the ships of the line: there is a missile based ship and a hybrids based ship (excluding Destroyer class). In all cases the missile ship gets two missile offensive bonuses, and the hybrid ship gets an optimal range bonus and a 5% shield resistances bonus per level.

Except the Drake. It gets one missile bonus and the 5% shield resistance bonus per level. The result is that the Ferox was doomed. You see, the pattern is that the missile ship is a varying degree of a glass cannon and the hybrid ship has a big passive shield tank and long range sniping. But the Drake breaks that rule with decent missile damage (7 bonuses hardpoints) and a shield tank superior to that of its sister ship. There became very little reason to select the Ferox over the Drake from that point forward.

This is all to say that I support getting rid of the Drake's resistance bonus and giving it another missile bonus (preferably one to missile velocity for more range). Combined with the hybrid boost and the 6 turrets it now has (one was added only a couple years back) the Ferox might even stage a comeback.