Recently its become a thing where carriers are going out with sub cap fleets for smaller scale operations, acting as extra muscle in fights. Sometimes the fights escalate into Dreadnoughts and FAX machines, but many times the carriers are mostly unsupported except for the usual Logistic cruisers and the rest of the fleet. I wanted to get in on the action so I took my Thanatos out in a GalMil fleet and while I didn't get to use my fighters I did apply some energy neutralizers to one lone Ferox caught out of position.
I find it very interesting stepping back and looking at this evolution of Carriers. They used to represent a massive jump in power and cost over battleships but now the jump is definitely a lot less severe. With the right fitting and rigs carriers approach heavily tanked battleships in align time and warp speed, and since they can use stargates they can travel with the sub caps and not slow the fleet down appreciably. In exchange, they provide long range heavy hitting firepower.
Indeed, even in space the models of the carriers are barely a few percentage points larger than the battleships they now find themselves in the company of. It feels like CCP took the backdoor to the Assault Carrier idea I've floated a couple times.
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All I know is that the Archon and Thanny BPC's I used to sell have taken yet again a huge hit in value.
ReplyDeleteUsed to be able to sell them for both over 100M a shot, and that was for a 9/12.
Now, I can't get 10 M for an Archon, and barely crack 65M for a Thanatos BPC.
Thanks CCP...idiots.
Why Vince? Is that because there is greater competition for these ships now that they are more broadly useful? I know it's your shtick to just rage at CCP, but it would help your argument is you backed up it with some rationale.
DeleteWhen they announced the High-Angle Weapons I really expected that we'd see Dreadnaughts in play a lot more in battleship-level fights, so I started training towards a Moros. As I hear things like this and chat with corp mates it sounds like the Combat Carrier is a better option - and cheaper than a dread as well. I'm sure that Eve-Central isn't the best price measure for caps but that lists at Moros at 1.8B and Thanatos at 1.4B. Hmm, does the price of the fighters close that gap, actually?
ReplyDeleteThe cost of fitting and fighters does close the gap a bit, but I've heard that T1 guns on a dread is considered "scrub" and you need the faction weapons there too, so don't think you get much gap closure.
DeleteYeah, the real kicker is the expectation for shiny-ish fittings and a Slave pod on a ship that is considered to inherently be one that is meant to die practically everytime it is deployed.
DeleteThe price drop with caps makes them easier to undock. Carrier and Fax seems to have most fun per hour. Want to Triage, great, but you're going to need a Geno pod (400m) to fit an Active Rep Apostle.
ReplyDeleteGood corps have multiple bookmarks to bounce off so good pilots can protect that shinny pod. Mid-grade slaves are great, try them on a mach, nice ehp bump. Included a simple Moros fit, it's no Juggernaut... but gets the job done.
[Moros, Simple]
25000mm Steel Plates I
Capital Emergency Hull Energizer I
Centii A-Type Adaptive Nano Plating
Centii A-Type Adaptive Nano Plating
25000mm Steel Plates I
Magnetic Field Stabilizer II
Magnetic Field Stabilizer II
Capital Capacitor Booster I
Tracking Computer II
Tracking Computer II
Sensor Booster II
Sensor Booster II
Ion Siege Blaster I
Ion Siege Blaster I
Ion Siege Blaster I
Large EMP Smartbomb II
Siege Module II
Capital Trimark Armor Pump I
Capital Trimark Armor Pump I
Capital Trimark Armor Pump I