Hey guys! First of all, sorry for the wall of text and thanks to everyone who comments 😊
I’m a player who really enjoys exploring nullsec with my Asteros. I use a filament, explore for a bit, use another filament, keep exploring, etc.
But quite a few times I’ve ended up in a quiet system with zero people in local, only to scan the anomalies and see that all of them are combat sites… So one day I thought: what if I build a ship that can both explore and run combat sites? My nights would be way more fun thanks to the variety 😊
So that’s what I’m doing! After thinking it through for a while, I put together a T3C Tengu with two fits: one for traveling and doing relic/data sites, and another one for combat.
Exploration / relic / data fit
[Tengu, FDD Branderson - Exploracion]
Signal Amplifier II
Ballistic Control System II
Warp Core Stabilizer II
Large Compact Pb-Acid Cap Battery
Multispectrum Shield Hardener II
Type-E Enduring Cargo Scanner
Pithum B-Type Medium Shield Booster
Federation Navy 10MN Afterburner
Zeugma Integrated Analyzer
Heavy Assault Missile Launcher II
Heavy Assault Missile Launcher II
Heavy Assault Missile Launcher II
Heavy Assault Missile Launcher II
Heavy Assault Missile Launcher II
Interdiction Nullifier I
Sisters Expanded Probe Launcher
Covert Ops Cloaking Device II
Medium Emission Scope Sharpener I
Medium Ionic Field Projector II
Medium Ionic Field Projector II
Tengu Core - Augmented Graviton Reactor
Tengu Defensive - Covert Reconfiguration
Tengu Offensive - Accelerated Ejection Bay
Tengu Propulsion - Chassis Optimization
Combat fit
[Tengu, FDD Branderson - Combat]
Ballistic Control System II
Ballistic Control System II
Ballistic Control System II
Pithum B-Type Medium Shield Booster
Federation Navy 10MN Afterburner
Large Compact Pb-Acid Cap Battery
Multispectrum Shield Hardener II
Missile Guidance Computer II
Shield Boost Amplifier II
Heavy Assault Missile Launcher II
Heavy Assault Missile Launcher II
Heavy Assault Missile Launcher II
Heavy Assault Missile Launcher II
Heavy Assault Missile Launcher II
Heavy Assault Missile Launcher II
Interdiction Nullifier I
Covert Ops Cloaking Device II
Medium EM Shield Reinforcer II
Medium EM Shield Reinforcer II
Medium Core Defense Field Extender II
Tengu Core - Augmented Graviton Reactor
Tengu Defensive - Covert Reconfiguration
Tengu Offensive - Accelerated Ejection Bay
Tengu Propulsion - Chassis Optimization
The thing is, yesterday after buying the combat fit, I decided to test it in high-sec (I thought it was a good idea to try it there before going to null-sec, just in case).
After flying around for a bit (HS is packed with people), I found a level 2 combat site, which my Tengu absolutely demolished. My shield never dropped below 99% during the whole site. And when I finished it, I got an escalation! I was honestly shocked, because that had never happened to me before. I checked the route: it was a 0.6 system, not far away, so I thought “why not?”
I head there, enter the site (escalation, level 3 combat site), and same story: my Tengu killing everything without any issues. And when I finish, I get another escalation message. And I’m like… damn… it’s late, I should go to sleep, but… screw it!!
This time it’s a 0.5 system. I check system activity and whether CONCORD is there or not because I wasn’t sure, but in the end I decide to go for it.
OH. MY. GOD.
20 ships spawn, then 30, then 40. Two drones appear, web me, and completely stop me. All 40 ships start blasting me, I overheat my shields and hardeners. I manage to kill the drones and warp out with my armor at 80%.
So… a few questions…
Question 1: Is the combat fit bad? Can it be improved a lot? Did I just get a particularly hard site? Or is the fit really poorly optimized?
Question 2: Before warping out, I got a bit greedy and killed several ships, and luckily another escalation popped up… Should I just forget about this new escalation because I might not make it out alive? Or is it not necessarily harder than the previous one?
Question 3: How good or bad of an idea is this overall? I mean, using a Tengu with two fits to explore and run combat sites depending on what I find.
Sorry for the wall of text and thanks!
EDIT: Add a picture of the Fit - https://imgur.com/a/GPZWRCs
Upgrade the battery to a republic fleet battery, same fitting much better stats also only about 30m
Okay, sounds good. But excuse me for asking, if I already have enough battery power, why do I need more? I mean, with everything activated, I have 50% of the capacitor left over.
With more cap you can do a lot of things, like upgrade the shield booster to large or swap the boost amplifier to second invul for more tank
Also some 6/10 ded sites have neut towers, if you plan to run them, a faction battery is must
Thank you! I knew it would make sense. I'll have to see if I have enough grid or CPU.
It's also useful defensively if you get caught. Overheating a shield booster both increases the amount of shield repaired per cycle, and lowers the cycle time, so it'll draw more cap per second. You might be stable with it overheated without the upgraded battery, but the closer you are to that 28% threshold, the more dangerous a single small or medium neut becomes.
Faction stuff is normally always easier to fit than T2
Sounds like you shot the ships that trigger the next spawn, and then the next spawn. Eve PvE is unforgiving sometimes, it helps to cheat and look up the combat sites on Eve uni before going into them. It will usually say which ships trigger a new wave to spawn.
OMG! That's true. I just checked EVE University, and I just destroyed the two ships that were bringing in new waves... Good advice to check this. Thanks.
So you see it’s not the fitting
hahahaha I'm sure the fit can be improved
Hacking in T3C is bad idea, you can easily die to the first bomber with 3 points and dps support. Jumping random nullsec combat site/sig even in blingy fit is very bad idea if you dont have ship fitted specifically against current rats - you will got pointed, neuted, may not have optimal missiles or simply die to alpha strike/dps. Even if youre not conviced yet your tengu has pretty limited cargo for missiles(which you will use a ton to clear NS sites), refits and loot so you will have to restock much sooner than you expect.
I usually play for 2 or 3 hours at night. Including the trip back to HS via Pochev. Maybe I don't have the stamina for long combat sessions, but that's not the idea anyway. My idea (perhaps mistaken) was to get a little variety. On the other hand... you're painting a very negative picture of being able to do combat sites. I had seen that with a Tengu I could do DED :(
I say go for it, I agree that it would be fun to sneak some sites it. Just be ready to abandon one if you see someone pop up in local.
Thanks for the encouragement!
What system are you flying in to need so much anti-EM? Are you down in Amarr/Bloodraider space? How much PG do you have left over? Providing a screen shot of your fit/stats would make it easier for us to suggest changes.
A colleague from the corporation recommended that I increase my EM in case someone hunted me down, as it was my lowest resistance. As I mentioned before, I usually use filaments and explore the random area where I appear. Please find here the fit: https://imgur.com/a/GPZWRCs
You have a cov ops cloak. Your best response to someone trying to probe/attack you is to simply warp away and cloak up.
You have a Subsystem bay which can carry an additional Subsystem to Swap Out when you Change your fit. You wont need the covert ops configuration in the Combat Sites (make Sure to Check the dscan and local often) So your Defensive system can be the regular shield boost improving one, which will Upgrade your Tank even further
That Tengu will die to the first hunter that has a nickels worth of sense or anyone that sees you in null sec and will be a shiny killmail.
If you wanna run nullsec combat sites, join a null sec alliance. It's not worth the risk of losing the amount isk you'll have tied up in one trying to run combats in hostile space. A single curse will destroy that "combat" Tengu. Don't run PvE fits in hostile space.
loki is better for what you are doing imo, since you arent locked into kinetic damage like the tengu. legion also a good pick because convenience of lasers, and event drugs, but you are locked into em/therm damage
Maybe! But the problem is that I don't have the skills for Amarr ships or there weapons