Ripard Teg analizes the latest changes to the missiles.
Jester’s Trek: Fire Ze Missiles
So, what I presume are the finalized missile changes have been announced by CCP Fozzie. It isn’t pretty. Changes since version 1.0 are in italics.
All Missiles
Increase missile acceleration so that real range is much closer to the client assumed range of flight time*speed against a stationary target. This means a slight range buff for all missiles, and missiles will act in a way that is more intuitive to newer players.
Short Range Missiles
Change the Guided Missile Precision skill, as well as all associated implants and rigs to affect all sub-cap missiles
Reduce HAM launcher PG requirements by 10%
Light Missiles
Decrease all Light Missile Launcher fitting requirements by 2pg and 4cpu
Explosion radius reduced from 50 to 40
Damage increased by 10% (rounded to closest digit)
Affects all variant light missiles, including FOF.
Heavy Missiles
Base flight time reduced by 35%
Base velocity increased by 14.66%
In total, base range reduced by ~25%
Damage decreased by 10% (rounded to closest digit)
Explosion radius increased by 12%
Affects all variant Heavy missiles, including FOF.
Tech Two Missiles
Remove ship penalties from tech two missiles (ship velocity and signature radius)
Precision: Increase bonuses to explosion velocity to +20%, increase damage to match T1 missiles
Fury: Increase damage bonus to +35%, reduce flight time to 50% of T1, unify penalties to explosion radius (+72%) and velocity (-16%) across the sizes
Javelin: Just remove ship penalties
Rage: Increase damage bonus to +35%, Unify flight time to match T1, unify velocity penalty (-16.7%), unify penalty to explosion velocity (-14%), increase penalty to explosion radius (+72%)
Tracking/Range Mods and Ewar
Tracking mod and disruptor changes moved out of this release until the first set of changes settles a bit
First, the good news, and there is actually a good amount of that. HAMs and Torpedoes are about to become pretty damn awesome, and Light Missiles will be improved. In particular, for HAMs, their fitting requirements are being reduced fairly substantially. This is going to create a new tanky HAM Drake. Currently, it’s tough to fit an LSE to a HAM Drake but that’s going to change. This will result in a close-range high DPS brawler that’s going to completely shatter people’s current perception of the Drake. Don’t get me wrong: for the CFC, they’ll still be useless. More on that in a bit. But for small-gang PvPers… seriously, start training for HAMs now because they’re gonna be pretty sweet out to point range.
If that’s not awesome enough, the Guided Missile Precision skill, previously limited to long-range missiles, will work with short-range missiles as well. This isn’t a big deal for Rockets… maybe they’ll be a little better in AF versus AF battles. But for HAMs and Torps, this is a very big deal and I’m looking forward to it.
Finally, the new yet-to-be-named Caldari missile destroyer will benefit from a fitting buff to Light Missile Launchers and a gentle buff to their damage. The Minmatar get a similar skirmishing destroyer. If it works the way CCP intends, looks like a few more kiting ships are on the way to space near you.
Let’s get to the not-so-good news.
Tracking Computers, Enhancers, and Disruptors are no longer going to nerf or buff missiles. So those of you that were thinking about actually un-docking in your Pilgrims can go ahead and put them back into moth-balls again. And without the ability to disrupt missile fire and with Guided Missile Precision now working for these dangerous close-range Drakes and other missile ships, tackling them is going to be doubly dangerous.
Those of you that had dreams of reclaiming the HML Drake’s range advantage with a single Tracking Enhancer taking the place of a Ballistic Control Unit are likewise out of luck. The latest State of the Goonion implies pretty strongly that the GSF will be abandoning their signature Drakes for rail-fit Rokhs likely taking the place of both their Drake fleet (and for light duty) their Maelstrom fleet. Heavier duty work would seem to be the future province of GSF’s version of PL SloCats. So inflation is hitting hard all over. 
The lack of TE bonuses also puts paid to the idea of greatly extended ranges on torpedo-fit battleships, which is probably one of the main reasons why the idea was scuttled for now. Pity too, because I was looking forward to a renaissance of extra-long-range torp Ravens and Typhoons. It might still happen, but it won’t be soon.
These changes, though, pale next to the continued savaging of the Heavy Missile Launcher. While the damage nerf is being reduced somewhat, from 20% to 10%, the explosion radius is also being increased. That’s mostly going to impact the HML’s ability to damage the new destroyers and armor HAC gangs. Damage from an HML Drake to a Guardian will essentially be cut in half. It’s a big nerf. The 25% range penalty also remains, adjusted slightly to impact missile flight time instead of velocity. Missile velocity is actually being buffed twice over which is going to somewhat help the HML’s ability to actually deliver damage on target in a timely fashion.
But it won’t much matter because fewer people will be fitting the things.
This comes out most clearly in the Fury missile nerf: range on Furies is getting cut in half on top of the 25% nerf already being implemented for T1 missiles. This is going to cut Fury missile range to 29.5km on a Drake, or not much more than HAM range. Their explosion radius is also being massively nerfed. Furies will no longer be effective against cruisers and HACs and will lose much of their current effectiveness against other BCs, particularly armor BCs.
The price of Scourge Furies on the Jita market fell by 20%… today. Players are clearly seeing the implications and are rapidly dumping their stocks.
Finally, though, I end with one more bit of mixed news: Rage missiles, while still getting the large nerfs to explosion velocity and explosion radius, are getting a stronger damage buff. That’s going to further serve to drive people toward HAMs for all of their current medium missile applications, I expect. Again, if you haven’t trained HAMs already, start start start. They’re going to be the go-to missile in 2013.
So overall, quite bad news for lovers of HMLs Drakes and Tengus. You’ve got a couple more months to do your thing with these ships. Get them insured, get them into fights, and try to lose them. Or get busy training HAMs and prepare to do some refitting come the winter. When I say “fire ze missiles”, the word “fire” has more than one meaning.
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Good, and about time too…
Time for Dual LSEs HAM brawling Drakes. Also, Drakes were the only battlecruisers I had troubles dealing with with my Talos (Most BCs are short range fit). So it's all good
Another ship that's on the line of OP, Talos'.
I am looking forward to the single LSE medium neut HAM drake.
I used this ship forever in 2009 back when peeps thought Drakes were only newb PVE boats and scored tons and tons of kills
7 Hams
Scram
Web [both needed because its slow.]
Med Nuet to kill Frigs AB/MWD and so drones can kil lthem
This could take on 95% of all Cruisers etc, actually I had alot of legion kills, the Nuet helped alot but also Hams poor on TONS of DPS when used right.
My new favorite solo ship will be my HAM Tengu with 6 Hams that actually hit Cruisers and a web and long point=120k EHP 600 DPS monster
gonna dust off my ham cerb
Always preferred HAM Drake anyway
Here comes another missile nerf.
Buff. Only missiles being nerfed are the HMLs, which were insanely OP
its good to do these changes… however, delaying the effect of Tracking enhancers on range is certainly not a good idea as it limits the game options.. it should be released with missile changes
It makes sense in the way that CCP wants to see if tracking enhancers will cause missiles like Torpedos, which are already getting a buff with the skill change, to hit smaller ships than they should be able to for near full damage.
However, holding off on the Tracking Disruptor change is a bad idea imo, it keeps the Pilgrim mothballed for one, and it maintains the inability to tracking disrupt the Drakeblob[TM]/Tengublob[TM]
I loved HML's 60k+ range but will enjoy the up close brawler more I think
And ccp nerfbats heavy missiles into oblivion. Why is it not surprising…
B/c there were overpowered?
And Assault Launchers continue to be the most useless weapon system in the game.
LOVE
THE
H.A.M.
DRAKE.
Not that a HAM Drake (in a hands of a skilled pilot and experienced payer) is now a beast, in winter will be something that will TANK better and do DAMAGE better to anything above cruiser hull.
Me liky that.
P.S.Also, HAM Tengu…I simply like this "nerf".
right? I enjoy my 550 DPS tengu. Who cares that it can't spam missiles out to 100 km. All you really need is 30 anyway. I mean, otherwise, shit can get away.
But your damage also got it in the ass.
Calls for nering OP HAM Drake in 3…2…1…
That will make people forget about crying about T3s
* Nerfing
“Don’t get me wrong: for the CFC, they’ll still be useless. ”
Because the CFC is the only entity in EVE currently using Drakes in PVP. At all. Anywhere.
Seriously, I cam back to EN24 thinking “Maybe this article on *game mechanics* will be interesting. Instead, I find the usual political drivel.
Shut up whiny goon.
CFC might not be the only entity that uses drakes; CFC does rely on them far more heavily than they should.
Because jesters trek = evenews24
lol
Cause people don't use Drakes on Battlecruiser roams everywhere.
/Facepalm
Fury cruise CNR even better if this goes through (boost to dps and explosion radius)
Torp Golem – PvE's once and future king?
Will it make the Sacrilidge vaguely useful again?
I hope someone try`s alot of Torp-Firewall-Phoons now…..With Precision working for torps it will be alot better tracking.
My Firewall Phoon has 3 large Smarties 5 Torps and can hit 1200 m/s while firewalling back and fourth in any Armor BS gang while murdering anything BC and up at 20km.
Also the Nuet Phoon will be better than ever. 5 Torps 2 Heavy Nuets-1 NOS kills anythings cap fast while you suck another ships cap, obviously you need booster or better yet energey transfer assist.
Its like a low range Curse had a baby with a Raven who chose Armor
More exciting is Phoon fleet issue.
HAM Tengu?
/Derp
Ham tengu hits at 45km with range rigs and can hit at like 60 with jav. Without the speed nerf on jav HAMs you should use them. I do plexes with a HAM tengu in the current iteration and it works fine. Of course, I'm not doing 7-8-9-10/10s, but a T3 shouldn't be able to do that level of plexing in the first place. They aren't supposed to be efficient at level 4 missions even. Battleships are.
Also you can make 5 launcher Ham 100 AB`s that totally mitigate any DMG, what we used in WH`s.