A little while ago, CCP Fozzie and CCP Rise have put out four separate posts on the forums, giving details on a few of the things we can expect to see in the coming Aegis update, which will go live on July 14th (delayed from July 7th). Here are the different things that CCP has told us, and a few of my ramblings to go along with it all.
Now, full disclosure, I never, EVER use missiles. I’m a huge gunnery nerd: Hybrids, Lasers and Projectiles have always been my favorite weapon systems. However, even as someone who might as well be engaged to the various gunnery weapon systems, the upcoming changes and balancing coming to missiles have me very interested in training up some missile skills. First off, CCP is buffing the HP on all missiles, so that they are less susceptible to Firewall defenses.
Firewall is a defensive tactic pioneered by the Initiative involving Battleships using smart bombs to destroy lot HP incoming missiles.
Not only that, but CCP have decided to add a new low and mid slot module that buffs your missile’s capabilities. For the low slot module, we have the Missile Guidance Enhancer, a module that increases missile explosion velocity, flight time and lowers the explosion radius. The Missile Guidance Computer is used in the mid slots. It’s essentially a tracking computer for missiles, doing the same thing as the new module, except it’s an active module that is loaded with either a Missile Precision or Missile Range script.
Heavy Missiles will also be getting a 5% damage increase across the board, and torpedo volume is being halved, allowing launchers to carry twice the amount of torpedoes.
Now, even as a huge gunnery geek, I find these missile changes very interesting. The few times that I tried fitting a missile ship, I always noticed the lack of modules specifically dedicated to them. I might fit up a Caracal after the patch hits and see just how good these new modules are!
A few more balancing changes are going to be coming up in Aegis as well. The Ishtar is getting a few nerfs: losing a mid slot, gaining a low, decreased mass, max velocity, agility and power grid. Drone Damage Amplifiers are also getting nerfed with lower % damage bonuses across the board. Finally, the buff train has given the Tempest a nice little boost: an increased bonus fire rate.
At last, the dreaded Ishtar changes are here. I’m looking forward to seeing if these changes finally dethrone the King of PvP, something that could perhaps promote more diversity from fleets across New Eden. I’m also glad to see a buff to the Tempest, since it’s a ship I don’t see much around the cluster. All in all, these balancing changes are definitely going to shake things up, none more than the last update we were given from CCP Fozzie: the fourth and final Tactical Destroyer, the Hecate.
Ever since the Confessor came out, the T3 destroyers have completely swept the meta by storm. They’re extremely good ships, and a lot of fun to fly as well. However, ever since the announcement of the Tactical Destroyer, I’ve been waiting for the Gallente version to satisfy my needs to dispense blaster-y goodness all across New Eden. Well, while we were given a small glimpse into the Jackdaw and the Hecate at Fanfest, CCP Fozzie has finally posted the final T3 destroyer’s stats, and it will most certainly be an interesting ship.
Oh gosh these stats. I need this ship in my veins ASAP. I can already foresee the different fits: people kiting with railguns, people brawling with blasters… it’ll be great, I can’t wait for the release of this ship. It also happens to have made Eve history, as it is the first ship to ever get a bonus to hull tanking.
Well, that’s all that CCP has given us for now, and my ramblings on the matter have ceased. If you liked the article and want to discuss the coming update, go ahead and post a comment, and I’ll ask my parents if I can use the computer to reply to you!
Fly safe, capsuleers. Or don’t.
Here are some links to the dev posts:
