Upcoming changes to FAXs will result in a 37% reduction in local/remote reps. If the percentage wasn’t a clue to just how big the nerf would be, CCP stated, “this is a very large change.”
July 18th, 2018 CCP Rise laid out plans for Force Auxiliaries Balance Suggestions on the Eve Forums. The post has had 9.5k views, with 192 users posting over 400 replies to CCP Rise’s request for input on the topic and suggested numbers. J-space fights and small gang skirmishes are the most used examples being cited by capsuleers both for and against the changes.
The post listed the primary goals of the proposed balance changes as:
Reduce remote rep/s from triage substantially
Increase duration for remote reps (to create larger time windows for target switching)
Reduce local rep/s from triage substantially
Triage:
Remote Rep Duration (all) reduced to 65% (was 75%)
Remote Rep Amount (all) increased to 500% (was 450%)
Local Rep Amount (armor/shield) reduced to 75% (was 120%)
Capital Remote Armor Repairer:
Duration increased to 15s (was 12s)
Capacitor Need increased to 2440 (was 1950)
Capital Remote Shield Booster:
Duration increased to 20s (was 16s)
Capacitor Need increased to 3300 (was 2640)
Special notes: Capacitor need increase is to keep cap cost/second consistent with current values.
As the time of writing, Brisc Rubal -a pilot with the CSM tag- has the most posts, 49, 150% more than the next avid commenter. From the tone and evidence Brisc Rubal presents, “That’s not a nerf – that’s a realignment to keep the cap requirements the same after the other nerfs,” it is fair to say he is 100% in favor of the “Large Nerfs”. His primary reasoning being, “Local rep is an issue for subcap fights where one side brings in a FAX or two. This is especially acute in WHs.”
While the bulk of the comments were negative on the subject, nothing new for a balance post, there was a pilot with very balanced rebuttal to the changes, Arrendis.
Arrendis’ post looked deep into the main most talked about examples to date, and disproved how “conclusive” they made the need for the nerfs. If you enjoy reading a well thought out reply, take a second and give their post a go, I don’t think you will be disappointed.The one shining light from the post, “This is not set in stone and before we move forward we want to validate the need for such a large change with the community as a whole.” Some have already stated that if CCP is posting about it “figure it as gossip,” but as we have seen with recent Abyssal Deadspace balances they are listening to player feedback, even if they don’t take all of it as actionable. Therefore, if you’re a FAX pilot, a pilot that benefits from them, or think they’re over powered please add your voice to the forum thread for the community.
Featured image credit: Razorien
