Level 4 Missions

[Thrawn]

Simple question, should I bother with level 4 missions before I can fit T2 modules for tanking?

I can fly a Raven but i can't fit T2 hardners and such yet so I'm not sure what to fit and if I should wait.

[IainC]

You can, you'll just need to be more careful.

Level 4 PvE is all about resists, killing the AFs first and making sure you're aligned before you draw aggro. Fit rat specific hardeners and sacrifice damage for tank until you've got the measure of things. Aim for a minimum of 70% resists on the primary damage types to be safe. 80% or better is optimal.

If you didn't already know, this is the rat damage types list:

• Guristas - Kinetic & Thermal
• Serpentis - Kinetic & Thermal
• Mordus - Kinetic & Thermal
• Blood - EM & Thermal
• Sansha - EM & Thermal
• Angel - Kinetic, EM, Thermal & Explosive
• Mercenary - Kinetic, EM, Thermal & Explosive

And here is a good mission guide.

[Simond]

Best named T1 modules are frequently better that the T2 versions, by the way - same or very similar stats, but easier to fit.

[Morat20]

Best named T1 modules are frequently better that the T2 versions, by the way - same or very similar stats, but easier to fit.

Just for the record -- L4s = Battleship, L3 = Battlecruiser, right?

I really need to buy a Domi.

[Thrawn]

I think I might wait anyways, after looking at it I'm only like a week from T2 fittings for almost all of the ship except high slots.  I just picked up like a 10 part mission to do anyways.

[dwindlehop]

Best named T1 modules are frequently better that the T2 versions, by the way - same or very similar stats, but easier to fit.

True except for shield boosters, armor repairers, and hardeners, which directly impact your tank.

[Polysorbate80]

You can, you'll just need to be more careful.

Level 4 PvE is all about resists, killing the AFs first ...And here is a good mission guide.

I would emphasize reading the guide before jumping in and killing off the frigs in any mission you're unfamiliar with; in some missions they're the triggers for the next wave (Guristas Extravaganza is a good example)

[bhodi]

I run level 4 missions in a raven, with normal t1 modules with only one two named. I have the XT-4000(?) cruise launchers. I "splurged" on these since they put out quite a bit more DPS than the normals and were still "reasonable" at a mil a piece. My skills are still poor; for example, I only have drones 3 and cruise 3. I can't actually fit anything of the t2 variety because of my low skills.

I also have named active hardeners, since they are cheaper(!!) than the normal t1 varieties.

I do fine as long as I research the mission, fit the appropriate hardeners, warp out to recharge shields and cap, and have patience. Because my skills suck, I can't fit a NOS in the high (not enough cpu), so my cap runs out fairly fast if I take a lot of damage. In X extravaganza, I generally have to warp out once per room.

You just have to be a lot more careful; there's very little 'wiggle room' if things start to go sour so you have to know your limits, kill the right targets first (web/scramble), and make sure you don't kill the trigger spawn. Otherwise, you're fucked and you won't be able to finish the mission until the next day.

With all that said, it's still more effective for me to run them than running l3s, because of the increased ship bounty. You make your money up pretty fast. Also, the battleship class drops a lot better salvage and loot in terms of cash than cruisers/battlecruisers. It's not uncommon to get a gun or a BS class MWD/AB that can sell for 300-500k.

In the weeks ahead, I'm going to try my hand at a mining rokh to see how that compares. I'm looking at doing the semi-afk thing, since I can put a lot more time in mining where I don't have to pay as much attention as missioning where I do. The only thing I'm worried about is doing mining with all of our wars -- I may go somewhere way out of the way to try it out. I'm skilling up still and haven't totally though it through. Insurance on the rokh seems to be awesome though, I could almost just buy them, get them blown up and make money through insurance. It's getting hunted down and podded that I'm worried about.

[Moosehands]

kill the right targets first (web/scramble)

This bit is absolutely vital.  It only takes 1 scrambling inty rat to ruin your day, especially if your secondary missile skills aren't up to par.  Make sure to pack a set of light drones to supplement your cruises against those small, fast targets.

[Sir T]

Best named T1 modules are frequently better that the T2 versions, by the way - same or very similar stats, but easier to fit.

I haven't used shield hardeners. but armour hardeners use significantly less CPU than unnamed versions of them (which use less cpu than t2 ones) but probably more importantly they use less capacitor, which means that you can run your tank for longer. This can be vital in a hard NPC fight and is actually not a bad thing in PVP as well. This is why faction hardeners are worth so much, as they have the fitting requirements and cap use of named as well as the resistances of t2.

Hmm.. looking at the stats on the eve fitting tool, it seems that shield hardeners do not gain any cap use benefit. Annoying.

[amiable]

I just started my account up again 2 days ago (I quit shortly after the cheating scandal) and took my Domi out for some level 4's...

Considering my only T2 weaponry are light/medium drones I did pretty well with my setup.

Some observations:

1.  Wow salvaging is profitable...  I made twice as much off the salvage than I did off the bounties.  Maybe I got lucky, but finding 15+ modules that sell for 500,000 ISK is pretty nice.

2.  I can't remember how long I have to wait after I turn down a mission.  I don't run the ones where I am fighting against navies because of the rep hit (and as a Minimatar runner it would suck to be banned from Jita).

3.  Prices on T2 equipment have delined precipitously.  This is awesome.

[Endie]

1.  Wow salvaging is profitable...

Yep.. I love missions against Sansha opponents, which I think Minmatar get a bit of.  Dozens of melted capacitor consoles are the highlight of ratting in Sansha space.  Caldari get the tritanium bar thingies, which are pricier but rarer.

3.  Prices on T2 equipment have delined precipitously.  This is awesome.

I concur.  Invention is a wonderful thing.  CCP really evened the playing field out for both newer purchasers and newer producers with this move.

[Moosehands]

2.  I can't remember how long I have to wait after I turn down a mission.  I don't run the ones where I am fighting against navies because of the rep hit (and as a Minimatar runner it would suck to be banned from Jita).

I think it's 4 hours.

[bhodi]

4 hours is the number that I have heard knocked around, I haven't needed to skirt the edge of that time, though.