Hello!
I’ve done a few of the combat sites in J-space so far. As it was a little hard to figure out what i needed, it was a gamble, so i’d like to share my findings with you guys so you will be able to comfortably run these sites. I haven’t found any guides so far, so either my google-fu disappointed me or this might be one of the few out there. Hell if i know.
I’ve been using my C3 Praxis shield-tank, then refitted it a bit to be what i judged was more effective on these sites and i found something that works for me now. Note that this is a missile/shield fit, so if you’re using something else, be creative.
This is a solo fit, so if you happen to run the sites with a fleet, it might go a lot smoother.
Fit
Rigs:
High:
Mid:
2x Multispectrum Shield Hardener II
1x Shield Booster Amplifier II
2x Cap Recharger II
1x Large Cap Battery II
1x X-large Shield Booster II
Low:
1x Missile Guidance Enhancer II
2x Co-Processor II
1x Ballistic Control System II
1x Damage Control II
2x Capacitor Flux Coil II
Ammo:
Use boosters as you see fit. Personally i recommend bringing a hardshell/pyro with this setup.
Do NOT rely on drones. Most rats will immediately target your drones and put on some serious DPS, also with very high tracking. Do bring drones, but do not rely on them as a main source of DPS.
I don’t think this is the most optimal fit you can make for these sites, but it will get the job done. I’m sure many of you have much fancier stuff lying around than a Praxis.
Hostile waves and triggers
There will be 4 waves of hostiles in varied classes. Hence, it’s kind of random. Most ships are armor tanks, including armor rrep, so Kin/Ex seems to be the preferable weapon dmg type here.
I have not yet fully figured out which ship is the trigger, as waves have different spawns every time in every combat site. What i have noticed is that the trigger is always either a BC or a BB, so target preference is Frig/Des -> Cruiser -> BC/BB. If the trigger is, for example, a Machariel, only the destruction of the last one with the same name will trigger the next wave. (so for instance, if there are 3 Machariels, the first 2 destroyed will not trigger the next wave, but the destruction of the 3rd one will)
Hostile waves tend to spawn with every kind of module, neuts, webs, scrams, target painters and sensor damps. This means that it’s best to just suck it up and prepare accordingly. This also likely means that if someone in the system is using the combat site as a honeypot to get a cheap kill, you’re very likely to be screwed.
Ships to take note of
Personally, my order of ships to eliminate is going to be:
Cynabal (neut)
Lachesis (sensor damps), will orbit you at 25km
Maulus (sensor damps), will orbit you at 18km
Oneiros (will rrep its allies)
Followed by from smallest ship type to largest ship type.
Tactics
Ensure you have good targeting range to be able to deal with at least 4 sensor dampening Lachesises (Lachesi?). If you happen to screw up, you can launch your drones. They will automatically target your drones instead of you, leaving you with a small window to get a lock on them and a few volleys. Do take note that you may lose your drones in the process. Not all ships focus your drones, but most will. I recommend bringing a supply of expendable drones just in case.
Do NOT use short range weapons as you will be webbed/dampened almost every wave and you might get stuck. Obviously, you should also bring a hefty supply of ammunition, since you may not be able to warp out.
Boss fight
After 4 waves the ‘boss wave’ arrives, consisting of a single BB. For me this was always a Machariel. It will bring considerably more DPS than any of the previous waves, good tank, high amounts of neut, web and scram. It will not target your drones.
Loot
Boss drops a variety of items, for me it’s so far ranged between 200-500mil in value. All ships have a bounty on them, ranging from 100k ISK as frigs, and increases by another 100k for every ship size tier.
Rats drop a variety of drugs, accessories, and sometimes ammo and modules. Never dropped anything seriously worthwhile, but it’s a little extra if you bring an MTU.
Happy hunting! o7
