Support skills: Difference between revisions

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Support skills are ~~the skills which~~ affect ~~how well you can fit~~ and ~~fly~~ ships~~, without~~ necessarily being directly required to use modules or sit in ships. For example, you don't need to train Controlled Bursts, Energy Management and Energy Systems Operation to put large lasers on an Amarr battleship -- but if you do so without training them you will find you swiftly run out of capacitor.

Support skills are those affect your proficiency at fitting and flying ships. While not necessarily being directly required to use particular modules or sit in certain ships, they are invaluble and can give you the edge you need to get the kill or survive the mission. For example, you don't need to train Controlled Bursts, Energy Management and Energy Systems Operation to put large lasers on an Amarr battleship, but, if you do so without training them you will find you swiftly run out of capacitor.

== 'Good Support Skills' ==

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== The 80/20 Rule of Skill Training ==

Of particular importance to new characters is the concept of the 80/20 rule, which is as follows: '''~~you'll~~ receive 80% of ~~a skill's possible maximum~~ benefit ~~from training only the first four levels~~, ~~which will~~ only ~~take about~~ 20% of the ~~total~~ training ~~time~~'''. This is ~~based on~~ the exponential increase of training time as you train a skill. You can train the first four levels of a skill and receive 80% of the benefits in roughly 1/4 the time it'll take to train the last level. This means it's typically most beneficial, though there are always exceptions, to train multiple skills to level four before going back through and bringing them up to level five. There are some skills you may never bring to level five as they're simply too time intensive for too little benefit.

Of particular importance to new characters is the concept of the 80/20 rule, which is as follows: '''You will receive 80% of the benefit, while taking only 20% of the time, by training the first IV levels of a skill.''' This is due to the exponential increase of training time as you train a skill.

Because of this, ~~a good rule of thumb to follow~~ is to ~~bring any skill which you use regularly, in all or most~~ of the ships you pilot, to level IV in the short or medium term. Training some skills to level V can take a long time and ~~you can~~ often ~~leave them~~ as longer term ~~goals~~ or only ~~train them~~ when they~~'re~~ required as prerequisites (for T2 ships, for example). However, some key skills with low training time multipliers give you such significant benefits that they're well worth training all the way to V -- [[Skills:Drones#Drones|Drones]], [[Skills:Engineering#Energy_Emission_Systems|Energy Systems Operation]] and [[Skills:Navigation#Navigation|Navigation]] are three good examples, but are by no means the only ones.

Because of this, it is well worth it to train skills that affect many of the ships you pilot to level IV in the short to medium term. Training some skills to level V can take a long time and is often best left as a longer term goal or only worth training when they are required as prerequisites (for T2 ships, for example). However, some key skills with low training time multipliers give you such significant benefits that they're well worth training all the way to V -- [[Skills:Drones#Drones|Drones]], [[Skills:Engineering#Energy_Emission_Systems|Energy Systems Operation]] and [[Skills:Navigation#Navigation|Navigation]] are three good examples, but are by no means the only ones.

When someone says they have 'good' skills in a certain category, they most commonly mean that they have most if not all of those skills trained to IV or V.

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==== Training to Reduce Drawbacks ====

In some circumctances, training specific rigging skills to high levels may not be a very efficient use of your time. The amelioration of the drawbacks doesn't hurt, but it can be a very minor reduction in what is usually a minor penalty in the first place~~. You need the relevant rigging skill at IV to fit T2 rigs, but almost all T2 rigs are -- at the time of writing -- much too expensive to use wisely on most ship fittings~~.

In some circumctances, training specific rigging skills to high levels may not be a very efficient use of your time. The amelioration of the drawbacks doesn't hurt, but it can be a very minor reduction in what is usually a minor penalty in the first place.

~~However, for~~ PvP combat pilots, reducing the drawbacks to armor and shield rigs can be the difference between winning and losing a battle. For example, the [[Skills:Mechanic#Armor_Rigging|Armor Rigging]] skill reduces the drawback of Trimark Armor Pumps (armor buffer rigs), which is a drawback to speed. The reason is each rig compounds the drawback penalty, and all T1 ships can fit up to three buffer and/or resists rigs to improve effective hit points. While one rig may not create much of a penalty, three rigs can.

For PvP combat pilots, reducing the drawbacks to armor and shield rigs can be the difference between winning and losing a battle. For example, the [[Skills:Mechanic#Armor_Rigging|Armor Rigging]] skill reduces the drawback of Trimark Armor Pumps (armor buffer rigs), which is a drawback to speed. The reason is each rig compounds the drawback penalty, and all T1 ships can fit up to three buffer and/or resists rigs to improve effective hit points. While one rig may not create much of a penalty, three rigs can.

To continue the example, an armor-tanked Hurricane using a 10MN Microwarpdrive II, fitting one 1600mm plate and flown by a pilot with all relevant navigation skills at Level V, has a max speed of 1161 m/s. Add three Trimark Armor Pump I rigs with [[Skills:Mechanic#Armor_Rigging|Armor Rigging]] only trained to Level 1, and his max speed is reduced to 924 m/s, a more than 20% reduction in velocity. Increasing training to [[Skills:Mechanic#Armor_Rigging|Armor Rigging V]] increases max speed back up to 1025 m/s, which is 11% faster than having the skill trained to Level 1. Is it worth training a skill like [[Skills:Mechanic#Armor_Rigging|Armor Rigging]] from Level IV to Level V? With [[Skills:Mechanic#Armor_Rigging|Armor Rigging IV]], this hurricane will have a max speed of 999 m/s; it some PvP situations, that 2.5% extra speed will make a big difference.

Getting the weapon rigging skills up a few levels is usually a good idea~~, too~~. A few percent lower penalty to your guns' powergrid ~~use~~ can make a big difference: every two levels of the rigging skill is roughly equivalent to training Advanced Weapon Upgrades one extra level, multiplied by the number of weapon rigs you have fitted.

Getting the weapon rigging skills up a few levels is usually a good idea. A few percent lower penalty to your guns' powergrid usage can make a big difference: every two levels of the rigging skill is roughly equivalent to training Advanced Weapon Upgrades one extra level, multiplied by the number of weapon rigs you have fitted.

=== Overheating ===

In a sense, [[Skills:Science#Thermodynamics|Thermodynamics]] is the ultimate PvP support skill~~: it~~ lets you overheat modules beyond their design specs, at the risk of temporarily burning them out. ~~You need at least one level in Thermodynamics to overheat modules; getting this skill to level 4 doesn't take long and is well worth it, as each~~ level reduces the damage your modules take from overheating~~. The prerequisites for Thermodynamics were reduced in~~ the ~~Dominion expansion~~.

In a sense, [[Skills:Science#Thermodynamics|Thermodynamics]] is the ultimate PvP support skill. It lets you overheat modules beyond their design specs, at the risk of temporarily burning them out. Each level reduces the damage your modules take from overheating, so, while level I is all you need IV is well worth the train.

There's a more detailed guide to overheating's mechanics [[Overheating|here]].

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Before looking at specific ship classes it's worth noting that PvE combat usually requires lower support skills than PvP.

PvE combat emphasizes your knowledge of missions, and your ability to tank incoming DPS for long periods. While doing more damage will help you do missions faster (getting more ISK every hour), you can get by with sub-par damage-dealing skills. In PvP combat you want to have the best tank possible (usually, unless you're solo or in a very small gang, a buffer tank or a [[Spider Tanking|spider tank]]) ''and'' deal good damage for your ship's size.

PvE combat emphasizes your knowledge of missions and your ability to tank incoming DPS for long periods. While doing more damage will help you do missions faster (getting more ISK every hour), you can often get by with sub-par damage-dealing skills. In PvP combat you want to have the best tank possible (usually, unless you're solo or in a very small gang, a buffer tank or a [[Spider Tanking|spider tank]]) ''and'' deal good damage for your ship's size.

This is not to say you shouldn't consider which supports you need for PvE, but it does mean that even if you do L4 missions quite effectively in a battleship, you may not have optimal support skills for PvP battleship combat.

For this reason most of the advice below is directed primarily at PvP.

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Support skills you'll want to work towards are:

*~~being~~ able to fit a T2 armor or shield tank

*Being able to fit a T2 armor or shield tank.

*~~good~~ enough fitting skills to fill all the turret or launcher slots

*Good enough fitting skills to fill all the turret or launcher slots.

*~~a full~~ flight of drones ([[Skills:Drones#Drones|Drones V]]) -- battlecruisers have drone bays, and these are your anti-frigate defense

*Full flight of drones ([[Skills:Drones#Drones|Drones V]]) -- battlecruisers have drone bays, and these are your anti-frigate defense.

*T2 light and medium drones ([[Skills:Drones#Scout_Drone_Operation|Scout Drone Operation V]] plus [[Skills:Drones#Minmatar_Drone_Specialization|Minmatar Drone Specialization II]] and [[Skills:Drones#Gallente_Drone_Specialization|Gallente Drone Specialization II]] -- Amarr and Caldari drones are rarely used)

*T2 light and medium drones ([[Skills:Drones#Scout_Drone_Operation|Scout Drone Operation V]] plus [[Skills:Drones#Minmatar_Drone_Specialization|Minmatar Drone Specialization II]] and [[Skills:Drones#Gallente_Drone_Specialization|Gallente Drone Specialization II]] -- Amarr and Caldari drones are rarely used).

*~~and~~ (~~in the~~ long ~~run~~) ~~T2 medium weapons~~.

*T2 medium weapons (a significant train, so more of a long term goal).

*at least a few levels in relevant rigging skills to reduce drawbacks and to fit your own rigs.

*At least a few levels in relevant rigging skills to reduce drawbacks and to fit your own rigs.

If you have medium gun/missile skills to IV, can fit a T2 tank and a full rack of weapons, don't hesitate to step into a battlecruiser.

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[[Battleship|Battleships]] are potentially very powerful ships, but without good supports they're slow, expensive coffins. It's very highly recommended to have the following (most of which you will hopefully have trained while flying battlecruisers):

*~~a full~~ T2 shield or armor tank

*Full T2 shield or armor tank.

*~~sufficient~~ fitting skills to fit that tank, and a propulsion module, and fill the turret/launcher hardpoints for your primary weapon

*Sufficient fitting skills to fit that tank, and a propulsion module, and fill the turret/launcher hardpoints for your primary weapon.

*~~full~~ flights of T2 light and medium drones

*Full flights of T2 light and medium drones.

**or, if your battleship is one of the few with 125Mbit/sec drone bandwidth, T2 light and medium drones ''and'' at least T1 heavy or sentry drones

**or, if your battleship is one of the few with 125Mbit/sec drone bandwidth, T2 light and medium drones ''and'' at least T1 heavy or sentry drones.

T2 guns on battleships are great, but the training time for T2 turrets is on the order of 70 days, from basic T1 large gun skills -- making them a long-term goal. T2 missiles take less time to train but still aren't exactly one weekend's training. Most pilots initially invest in high meta-level Tech 1 weapons, though the cost of Meta 4 large lasers and the attraction of Scorch crystals may encourage Amarr BS pilots to head for T2 guns earlier than others.

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 {{cleanup}}
-Support skills are the skills which affect how well you can fit and fly ships, without necessarily being directly required to use modules or sit in ships. For example, you don't need to train Controlled Bursts, Energy Management and Energy Systems Operation to put large lasers on an Amarr battleship -- but if you do so without training them you will find you swiftly run out of capacitor.
+Support skills are those affect your proficiency at fitting and flying ships.  While not necessarily being directly required to use particular modules or sit in certain ships, they are invaluble and can give you the edge you need to get the kill or survive the mission. For example, you don't need to train Controlled Bursts, Energy Management and Energy Systems Operation to put large lasers on an Amarr battleship, but, if you do so without training them you will find you swiftly run out of capacitor.
 == 'Good Support Skills' ==
@@ Line 14: / Line 14: @@
 == The 80/20 Rule of Skill Training ==
-Of particular importance to new characters is the concept of the 80/20 rule, which is as follows: '''you'll receive 80% of a skill's possible maximum benefit from training only the first four levels, which will only take about 20% of the total training time'''. This is based on the exponential increase of training time as you train a skill. You can train the first four levels of a skill and receive 80% of the benefits in roughly 1/4 the time it'll take to train the last level. This means it's typically most beneficial, though there are always exceptions, to train multiple skills to level four before going back through and bringing them up to level five. There are some skills you may never bring to level five as they're simply too time intensive for too little benefit.
+Of particular importance to new characters is the concept of the 80/20 rule, which is as follows: '''You will receive 80% of the benefit, while taking only 20% of the time, by training the first IV levels of a skill.''' This is due to the exponential increase of training time as you train a skill.
-Because of this, a good rule of thumb to follow is to bring any skill which you use regularly, in all or most of the ships you pilot, to level IV in the short or medium term. Training some skills to level V can take a long time and you can often leave them as longer term goals or only train them when they're required as prerequisites (for T2 ships, for example). However, some key skills with low training time multipliers give you such significant benefits that they're well worth training all the way to V -- [[Skills:Drones#Drones|Drones]], [[Skills:Engineering#Energy_Emission_Systems|Energy Systems Operation]] and [[Skills:Navigation#Navigation|Navigation]] are three good examples, but are by no means the only ones.
+Because of this, it is well worth it to train skills that affect many of the ships you pilot to level IV in the short to medium term. Training some skills to level V can take a long time and is often best left as a longer term goal or only worth training when they are required as prerequisites (for T2 ships, for example). However, some key skills with low training time multipliers give you such significant benefits that they're well worth training all the way to V -- [[Skills:Drones#Drones|Drones]], [[Skills:Engineering#Energy_Emission_Systems|Energy Systems Operation]] and [[Skills:Navigation#Navigation|Navigation]] are three good examples, but are by no means the only ones.
 When someone says they have 'good' skills in a certain category, they most commonly mean that they have most if not all of those skills trained to IV or V.
@@ Line 119: / Line 119: @@
 ==== Training to Reduce Drawbacks ====
-In some circumctances, training specific rigging skills to high levels may not be a very efficient use of your time. The amelioration of the drawbacks doesn't hurt, but it can be a very minor reduction in what is usually a minor penalty in the first place. You need the relevant rigging skill at IV to fit T2 rigs, but almost all T2 rigs are -- at the time of writing -- much too expensive to use wisely on most ship fittings.
+In some circumctances, training specific rigging skills to high levels may not be a very efficient use of your time. The amelioration of the drawbacks doesn't hurt, but it can be a very minor reduction in what is usually a minor penalty in the first place.
-However, for PvP combat pilots, reducing the drawbacks to armor and shield rigs can be the difference between winning and losing a battle. For example, the [[Skills:Mechanic#Armor_Rigging|Armor Rigging]] skill reduces the drawback of Trimark Armor Pumps (armor buffer rigs), which is a drawback to speed. The reason is each rig compounds the drawback penalty, and all T1 ships can fit up to three buffer and/or resists rigs to improve effective hit points. While one rig may not create much of a penalty, three rigs can.
+For PvP combat pilots, reducing the drawbacks to armor and shield rigs can be the difference between winning and losing a battle. For example, the [[Skills:Mechanic#Armor_Rigging|Armor Rigging]] skill reduces the drawback of Trimark Armor Pumps (armor buffer rigs), which is a drawback to speed. The reason is each rig compounds the drawback penalty, and all T1 ships can fit up to three buffer and/or resists rigs to improve effective hit points. While one rig may not create much of a penalty, three rigs can.
 To continue the example, an armor-tanked Hurricane using a 10MN Microwarpdrive II, fitting one 1600mm plate and flown by a pilot with all relevant navigation skills at Level V, has a max speed of 1161 m/s. Add three Trimark Armor Pump I rigs with [[Skills:Mechanic#Armor_Rigging|Armor Rigging]] only trained to Level 1, and his max speed is reduced to 924 m/s, a more than 20% reduction in velocity. Increasing training to [[Skills:Mechanic#Armor_Rigging|Armor Rigging V]] increases max speed back up to 1025 m/s, which is 11% faster than having the skill trained to Level 1. Is it worth training a skill like [[Skills:Mechanic#Armor_Rigging|Armor Rigging]] from Level IV to Level V? With [[Skills:Mechanic#Armor_Rigging|Armor Rigging IV]], this hurricane will have a max speed of 999 m/s; it some PvP situations, that 2.5% extra speed will make a big difference.
-Getting the weapon rigging skills up a few levels is usually a good idea, too. A few percent lower penalty to your guns' powergrid use can make a big difference: every two levels of the rigging skill is roughly equivalent to training Advanced Weapon Upgrades one extra level, multiplied by the number of weapon rigs you have fitted.
+Getting the weapon rigging skills up a few levels is usually a good idea. A few percent lower penalty to your guns' powergrid usage can make a big difference: every two levels of the rigging skill is roughly equivalent to training Advanced Weapon Upgrades one extra level, multiplied by the number of weapon rigs you have fitted.
 === Overheating ===
-In a sense, [[Skills:Science#Thermodynamics|Thermodynamics]] is the ultimate PvP support skill: it lets you overheat modules beyond their design specs, at the risk of temporarily burning them out. You need at least one level in Thermodynamics to overheat modules; getting this skill to level 4 doesn't take long and is well worth it, as each level reduces the damage your modules take from overheating. The prerequisites for Thermodynamics were reduced in the Dominion expansion.
+In a sense, [[Skills:Science#Thermodynamics|Thermodynamics]] is the ultimate PvP support skill. It lets you overheat modules beyond their design specs, at the risk of temporarily burning them out. Each level reduces the damage your modules take from overheating, so, while level I is all you need IV is well worth the train.
 There's a more detailed guide to overheating's mechanics [[Overheating|here]].
@@ Line 137: / Line 137: @@
 Before looking at specific ship classes it's worth noting that PvE combat usually requires lower support skills than PvP.
-PvE combat emphasizes your knowledge of missions, and your ability to tank incoming DPS for long periods. While doing more damage will help you do missions faster (getting more ISK every hour), you can get by with sub-par damage-dealing skills. In PvP combat you want to have the best tank possible (usually, unless you're solo or in a very small gang, a buffer tank or a [[Spider Tanking|spider tank]]) ''and'' deal good damage for your ship's size.
+PvE combat emphasizes your knowledge of missions and your ability to tank incoming DPS for long periods. While doing more damage will help you do missions faster (getting more ISK every hour), you can often get by with sub-par damage-dealing skills. In PvP combat you want to have the best tank possible (usually, unless you're solo or in a very small gang, a buffer tank or a [[Spider Tanking|spider tank]]) ''and'' deal good damage for your ship's size.
-This is not to say you shouldn't consider which supports you need for PvE, but it does mean that even if you do L4 missions quite effectively in a battleship, you may not have optimal support skills for PvP battleship combat.
 For this reason most of the advice below is directed primarily at PvP.
@@ Line 149: / Line 147: @@
 Support skills you'll want to work towards are:
-*being able to fit a T2 armor or shield tank
+*Being able to fit a T2 armor or shield tank.
-*good enough fitting skills to fill all the turret or launcher slots
+*Good enough fitting skills to fill all the turret or launcher slots.
-*a full flight of drones ([[Skills:Drones#Drones|Drones V]]) -- battlecruisers have drone bays, and these are your anti-frigate defense
+*Full flight of drones ([[Skills:Drones#Drones|Drones V]]) -- battlecruisers have drone bays, and these are your anti-frigate defense.
-*T2 light and medium drones ([[Skills:Drones#Scout_Drone_Operation|Scout Drone Operation V]] plus [[Skills:Drones#Minmatar_Drone_Specialization|Minmatar Drone Specialization II]] and [[Skills:Drones#Gallente_Drone_Specialization|Gallente Drone Specialization II]] -- Amarr and Caldari drones are rarely used)
+*T2 light and medium drones ([[Skills:Drones#Scout_Drone_Operation|Scout Drone Operation V]] plus [[Skills:Drones#Minmatar_Drone_Specialization|Minmatar Drone Specialization II]] and [[Skills:Drones#Gallente_Drone_Specialization|Gallente Drone Specialization II]] -- Amarr and Caldari drones are rarely used).
-*and (in the long run) T2 medium weapons.
+*T2 medium weapons (a significant train, so more of a long term goal).
-*at least a few levels in relevant rigging skills to reduce drawbacks and to fit your own rigs.
+*At least a few levels in relevant rigging skills to reduce drawbacks and to fit your own rigs.
 If you have medium gun/missile skills to IV, can fit a T2 tank and a full rack of weapons, don't hesitate to step into a battlecruiser.
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 [[Battleship|Battleships]] are potentially very powerful ships, but without good supports they're slow, expensive coffins. It's very highly recommended to have the following (most of which you will hopefully have trained while flying battlecruisers):
-*a full T2 shield or armor tank
+*Full T2 shield or armor tank.
-*sufficient fitting skills to fit that tank, and a propulsion module, and fill the turret/launcher hardpoints for your primary weapon
+*Sufficient fitting skills to fit that tank, and a propulsion module, and fill the turret/launcher hardpoints for your primary weapon.
-*full flights of T2 light and medium drones
+*Full flights of T2 light and medium drones.
-**or, if your battleship is one of the few with 125Mbit/sec drone bandwidth, T2 light and medium drones ''and'' at least T1 heavy or sentry drones
+**or, if your battleship is one of the few with 125Mbit/sec drone bandwidth, T2 light and medium drones ''and'' at least T1 heavy or sentry drones.
 T2 guns on battleships are great, but the training time for T2 turrets is on the order of 70 days, from basic T1 large gun skills -- making them a long-term goal. T2 missiles take less time to train but still aren't exactly one weekend's training. Most pilots initially invest in high meta-level Tech 1 weapons, though the cost of Meta 4 large lasers and the attraction of Scorch crystals may encourage Amarr BS pilots to head for T2 guns earlier than others.