Dust 514: Dropsuit Command

Template:Work in Progress

Dropsuit Command

In this branch of The Skill Tree we have the skills that give access to the various Dropsuits available to a Mercenary in Dust 514. They can be broken down into sub categories known as Frame Sizes. As development on the game progresses each Frame size will get a Racial variant for each of the four races in the game. As with the Weaponry of Dust 514 they come in Standard, Advanced and Prototype versions with greater capabilities as a player skills up into them.

Light Frame

The Light Frames have less CPU and PG as well as minimal armour and shielding. They make up for that with speed and agility on the battlefield.

Medium Frame

The Medium Frames have more CPU and PG than the Light Frames with the corresponding increase in Shields and Armour. They are slower and less nimble in the war zone than the Lights but are the mainstay of a corporations offensive capabilities.

Heavy Frame

The tank of the Dropsuits. They have the largest amount of Armour and Shield's and are the only Frame size capable of powering the heaviest weapons available to Mercenaries, The HMG and Forge gun. They are the slowest of the frame sizes and their turning ability is reduced by the extra armour they carry. They excel at point defence and suppression fire.

Basic Suit Types and Specialisation

Each of the Frame Sizes can also further split into two categories, Basic and Specialised.

Basic

Easier to skill into because of their lower Training Cost Modifier but more expensive to buy and they have no bonuses per level given to them. However, at Level III of the skill giving access to them you can then train into a Specialisation for that Frame size.

Specialisation

Each of the Frame Sizes can be split into two different Specialisations. Not all of these are yet available in the game but they are included here with a brief explanation of their planned role on the battlefield.

Light Frame-Pilot

Coming Soon TM. This role will provide bonuses to vehicle use for both ground based and flying types.

Light Frame-Scout

Provides 5% reduction to the scan profile of the suit per level, making it harder to detect on an opponents scanner. They also provide a second bonus based on the Racial variant. For example, the Gallente Scout dropsuit gives a 10% increase in the scan radius of the suit per level making it a good choice for Snipers. The Minmatar Scout dropsuit however gives a bonus of+5% to melee and nova knife damage per level, making it the choice of those players that like their kills up close and personal.

Medium Frame-Logistics

Have a larger number of Equipment slots with the Prototype version giving you three. These provide support to the other frames with repair, rearming and reviving downed team members. They provide a bonus of +1 HP to dropsuit armour repair rate per level across all racial variants with a race specific bonus as well. Gallente gives you a 5% reduction to equipment PG/CPU usage per level, while the Caldari version gives +5% to efficacy of shield extender modules per level.

Medium Frame-Assault

Meant for frontline fighting duties, these suits provide a bonus of +5% to dropsuit shield recharge rate per level across all races with the usual racial bonus as well. The Amarr provides a 5% reduction to laser weaponry heat build-up per level and the Caldari a +2% to hybrid weapon reload speed per level.

Heavy Frame-Commando

Arriving with Uprising 1.2, these Heavy suits can carry two light weapons instead of just one, giving them a lot more flexibility to change roles as needed during the course of a battle. As an example carrying an Assault Rifle for normal operations but can carry a swarm launcher to destroy or suppress sudden deployment of a vehicle by an enemy. Likely to do this at the expense of Armour and Shield.

Heavy Frame-Sentinel

The only class of suit capable of powering the heaviest Infantry weapons in the game. Gives a 5% reduction to weapon feedback damage per level across all races. Currently there is only the Amarr Sentinel in the game which gives a +2% to heavy weapon reload speed bonus per level.