Dust 514: Fitting

Fitting your Dropsuit and Vehicles

Fitting Screen

Like Eve, the fitting screen is where you prepare your Dropsuit or Vehicles for combat. In the way that ships in Eve have CPU and Powergrid (PG) capacities so do Mercenary Dropsuits and the attack Vehicles they use. There is no capacitor to worry about

Each one has High and Low Slots for modules which effect the abilities of the Dropsuit. There are also slots for weapons and equipment such as Repair Tools or Nano-hives.

In the above picture the suit being shown has two High Slots on the upper left and one Low Slot on the upper right.

Beneath the two High Slots there are two Weapon Slots, one Light and one Sidearm.

Underneath the knees are, on the left, a grenade slot and on the right knee an equipment slot.

Different suits offer other combo's of slot layout which allows for very precise customisation for the role on the battlefield you want to play. The higher tier Assault Dropsuits, for example, have four Highslots, three Low and two Equipment slots. With the right support skills, Merc's wearing this gear can be devastating on the battlefield.

But of course If you die in Dust you lose the gear you're wearing and you need another set of it for your next clone. A poor performance can get very expensive.

Weapons, Modules and Equipment

Every piece of gear, be it for Dropsuits or Vehicles in Dust has a CPU or PG requirement and are powered by the Dropsuit or Vehicles. You begin with lower level Dropsuits, which don't have enough to power and run the higher tier modules or weapons, nor do you have the skill to operate them anyway.....yet.

But with Skill Points and Isk won in battle you can purchase Skill Books that will enable you to run your Dropsuit more effectively, increasing its CPU and PG output, while at the same time learning skills that lower the CPU and PG requirements of your equipment. This also true of Vehicles and the modules available for them.

With the correct understanding of these support skills you can create a fitting of relative cheapness that can wipe out a more expensive fitting operated by a Merc who doesn't understand them. This makes you more cost effective, earns you more per clone loss and positively effect your Kill/Death Ratio.

Fitting and Support Skills

In Eve there are Base Skills, that while seemingly unimportant, can provide a fantastic foundation that allow cheaper fits be more effective in PvP and PvE.

In Dust 514 it's ALL PvP. Any edge you can give yourself at the outset of your Merc career is important and will save you Isk in the long term. The following are Skills that are considered essential to get to at least Level IV. Level V would still be considered a wise investment of Skill Points.

Circuitry

Basic understanding of circuitry.

Unlocks ability to use drop uplinks and electronics modules.

+5% bonus to dropsuit and vehicle CPU output per level.

Learned to level V this will give ANY Dropsuit or Vehicle you use a 25% increase of its CPU output. Also needed if you want to increase the sensor performance of your Dropsuit or Vehicle. If you want to Shield Tank, take it all the way to V.

A x1 Training Cost Multiplier Skill

Combat Engineering

Basic understanding of combat engineering.

+5% to dropsuit and vehicle maximum powergrid output per level.

Doesn't unlock any further skills but at Level V gives 25% extra PG to all Dropsuits and Vehicles. Who doesn't need more power?

A 1x Training Cost Multiplier Skill.

Field Mechanics

Basic understanding of field mechanics.

Unlocks ability to use armour modules.

+5% to dropsuit and vehicle maximum armour.

Learned to Level V this will give ANY Dropsuit or Vehicle you use a 25% increase in its armour. Unlocks Armour Modules for use. Take it to Level 5 if you want to Armour Tank. Even if you are Shield Tanking considered an essential skill. You get 25% extra armour hit points with no hit on the speed of you suit or vehicle. That little bit of extra armour can mean you making it to cover so your shield can replenish.

A 1x Training Cost Multiplier Skill.

Weaponry

Skill at using handheld weapons.

+2% to handheld weapon damage per level.

Learned to Level 5 gives ANY handheld weapon, including sidearms, a 10% increase in Damage output or DPS. Also unlocks Damage Amplifiers, basic at Level I, Enhanced at Level III and Complex at Level V. With Weaponry Level V and a Complex Light Damage Modifier module fitted to your suit, your Duvolle Assault Rifle is chucking out 20% more damage than the Merc who hasn't considered it a priority. He's dead and you're not in a one on one.

Even if you're considering a career as a Vehicle user, still consider getting Weaponry up to Level V. You're not in a tank all the time after all.

A 1x Training Cost Multiplier Skill.