Destroyers Should Destroy!

The new tier 3 BC's look good and are fun to fly, but they are standard ships. They shoot things in the face and that's really all they do. This got me thinking about "utility ships" and the role of destroyers in Eve.

Destroyers in our time (ie Planet Earth 2011, not New Eden in 22,011 ish) have historically been used to protect "the big guns". Anti-torpedo boat, anti-submarine, anti-missile and anti-aircraft roles are all common for destroyers who's job it is to ensure no harm comes to the carriers and battleships.

Currently in Eve destroyers are anti-frigate ships. Not really the same as what can a frigate do vs a carrier in Eve (yes stealth bombers are frigates, I was talking generally). Are destroyers as useful as they should be? They should be destroying things that are a threat to the big ships.

Under the new Crucible expansion they've had a bit of a buff. But still they are very much anti-frigate ships. I've got a few ideas for some very specific types of T3 Destroyers I'd like to see. Whilst technically what I talk about below are module effects, they should be like covert ops cloaks, bomb launchers or HIC bubbles. You can buy the module, but it'll only work on a specific ship due to the CPU need and the ships role bonus that negates it.

I give you T3 Strategic Destroyers:-

Point Defense Destroyer.

Defender missiles aren't really used much are they? They can only be activated when there is a missile heading directly at your ship itself plus they gimp your own DPS. How about a new destroyer designed to act as point defence for larger ships. A full rack of rocket launchers fitted with defender missiles that go for ANY hostile missile. This includes compact citadel torpedo's launched from fighter-bombers. A few of these around a cap ship could really reduced the incoming DPS of a super attacking it.

If defender missiles are a bit CPU intensive (I'm talking server here not ship CPU) how about lasers? That could look rather cool. A couple of these Destroyers orbiting a battleship or a carrier and red lasers streaking across space taking out incoming missiles.

Tachyon Detection Destroyer

Another T2 Destroyer that can fit a very specific hi-slot module. Tachyon detection grid generator. Looks like a large bubble but doesn't work like one. Instead it decloaks cloaked ships!

Now this would make a massive difference to cloaked ships. From stealth-bombers to transport ships. Gate camps would become a lot more deadly. I'm suggesting this because of the amount of cloaked Drakes, Hurricanes and even Kitsuine's we're seeing.

May be too deadly? How about we nerf it (before it's even been created) so that it does not work on the Covert Ops cloak. So your proper cloaky ships like stealth bombers, recons and transport ships are not effected, but the tard who puts a cloak on a Drake gets what he deserves?

The Anti-Falcon (ECM) Destroyer

A T2 Destroyer with a high sensor strength and a CPU and strength bonus for fitting projected ECCM. Something along the lines of -66% CPU use for projected ECCM and plus 10% per level to strength? A logistics ships just for your fleet mates sensors! One of these can pretty much counter a Falcon. Your average Falcon can jam out three ships. If this destroyer can fit 3 or 4 projected ECCM as well as prop mod and some tank it'll be very useful.

Anti-Drone Destroyer

This one fits a module that reduces a ships drone bandwidth by projecting targeted interference at the same frequency used to communicate with drones. If you have max drones out and you get hit by this weapon a couple of drones will stop responding (as if you warped away). This module should have a long cycle time to prevent it crippling an entire fleets drones on it's own. Also the reduction in bandwidth should only knock of one or two drones from a normal flight of five. When the module stops working the drones wake up and return to their ship (or carry on attacking).

D-Scan Jammer Destroyer

Another T2 destroyer with a special module. This one again looks like a bubble, but all ships inside are hidden from d-scan. Probes still show the ships up, but a simple d-scan won't. 5 enemy targets in system but none on scan. Are they at a deep safe.... are they docked up.... or are they waiting on a gate and hidden by a scan jamming bubble? Now if the bubble also stopped them from appearing in "local" that could be a lot of fun! The bubble also interrupts the ships Neocom link so the pilot vanishes from local!!! This would clearly be a Marmite ship. Some would love the idea of it, others would absolutely hate it! Maybe the "not showing up in local" is a step too far, and just the jamming of D-Scan would be sufficient.

Mobile Cyno Jamming Destoryer

Same bubble principle again. A 20km bubble that stops a cyno from lighting inside it. Worried that your hot-drop might get hot-dropped? Is obvious bait obvious? One of these will help stop said hot-drop landing on your head or even at all. Even better still, warp one onto the top of the obvious bait and fire up the jamming field. Then kill him!

So there you go. A few ideas for very specific fleet ships that rival logistics and ECM boats as a force multiplier and give a return surprise to cloaky-fags and hot-dropoholics.