View Full Version : To Drone, or not to Drone...
I think my Spy is undergoing a personality crisis...
I have been a Rifle Spy for at least 3 whole weeks now :D Trouble is, I have never been a droner in Retail. What I would like is to hear a little about what it is like as a droner now. And please... if you are not, or have never been a droner, don't comment with "It's Shite!" :D
What is damage like PvP and PvM? Do you still bounce trying to get through doorways and windows? What are the latest drones like and what kind or range do they have?
My Spy is DEX 113 with imps now (base 86 I think) - what drones will I be able to use?
Ta,
Rince :)
Nightbrother
10-03-04, 15:02
LOL Rincey... when you hit that /55 mark, you need a change, or so it would seem from your char descriptions in your sig. :)
As to what drones you can use:
http://www.neocronguide.com/dronereq.htm
drug up for punisher its worth it my spy got base 95 dex real quick and then i lomed and its back to wb hunting :)
lol - not updated those in a while. Spy is now 76/59, Tank is 54/58 and PPU is 66/61 (I think).
Ill take a peek at the webby tho - thx :)
droning is uber fun. granted with the PB drones the damage is teh sux.
In my experience there is a big damage gap between the MR 1000 and the PB4. The problem is that the MR 1000 is mid range TL and the PB drones are in the high 90's.
So you do crap damage and get a uber rank. :/
Rare drones are real change though. If you can endure noob leveling or even mid range leveling as a droner, it will pay off when you can start using rare drones.
like the ppu, the droner is frustrating mid level but once you start getting to the PB 4 and higher, its really loads of fun.
Droning will level you MUCH faster than rifles every could (assuming you pick the right drones and right droning spots).
The RG1000 drone (dex 95) is the one I used to level the most. The Punisher is the rare RG1000, but its pretty far up there at 120 dex. You will have to LOM a bunch to use drones... so that will drop you 3-5 dex I would think.
I had started a rifle spy. Switched to pistol cause rifle sucked, and then just decided to reroll to a droner. I found that to take just about as long as LOMming altogether. Hehe. Droners level FAST given the proper circumstances. Of course, it helps to level a new droner with your LE in... hehe.
Just make sure you have a constructor and ressor handy, as you will need em to keep you with a healthy supply of drones.
Droning is a mixed bag, but very rewarding.
The first thing to note is that if you find bugs annoying then droning is not for you; launch bug, missing drone bug, team bugs, exp bugs....droners have it all :rolleyes:
With your dex, and a few drugs, you can use all the drones, and it's very easy to level a droner (picking up a few mil in graves doesn't take long). If that chip setup doesn't include a riggers dream then you can figure in another +6 dex.
PvP comes in two flavours. First theres the hit hard, die often approach that most people go with...you can cap damage on PN and Mosquito if you don't use stealth (and I *think* with stealth 1). Second theres the hit not so hard and stealth around like a pansie approach that I favour...use Obliterator and you still do very reasonable damage on drones.
Droners are good for PKing and PvM but less useful in OP wars as it's impossible to keep an eye on all the stealther spies and PEs who will go out to track you down. Usually dying is a matter of when not if (unless you use the Pansie approach and a barnload of revenge drones :)).
The main PvP drone just now is the Mosquito at Dex 120, but the Particle Nemesis is almost as good with twice the range at Dex 116.
PvM is easy, and can be quite enjoyable, and the gains are awesome (20 Revenge drones in Graves will net you about 2 million exp). It's also nice to be able to take on ANY target without risking dying...although it can still be a challenge to take on the larger mobs without losing half your drones.
Drone control....still sucks, always will I expect. Getting through windows and doors can be a challenge, and you'll spend a lot of time either bouncing off things or glued to the floor.
I'd recommend it though, I have a lot of fun with my droner, and they are awesome rare collectors :)
Did I mention that droning is the buggiest thing in neocron o_O
one question, can i cap a PN or mosquito with 60 hack?
Psyco Groupie
10-03-04, 15:36
maybe ... rcl helps hack etc so u'd be fairly useful
Well, I don't need to worrk about mid-lvl drones - at dex 113-114 with imps, I guess I will be at about 110 after lomming.
Sounds like it could be a lot of fun and think I will give it a go - hell, I can always lom back again if needed :D
Its especially fun if you start a droner from scratch, and keep them a droner.
Prolly the EASIEST possible runner to have to spec- Only real issue is if you want to stealth, and how to allocate Dex points.
But considering that you can just say "if you find my body you deserve the kill" you can put all of Con into Athletics and endurance. The belts and potions and armor and later stealth are enough to get you to where you need to be without having to spec any con resists or body health.
So Con is a snap. Int is a snap unless you try and balance a tradeskill. Psi you dont even need except for Psi Booster 1 and maybe a def/basic resist to get to where you are going. Str you want all transport for carrying drones.
Hmmm - this is sounding better and better :D
I can't say I will be getting involved in many OP fights, so that is no biggie - but a way to hunt mobs without dying every few minutes, will be nice :D
I think I will keep my implant points as I can poke up to 86 with the glove.
I will also keep some VHC and Repair so that I can repair my own drones.
Looks like tonight is a night of lomming :D
Clownst0pper
10-03-04, 17:18
Drones are fun, but very impersonal, the leveling is quick, INT and DEX lvl at the same time, u can afford a trade skill (i chose 84 poking, then imp glove + spy 3 to do tl 115's) and there very sneaky
They need alot of maintenance, arent good against PPU buffed players, are the ultimate gankers, and if u use a hovertech u aint ever going to be found.
Mosquito is brilliant altho it looks like a PN, the Raptor is good, needs some work tho, and that 2 looks like a Particle Nemesis.
The mosquito's ROF is being reduced...Kami drones are still the most fun.
You still bounce everywhere but there manourverability is good.
There main job in OP fights is getting the strays, scouting, and removing turrets.
There alot of fun, as I say, very impersonal tho, No sounds, no movement sounds, pretty lifeless, but if u get past that, KK might fix that stuff
Originally posted by GT_Rince
Looks like tonight is a night of lomming :D
And into the next morning too........
It took me about 8 to 10 hours of on and off LoMing to get a DEX 58(base) Low Tech Rifle Spy converted to droning.......:o
Lost a few levels of dex and int, but made it back in less than a half an hour, once I got to leveling....
Once you level a Spy with drones, you'll never level one with rifles or pistols again(at least I won't)......
What makes up for the long night of LoM'ing is the fact that you'll probably already have high or capped STR and CON from being Rifle or Pistol......
I've only had droners for a month now, and I wish I would have tried them long ago......
So far I've only got the occasional launch bug.....
Isn't it about time you rerolled rince?
:angel: :p
___T-X____
11-03-04, 00:52
I hated being a droner, the drones explode for no reason, u have to fuck about to get the m ressed and constructed, then at an op fight u get picked up on local and all u hear is your armour break before u get to pick a genrep
/edit : on the Positve side, im now no longer scared of snakes because I spent sooo much time with them (droners understand)
Clownst0pper
11-03-04, 00:56
droners work amazing for farming mc5.... thats one bonus ;)
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