So I have Played dust for a few weaks as a caldari Assault speced into ARs and Scrambler pistols, but tanks allways seamed so cool. I have read the forums a bit and I understand from battle field experiance seeign them die and the raging on the forums that tanks are a bit under powered.

But I learn best from first hand experiance so I made this tanking alt and decided to take one tank into each battle and see how I died while preying i didn't

My fits rough layout is a Sica fit with a heavy shield extender, the low fitting heavy shield boster, and a active shield hardener, a powergrid mod and a damage mod, along with the cheepest missle turret.

This is not my first day tanking but it could be my first day seriously tanking, I played 6 battles and here is how i died in each.

1: I called in my tank and roamed around destroying turrets as I came across them, which i did because i know that for some reason they hit as hard as I do and can esily kill me even if not maned. I then rolled into the city on one of the new maps, just into the entrance near where objective A is underground and killed a few people, before having AV granades tossed down on my head then finished off with a swarm launcher, 1 hit KOing my armor. All fair and good, I did go into the city where i could easily be hit from above or behind.

2: Same as first battle i called in my tank and went in search of turrets, when 50 sec into my tank i get hit by a Red line Railturret and had no where to run so i died. Kinda frustrating.

3: Same as usual, this time i kill about 3 turrets, and 1 guy before a guy with a proto swarm launcher shoots four vollys off at me, The first volly hits me, and before i can even think of moving to put somethign between me and the rest the next three vollys smack into me killing me. I did see the guy before i died and he was half the map away where my missles and ability to bearly see made him imposible to counter.

4: This was the small map with the 3 objectives, i jumped in my tank and headed for the middleish one C. I cozzied up behind the socket where there was a wall and I killed every single enemy that spawned in, I also had two blueberrys who actualy where pretty good shots in my turret for once and they also got a bunch of kills and assists. I used my Ressit mod and shield booster and the wall to dip in and out of danger, even when gettign hit by swarm launchers, forge guns, and AVG a few times. I never died and we won the battle, me going 25/0. Best tankign experiance i have ever had, and i also felt i used real skill aswell.

5: Same map as #4, the small one, was doing well till a blueberry in a rail tank ramed me from behind and we both insta exploded.... seriously... wtf.

6: One of the new loooong maps, Killed a few guys and a few turrets, when out of no where an enemy LAV ramed me from behind, the two passengers jumping out, both with proto AV granades, I died pretty quick. Wasent actualy mad about this one, that was a pretty smooth move on their part.

Im not QQing, just passing on my experiance, I know my skills are low, and am using a milita tank, so maybe allot fo this would have played out diferantly if I had a bad ass death machine. But i have to say that Red line Rail guns and proto swarms are almost unstopable forces that i have no way of dealign with and I think CCP needs to cut the range on them.

Anyway I will continue to update this a few times a week with my experiances, as good or bad as they come. I just wish tanks wernt so dang expensive. 300k is more than i can ever hope to gain in one match that isent near perfect.

If you want I'll be back home in a week or so, I run MLT tanks exclusively and can help you out with fittings.... Aero made my fit, and Im improving on it slowly, plus for a newbie tanker I'm not too bad at killing Gunlogi's and Madrugars.

That reminds me, in fight #4 I also killed an enmy malita tank in a pretty cool 1v1, seams like my missles where hitting him far harder than he was hitting me tho.

A well tanked Shield Missile tank is a scary thing to an armour tank.

Depends though, if you are in an MLT tank the best way to engage any tank better than yours is from the rear, though your Missile Sica will never best a Madrugar in a straight fight.....

Yeah I like my missles, they seam to hit harder than than a blaster, while still being ok Vs infantry unlike a rail turret. But sure when you get back to dust I wouldnt mind tankign together, i could use some lessons.

Yeah its much better to tank with a wing man, I can roll out a repper tank to keep you alive.

I was rolling around an ambush in my soma and started getting chased by a sica. I drove off around a corner, called in my Madrugar and waited for the sica to come around the corner.

He rounded the corner guns blazing.....popped him in 3 shots from my rail cannon....I felt like such an awesome tanker

Moral of the story?.....I haven't figured one out yet

Well hopfuly if I save up enough skill points and isk ill be usuing gunlogis soon. That way ill live long enough to escape, or maybe recive reps.

I cant and wont be using Madrugars unless I use Aurum ot get them. I need to save SP for Amarr HAV.

That may be awhile, i havent even heard of that on the drawign board for now.

Buddy its funny but average tank cost 1m.
Swarms ...yes they are little to good but at same way they cant be weak. Rail snipers have hard.
1. Rendering is shi!
And 2. If someone have nitros booster he will always run away.

Very average maddy fit:
best 180mm plate.best hev rep, pg upgrade,2active hardeners, sac neutron blaster, nitros and heat sink II. With cores 4-5

'honey badger'

with the ' '

we'll help you

I cant and wont be using Madrugars unless I use Aurum ot get them. I need to save SP for Amarr HAV.

You know that there will only be one skill to unlock all tanks right?

I was rolling around an ambush in my soma and started getting chased by a sica. I drove off around a corner, called in my Madrugar and waited for the sica to come around the corner.

He rounded the corner guns blazing.....popped him in 3 shots from my rail cannon....I felt like such an awesome tanker

Moral of the story?.....I haven't figured one out yet