The Assault dropsuit is a versatile front-line combat suit that combines excellent protection, good mobility and sufficient equipment hard points for mission-specific customizations.
Assault dropsuits are intended for standard combat operations or those in which objectives are likely to change at a moment's notice. Its ability to carry anything from small arms and explosives to heavy anti-vehicle munitions and deployable support gear makes it the most adaptable suit on the battlefield.

Assault dropsuits are intended for standard combat operations or those in which objectives are likely to change at a moment's notice.

Assault [5% reduction to PG/CPU cost of light/sidearm weapons]
- Caldari Assault: +5% to reload speed of hybrid railgun light/sidearm weapons per level.
- Gallente Assault: 5% reduction to hybrid - blaster light/sidearm hip-fire dispersion and kick per level.
- Minmatar Assault: +5% to projectile light/sidearm clip size per level.
- Amarr Assault: 5% reduction to laser weaponry heat build-up per level.

The Assault is going to be the slayer suit: High damage output and high mobility but a glass cannon.
That description of it being the versatile suit is a last remain of the early Closed BETA where there were only a scout, a logi, a heavy and an assault dropsuit. All other suits had their roles so the assault got what today medium frames are.

That's certainly a possibility, and not one I'm necessarily against. But keep in mind, with the idea I'm presenting, you could make a very effective slayer build with an Assault suit. You would just also possess far more flexibility.

The role of the assault suit is to press objectives as a team in a coordinated attack. They are relatively fast with decent HP. Heavy suits are too slow to keep up with the advance and are better at defending and pushing forward to break a stalemate with logi support. Scouts tend to work on the periphery, slipping in and out of enemy positions to wreak havock. I think all suits are pretty well defined.

That for sure but that's not how it should be. I mean flexibility on the field, quickly switch targets or retreat easily but like you're presenting it you mean flexibility in fitting which is the role of basic frames.

I have to disagree. Why are assaults being used to push objectives over other suits? Right now it's because they can carry equipment and have relatively good HP compared with other suits. The exception here is the logi, but they sacrifice hp and speed so that's okay.

However, you almost have no reason to play as an assault over a basic medium frame and even less reason to choose one over a logi. This situation will be exacerbated by 1.8 in that scouts will have comparable stats, be able to carry two lots of equipment and also get a bonus to cloaking.

Unless the assaults get two equipment slots or a bit more PG/CPU then their role will not be GÇ£fulfillableGÇ¥ in any way. They will be bettered by literally everything.

I always thought of the assaults as pawns on a chessboard. They go were needed and is the first to make a move.

Assaults are used over other suits because;

Scouts spend a lot of time flanking. dealing with logis, and cannot deal with multiple opponents in a head on fire fight.
Heavies take too long to get there and are better fit for defending a point.
Logis are too busy supporting the heavies or messing with enemy scouts.
Pilots can't hack while in there vehicle.

Assaults are fast enough to flank like a scout, can tank themselves kind of like a heavy, able to use equipment, can easily fit AV, and can dish out damage like nobody's business. Sure they can't do those things better then other suits but that's why there is that "Master of none" part.

I do, for the most part, think that logis are currently too flexible and that needs to be fixed as they are currently stepping on all of the other classes toes(yet they complained about scouts getting a second equip).

Actually I mean both flexibility in fitting and on the battlefield. And I think that the former can help to achieve the latter. Having more slots means you can cover more bases, allowing you to have a suit prepared for several different scenarios at a moment's notice.

But allowing them rhat many slots will only lead to damage mod stacking or tanks with like 1500 hp like it used to be with logis.

No one thing is going to fix the Assault/Logi dynamic. Having a high/dual tank needs to addressed as an individual problem, the outcome of which would affect how Assaults play their role. With Damage Mods being changed in 1.8, it's difficult to tell how effective stacking them will be.

Also, having now looked at the speed profiles of Assaults and Logi's, I feel that their HP's should be switched, as beffitting the "High HP, Slow Speed-High Speed, Low HP" dynamic present in the rest of the game. This should also help with the high/dual tank concern, but allow the Assault to remain versatile, in keeping with Summ Dude's idea.

honestly i think that cals should have a shield bonus and gals an armor bonus