that +1% per lvl to dropsuit command and upgrades just feels like it will have a ridiculous trickle down effect.
i obviously didnt run any numbers but thats the first thing i noticed.

Dropsuit Command- +1% base shield and armor per level

Weaponry- +3% to total ammo capacity per level (+1 per level to weapons with small ammo count, ex swarm launchers, plasma cannons)

The +1 per level for Weaponry, in some cases, would horribly unbalance things in the cases where those weapons' ammo sizes are intentionally designed as a balancing metric. They'd have to revisit those weapons to see if they needed to be nerfed to compensate.

The passive relating to dropsuits will need to be carefully balanced after the CPU/PG and slot layout overhauls. I'm not saying OP's are crap, I'm just saying they need a lot of data before we can create good passives for them.

I'm only talking about the +1 per level. On weapons like the Plasma Cannon or Forge Gun, that'd be a pretty huge buff, wouldn't it? Particularly since FGers can't carry their own nanohives.

I can definitely see how that would a problem, I was just throwing this out ahead of the Delta discussions, seeing as they have listed, "efficacy bonuses" as one of the topics of delta, and I figure this is probably one thing they can include with that.

If I'm right there are also vehicle skills that give no passive bonus

Can't really chime in on the balance but I agree there should be a bonus for all skills passively. Off the top of my head some vehicle skills that are duds are, the basic HAV skill (no need to get it past 1 it doesnt do anything further), The basic LAV skill(no REAL need to get it past 1 but if you want the Saga II you can take it to 3), No reason to get Dropship operation past 3 for ADS, And as far as I know there is no efficacy bonus for turret operation of any kind, save for unlocking more turrets.

The "roots", as I like to call them, should be something that's beneficial to newcomers, and kind of an indifference to a dude with 40 mil SP. These "roots" are the initial skills known as Dropsuit Command, Dropsuit Upgrades, and Weaponry. I'm thinking something along the lines of:

• Dropsuit Command: Unlocks STD, ADV, and PRO at 1, 3, and 5.

-2% Dropsuit Price per level.


• Dropsuit Upgrades: Unlocks whatever at their own respective levels.

-#% Equipment Duration per level.


• Weaponry: Unlocks Instruments of Death at their respective levels.

-2% Weapon Price per level.

I don't know. It's something that's not necessarily game breaking, and it fills in the blanks while helping newcomers out a bit as well.

Maybe upgrades should be a price reduction, too?

Dropsuit Upgrades: Unlocks whatever at their own respective levels.

-2% Dropsuit Modules/equipment cost per level?

I like the idea however, as a min assault, I think the minmatar medium bonus is practically useless compared to the others. I mean a Caldari should practically be filling all slots with shield related modules. The minmatar might use one or two biotic modules which are generally lower CPU and PG costs than shields. I think these sort of things would throw the balance Rattati has been trying to achieve out the window. I'd rather see a small bonus to base stats for these.

So we know there are a significant amount of SP sinks in the skill tree currently, and I'd like to propose a fix to it. This is in General Discussions since these are my musings, and I want input before I ask they be made.

First, which skills are in need of bonuses? Here are the skills (infantry only, since I have no intimate knowledge of vehicles) that have little or no use.

Dropsuit Command
All basic dropsuit skills (12 total)
Dropsuit Upgrades
Weaponry

So, a total of 15 skills that need bonuses. To save my self a lot of typing for every bonus, let me say here that for each basic suit skill, the skill only applies to the suits that are under that skill, example: Amarr Heavy Dropsuit skill only applies to Amarr heavy basic suits, Amarr sentinels, and Amarr commandos. Here are my thoughts:

Dropsuit Command +1% base shield and armor per level

Dropsuit Upgrades -1% CPU/PG cost of all modules per level

Weaponry +3% to total ammo capacity per level (+1 per level to weapons with small ammo count, ex swarm launchers, plasma cannons)

Amarr Heavy Dropsuits +2% armor from armor plates per level (all types)

Amarr Light Dropsuit -2% CPU/PG cost of laser weaponry per level

Amarr Medium Dropsuits -2% CPU/PG cost of all armor plates

Caldari Heavy Dropsuits +2% shield from shield extenders per level

Caldari Light Dropsuits -2% CPU/PG cost of rail weaponry per level

Caldari Medium Dropsuits -2% CPU/PG cost of all shield modules

Gallente Heavy Dropsuits +2% armor repair module rate per level

Gallente Light Dropsuits -2% CPU/PG cost of plasma weaponry per level

Gallente Medium Dropsuits -2% CPU/PG cost of armor repair modules

Minmatar Heavy Dropsuits +2% kinetic catalyzer effect per level

Minmatar Light Dropsuits -2% CPU/PG cost of projectile weaponry per level

Minmatar Medium Dropsuits -2% CPU/PG cost of biotic modules per level

Please share your thoughts/comments, this is a rough draft, after all.

If all dropsuits of one racial type received a small bonus to fitting their preferred racial tanking module we might have an easier time of balancing. Just spitballing...

• Amarr +1% to armor plate efficacy per level.
• Gallente +2% to armor repair module rate per level.
• Minmatar +2% shield recharger efficacy per level.
• Caldari +1% to shield extender efficacy per level.

These bonuses would apply to any dropsuit within that races' lineup.

Actually in most cases the Amarr don't/ cannot out HP tank gallente....we deal with resistances not plate stacking.

Anything less than 2% per level is not welcome
Look at biotic upgrades, useless.