Pokey Dravon
OSG Planetary Operations
Covert Intervention
631
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Posted - 2013.03.13 01:35:00 -
[1] - Quote
Heavy Attack Vehicles or HAVs are the most SP and ISK intensive specializations in Dust, but such an investment does not come without its benefits. HAVs bolster impressive defenses and devastating firepower that will allow you to mow down the competition. A single HAV can turn the tide of battle and it is important that you be properly trained and fit so your investment doesnGÇÖt go to waste.
There are two kinds of HAVs currently in Dust, the Caldari shield tank and the Gallente armor tank. While both types server the same general purpose, they each go about doing it in a very different way; each with its pros and cons.
Shield Tanks
[Gunnlogi & Sageris]
PROs:
Shields passively but slowly repair themselves
Shield Boosters, when activated, repair the shield instantly
Lighter weight vehicle and thus accelerates faster
Can fit Damage Modifiers, Acceleration Boosters (Overdrives), Passive Speed modifiers, and CPU/PG extenders without sacrificing defense
Can be Passive Tanked (Not Recommended)
Sageris gets a damage bonus to Large Missile Launchers which are highly effective against armor tanks.
Resistant to most currently available infantry AV weapons (Shields are highly resistant to explosives such as Remote Explosives, Proximity Mines, and Swarm Launchers)
Can fit Remote Armor Repairers without sacrificing defenses.
Shield Boost Systems boosts passive shield recharge rate
CONs:
Lower base HP than armor tanks
Shields have slightly lower base resistances than armor
Painfully low Powergrid can make fitting difficult
Shield Extenders give much less additional HP than Armor Plates
Unable to fit Damage Control Unit without sacrificing defenses
Unable to fit active speed modules (more effective than passive) without sacrificing defenses
Unable to fit Active Scanners without sacrificing defenses
Unable to fit Tracking Computers without sacrificing defenses
Unable to fit Active Heat Sinks without sacrificing defenses
Shields cannot be remotely repaired by infantry, only other vehicles
Generally all low slots are needed to boost PG enough to fit a full gambit of defenses
Shield Tanks require significantly more SP to properly train than armor
No skills boost the amount of HP shield boosters repair
Armor Tanks
[Madrugar & Surya]
PROs:
Higher base HP than shield tanks
Shields offer additional buffer of HP before damage reaches armor
Armor Plating adds much more HP than Shield Extenders
Armor Repair modules repair more HP over a longer period of time than shield boosters
ArmorGÇÖs natural resistances are slightly higher than shields
Able to fit a Damage Control Unit without sacrificing defenses
Able to fit Active Speed Boosters (More effective than passive) without sacrificing defenses
Able to fit Active Scanners without sacrificing defenses
Able to fit Active Heat Sinks (Can be very useful for Blasters)
Slightly more resistant to Blasters than Shield Tanks
Surya get a damage bonus with Large Blasters which have the highest DPS of any turret in the game.
Armor can be repaired by both infantry and vehicles (Two infantry militia repair tools repair slightly slower than a single light armor repairer, but without the downside of a cooldown)
Remote Armor Repairers are significantly better than Remote Shield Transporters
Generally will have high slots left over which can be used for Active Support Modules
Can fit remote shield boosting modules without sacrificing defense
Armor requires less SP to properly train than shields
Armor Repair Systems increases the amount of HP your repair modules return per second
CONs:
Armor does not passively repair itself like shields
Armor repair modules have a 3 second delay after activation before they start repairing armor. (It is a much bigger deal than you think)
Armor is weakest against explosives, and thus most of the currently available AV weapons.
Armor tanks are heavier and thus accelerate slower than Shield Tanks, armor plating will further decrease acceleration. (Note: Base top speed for all tanks is 24m/s)
Unable to fit Damage Boosters, Acceleration boosters, Passive Speed boosters, and PG/CPU extenders without sacrificing defenses
In short, Shield tanks offer a hard hitting solution with the ability to stack on a significant amount of damage while remaining mobile and swift to react to situations. The ability to passively recharge shields allows a shield tank to remain at 100% shields even after taking minor damage and doesnGÇÖt require the use of their main booster. Their high resistance to existing AV weapons also gives them an edge (for now) simply because most existing AV solutions do less damage to shields. All of this makes shield tanks a prime choice when running without much infantry or logistics support.
Armor tanks are slower and heavier, but are far superior in raw HP and damage resistance, which helps to overcome its inability to passively repair armor. The fact that the Surya gets a Large Blaster damage bonus is particularly important due to the fact that Blasters are somewhat the jack-of-all-trades when it comes to Large Turrets, giving the Surya an edge of the Sageris who uses the less effective Missile Turrets. Also, due to the fact that it is much easier to remotely repair armor, may it be from infantry or other vehicles, armor tanks benefit far more from support than shield tanks do. With that said, armor may not perform as well solo as a shield tank, but it by far superior when properly supported by logistics forces.
In the end the choice between armor and shields comes down to personal preference, playstyle, and squad composition. |