REVIEW - Starter Suits
With the release of Uprising, we have been introduced to starter suits that are based on race rather than a chosen starter class. Each race is given four familiar suits, the "Assault - Anti-Armor", "Assault - Frontline", "Assault - Medic", and "Assault - Sniper". These suits are obviously based on the racial militia assault suit with the addition of permanent 'yellow' modules that give a beginner a completely usable 100% free suit. All 'yellow' gear on the suits is Militia grade, so I will not continuously state "Militia" when discussing slots.
But... well... which to choose???
Below are observations on each of the races' starter suits in no particular order (what I logged into first is on top). Questions and commentary welcome but this is mostly for fun and curiosity born of boredom and for the benefit of newer players. So while I know this is not the most effective way to present this information, you get the rough draft because you're not paying me and no I will not be improving the layout. And yes I ramble.
GALLENTE:
All of the Gallente starter suits have the same slot layout - 0x High, 3x Low, 1x Equipment, a light weapon and a sidearm slot, and are fit similarly. All four suits are given militia locus grenades along with two reps and a plate in the low slots, giving a decent 4hp/s base armor repair rate on 250hp of armor under a 120hp shield buffer. The lack of any high slots makes these fits unsuitable for any sort of sniper work which would rely on damage mods, making the Assault - Sniper variant a bit subpar; this is exacerbated by the slow base speed of 4.85/6.79 due to the default plate in the lows. Anti-armor and sniper variants are identical with the exception of primary weapon - Swarms and a Sniper Rifle, respectively. A Scrambler pistol comes standard except on the medic which is given a submachine gun. The medic's nanite injector is the only yellow equipment among the variants, with the other suits running an empty slot. Ultimately unless you prefer the scrambler pistol to the submachine gun, the Frontline falls flat when compared to the Medic due to the latter's useful yellow equipment slot on top of identical stats. This goes out the window, however, if one wishes to build on these starter suits with improved modules in which case the CPU use of the non-unequipable nanite injector may be a liability.
Feedback for CCP: A militia nanohive would be beneficial on all of the Anti-armor suits to give their utility a bit more longevity. At least empty the grenade slot to allow new players to fit their own nanohive if desired.
CALDARI:
Based on the legacy starter fits, the Caldari Militia Assault-based starters are perhaps the most flexible due to a slot layout of 2x High, 1x Low, a light weapon, sidearm, grenade, and equipment slot. However, the legacy fittings come with some baggage which makes these starters the most inconsistent from a yellow-fitting point of view, and overall heavy modding by the user will be required. When modded these fits can be relatively decent and overcome poor yellow-module choices. Locus grenades are standard on all fits, as well as empty equipment slots save for the medic which includes an empty high slot for a nanite injector.
The Frontline trades tank (only 210hp shield / 120hp armor) for gank and comes with dual light weapon damage modifiers in the highs. The shield regulator in the low slot is a thoughtful nod to the tank a frontline fighter needs, but it would be better paired with dual shield extenders, as the limited shield buffer will leave this Frontline fighter in un-repped armor very quickly, despite its 6% increase to assault rifle damage. Better yet, fit an armor repair module which is standard on nearly every player-made fitting in the game.
The Anti-Armor and Sniper variants come with high slot confusion as well. The Anti-Armor's split damage modifiers - 1x light and 1x sidearmor - limit its effectiveness. It would be better to include 2x modifiers for the swarm launcher which would make this the strongest Anti-Armor starter fit of the bunch. However, the armor plate, while slightly limiting its mobility is a decent addition and gives it a bit more staying power for those times you need to get a lock to put swarms on target at all costs while under fire. The debate between Scrambler Pistol and SMG enthusiasts continues, but given the (admittedly undesirable) sidearm damage modifier indicating this fit is meant to jump into the fray following vehicle destruction, an SMG would give it more staying power; ultimately the lack of shield tank mods or an armor rep though makes this a throwaway fit. The Sniper on the other hand, is given too much in the form of tank modules. Two shield recharger modules in the high slots, honestly, do not make much sense for this fitting. Either shield extenders to provide a buffer against counter-sniper fire or light weapon damage modifiers to enable increased alpha damage would be a worthy choice. The rechargers do little for this fit. The cardiac regulator in the low is acceptable as a mobility module to get the sniper where it needs to go, but should be replaced by an armor repair module when fitting allows to enable recovery following unexpected engagements. The SMG is welcome on this fit, though it may be replaced with a scram pistol to ease CPU depending on modified module choice.
Finally, the medic is one of the better options for the Caldari and for once an armor repair unit provides backup for a shield extender. The empty high slot hurts this fit, and CPU constraints limit the user until standard modules are unlocked (and it would be preferable to have an empty grenade slot instead), but the utility gained by the nanite injector and the SMG backing the standard assault rifle should make this the go-to squad play fit for anyone using Caldari starters.