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EVE Winter update to balance 40 more ships

eve_winter_update

Following on from the tweaks and balances made to 16 ships in the Inferno update (a little less than 10% of the ships available in the game), CCP have revealed some of the work that’s been going on in preparation for the Winter update. Namely, this amounts to major snipping and pruning of the ships’ capabilities, shaping them into more defined roles.

As always, details below (including an infographic).

Alrighty, now, I could break this all down but handily CCP have done the bulk of that already. For the fullest of details head over to their blog, what you’ll find here are theselectdetails and also pictures.

Frigates:

  • Kestrel, Tristan, and Breacher are remaining as combat frigates, despite plans to change them into missile boats.
  • Magnate, Heron, Imicus, Probe now come loaded with profession bonuses, making them suited to scanning and exploration.
  • Crucifer, Griffin, Maulus, Vigil look to be the new “Kid who throws mud class” as they’ve become adept at sensor dampening.
  • Inquisitor, Bantam, Navitas, and Burst are an interesting bunch. They’ve been redesigned in a support role, so now there are small scale repair ships to compliment a fleet.
  • The ORE Frigate has been re-puposed to be a tool for strip mining.

Destroyers:

  • Coercer, Cormorant, Catalyst, Thrasher are all having a few minor changes, but are largely staying the same following their update in the Crucible expansion.
  • There are also a crowd of new destroyers whose ”
    Main roles will focus on medium range damage projection through drones and missiles. Amarr and Gallente will most likely have fully bonused flights of light drones to play with while being supported by several turret slots. Caldari and Minmatar will boast high-slots fully loaded with missile launchers.

Tech 1 Cruisers:

  • Augoror, Osprey, Exequror, Scythe are all being largely stripped of their mining capabilities in favour of a support role.
  • Arbitrator, Blackbird, Celestis, Bellicoseare stepping up to the job of disruption, expect sensor dampening, missile banks, and meaness in spades.
  • Omen, Caracal, Thorax, Stabberare being made into blades, both fast and strong. All are getting a speed and damage buff.
  • Maller, Moa, Vexor, Rupture are becoming your friendly naighbourhood assault cruisers, with out and out damage being a priority.

If that all seems like a lot to take in then here’s CCP’s handily drawn picture graph.

The Winter Update will be out when there’s ice on your window and you start the morning by cracking the icicle from your nose.