EPTThe big picture
This summer we will be revamping the Mining Barges and Exhumers, hereafter collectively referred to as barges. This is part of a larger initiative, spearheaded by CCP Ytterbium, where we revamp ship classes one by one.
Here is Ytterbium's initial blog about the initiative: Rebalancing EVE, one ship at a time
In his update blog, Ship balancing summer update, he goes into some details about the barges.
For those of you who didn't read that, here's a quick summary of the mining part of the blog:
Current mining frigates are no longer going to be mining frigates.
We are going to make a new ORE mining frigate.
Mining Barges and Exhumers are getting the "tiericide" treatment, where they will have specific roles rather than being a linear progression from worst at mining to best at mining.
Procurer and Skiff will have good defence.
Retriever and Mackinaw will have large ore holds.
Covetor and Hulk will have good mining output.
The goal here is to allow players to choose a barge that fits their specific play style rather than lead them on a journey from the worst barge to the best one.
The Covetor and Hulk cater to group mining operations due to their large mining capability, low EHP and storage, forcing them to rely on others to haul and resupply them with mining crystals.
The Retriever and Mackinaw are specifically designed for autonomy purposes, as their large ore bays allow their pilot to stay inside an asteroid belt for longer without having to dock.
The Procurer and Skiff are made for protection against suicide gank, or NPCs, by giving a large enough buffer to react to incoming attacks, while paying for that with a lower mining yield.
This summer we will be revamping the Mining Barges and Exhumers, hereafter collectively referred to as barges. This is part of a larger initiative, spearheaded by CCP Ytterbium, where we revamp ship classes one by one.
Here is Ytterbium's initial blog about the initiative: Rebalancing EVE, one ship at a time
In his update blog, Ship balancing summer update, he goes into some details about the barges.
For those of you who didn't read that, here's a quick summary of the mining part of the blog:
Current mining frigates are no longer going to be mining frigates.
We are going to make a new ORE mining frigate.
Mining Barges and Exhumers are getting the "tiericide" treatment, where they will have specific roles rather than being a linear progression from worst at mining to best at mining.
Procurer and Skiff will have good defence.
Retriever and Mackinaw will have large ore holds.
Covetor and Hulk will have good mining output.
The goal here is to allow players to choose a barge that fits their specific play style rather than lead them on a journey from the worst barge to the best one.
The Covetor and Hulk cater to group mining operations due to their large mining capability, low EHP and storage, forcing them to rely on others to haul and resupply them with mining crystals.
The Retriever and Mackinaw are specifically designed for autonomy purposes, as their large ore bays allow their pilot to stay inside an asteroid belt for longer without having to dock.
The Procurer and Skiff are made for protection against suicide gank, or NPCs, by giving a large enough buffer to react to incoming attacks, while paying for that with a lower mining yield.
Game breaking
