CCP announced today that they had deployed the Combat Command update, part of the Zenith Quadrant plan, to give a bit of a buff to command ships.
Command ship love
The changes, listed out in an update to the patch notes, are as follows:
Attack Command Ships (Absolution, Astarte, Nighthawk, Sleipnir):
- 3% bonus to command burst strength changed to 4% bonus to command burst strength
- 100% bonus to command burst range removed
Absolution:
- Mass decreased from 13,300,000 to 12,300,000
- Max velocity increased from 150 to 158
- CPU increased from 400 to 420
- PG from increased 1500 to 1550
- Scan resolution increased from 210 to 252
Astarte:
- Max velocity increased from 155 to 165
- CPU increased from 440 to 450
- Scan resolution increased from 200 to 240
Claymore:
- 5% bonus to missile explosion velocity increased to 10% bonus to missile velocity
- 7.5% bonus to shield boost amount changed to 4% per level bonus to shield resistances
- max targeting range increased from 65km to 75km
- Scan resolution increased from 220 to 264
Damnation:
- Scan resolution increased from 210 to 252
Eos:
- Command Ships bonuses (per skill level):
- 7.5% bonus to Drone Tracking speed
- 10% bonus to Drone Optimal range
- 3% bonus to Armored Command and Skirmish Command burst strength and duration
- Gallente Battlecruiser bonuses (per skill level):
- 10% bonus to Drone hitpoints and damage
- 4% bonus to Armor resistances
- Max targeting range increased from 65km to 75km
- Max velocity increased from 145 to 150
- Mass decreased from 13,000,000 to 12,500,000
- Drone bay increased from 250m3 to 300m3
- High slots decreased from 6 to 5
- Low slots increased from 6 to 7
- Scan resolution increased from 200 to 240
Nighthawk:
- 7.5% bonus to missile rate of fire increased to 10% bonus to missile rate of fire
- max velocity increased from 140 to 150
- mass decreased from 14,810,000 to 13,200,000
- mid slots increased from 5 to 6
- low slots decreased from 5 to 4
- Scan resolution increased from 195 to 234
Sleipnir:
- Scan resolution increased from 220 to 264
Vulture:
- Command ship skill bonus to hybrid optimal range changed to 10% shield hp per level
- Scan resolution increased from 195 to 234
After a few bad experiences I stay away from boosting and command ships, so can’t really say if these changes will make much of a difference. The Eos looks like it got the most changes. We will see if the state of the Nighthawk gets any better. The next time I see one in space will likely be the first time.
The update also marked the end of the 2v2 cruiser brawl proving ground event. A destroyer event will be starting on Friday.
The Ancient Gaming Noob 
The change from shield boost amount to shield resists on the Claymore will definitely benefit us, as it’s the boosting ship of choice for our most used fleet comps at the moment. So much for CCP always favouring Goons, eh? ;-)
I would really like to fly boosts again, but those damn implants are just too much of a hassle. If I was always responsible for shield/skirm/info reliably it wouldn’t be a problem, but having clones for all three implants at the ready wherever we go…ugh, no.
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@Mailvaltar – I think the Claymore goes along with our Munnin doctrine too, so it should help on both sides. The Eos is used in our Sacrilege doctrine, but I couldn’t tell you if the changes make it better or not.
I tried to do boosts for a while, I had trained all the related skills up to V, but I was always being asked to change implants at a time when keeping multiple clones around was an issue, so I was dropping a lot of ISK (at least for a poor like me) to go on fleets. I called it quits when an FC screamed at me when I said I wasn’t going to change implants for a move op. I don’t need that kind of grief.
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I hear you. While I haven’t been screamed at I know full well that it’s expected to always have the implant in – and kind of rightly so because it’s strong as hell – but, yeah, it’s just not manageable if you aren’t space rich.
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