Guide:Pledging

09 Sep.,2024

 

Guide:Pledging

This guide is intended to assist prospective players in choosing and purchasing their first ship or game package, as well as explaining further ship or package purchases after the first.

DRAKE contains other products and information you need, so please check it out.

When pledging, use a referral code from the Referral Randomizer to get 5,000 UEC in-game currency.

Please note: If you did not enter a referral code during account creation, you must submit an RSI Support ticket and they will add it to your account, it cannot be done by the user.

Game Packages

Upgrading and Melting ships

Two methods exist for modifying, refunding, and repurchasing ships and ship packages. These are intended to allow buyers to exchange purchased ships for different ones if they made a mistake or want to try something new.

Ship Upgrades

Ship Upgrades are a purchased upgrade from one ship to another; retaining all limited items, access passes and insurance levels contained in your original package. Using these ship upgrades can often cost less than buying the final package on its own. Note that you may only upgrade to ships with a higher value; you cannot "downgrade" ships and receive a refund.

Store Credit ("Melting")

Once a ship or ship package is owned, it may be "Melted" for store credit for the purchase price (Store credit and coupons may not be used). This will remove **ALL** of that package's contents, including insurance, backer rewards and other items associated directly with that package. Once melted, the value will be added to your account, which may be used to purchase other ships, ship packages or items in the store.

A melted package or ship may be repurchased using a "buy back credit" as well paying the refunded price. Each account may have only one of these credits at a time, which are refreshed every 90 days to prevent mass unmelting and melting.

If Squadron 42 is not owned on an account, Melting and unmelting a game package will offer the SQ42 add-on for $15.

More information may be found on the RSI site (Link)

For more drake cutter priceinformation, please contact us. We will provide professional answers.

Upgrades Vs. Melting

Ship upgrades preserve the original packages' contents when upgrading; in contrast, melting/unmelting grants the new package's benefits and contents. Therefore, when it comes to ship upgrades, you should also consider whether it is more beneficial to buy a ship upgrade, or whether it is more beneficial to melt your existing ship and buy your target ship directly.

  • If your target ship offers better insurance and extras, it is better to melt your current ship and purchase the target ship.
  • If the target ship offers worse insurance and extras, it is better to use Ship Upgrades to upgrade the ship only.

All Game Packages

Standalone Ships

Players with a game package may purchase standalone ships to add to their collection for usage in-game (Link. Pledge Store)

References

cerberus Vs. Drake. Is there a reason to pay millions more ...


Sosus Red

Posted - .03.21 21:43:00 - [1]

I was considering getting a cerberus but after comparing the two it does not seem like that great of a ship/ I cant even figure out why the Cerberus costs 30 to 40 million more isk that a Drake. After comparing the two, the Drake looks like the superior ship. The frake has 7 missile slots, the cerb has 5. The drake has one more mid than the cerb. the Drake has a drone bay, the cerb does not.

Can someone tell us why the Cerberus is a great ship?

Cerberus:

Caldari Cruiser Skill Bonus: 5% bonus to Kinetic Missile damage and 10% bonus to Missile velocity per level

Heavy Assault Ship Skill Bonus: 10% bonus Light Heavy Assault and Heavy Missile flight time and 5% bonus to Missile Launcher rate of fire per level

powergrid output 635
Low slots 4
Med slots 5
High slots 6
CPU output 440
Launcher hardpoints 5
Turret hardpoints 0

shield capacity
Shield Em Damage Resistanceshield em damage resistance 0
Shield Explosive Damage Resistanceshield explosive damage resistance 60
Shield Kinetic Damage Resistanceshield kinetic damage resistance 70
Shield Thermal Damage Resistanceshield thermal damage resistance 80
Shield recharge timeshield recharge time 1,250.00 sec

Armor hitpoints
Armor Em Damage Resistancearmor em damage resistance 60
Armor Explosive Damage Resistancearmor explosive damage resistance 10
Armor Kinetic Damage Resistancearmor kinetic damage resistance 62.5
Armor Thermal Damage Resistancearmor thermal damage resistance 86.25

max velocity 185
Drone Capacitydrone capacity 0
capacitycapacity 650 m3
massmass kg
volumevolume m3 packaged


maximum targeting range 80 km
Max Locked Targetsmax locked targets 6
RADAR Sensor Strengthradar sensor strength 0
LADAR Sensor Strengthladar sensor strength
0
Magnetometric Sensor Strengthmagnetometric sensor strength 0
Gravimetric Sensor Strengthgravimetric sensor strength 16
Signature Radiussignature radius 135 m


Drake:

Battlecruiser Skill Bonus: 5% shield resistance and 5% bonus kinetic damage of heavy missiles and heavy assault missiles

powergrid output 850
Low Slotslow slots 4
Med Slotsmed slots 6
High Slotshigh slots 8
CPU Outputcpu output 525
Launcher hardpointslauncher hardpoints 7
Turret hardpointsturret hardpoints 0


shield capacity
Shield Em Damage Resistanceshield em damage resistance 0
Shield Explosive Damage Resistanceshield explosive damage resistance 60
Shield Kinetic Damage Resistanceshield kinetic damage resistance 40
Shield Thermal Damage Resistanceshield thermal damage resistance 20
Shield recharge timeshield recharge time 1,400.00 sec

armor hitpoints
Armor Em Damage Resistancearmor em damage resistance 60
Armor Explosive Damage Resistancearmor explosive damage resistance 10
Armor Kinetic Damage Resistancearmor kinetic damage resistance 25
Armor Thermal Damage Resistancearmor thermal damage resistance 45

max velocity 140
Drone Capacitydrone capacity 25
capacitycapacity 345 m3
massmass kg
volumevolume m3 packaged


recharge time 750.00 sec
Capacitor Capacitycapacitor capacity .5

maximum targeting range 60 km
Max Locked Targetsmax locked targets 8
RADAR Sensor Strengthradar sensor strength 0
LADAR Sensor Strengthladar sensor strength 0
Magnetometric Sensor Strengthmagnetometric sensor strength 0
Gravimetric Sensor Strengthgravimetric sensor strength 19
Signature Radiussignature radius 285 m
Scan Resolutionscan resolution 195



Xanos Blackpaw

Posted - .03.21 21:58:00 - [4]
well...the drake is better for most things...but the cerb is cooler^^
Playing minmatar is "like going down a flight of stairs in a office chair firing an Uzi".
Impolite Andevil

Posted - .03.21 22:02:00 - [5]
Depends on what you want to do with it. L4 missions? Drake. PVP? The cerberus is faster, has a lower sig radius, and most importantly is one of the very few ships in game that can dominate nano setups. Precision light missiles and explosion velocity rigs result in a ship that vagabonds fear. They would laugh at a drake (although they would also never break its tank). The cerb also makes a decent HAM platform, whereas the drake is slow and cannot dictate range, thus making HAMs a poor choice in many cases.

Wet Ferret

Posted - .03.21 22:04:00 - [6]
If my calculations are right, Cerb has 6.7 effective launchers opposed to the Drake's 7, and can fire at much longer distances. The fact that the bonuses also apply to light missiles make it far superior at taking out smaller targets with kinetic at least, but with the extra range and missile velocity should be better at it in general. It's also possible to speed fit a Cerb for extra survivability ()

For PvE, use a Drake. Otherwise, I can see a lot of good reasons to use a Cerb.
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0raven0
Point-Zero
SMASH Alliance

Posted - .03.21 22:27:00 - [7]
If t2 ships were sold at the price CCP designed them to be sold for than drake would cost about double the cerb.

Cerb can do some things better than drake, drake can do some things better than cerb.

For example Cerb can nano, but drake can tank.
------
Quote:tuxford: AT LEAST ITS SPEELED CORRECTLY
tuxford: spelled*
Oveur: rofl

OwnedBy Me
State War Academy

Posted - .03.21 23:34:00 - [8]
Its easy..

Cerb = complex and pvp

Drake = ratting, missions and the likes

Gypsio III

Posted - .03.22 00:01:00 - [9]
Drake is better than the Cerb at everything except nano***ery. It has more tank, more DPS and is more cost-effective.

Karyuudo Tydraad

Posted - .03.22 00:36:00 - [10]
Ah, beloved ships and modules where few people understand ships beyond cookie cutter setups. The Cerberus is capable of effectively nanoing, is considerably more maneuverable even when not nano'd, has better resists to act as dedicated tank in PVE complexes, has longer range, and has a bonus that applies to light missiles making it effective when hitting extremely fast frigates with precision. The Drake can field a monster tank, put out more dps, has more slots for utility, has the advantages of being a T1 ship hull for insurance and base cost, and doesn't require near as much SP to be effective in.
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Al Thorr

Posted - .03.22 01:04:00 - [11]
imho - Cerb = fun to fly

Drake = no brainer

if you are low on skill points and need no challenge to missions ,just the isk, go drake then raven.


If you have the skills to fly a HAC properly then its more fun ( the risk factor being a bit more predominant)

If however you are pvp ing in a war etc . an anti indy frig cerb in a gang is a must. all the drake will do is watch everyone else die..



Regards



Al Thorr








"You cant polish a turd" - The new rendered font is living proof.


Atsuko Ratu
VSP Corp.
R0ADKILL

Posted - .03.22 02:39:00 - [12]
I fly both a drake and a cerb with only HAM launchers. All and all, the drake out performs the cerb (at this single missile type).

I will admit, I do like the cerb's superior range with the HAMS, but when fitting for DPS it always makes more sense to go with the innocent, more powerful Drake.

Of course, go cerb if you love owning frigs, which has been mentioned above me several times.

Mar vel

Posted - .03.22 03:40:00 - [13]
Cerb is good for medium to long-range missle spamming, with deadly predictable results. It dies rather quickly in close-quarters combat.

Drake is primarily a HAM passive shield tanker, and in close-quarters can eat all manner of ships for snacks....except, perhaps, other drakes...

For the isk involved, the Drake wins hands-down. Next topic.

Arthur Frayn
Veterans Of Liberation Ltd.

Posted - .03.22 04:19:00 - [14]
I think the Cerb is mostly a stepping stone to the Nighthawk. With the NH, you get the Drake's tank(or better, depending on who you ask), and better DPS than either ship. You're just limited to the Drake's range. Considering that's 60-70km, it's such a crying shame.

[/sarcasm]


--
Eve needs a dose of Top Gun without the sweaty shower scenes.
Sosus Red
Grave Diggers
Hydra Alliance

Posted - .03.22 17:10:00 - [15]
from the responses I can gather two opinions.

1. Faster/more agile = Cerb

2. Anti Frigate = Cerb


Are these two qualities enough to justify the price tag of a cerberus?


Ive used my Drake for PVP, but atm its used mainly for mish. I can permatank lvl 4 garistas and sansha missions....10 Battleships pummeling me...yawn. Im going to go afk, hehe.


I think I will give the eagle a try. Thank you everyone for your replies.

Salpad
darkmusse Corp

Posted - .03.22 17:49:00 - [16]
Originally by: Wet Ferret

Edited by: Wet Ferret on 21/03/ 21:47:42


Cerb is lighter, faster, gets a 33% (I think) extra damage from RoF bonus. Bonuses affect light missile (Drake only affects heavies). T2 resists. Double range on missiles...

Uhm, well, those are the most obvious benefits.

edit: depends on what you're using it for, I guess.


Double range?

[drools]

--
Salpad
Salpad
darkmusse Corp

Posted - .03.22 17:52:00 - [17]
Originally by: Wet Ferret

Edited by: Wet Ferret on 21/03/ 21:47:42


Cerb is lighter, faster, gets a 33% (I think) extra damage from RoF bonus. Bonuses affect light missile (Drake only affects heavies). T2 resists. Double range on missiles...

Uhm, well, those are the most obvious benefits.

edit: depends on what you're using it for, I guess.


Also, if your RoF bonus calculation is right, then you can multiply the 5 launcher hardpoints buy the RoF bonus, so that we get 5 * 1.33 = 6.65

The Cerberus thus effectively has 6.65 launchers, compared to 7.00 launchers on the Drake, so that it isn't really gimped in the damage department after all.

--
Salpad
Stakhanov
Metafarmers

Posted - .03.22 20:40:00 - [18]
Tier 2 BCs are evenly matched with HACs on a close range 1vs1 situation ; but HACs have much deadlier specialties (nanos , high gank , sniping) that make them better gang ships.

I'm not much of a missile user , but I know I would hesitate to fight a cerberus in many cases. A drake is more predictable and not very dangerous.

If you focus on the cerberus' long range , it should be fairly cost effective compared to a rigged drake. A deimos is very vulnerable but hugely expensive compared to an unrigged gank brutix that does similar dps.
Originally by: Istvaan Shogaatsuedit: Wow, that was unpleasant, I felt pity for someone. Won't happen again.

Vladmir Loki
State War Academy

Posted - .03.22 22:08:00 - [19]
They are two different completely flying styles. You fly a Drake when you aren't able to dictate the setting. A Drake is cheap and effective, but not very flexible in it's role. Everyone knows what to expect when they see a Drake, it's going to have a good tank and mediocre DPS.

The Cerebus, on the other hand, is not something most people will ignore till the end of a fight. A Cerebus is faster and more able to get to where it wants, especially if the pilot knows how to fly it. A HAM Cerebus can be pretty ugly. They don't typically last that long when out matched, but the damage that is usually done is better than average. Now that a Cerebus is cheap (ie NOT 280+ million isk) they are a blast to fly in experienced gangs. Use it for roaming, and for picking off support.

Rawr Cristina
Naqam

Posted - .03.22 22:32:00 - [20]
Originally by: Vladmir LokiEveryone knows what to expect when they see a Drake, it's going to have a good tank and mediocre DPS.


A common misconception. In some cases fatal.

I fly both. IMO, Cerb is much for suited for Nano/0.0 work but for that particular task it pales in comparison to a Vaga or Zealot. It makes a good Inty killer with Assault Launchers however but the DPS is simply far too low (even with triple BCUs it only reaches about 200) to be all that effective against Nanoships.

Drake has many advantages:
- Cost Effectiveness
- Buffer tank (that dosen't negatively affect speed, such as plates do)
- DPS (550 easily doable with HAMs, which can reach upto 80km with Jav)
- Never called primary
...

Graalum
Foundation
R0ADKILL

Posted - .03.22 23:29:00 - [21]

Edited by: Graalum on 22/03/ 23:30:29


cerb can effectively kill support thanks to its velocity bonus and has the range to fulfill a support role in fleet. Also its more maneuverable, faster, etc. the drake is decent in small gangs especially with a scimitar or basilisk around.

Eva Celeste
Federal Navy Academy

Posted - .03.23 01:26:00 - [23]
Not to forget that the Cerb has a much bigger cargo hold.

Angelonico
Series of Tubes

Posted - .03.23 01:48:00 - [24]
The answer is no. Cerb's are bloody worthless and are outclassed by the drake in everything except nano potential and if you can look my avatar in the face and suggest one should "nano" a cerb you'll pardon me while I laugh.

Not arguing for a boost or what not - just pointing out the obvious. The cerb is bloody junk. Uninsurable junk.

Angelonico
Series of Tubes

Posted - .03.23 01:49:00 - [25]
Originally by: joshmorris

Edited by: joshmorris on 22/03/ 23:32:35




I see cerb in nano frig
I see drake i say yum.

I dont know why but cerbs are scary :(. :P


Is it their **** dps? Limited tackling ability? Total lack of speed and agility?

Those things scare me to .

Antic
Swedish Aerospace Inc
Firmus Ixion

Posted - .03.23 12:15:00 - [26]
yes please continue to belive the cerb is junk! Maybe the price will go down. Too many theorycraft PVPers on these boards nowadays... I guess you will claim that the ishtar is a ****ty PVP Hac and nano hac too after this? :D

Leeluvv
The Black Ops
Black Core Alliance

Posted - .03.23 13:11:00 - [27]
Originally by: AngelonicoThe answer is no. Cerb's are bloody worthless and are outclassed by the drake in everything except nano potential and if you can look my avatar in the face and suggest one should "nano" a cerb you'll pardon me while I laugh.

Not arguing for a boost or what not - just pointing out the obvious. The cerb is bloody junk. Uninsurable junk.


Ever left Empire space?

The Cerb does things the Drake doesn't and vice versa. They also both do things in a similar manner. To compare just one element of the game and claim that one ship type is better than the other is just ignorant.

The Cerb can shoot Heavy missiles over 200 Km
The Cerb can shoot T2 Precision Light Missiles at 10 km/s from 100 Km.
The Cerb can be reasonably nano'd, although it's nothing special.

The Drake has a better tank.
The Drake can fit Command Modules.

OMG, look, they can be used for different roles, not just Lvl 4 missions with a standard Heavy Launcher and rat specific tank setup...

Lee
==
Sig to follow
Angelonico
Series of Tubes

Posted - .03.24 09:16:00 - [28]
Originally by: Leeluvv
Originally by: AngelonicoThe answer is no. Cerb's are bloody worthless and are outclassed by the drake in everything except nano potential and if you can look my avatar in the face and suggest one should "nano" a cerb you'll pardon me while I laugh.

Not arguing for a boost or what not - just pointing out the obvious. The cerb is bloody junk. Uninsurable junk.


Ever left Empire space?

The Cerb does things the Drake doesn't and vice versa. They also both do things in a similar manner. To compare just one element of the game and claim that one ship type is better than the other is just ignorant.

The Cerb can shoot Heavy missiles over 200 Km
The Cerb can shoot T2 Precision Light Missiles at 10 km/s from 100 Km.
The Cerb can be reasonably nano'd, although it's nothing special.

The Drake has a better tank.
The Drake can fit Command Modules.

OMG, look, they can be used for different roles, not just Lvl 4 missions with a standard Heavy Launcher and rat specific tank setup...

Lee


Sniping with missiles? Reasonably nanoed? And you have the gall to say I haven't left empire?

I wasn't trolling you OR the ship - merely pointing out it's not worth the extra uninsurable isk. Don't hate me, I didn't build the bloody thing. The cerb is the most useless hac in game pound for pound. If you want missiles and a hac buy a sacrilege. If you want to snipe from distance for ****s sake why would you use missiles?

Connor Banks
State War Academy

Posted - .03.24 09:28:00 - [29]
Originally by: Salpad
Originally by: Wet Ferret

Edited by: Wet Ferret on 21/03/ 21:47:42

The company is the world’s best speed chucks supplier. We are your one-stop shop for all needs. Our staff are highly-specialized and will help you find the product you need.


Cerb is lighter, faster, gets a 33% (I think) extra damage from RoF bonus. Bonuses affect light missile (Drake only affects heavies). T2 resists. Double range on missiles...

Uhm, well, those are the most obvious benefits.

edit: depends on what you're using it for, I guess.


Also, if your RoF bonus calculation is right, then you can multiply the 5 launcher hardpoints buy the RoF bonus, so that we get 5 * 1.33 = 6.65

The Cerberus thus effectively has 6.65 launchers, compared to 7.00 launchers on the Drake, so that it isn't really gimped in the damage department after all.


...eh, you all seem to forget Drake can deploy drones while the Cerberus can't. 5 light drones can with decent skills give 100 extra dps.

Sure, drones in PvP isn't a viable option unless using HAMs. However, for mission running drones will decrease the mission completion time significantly.

/Connor

Talio ZomB
Caldari Provisions

Posted - .03.24 09:43:00 - [30]
There sure is a reason, longest range HAM spam, something like 45km or so, nice dps too
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