The number and type of slots determine the modules (interchangeable hardware components that enhance or otherwise alter the functionality of the dropsuit), weapons, and equipment you can fit. The slot types available on dropsuits are as follows:

• Light
• Heavy
• Sidearm
• High
• Low
• Equipment
• Grenade

The three weapon slots – Light, Heavy, and Sidearm – cascade. That is, a Heavy slot can be fitted with a Sidearm, Light or Heavy weapon and, similarly, a Light slot can be fitted with a Light or Sidearm weapon. The high and low slots are module slots, each used for particular types of modules. Equipment slots allow the dropsuit to carry deployable or handheld equipment such as scanners, nanohives, drop uplinks, repair tools and more that will be covered in a future blog. Lastly, grenade slots determine the capacity (i.e. how many you can carry) of the grenade types – Locus, AV, EMP – fitted.

The intrinsic benefits of your chosen suit define, in part, the type of role you wish to fulfill on the battlefield but ultimately it’s how you choose to fit the suit that determines what it is capable of. Do you play to its strengths or do you surprise the enemy with an unconventional, risky fit? The choice is yours.

Dropsuits are classified as Standard, Advanced, and Prototype, each requiring specific skills to be trained before they can be used. Today, we’re going to take a look at two standard dropsuits: the Assault and Heavy.

Caldari Assault

The Caldari dropsuit design and aesthetic philosophy is heavily influenced by the culture’s origins on brutally frigid home worlds, dismissing stylistic notions in exchange for the ruthless, bare-minimum functionality requirements needed to keep a soldier alive. As such, the Caldari suit is notoriously uncomfortable and outright ungainly in some instances, yet remains in high demand due to its remarkable resilience in smart battlefields.

Standard Assault

The Assault dropsuit is a versatile frontline combat suit that combines excellent protection, good mobility, and sufficient equipment hard points for mission-specific customizations.

A flat-coil e5000 fifth generation fusion core runs up the inside of the back plate, powering the entire suit. Its output and heat buildup are controlled by a L2 “Gatekeeper” regulator conduit, which connects directly to the sensor system at the base of the neck. Every joint is reinforced with kinetic sensors and two-way, high torque servos to enhance the soldier’s strength, balance, and resistance to impact forces. The suit’s helmet has more integrated sensor, communication, targeting, and data processing systems than most civilian vehicles. Furthermore, every armor plate on the suit is energized to absorb the force of incoming plasma-based projectiles, neutralizing their ionization and reducing thermal damage.

Assault dropsuits are intended for standard combat operations or those in which the objectives are likely to change at a moment’s notice. Its ability to carry anything from small arms and explosives to heavy anti-vehicle munitions and deployable support gear makes it the most adaptable suit on the battlefield.

Amarr Heavy

The look of this Amarrian suit has changed little since it was first created, due largely to the commonly held belief that its original form is immaculate; the perfect amalgam of science and religion. Aesthetics are as important as function, because to the Amarr, aesthetics are function. Enshrined within the armor, the wearer becomes a vessel, the embodiment of God’s will and an instrument of holy wrath, unmistakable, and feared, by all who look upon him. To the Amarr, the dropsuit itself is the weapon.

Standard Heavy

The Heavy dropsuit is a second-generation solution designed to withstand concentrated small arms fire and protect the wearer from the concussive, thermal, and impact forces of low-grade explosives. Additionally, its power-assisted exoskeleton facilitates usage of the heaviest caliber personal weapons.

Every vital area of the wearer is protected by 25mm composite ceramic shell or high tensile steel plates, layered with impact absorbing, compressed carbon latticework. A secondary thermal dispersion membrane channels excess heat away from the point of contact, distributing it over a larger surface area and thereby lessening the potential damage. Superconductive veins of hybrid silver coat the outer layers and connect every piece of the armor to a grounding heat sink, dampening the harmful effects of direct fire electromagnetic weaponry.

Heavy dropsuits lack the mobility of lighter suits, but this trade-off results in a defensive system that defies standard infantry conventions. No other classification of personal armor can claim to be able to stand toe-to-toe with enemy vehicles and survive.

Even with just these two dropsuits, we can already see battlefield tactics starting to take shape. The Heavy can withstand a lot of punishment, but it has no equipment slots. Pairing it with another dropsuit capable of dropping ammunition replenishing nanohives or repairing from a distance will substantially increase the effectiveness of the Heavy. Alone, a Heavy could easily be outnumbered and outmaneuvered, but surrounded by allied Assault dropsuits it becomes a tank in every sense of the word, soaking up damage while the rest of the squad picks off the enemy.

Although formidable, the Heavy and Assault suits represent only one aspect of the battlefield eco-system. Sheer firepower will only get you so far. A smart squad will utilize the force multiplying support of the Logistics suit; the recon and electronic warfare specialties of the Scout; and all the modules and equipment they have at their disposal to become an unstoppable force. After all, one should never underestimate the value of a well-placed EMP grenade.

Vehicle classes in DUST 514 resemble modern day battlefield armored vehicles but are more menacing…and multitudes more lethal. You can also customize the vehicles with weapons and modules to ensure highly dynamic and constantly evolving gameplay where no single vehicle can impose absolute supremacy. The ultimate goal is to create an experience where players make meaningful choices based on their surroundings and situations when deploying vehicles.

Vehicle Customization

Vehicles are highly customizable; these units can be fitted with a broad arsenal of armaments, bolstered by modules that can be installed to apply bonuses and abilities to further enhance a vehicle’s combat effectiveness.

Players will be able to choose arms from all the familiar EVE Online weapon classes, from energy-based laser weapons, blaster and rail cannon hybrid technology to traditional projectile and missile weaponry. Each of these weapon types are divided over racial factions, having an affinity towards vehicle hulls from similar origins. Vehicles like the Caldari heavy attack Vehicle (HAV) for example, are well suited to using technologies embraced by the Caldari, such as their powerful armor-rupturing railgun cannons. This is not to say that this is the de facto weapon choice for the Caldari HAV. Players will have to weigh out their combat strategy, determining what style of weapon will appeal to their play style and the demands to be met for battle at hand. If there is a perceived aerial threat, players may choose to swap out their main turret mount for a large bank of guided heavy missiles to pluck their enemy’s dropships from the sky.

Add to this the power of vehicle modules onboard and a carefully tailored vehicle can truly be a force to be reckoned with. Modules fall under different umbrellas: electronic warfare, weapons modules, and engineering just to name a few. Engineering modules enable players to enhance essential functionality of their vehicle by increasing armor strength, increasing shield resilience, or improving overall speed and handling. Weapons modules and electronic warfare modules take on another dimension of utility. Weapons modules can outwardly boost the power of a vehicle’s turrets by increasing the rate of fire or damage factor per shot, while electronic warfare class modules enable players to immobilize unsuspecting targets with stasis webifiers, cripple enemy turrets with tracking disruptors, or enhance guided missile lethality on target-painted hostiles.

The modularity of these types of equipment allows players to create custom functionality across all vehicle classes simply by installing modules into a vehicle’s allotted number of slots on a vehicle fitting screen. The combined CPU and powergrid cost of all modules weighed against each vehicle’s unique CPU and powergrid resource pool determines the diversity and potency of its fit. This versatile system gives a player the ability to fit for specific tactics or purposes, putting as much creativity into the hands of the player as possible.

Importance of the Rapid Deployment Vehicle (RDV)

Vehicles can be delivered to any location on the battlefield accessible to the Rapid Deployment Vehicle (RDV). This allows players to analyze their current situation, evaluate their resources as well as their chance of success, and deploy vehicles and aerial units accordingly at any given time. Whether to deploy a heavy attack vehicle (HAV) to break through a tough defense point or a dropship to deliver infantry behind enemy lines to and wreak havoc is all up to the players, their strategy and current goals.

Role of Vehicles on the Battlefield

Vehicles play a large role on the battlefield and are a significant threat to the opposition. The heavily armored units use long-range heavy concussive attacks while lighter units emphasize speed and flexibility. Aerial vehicles, on the other hand, excel at laying down fire from above; their vantage point over the battlefield also puts them in a good position to provide vital support functions for armored units. Each vehicle will have its own set of unique bonuses or abilities allowing them to turn the tide in battle. Many of these abilities are of a support nature, allowing different types of vehicles to team up to create even more unique roles between classes.

Vehicles and Infantry have a symbiotic relationship on the battlefield, and will rely on each other in many situations. Fully utilizing the offensive capabilities of most vehicles requires the turrets to be manned. Players can spawn directly into vehicles equipped with clone reactivation units, allowing them to get into the midst of battle within seconds after dying. Infantry can be dropped off by aerial units to vantage points not reachable by foot, or they can hitch a ride with light vehicles to cross the vast terrains in a speedy manner. Vehicles also provide support in taking objectives, laying down suppressive fire to hold back the enemy while infantry move in to take control of objectives.

In a similar way, infantry supports vehicles by scouting and setting up traps. Infantry can utilize stasis webification bubbles, target painters and other tools that disable or temporarily make enemy vehicles and installations open to attack.

Vehicle Sneak Peak

Name: Saga
Hull: N/A
Race: Caldari
Class: Light Vehicle
Role: Light Attack Vehicle (LAV)
Slots: 3H / 2L
Crew: 3
PG: 180kW
CPU: 190tf

LAVs are highly versatile light armor attack vehicles with a crew capacity of up to three squad members. They are capable of stacking a wide array of lightweight modules in a single configuration, which allows them to assume a very dynamic support role on the battlefield. As an offensive unit they find strength in numbers, often found amongst a group of other LAVs at the front line of battle. Their high degree of mobility and relatively low cost make them a very common, favored anti-infantry unit amongst many mercenary contingents. However, the driver of an LAV needs to persistently be aware of how exposed his crew is to enemy fire and react appropriately so as to avoid having himself and his fellow crew mates picked off before they can land the first punch.

Name: Limbus
Hull: N/A
Race: Gallente
Class: Light Vehicle
Role: Logistics
Slots: 3H / 3L
Crew: 3
PG: 310kW
CPU: 124tf

The Gallente light logistics vehicle (LLV) is designed specifically as an infantry armor augmenter, providing infantry on the front lines with emergency repairs in the heat of battle. Due to its lightweight advanced armor coating, the LLV is quite tough compared to its light vehicle siblings. It feels nimble and is able to traverse multiple terrain types with ease. Although the LLV is mostly focused on support, it is mounted with a weapon hardpoint allowing it to fend off enemy infantry.

Name: Gunnlogi
Hull: N/A
Race: Caldari
Class: Heavy Vehicle
Role: Heavy Assault Vehicle (HAV)
Slots: 5H / 2L
Crew: 3
PG: 1780kW
CPU: 330tf

The heavy attack vehicle (HAV) class has a great combination of weapon hard-points, thick armor, and all-terrain mobility. Their role on the battlefield is to provide heavily armed support at a mid- to long- range distance, assisting lightly armored units as well as infantry. Depending on the type of main turret equipped, an HAV can relinquish its ground-pounding power for an anti-air focus.

Their thick armor enables HAVs to sustain a heavy degree of damage, giving them great staying power to endure extended combat engagement. Their competency on rough terrain allows the driver to place the HAV in tactically advantageous positions to close the trap on the enemy, or to alternatively scale challenging geographical obstacles that would otherwise inhibit less off-road capable units.

Name: Prometheus
Hull: Grimsnes
Race: Gallente
Class: Dropship
Role: Support
Slots: 2H / 4L
Crew: 7
PG: 380kW
CPU: 140tf

The dropship’s function is to support ground units by laying down fire from its two small turret hardpoints, and dropping off infantry reinforcements. It is one of the most maneuverable vehicles capable of hover flight. This allows it to quickly insert fresh infantry into a combat area with great efficiency, as well as afford it the maneuverability to effectively fall back and lay direct fire from an aerial support position. The Gunnlogi has a built in mobile clone reactivation unit, allowing infantry to awaken strapped in and ready to be dropped into combat by the pilot, anywhere on the battlefield.

A Sky Lift-class RDV delivering a vehicle.

Shrouded in advanced optical stealth and guided by automated networked navigation systems, the J42 “Sky Lift” RDV (Rapid Deployment Vehicle) drone is able to deliver even the heaviest armor, with pinpoint accuracy, anywhere on the battlefield. The proliferation of this invaluable tech has changed the face of ground warfare in the EVE universe, giving front-line commanders the ability to strike enemy positions with little warning or reinforce vulnerable points at a moment’s notice.

Originally designed for industrial transportation by Outer Ring Excavations (ORE), the Sky Lift was repurposed for combat missions with a few key alterations. Firstly, the engines underwent a massive upgrade, from aftermarket conventional jet turbines to the latest F/4 Ionized Plasma Forges. The extra thrust they provide compensates for the increased weight of the fuselage, which is augmented with 25mm radar absorbing armor plates. Without crew, the cockpit area has been redesigned with Tech 2 drone hardware, a multi-spectrum geospatial avionics system, and a state-of-the-art Phantom-65 stealth field controller.

One key feature that was completely unchanged, however, is the “Magnetar” lift system. This retractable electromagnetic crane is powered by the Sky Lift’s main reactor but also has an integrated backup capacitor for especially heavy loads. It generates a magnetic field so powerful that most of the vehicle’s EM shielding is in place to protect against the side effects of the lift system, rather than enemy electronic attacks.

A Caelus-class MCC trawls across the battlefield.

Colossal. Imposing. Devastating. Any of these words could describe the MCC, but only one truly sums it up: Control. The MCC is the nerve center of any army, the backbone upon which wars are waged and battles won. It is from here, locked within the confines of a modified hydrostatic pod, that the
commander orchestrates the fate of those on the ground below. He does so having never set foot on the battlefield, but with the collective knowledge and situational awareness of every unit that has. If knowledge is power, it is the commander who wields it.

Heavily fortified and shielded, the destruction of an MCC is by no means an easy task…but it’s not an impossible one. Only a sustained heavy weapons barrage is sufficient to disable the MCC’s shields and take down its armor. If the MCC does possess an Achilles heel, it is its dependence on fuel, without a constant supply of which, its turrets, critical systems and, most importantly, shields are worthless. Commanders would do well to be aware of any and all fuel sources in a given area and plan accordingly.