Will hull tanking and PVE ever be a viable option?

[Hooplah]

Shields? We don't need no stinkin' shields in a FAS! I've been down to 60 percent hull in CZs before a single percentage drop with any of the modules. Sure it has weak shields but they are more for pretty glow effects when hit! Of course with the new engineered weapons designed to drop the shields and take out hardpoints and modules with a much greater effect it is a whole new ball game. But it was fun while it lasted and hopefully still with NPCs although Dangerous and Elite ships get the engineered weapons. Not good if you are at Combat Master and need higher ranked NPC kills to advance faster in rank.

 

[Snarfbuckle]

If they improved the mechanics around stealth and silent running so one could actually HIDE without shields then it could be viable.

Alternatively how about a hull module that increase HARDNESS of a hull to reduce damage towards modules.

 

[Junky Juke]

right, but... there are some ships where shield tanking is - simple as that - not possible (i.e. the fed triple).
I tried hard, but 526MJ and 55% resistance is not tanking very much aggro in CZs...

I see. Nice try, you should put a better SCB there and give up some hull to be able to fully re-fill your shields with a single cell. But what when shields go down? it will take them an eternity to get back online and you will start to take hull damage. That's it. Until active armour repairs will be a fact we'll have to struggle with low shields, making the 3 fed sisters inferior to the FDL/iCourier and the others, when talking about intensive PVE. That makes me sad because I really like the ugly pigs and I wish to bring them in combat zones and other heavy combat PVE situations.

 

[rucky]

I see. Nice try, you should put a better SCB there and give up some hull to be able to fully re-fill your shields with a single cell. But what when shields go down? it will take them an eternity to get back online and you will start to take hull damage. That's it. Until active armour repairs will be a fact we'll have to struggle with low shields, making the 3 fed sisters inferior to the FDL/iCourier and the others, when talking about intensive PVE. That makes me sad because I really like the ugly pigs and I wish to bring them in combat zones and other heavy combat PVE situations.

I have normally a Bi-Beave Shield equipped, then the installed SCB is enough ('cause I need that armor for the inevitable armor-tanking).
But as you pointed out too, there is no way to shield-tank in a FAS, FDS or FGS.

 

[goemon]

That makes me sad because I really like the ugly pigs and I wish to bring them in combat zones and other heavy combat PVE situations.

i don't know. i very much like the added danger, explosions, additional awareness you need, malfunctions etc. pp. of hulltanking. you'll miss all that with a courier or FDL.

it's a big superiority of hulltaking pve above my engineered FDL i used to farm npc for elite in combat. might be more effective, but is much, much more boring. i use a hybrid build on my cobra these days (with 3 HRP...) ... a bi-weave scout ... a gunship...