DUST 514: So what's all this about Dropsuits

[thelocaluk]

Infantry dropsuits are designed to protect and sustain the wearer in even the harshest environments.

Different dropsuits offer specific bonuses to speed, mobility, defense and configurability. Like starships and planetary vehicles, dropsuits come in a variety of shapes and sizes, each with a unique slot configuration and powergrid (PG) and CPU that inform the decisions you make when customizing your chosen dropsuit.

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 threeweapon 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.

PG:30

CPU:150

Armor:175

Shield:125

Light:1

Heavy: 0

Sidearm: 1

High: 2

Low: 2

Equipment:1

Grenade: Small


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.

PG:36

CPU:180

Armor:800

Shield:100

Light:0

Heavy: 1

Sidearm: 1

High: 2

Low: 1

Equipment:0

Grenade: Large

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.

The brute force tactics of the Assault and Heavy are useful, but a well-rounded squad needs the finesse of a Scout and the support of the Logistics suit in order to be truly effective in a constantly changing battlefield environment. Speed is the Scout dropsuit’s primary advantage. Combined with a low scan profile, it allows the wearer to move undetected by basic EW equipment and rapidly close in on enemy units if spotted. Armed with a shotgun or module-enhanced nova knife, the Scout is lethal at close-range. Despite being grossly outmatched, skilled Scouts are able to kite the slow-turning Heavy, methodically whittling away its armor while staying out of harm’s way.

While less capable in a stand-up gunfight, the standard Logistics suit’s three equipment slots offer a host of offensive and defensive options. While other dropsuits need to make hard choices about what equipment to use, the Logistics suit can simultaneously fit gear perfect for scanning out hidden threats, setting up temporary spawn points, deploying remote explosives or repairing and healing allied units.

Gallente Scout

Gallente military doctrine places a premium on human life, favoring technological solutions that augment or even entirely replace human combatants in a conflict as part of an on-going effort to minimize loss of life on the battlefield. To this end, Gallente forces have access to some of the most advanced armor systems in the cluster.



Standard Scout

The Scout dropsuit is a lightweight suit optimized for enhanced mobility, multi-spectrum stealth, and heightened awareness. Augmented joint servo motors give every movement extra speed and flexibility, while integrated friction and impact dampening materials reduce the overall sound signature.

This high-tech suit is coated in adaptive camouflage, a thin layer of bio-hermetic membranes interwoven with microscopic optical sensors that control millions of individual pigment ferro-crystals. An integrated AI-53 “All Eyes” sensor system wraps around the inside of the helmet, which also includes a chemically scrubbed atmospheric filtration system.

When missions call for speed and stealth, situations in which heavily armored suits would be more of a burden than an advantage, a Scout dropsuit is the best option. The enhanced mobility it provides makes up for its relatively low protection, and when combined with stealth technology modules, the scout suit is the obvious choice for infiltration, counter-espionage, and assassination.

PG:30

CPU:110

Armor:90

Shield:100

Light:1

Heavy: 0

Sidearm: 1

High: 1

Low: 2

Equipment:1

Grenade: Small


Minmatar Logistics

Native Minmatar tech favors straightforward solutions, a consequence of the fledgling nation’s indigent past. Used to working with limited resources, Minmatar scientists and engineers have made good use of the cutting-edge equipment allocated to them, creating a high-tech armor system that is at once an homage to the traditions of the past, and a bold statement that speaks to the future of the Minmatar people.



Standard Logistics

The Logistics dropsuit is outfitted with the latest in integrated diagnostic technology, most of which revolves around maintaining the condition and efficiency of squad mates and their equipment. As such, a soldier equipped with this class of dropsuit becomes a force multiplier, greatly improving the overall effectiveness of the unit.

Utilizing a combination of high- and low-tech equipment, operators of the logistics suit are able to make effective repairs to installations, vehicles, and even other soldiers; every apparatus required for field triage is present and easily accessible from the utility pockets and satchels attached to the suit. Its hydraulic assisted exoskeleton allows the wearer to effortlessly hoist heavy equipment, while the helmet is packed with material scanners sensitive enough to spot microfractures in layered steel.

When deployed, a soldier equipped with a Logistics suit fills a vital tactical role in small unit operations and full-scale warfare, providing both, medical and mechanical support.

PG:39

CPU:195

Armor:150

Shield:115

Light:1

Heavy: 0

Sidearm: 0

High: 2

Low: 2

Equipment:3

Grenade: Medium

The battlefield is a selfish place. You work together with your squad largely because it benefits you in some way… typically, that benefit is staying alive. Nevertheless, teamwork is an important facet of DUST 514’s gameplay, and the Command dropsuit is the lynchpin of this philosophy. The only suit capable of equipping squad modules, it provides area-of-effect bonuses to allied units or cripples enemies caught within range of its modules’ effects.

[Scar_HeadFaced Profile]

Once you've read all that, learnt it and then spent 3hrs creating a suit that you'll die wearing anyway, you can actually start to shoot people!

[thelocaluk]

Or you could just spend all your time trying out dropsuits to see which looks best on you and stay home instead.