I bought myself yet another caracal. Posted my fitting over on BattleClinic and got some suggestions. I've replaced my shield booster and cap rechargers with a couple large shield extenders. I've got a ton of HP on my shields now... I can take a huge beating before my shields drop at all. And it's cap stable.
The one thing that worries me is how slowly my shields recharge after they've taken damage... I'm afraid that even with how durable they are, they might get whittled down. I guess I'll just have to wait and see how it works...
I'm not going to be using my drake in the L2 missions, the heavy missiles just don't cut it against frigates. At least not right now. I can train up guided missile precision eventually, which should help some. But right now frigates are just too small to use heavy missiles, and there are a lot of frigates in L2 missions.
maybe try some core defence field purger rigs - or even some shield power relays. they'll make your shields regen faster and you can stay cap-stable. just a thought - g/l
@timeworn Actually, I'm finding that I don't really need them to regen quickly. It worries me a bit, to see my shields sitting there, damaged... But I've got enough HP that they aren't going to burn through my shields unless I'm in serious trouble. The new fit is working quite well so far.