Retail Therapy

Our corporate hanger, where all operations into wormholes stem from, has several ships all of differing designs for differing roles. Singularity serves as a sounding board for these designs and, at present I’m attempting to condense the roles of some of these ships into as few as possible. This increases the costs, but also reduces operation times considerably and in some cases is less of a risk with less exposure.

Scratching my head for the last few weeks it has been decided that the only way to fulfil this mandate is to produce my first Tech III hull(s). So late night study periods have enabled my brain some gain in the field of Strategic Cruisers, including a Neural remap, but I ain't no engineer...

Required Modules
Expanded Probe Launcher
Small Tractor beam
Covert Operations Cloaking Device II
Electronic Counter Measures
Salvager II

Desired Equipment
Code-Breaker II/Analyzer II
Electronic Warfare Drones

Desired Abilities
Tank: Omni - Sustained Defence Ability; 1k dps
Capacitor: NOS Proof
Speed: 1km/second
Warp-Core: Stable/Immune to Interdiction
Sensors: Reinforced
Gank: Minimum; 750 dps

Legion
Lows
Damage Control II
Energized Adaptive Nano Membrane II
Medium Armor Repairer II x2

Mediums
10MN Afterburner II
Codebreaker II
Large Capacitor Battery II
Medium Hull Repairer II

Highs
Heavy Beam Laser II x2
Salvager II
Expanded Probe Launcher I
Covert Ops Cloaking Device II
Small Tractor Beam I
Rocket Launcher II

Rigs
Capacitor Control Circuit II
Anti-Thermic Pump II
Auxiliary Nano Pump II

Sub-systems
Legion Defensive - Nanobot Injector
Legion Electronics - Emergent Locus Analyzer
Legion Engineering - Power Core Multiplier
Legion Propulsion - Interdiction Nullifier
Legion Offensive - Covert Reconfiguration

Designed primarily for exploration, the current fit does everything I need except the DPS, which is dissappointing, but realistically it's too much to ask of a ship of this type and size. Already at around 1 billion ISK, this is a serious investment and one which I may still lavish faction equipment onto. Clearly I have more money than sense, or I know how to steal...

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Passive Targeter

This lowly passively useful device is one of my favourite covert weapons. It enables me to creep upon bewildered hulks and send them spinning into oblivion.

Used correctly it grants precious seconds against prey by withholding intent while they grapple with it. It's warranted a place on many designs, a personal favourite of mine. Though it does occupy a useful slot, I have found it invaluable in solo encounters. A truly useful tool which is gladly ignored.

Try it and you may find it useful more than once. Don't use an aggressive action until you are in range to warp disrupt, they won't see your lock until you unleash the hounds of hell.

Related Links
Passive Targeter I

Warp-Drive Inactive

Recently I conversed with a fellow pirate I met in a shady bar in a grotty system. We discussed our respective ship fitting philosophies and he stated that, although he engages in the same profession as me and my brethren, he rarely fits any type of warp inhibition hardware.

An interesting point (or lack of) I’m sure you’ll agree. His argument; when attacked with enough ferocity, many pilots simply freeze and become incapable of initiating any type of escape plan due to panic. If this were consistent, it would permit the availability of an invaluable mid-slot.

I will attempt to test this theory during my next engagements. It’s dependent greatly on the type of pilot engaged, more experienced prey will be able to cope with the surprise of an attack and remain calm to execute an escape manoeuvre but I'm curious to test the validity in his ideology.

So I wait cloaked for my next victim without a hook, line or sinker and hope that the theory is sound.

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Warp Factor 10

During my hunting hours I sometimes miss targets which warp away on contact to the grid. To combat this problem I recently fitted a Hyperspacial Velocity Optimizer to my Pilgrim which increases warp speed by 20%. Targets can get away simply by warping first but if one can catch them while in warp, one stands a much better chance of catching the target.

I recently caught two ships using this modification. It was so successful that I may fit it as standard on all pirate vessels where warp speed is a factor. Although relatively expensive and causes the armour to be affected, the ability to capture prey more often may compensate for the costs involved in both fitting and to the ship’s armour.


For the most part the items needed to construct the rig are acquired from my excursions and therefore the costs are minimal, but it’s important to keep costs in mind. I can imagine this rig particularly useful when hunting for targets in asteroid belts or in larger systems. In one instance a Thorax had literally left the grid as I arrived and, aiming my ship for the targets estimated destination I was able to align, warp and arrive in tandem with the target. This is obviously more pronounced where the distances are greater allowing one to overtake the target in warp.

I will continue to field test this rig on a range of vessels but I can clearly see the usefulness. If the capture rate can be maintained I will roll out this fitting to additional ships as I see necessary.

Happy hunting…

Civilians

Fitting ships is a taxing process, it’s difficult at best to fit all that you want. During the design process one must remember to maintain the original mandate for your vessels’ tasks, ensuring that any design is not too general compromising the abilities of the ship.

Utility slots are some of the strangest, yet blessed slots on a craft of any design. Usually I miss them because my fitting skills leave a lot to be desired. Some of the best ships designs I have to date involve the utility slot, but as fittings can be incredibly tight they’re usually occupied by modules which are not really that necessary, or offline emergency modules.

I recently learnt that there is a civilian salvager. Although this module doesn’t get as good stats as a fully fledged Tech I module, it is still useful as a sort of back-up should you want to salvage. B13 recently presented me with his Firetail frigate which harbours two civilian shield boosters to maintain a somewhat weak, emergency tank. In operation it works brilliantly and can help maintain his shield while he attempts to speed tank.

Fitting ships is not an exact science and one needs to maximise the capabilities of the ship. Sometimes the only way to do this is to think outside-of-the-box. Civilian modules can certainly fulfil some minor needs as you see fit. Don’t overlook them as they can be useful, but shouldn’t be relied upon.

“She Kanny Take Any More Cap'n…”

Overheating is the new black. If you are unable to overheat you are missing out on expensive repair bills and the endless replacement of Nanite Repair Paste. I regularly overheat my modules, sometimes to distracted destruction.

The arrangement of modules upon the ship helps contain heat damage produced when a module is overloaded. It’s desirable to have passive modules racked adjacent to the overheating module(s). Positioning the modules such helps dissipate the heat and reduces the instances of damage caused by overheating. The overheating of the primary also heats up the passive module(s) and can cause damage, but some modules are more efficient at venting heat and it is wise to account for this whenever fitting ships.

Excursions into w-space will help support the funding of a Tech 3 cruiser as well as supply many of the vital components. The specifications of this ship are to include the Supplemental Coolant Injector which will permit extended overheating of on-board modules. I realise that heat damage will still present itself, therefore I intend to maximise through training; the specific bonuses before launch. With additional excursions and a new training pattern I intend to construct and competently operate this vessel but, beyond the deployment of the w-space POS, this is my mission post POS deployment.

1K DPS

I have an addiction. I adore Ganking(careful now). Squeezing one thousand damage points per second from almost any sub-capital hull is a tall order but it’s a challenge for which I feel compelled toward and enjoy achieving.

There are only a handful of sub-capital ships capable of this task. These vessels are highly specialised and highly strung harbouring little room for much else. The drag racers of the Galaxy. In the right situation however, they can devastate the lives of others so quickly they take many by surprise.

These ships are best used as pure gank and require additional support in the form of a remote rep tank. Used in this role they can obliterate targets in under thirty seconds. In some cases smaller ships appear to explode almost instantly which is very satisfying. Unfortunately rapid destruction leaves little time to ransom.

In most cases these ships require a high level of skills to hit their target of 1K DPS and this figure is by no means guaranteed, but they are a lot of fun, if a little expensive. I would not recommend using these setups for PvP due to the inherent cost but if you do, be sure that the situation is in your favour because your vessel will not last long under heavy enemy fire.

Deimos
Lows
Magnetic Field Stabilizer II x5
Tracking Enhancer II

Mediums
10MN MicroWarpdrive II
Warp Scrambler II
Medium Capcitor Booster II

Highs
Heavy Neutron Blaster II x5

Ammunition
Dread Guristas Antimatter

Rigs
Medium Hybrid Burst Aerator II
Medium Ancillery Current Router I

Drones
Hammerhead II x5

Based on the Gallente Thorax, this Heavy Assault Cruiser(HAC) is a point blank blaster platform designed to get in range quickly and bring down serious amounts of pain on the target. As a cruiser the Deimos possesses more manoeuvrability than a battleship or battle-cruiser.

For the Deimos to achieve 1K DPS requires a colossal amount of skills and some expensive implants, but observing this cruiser in action is captivating. Many pilots do not expect such ferocity from such a small ship, albeit a Tech 2 cruiser and fail to identify the danger until it’s too late.

Abaddon
Lows
Tracking Enhancer II
Signal Amplifier II x2
Capacitor Power Relay II x2
Heat Sink II x2

Mediums
Sensor Booster II x2
Cap Recharger II x2

Highs
Tachyon Beam Laser II x8

Ammunition
Dark Blood Multi-Frequency

Rigs
Large Ancillary Current Router II
Large Capacitor Control Curcuit II
Large Capacitor Control Curcuit I

Drones
Curator II x3

The mighty Amarr Abaddon is able to snipe 1K DPS utilising only the best lasers available. Fitting eight Tech 2 Tachyon Beam Lasers does mean that the ship itself is unable to support much else due to the huge pressure on the ships’ capacitor and power-grid.

The Abaddon has quite high natural resists enabling the battleship to absorb impressive amounts of damage even without a tank but be warned, it is not a viable PvP ship without sufficient support due to its size and (lack of) speed. Still, observing all 8 turrets inject focused beams of heat into a target is intoxicating.

Dominix
Lows
Damage Control II
Large Armour Repairer II
Energized Adaptive Nano Membrane II
1600mm Reinforced Rolled Tungston Plates I
Magnetic Field Stabiliser II x3

Mediums
Warp Scrambler II
Stasis Webifier II
Warp Disruptor II
Heavy Capacitor Booster II
100MN MicroWarpdrive II

Highs
Heavy Neutron Blaster II x6

Ammunition
Dread Guristas Antimatter

Rigs
Large Hybrid Burst Aerator II
Large Trimark Armour Pump I x2

Drones
Ogre II x5

The Gallente Dominix can deliver the 1K DPS target with relative ease. Fielding five Tech 2 heavy drones combined with the six Heavy Neutron Blaster IIs, the Dominix can deliver over and above what’s required. As the turret hard-points are not exclusively delivering the DPS, it is possible to include a moderate tank helping the ship survive some retaliation.

Best used up close and personal this setup can vaporise most targets quickly while shrugging of incoming fire. Be warned though, the heavy drones are the key to the ships arsenal and should be carefully managed to avoid destruction.

All of these setups are tried, tested and are proven to work but they do require top skills to hit the golden target of 1K DPS. If any of you fine pilots out their in the massive cosmos have 1K DPS setups I would very much like to browse your fittings particularly if they require lower skills or less hardware; it’s an addiction.

Happy ganking.

Rifter - Pirate Fitting

The lowly Minmatar rifter is widely used and accepted as the best pirate frigate in New Eden, for the price. Fitted with a shield buffer tank, many pilots give up their notions of escape when they notice your ships shield is not depleting as it should. Orbit at optimal and overheat if allowed to acheive a quick kill. Beware of enemy webs as speed is the rifters main defemce. Used correctly a ship like this can kill vessels twice its size.

Rifter
Lows
Tracking Enhancer II x2
Damage Control II

Mediums
1MN Afterburner II
J5b Phased Prototype Warp Scrambler I
Medium Azeotropic Ward Salubrity I

Highs
150mm Light AutoCannon II x3
Rocket Launcher II

Rigs
Anti-EM Screen Reinforcer I
Core Defence Field Extender I
Projectile Burst Aerator I

Tried and tested several times over; definatley one of the best productions to come from the primative Minmatar faction.

Hurricane - Pirate Fitting

This Hurricane fit is widely used and is basically a buffer tank with lots of DPS (damage per second). It is built for one purpose; to track, trap and kill the target quickly. Once your prey is Webbed and Disrupted, orbit at just under 10km and attack en-masse.

Hurricane
Lows
Damage Control II
1600mm Reinforced Rolled Tungston Plates I
Gyrostabilizer II x3
Energized Adaptive Nano Membrane II

Mediums
Stasis Webifier II x2
Ward Disruptor II
10MN MicroWarpdrive II

Highs
220mm Vulcan AutoCannon II x6
Medium Nosferatu II

Drones
Hornet EC-300 x5

Use ECM drones to help avoid any defensive attacks from the target and pulse the Micro-warp drive if too much damage is taken too often. The fit does depend on the type of targets you will engage. Drone boats and missile ships can be a problem, but anything with tracking turrets doesn't last very long at all.

The fit is also quite cheap therefore if it's lost it is easily replaced. I would not recommend rigging the ship, this can give another 10,000hp which helps with the survivability but it is not cost effective if you lose the ship.

If you want more DPS you can swap the ECM drones for Hobgoblin II's which pump it up to over 500 DPS. With the twin Webifiers, the accuracy of your guns is vastly improved; you will get better hits more often which helps speed things up so you can ransom your target then retreat before re-enforcements arrive.

The fit also works quite well fitting Tech I equipment if your skills aren't quite up to scratch yet but I would always recommend using only Tech I or Tech II instead of 'Best Named' modules as these are also expensive and chances are you will not win every fight.

Related Links
Ten Top Tips for New Pirates