Fit of the week: Lachesis

Welcome back! I hope everyone's holidays were as exceptional as mine. Between visiting my two families and my girlfriend's one I didn't get a lot of time to play eve but some big developments went down in Maut I'll probably post about later today.

I've never been a big fan of split weapon systems, that's why it took me so long to get into Minmatar ships in the first place and also the reason I've never flown a lachesis before yesterday. New war targets brought a new comp and this was the perfect counter for their 100mn tengus and kite ishtars so I hopped in one. I'd trained gallente cruiser V for the proteus a while back and I've always loved recons so why not?

[Lachesis, Lachesis]
Nanofiber Internal Structure II
Nanofiber Internal Structure II
Magnetometric Backup Array II

Warp Disruptor II
Warp Disruptor II
Remote Sensor Dampener II, Targeting Range Dampening Script
10MN Microwarpdrive II
Adaptive Invulnerability Field II
Large Shield Extender II
Large Shield Extender II

Heavy Missile Launcher II, Nova Fury Heavy Missile
Heavy Missile Launcher II, Nova Fury Heavy Missile
Heavy Missile Launcher II, Nova Fury Heavy Missile
200mm Railgun II, Spike M
200mm Railgun II, Spike M

Medium Anti-EM Screen Reinforcer II
Medium Core Defense Field Extender I

Awesome ship. With my skills and links I could point to almost 90km. Paired with the rapier these two shut down kites. About as tanky as a Moa with 31k ehp and decent resists sans em. I'd drop the invul for an EM hardener if you know you're fighting lasers.

The win:
Ishtar

The fail:
Unfortunately I'd never flown this ship before and we had a link malfunction so for half the fight my point range was only around 47km so we let a tengu go. But, arrogance is a fickle mistress.
Tengu

I think this war will be short lived.

Merry Christmas

61 degrees the week before Christmas, welcome to the northeast. Just checking in to wish everyone the best. I'll be back come January. Merry Christmas!

Fit of the week: Ashimmu

As a nice compliment to the fleet Deimos I posted last week, the ashimmu brings a lot to the table. Nuets, dps, and ninety percent webs. This ship just throws a wrench in any brawling fleets comp.

[Ashimmu, Ashimmu]
Damage Control II
1600mm Reinforced Steel Plates II
Energized Adaptive Nano Membrane II
Energized Adaptive Nano Membrane II
Heat Sink II

10MN Microwarpdrive II
Warp Disruptor II
Domination Stasis Webifier
Medium Electrochemical Capacitor Booster I, Navy Cap Booster 400

Focused Medium Pulse Laser II, Conflagration M
Focused Medium Pulse Laser II, Conflagration M
Focused Medium Pulse Laser II, Conflagration M
Medium Energy Neutralizer II
Medium Energy Neutralizer II
Small Energy Neutralizer II

Medium Trimark Armor Pump II
Medium Trimark Armor Pump II
Medium Anti-Explosive Pump II

So firstly I've opted for the long point because this is a support ship for the deimos' and they already have a scram. 54.8k effective with resists ranging from 62 - 75 with kinetic being your resist hole. It pushes a respectable 328dps and can run everything sans the microwarpdrive for two minutes, so cap management will be the big issue with this ship. Know when to pulse or when to focus on only nuets and let the deimos' do the derps.

Try to stay at the edge of your web range. 90% webs help your fleet mates apply their dps much more effectively. The longer you stay on grid you multiply your force while talking the enemy's away with nuets.

I heard a rumor that all web velocity factor bonuses were going to become a thing of the past. Hopefully that's just idle words elsewise the ashimmu and vigilant will become additions to my sold for something better pile.

2013 Burnt

Sorry for the lackluster posting this holiday season. I'm hoping that the new year will bring some new results. I've been pretty burnt out on EVE recently. Good long term friends of mine have taken a hiatus and we've pretty much been spinning or wheels in Placid. I never thought I'd say this, but I kinda miss syndicate.

We thought were moving to maut for more good fights. Since test joined the war zone I've seen fewer and fewer fleets and an increasing number of stabbed cloaky farmers. I know fitting 3 scams solves that problem but why even bother at that point.

I miss Syndicate roams. That's definitely something I've never said before. Yeah it was boring and you'd have to travel for quite a while to find someone to engage, but engage they would. No station games, no blob to win, it was good honest ram ships at each other and see who wins hilarity. I guess that's what leads me to why I'm so burnt.

We've always treated CTQ like a family. If anything was ever needed 95% of the time was free. Missing that mod on your ship? No problem I got you kind of mentality. That's how it's always been, until someone got greedy.

A high level officer in our corp, someone I personally flew with every day decided to steal 27 guardians and join our rival SCUM. Now idgaf about the guardians, isk is replaceable, but family isn't. Our CEO built this guy a computer and we hand delivered it because he was tight on cash and we missed him.

Maybe I'm too loyal to get the backstabbing concept of this game. Now this has created a rift in our corp because people feel they can't trust anyone and people are still flying with the person who left. Maybe it's time to ditch the drama and fly somewhere different. Haha who knows, things are gonna be pretty awesome in 2014.

Bonus Fit of the week: Deimos

I've got a very long ride in the passenger seat at work today, so hooray bonus post. Much like my fellow blogger Ripard over at Jester's trek, I too enjoy my ships green and covered in blasters. Thoraxes and moas were my go to ships when I first got into pvp over in the pertnineere area. This was back in the days when syndicate was fun. Feeling a bit nostalgic for my favorite hull I decided it was time for a fleet deimos.

[Deimos, Deimos]
Damage Control II
1600mm Reinforced Rolled Tungsten Plates I
Magnetic Field Stabilizer II
Energized Adaptive Nano Membrane II
Energized Adaptive Nano Membrane II
Magnetic Field Stabilizer II

Experimental 10MN Microwarpdrive I
Faint Epsilon Warp Scrambler I
Fleeting Propulsion Inhibitor I
Fleeting Propulsion Inhibitor I

Heavy Ion Blaster II, Void M
Heavy Ion Blaster II, Void M
Heavy Ion Blaster II, Void M
Heavy Ion Blaster II, Void M
Heavy Ion Blaster II, Void M

Medium Anti-Explosive Pump II
Medium Trimark Armor Pump II

Hold on, I just need a minute alone with this. I've never flown the diemost before, it had such niche uses before the HAC rebalance that I would always opt for either a thorax or vigilant instead. This ship is monsters now, 57k ehp before slaves with a slamming resist profile. You can get more tank out of it if you opt to change an EANM to an explosive hardener to fill the hole. Also it rocks 770 dps before heat with a dual web, which makes applying it even too small targets a breeze. As if all this wasn't enough, you can run everything including the microwarpdrive for 16 minutes. If you demand your ship to be truly cap stable change a mag stab for a tracking enhancer.

Lovely Lovely ship. Anyone want to buy a vigilant? I have a feeling it'll collect dust after I build this.

Leadership

What makes a good leader? I've noticed that people can point out good leaders when they see one but can't define why they are good. Is it their ability to fc, their ability to run diplomacy, their ability to bring in new blood, their willingness to fight, or is out just some other invisible gleam they put off?

I am a soldier, I've been given leadership roles in the past and realized I don't have the patience to deal with the drama llamas. My solution was always kick their teeth in, because all I know is war. Our corp leader lackofskills (errr lackofguilt) is a great leader in my eyes. He's the reason I still play. Not because he lives about ten minutes from me and could literally put a boot up my but for not logging in, but because he makes the game fun. Corpmates have given him a ton of shit because he is a very aggressive fc. There's a famous quote that's often thrown around ts, "c'mon we can take this." I've been on both ends of this. Sometimes we kill a fleet of dreads, sometimes we watch a vindicator drop to a bunch of scrubs (jking cursed few). He's a content creator and there is always something silly going on when he's around. I've followed him through at least 3 corporations and I'd follow him through the rise and fall of 30 more if it came to it.

I think that's what defines a good leader, someone who despite their failures can muster a few good soldiers to follow them through the mud and still have them smiling.

Fit of the week: Daddy bought something nice

So this month and the past have been slow on the PvP end for me because I've been out earning those iskies. It's very rare that I devote significant time to making money but this is something special, something I've been training for months to fly properly and their are still some holes to fill. So I present, what I've been wasting the past month on!

[Moros, Moros]
Damage Control II
Capital Armor Repairer I
Reactive Armor Hardener
Armor Explosive Hardener II
Armor Kinetic Hardener II
Armor Thermic Hardener II
Magnetic Field Stabilizer II

Sensor Booster II, Scan Resolution Script
Sensor Booster II, Scan Resolution Script
Cap Recharger II
Cap Recharger II
Cap Recharger II

Ion Siege Blaster Cannon I, Dread Guristas Antimatter Charge XL
Ion Siege Blaster Cannon I, Dread Guristas Antimatter Charge XL
Ion Siege Blaster Cannon I, Dread Guristas Antimatter Charge XL
Siege Module I

Capital Hybrid Collision Accelerator II
Capital Trimark Armor Pump I
Capital Trimark Armor Pump I

I've owned a dread in the past (if people count the Phoenix as a dread). Disappointed with its lackluster to do anything properly, I sold it to buy an Archon. It made sense at the time, CTQ was moving and their was talk of deployments. A carrier was the answer to that, but upon settling in maut it collected dust. I use the 4 month rule, if i haven't flown it in that timestamp it's time to sell it or lose it. Since I want top rather too go dropping a carrier solo around low sec selling was the best bet. Enough about me, let's talk nitty gritty of the Moros.

2.1 million effective hit points with the ability to tank 6.3k dps. Pushes a staggering 9.5k dps to 12km with 30 fallof. I'll be replacing some of the mods with pimp as I find it. For now :3 give me a reason to drop it.

Fit of the week: Jaguar

[Jaguar, Jaguar]
Damage Control II
Gyrostabilizer II
Overdrive Injector System II
Tracking Enhancer II

Medium Ancillary Shield Booster, Navy Cap Booster 50
Experimental 1MN Afterburner I
Faint Epsilon Warp Scrambler I
Fleeting Propulsion Inhibitor I

150mm Light AutoCannon II, Republic Fleet EMP S
150mm Light AutoCannon II, Republic Fleet EMP S
150mm Light AutoCannon II, Republic Fleet EMP S
5W Infectious Power System Malfunction

Small Projectile Metastasis Adjuster I
Small Anti-Kinetic Screen Reinforcer I

Look familiar? It should. Daddy's favorite throwaway frig has some new claws. Tight fit without Genos or a cpu implant.  This is the small gang tackle variant, for solo work I opt to use a td over the web. It's your personal preference as to what you'd like to engage. 154 dps without heat with the ability to tank 158 dps and 6.2k ehp. Lowest resist is explosive with 58%. Grab hold and you'll be hard to pry off.

Flies just like the slasher from my first fit of the week but with significantly more buffer, dps, and resists. With some tinkering you can also get a second asb to fit much like the hawk but that's not really my play style. You should be able to burn most frigs without having to reload your first asb and in fleets versus cruisers you should be able to dictate range to stop or lower incoming damage long enough for dps to grab hold.

The win
Kestrel

The fail
I went into this 1v2 and I popped as Merlin entered hull, should have overheated sooner

I've been super busy with work so I only got to fly it once, if I get time I'll try it out some more.

I flew it yesterday with an AF fleet instead of solo. Here's what we nabbed.
Harpy
Ishkur #1
Ishkur #2
Thorax

I think I've got a new favorite.

Blog Banter: the shakes.

From Druur Monakh (Twitter: @DruurMonakh) we get the topic of this banter: what was your most nail-biting experience in EVE Online so far? It could be PvP in a 1v1 or 1000v1000, your first fight or your latest one, a scam so close to being uncovered too soon, a trap almost sprung on an unsuspecting victim or the roles reversed and you desperately try to escape.

This question immediately made me think about what got me into PvP and by proxy back into eve. A long time ago I was a carebear. Running the same level four missions over and over AND OVER AND OVER again. Which granted is where I got the initial money to start my PvP venture. Two good real life friends of mine tricked me into getting into PvP. Exodus and Anderson Williams convinced me to join their corp in low sec and rat in null, and I was all for something new. My first day my drake got popped in a belt by a pilgrim. I've never panicked so hard in a video game. My nerves froze adrenaline rushed and I did nothing as he grabbed scram. Money wasn't the issue, I had just sold my Golem and my drake was hardly pimp, I don't think I even knew what deadspace mods even were at this point.
 It was the speed. Every PvE aspect of this game for me was at a spoonfed pace, but this guy. This guy roared on grid and grabbed a point and I had no idea what type do besides shake. I don't think I even locked him until after I was capped out lol.
I can't find the mail right now,but whoever you are thank you for murdering me. It made me strive to learn PvP. Come and get some.


Edit: I don't know why this one is highlighted in white. o.O halp!