The Art of War: Attack Frigates Part Two

Continuing on with the series this week I'll be covering the Minmatar and Gallente attack frigates. The Atron and Slasher are quite possibly two of my favorite ships to fly because of their glass cannon play style

Gallente

Atron

Gallente Frigate skill bonus per level:

10% bonus to Small Hybrid Turret falloff

5% bonus to Small Hybrid Turret damage

Role bonus:

80% reduction in Propulsion Jamming systems activation cost

Slot layout 4H/3M/3L

The balanced slot layout of the atron gives it versatility. With 3 mid slots you can fit the "holy trinity" of brawling; scrambler, web, and prop mod. The falloff bonus is great for this hull because small blasters have a naturally high tracking bonus. Orbiting closely to this hull does not get you under its guns. Able to put out high dps with Caldari Navy Animatter but still having the versatility to switch to null, granting near auto cannon falloff range makes this a great hull for its class.

[Atron, derptron]

Damage Control II

Micro Auxiliary Power Core II

Magnetic Field Stabilizer II

Limited 1MN Microwarpdrive I

J5b Phased Prototype Warp Scrambler I

Medium F-S9 Regolith Shield Induction

Light Ion Blaster II, Caldari Navy Antimatter Charge S

Light Ion Blaster II, Caldari Navy Antimatter Charge S

Light Ion Blaster II, Caldari Navy Antimatter Charge S

[empty high slot]

Small Hybrid Burst Aerator I

Small Polycarbon Engine Housing I

Small Anti-EM Screen Reinforcer I

Gallente militia spends a lot of time in this hull. Derptrons are the ultimate harrasser hull. Get ten of these together each doing 203 heated dps and aim for something expensive to suicide into and hooray op success. A common misconception for this hull is to orbit at 500. When flying in numbers you want to approach to get as close as possible to deal maximum damage to burn them before they burn you.

[Atron, Railtron]

Damage Control II

Small Ancillary Armor Repairer, Nanite Repair Paste

Magnetic Field Stabilizer II

1MN Afterburner II

Faint Epsilon Warp Scrambler I

X5 Prototype Engine Enervator

125mm Railgun II, Caldari Navy Antimatter Charge S

125mm Railgun II, Caldari Navy Antimatter Charge S

125mm Railgun II, Caldari Navy Antimatter Charge S

[empty high slot]

Small Hybrid Burst Aerator I

Small Polycarbon Engine Housing I

Small Anti-Explosive Pump I

The railtron is a bit different than its derpy brother. With the hulls natural speed bonus this ship will pull just under 1400m/s with an afterburner which should be more than enough to dictate range. Burst the ancillary as needed and know when to keep at range versus orbit. If you want more deeps use keep at range for better tracking, if you need to mitigate some damage use orbit.

Minmatar

Slasher

Minmatar Frigate skill bonus per level:

5% bonus to Small Projectile Turret damage

7.5% bonus to Small Projectile Turret tracking speed

Role bonus:

80% reduction in Propulsion Jamming systems activation cost

Slot layout:  4H/4M/2L

Not as versatile slot layout as the atron but still a very versatile boat. That fourth mid slot allows for extra ewar or other nice options that make this boat a great Jack of all trades brawler.

[Slasher, Slasher]

200mm Reinforced Rolled Tungsten Plates I

Damage Control II

Experimental 1MN Afterburner I

J5b Phased Prototype Warp Scrambler I

X5 Prototype Engine Enervator

Balmer Series Tracking Disruptor I, Tracking Speed Disruption Script

200mm AutoCannon II, Republic Fleet EMP S

200mm AutoCannon II, Republic Fleet EMP S

200mm AutoCannon II, Republic Fleet EMP S

5W Infectious Power System Malfunction

Small Anti-Explosive Pump I

Small Anti-Kinetic Pump I

Small Projectile Burst Aerator I

The above fit does require a 2% powergrid rig, if you don't spring for it drop the 200mm autocannons to 150s and you can upgrade the plate to tech II. This is every brawling gun frigates nightmare. A scram kiter with a cap stable nuet and a tracking disrupter makes this boat a bear to take down the longer the fight progresses. With its tiny signature radius of 30m combined with 1100m/s and the ability to ruin tracking speeds you will mitigate a ton of dps. Autocannons are also nice because like missiles they offer tunable damage to shoot at the enemies weak resist hole. 

[Slasher, Shield Brawl]

150mm Light AutoCannon II

150mm Light AutoCannon II

150mm Light AutoCannon II

Small Unstable Power Fluctuator I

1MN Afterburner II

J5b Phased Prototype Warp Scrambler I

Medium Ancillary Shield Booster

DDO Photometry Tracking Disruptor I

Pseudoelectron Containment Field I

Overdrive Injector System II

Small Projectile Burst Aerator I

Small Projectile Metastasis Adjuster I

Small Projectile Metastasis Adjuster I

Similar to the other fit but with a much better tank. You lose the web but the slasher has a naturally high speed and the overdrive injector should help this further. The asb provides a nice boost that should help you tank for a long while. Fly it the same way as the armor brawler orbiting at the edge of nuet range and you'll have a great time. This is a great ship to practice micro managing in as you have a lot of active modules too keep track of.

Next week I'll be covering combat frigates. Depending on how long the post becomes it might be two races per series or one.  If you have any silly fit suggestion feel free to eve mail me at ZIF W or post them in the comments below.

The Art Of War: Attack Frigates Part One

As promised here's the first of the series to hopefully (fingers crossed) be added to every week till no ships remain.  So where better to start than at the basics? Tech 1 frigates are one of the first ships you will enter in this game so it seems fitting to start here.

Attack Frigates are designed with speed and tackle in mind, but this does come at a cost of less resilience than their combat frigate brethren.  Speed is life for these ships and if flown correctly you can avoid or mitigate the incoming damage enough that you can still dictate your terms for this fight.

Amarr

Executioner

Amarr Frigate Bonuses (per skill level) :

10% reduction in Small Energy Turret activation cost

5% bonus to small energy turret damage

Role bonus:

80% reduction in propulsion jamming systems activation cost.

The Executioner follows the aggressive pattern of some Amarr ships with both of its bonuses going to its turrets. The executioner shines out of the attack frigate class because it can switch from a kiter to a brawler almost instantly due to its pulse lasers with Scorch and Imperial navy multifrequency respectively.  Most executioners fall into two categories, AB fit or MWD fit.  The first of which is your standard brawler with the ability to dictate range with a scram and web and sit right out at the edge of both to mitigate incoming damage.

[Executioner, AB]

Small Ancillary Armor Repairer, Nanite Repair Paste

Damage Control II

Heat Sink II

Limited 1MN Afterburner I

J5b Phased Prototype Warp Scrambler I

X5 Prototype Engine Enervator

Dual Light Pulse Laser II, Scorch S

Dual Light Pulse Laser II, Scorch S

Dual Light Pulse Laser II, Scorch S

Small Diminishing Power System Drain I

Small Energy Burst Aerator I

Small Energy Collision Accelerator I

148 dps at 3.4+1.9km with Imperial Navy Multifrequency

118 at 10.1+1.9km with Scorch

2.57k ehp 

1247m/s 

7 minuteso f cap stability(NOS)

 1min 20 secs (without)

Dropping the Nos will give you room to upgrade the guns but I prefer to have a utility nos.

[Executioner, MWD no-tank]

Nanofiber Internal Structure II

Heat Sink II

Heat Sink II

X5 Prototype Engine Enervator

Faint Warp Disruptor I

Limited 1MN Microwarpdrive I

Small Focused Pulse Laser II, Scorch S

Small Focused Pulse Laser II, Scorch S

Small Focused Pulse Laser II, Scorch S

Small Energy Locus Coordinator I

Small Energy Locus Coordinator I

Small Energy Locus Coordinator I

137dps at 15.9+2.5km with scorch

1.61k EHP

3867m/s 5519m/s(heated)

Think of this version as a ghetto imperial navy slicer. The purpose of it is to stay at kite range so ideally you will be keeping at  around 15-17km. Watch out for webs with this fit because you do not want to get caught brawling in it. use your web defensively to pull range again and do it quickly.

Caldari

Condor

Caldari Frigate bonuses (per skill level) :

10% bonus to kinetic Light Missile and Rocket damage

Role Bonus:

80% reduction in propulsion jamming systems activation cost

The condor is almost exclusively designed to be a kiting ship.  There are a few who run scram kiter setups but at <3km it is out damaged by all the other attack frigates. It's 4/4/2 slot layout provides an ideal setup for Ewar mods to help enhance damage mitigation. 

[Condor, Kite]

Ballistic Control System II

Nanofiber Internal Structure II

Limited 1MN Microwarpdrive I

Warp Disruptor II

Balmer Series Tracking Disruptor I, Optimal Range Disruption Script

Medium Ancillary Shield Booster, Cap Booster 50

Light Missile Launcher II, Caldari Navy Scourge Light Missile

Light Missile Launcher II, Caldari Navy Scourge Light Missile

Light Missile Launcher II, Caldari Navy Scourge Light Missile

Small Ancillary Current Router I

Small Ancillary Current Router I

Small Processor Overclocking Unit I

Object here is to stay out of web and scram range.  Use your mwd and long point to keep them at about 20-22km and the td on optimal range to slow any incoming damage.  Use the ASB to pull range in the beginning but don't get scramed. 

[Condor, Rocket Brawl]

200mm Reinforced Steel Plates II

Damage Control II

Experimental 1MN Afterburner I

Faint Epsilon Warp Scrambler I

Balmer Series Tracking Disruptor I, Optimal Range Disruption Script

Fleeting Propulsion Inhibitor I

Rocket Launcher II, Scourge Rage Rocket

Rocket Launcher II, Scourge Rage Rocket

Rocket Launcher II, Scourge Rage Rocket

Small Unstable Power Fluctuator I

Small Trimark Armor Pump I

Small Anti-Kinetic Pump I

Small Anti-Explosive Pump I

100 dps at 8.4km

1050m/s 1355m/s(heated)

33m Signature radius

Cap stable at 42% w/nuet

Trick to this ship is to stay right at that sweet spot of 6.6km nuet web scram td and afterburner around.  it will slow their dps to almost nothing and eventually you will nuet them out and shut off their guns if Amarr or Gallente. Against minmatar I would pull out to the edge of scram web range and keep with the optimal range script so they are forced to switch to long range ammo.

Next week I'll cover the other half of the Attack frigates Gallente and Minmatar.

o7

The Art of War

When I first started playing this game I was incredibly overwhelmed. I did all the "pants on head" retarded things newer players do now and more when I first started. It took me about a year to finally figure out what support skills were and why bigger is not always better. It took the advice of a real life friend who is now my new CEO to get it in my head that I needed to "slow my role." At the time battle cruisers were the meta (yes the drake used to be a bad as boat) and I was blitzkrieging through skills to get into one way before I had the necessary skills to fly or income to replace one. Everyone knows what came next, I died in a fire belt ratting in null.

I've wrote about this encounter before, and how this inspired me to get into pvp. Which presented a brand new even steeper learning curve that took me at least two years to climb. At the time I didn't know resources existed to help teach. EVE UNI didn't exist and most people were unwilling to help if you weren't a corpmate.

In this past year I stumbled across the alruist. Reddit led me to his signing off post and being that I'd never heard of him and my own blog was still in its infancy, I decided I'd read up on his style. If I had read his know your enemy articles all those years ago it would have saved me so many stupid losses. As I read though knowing what I know now some of his info is getting outdated, so I've decided to rehash his old series with up to date Intel, fits, and strategies stop that newer players can climb this learning curve with the proper tools.

Expect a post this afternoon.

Fit of the week: Firetail

Adjusting to gal mil has been crazy for me. I haven't farmed any lp like I used to in our short lived caldari stint when I was apart of Casoff. Honestly the space is too busy and I get sidetracked every time I try farm by the constant combat available to me. This is something I've been playing with recently.

[Republic Fleet Firetail, Scram kite]
Damage Control II
Small Ancillary Armor Repairer, Nanite Repair Paste
Gyrostabilizer II

Limited 1MN Afterburner I
Faint Epsilon Warp Scrambler I
X5 Prototype Engine Enervator
X5 Prototype Engine Enervator

280mm Howitzer Artillery II, Republic Fleet EMP S
Rocket Launcher II, Scourge Rage Rocket
280mm Howitzer Artillery II, Republic Fleet EMP S

Small Projectile Collision Accelerator II
Small Anti-Explosive Pump I
Small Anti-Kinetic Pump I

I've never flown in space where scram kiting was more popular. After watching a similar rocket scram kiter condor I decided it was time to retool a ship I haven't flown in a while.

At level 5 skills this ship pushes 155dps and moves at just over 1000m/s. I orbit at 7500 which pulls me around 8300 orbit where tracking is not an issue due to the double web. The ancillary is just to burst for the occasional glancing blow that you'll receive.

Fit of the week: Ishtar

I'm not dead! Hooray! January and February are the busiest months for my industry, and between moving to Minmatar space and out of it I haven't had a whole lot of time to write. I'm no longer apart of winmatar, I joined the frogs in my old home of placid I'm just further up the pipe now. I feel like placid will be where I spend the rest of my eve career. I know the groups, their capabilities and weaknesses, and where the pipes lead. Something I really don't wish to learn elsewhere.

So now that I'm back and flying a new banner why not fly a new ship? Sentry drones V finished from my short lived time with mafia so the ishtar seemed fitting.

[Ishtar, Ishtar]
Nanofiber Internal Structure II
Drone Damage Amplifier II
Drone Damage Amplifier II
Drone Damage Amplifier II
Drone Damage Amplifier II

Experimental 10MN Microwarpdrive I
Large F-S9 Regolith Shield Induction
Large F-S9 Regolith Shield Induction
Omnidirectional Tracking Link II
Omnidirectional Tracking Link II

Drone Link Augmentor I
Drone Link Augmentor I
Small Unstable Power Fluctuator I
125mm Gatling AutoCannon II

Medium Anti-EM Screen Reinforcer I
Medium Anti-EM Screen Reinforcer I

The general idea of this ship is to carry 2-3 loads of sentries, start a fight at range, and keep that range throughout the fight.  Always prioritize tackle so the enemy fleet can not get warpins on you and watch for long range alpha like tornados.

I love brawling so much but this ship gave me a new found admiration for shield HAC gangs. 700 dps at bouncer range is just silly. A few of these behemoths mixed with huugin and lachesis support makes a bad day for an AHAC gang.

We started this fight 15v many. That prophecy fleet came near the end to grab tackle on those trying to bugger off. Props go out to Deen Whispa for being the calmest FC/target caller I've ever flown with. If I get one fight like that a month in gal mil I don't think I'll ever leave.

Fly ballsy o7

Never fly what you can't afford to lose.

So for the first time on my eve career I lost something stupidly expensive through noones fault but my own.

Tengu

Yes that's 1billion with a b. I made some mistakes. First mistake #1 overconfidence. I've owned this same tengu for 3 + years and never even come close to losing it. It was a ship I flew often and knew it's limitations.

Mistake #2 know your surroundings. I was in between corps moving towards my new eventual home and I knew nothing about this area of space. 4 jumps through low sec in placid would have been no big deal. 4 jumps here I encountered way more pilots. Which should have made more turn around our dock up.

Mistake #3 don't be lazy. I had the cloaky subsystem in my hold and could have easily refit, but I assured myself I didn't need to dock. That would be a waste of my time.

So gg pandemic legion. I should put an obligatory "didn't want that tengu anyway" line here but I'm really not that bitter about it.

Fit of the week: Algos

New year, new me. The winds of change blew and I've been in 3 different corps this week. I've needed to fly in a different area of space for a few months now and this week I decided to go for it. I joined mafia redux and promptly realized I don't belong in a wormhole. It is a logistical nightmare to pick up everything you own and put it in a wormhole. So I joined winmatar instead. Faction warfare will always hold a soft spotin my heart because frigates and dessies are my favorite boats to fly. With that in mind.

[Algos, Algos]
Damage Control II
400mm Reinforced Steel Plates II
Energized Adaptive Nano Membrane II

Limited 1MN Microwarpdrive I
Fleeting Propulsion Inhibitor I
Faint Epsilon Warp Scrambler 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
150mm Light AutoCannon II, Republic Fleet EMP S
150mm Light AutoCannon II, Republic Fleet EMP S
[empty high slot]

Small Trimark Armor Pump I
Small Trimark Armor Pump I
Small Trimark Armor Pump I

This is my new plex sitter. Load EMP by default but keep fusion and barrage in the hold, swap to fusion when fighting armor tankers. Auto cannons make you non cap reliant and there's little to no micro managing to fly this ship. Enter the plex launch drones. Scram web, orbit at range for gallente boats everything else orbit tightly.

This is a tanky little boat that pushes a lot of dps. With 13.6k ehp without slaves and 254 dps with a flight of warrior IIs you're going to be hard pressed to find a dessie it can't beat 1v1. Obviously this is not a boat designed to take on gangs or some of the tankier assault frigs, so use your judgement on what you can fight.

The win:
Corax
Dragoon

The fail:
Haven't lost one yet

The only problem I've found so far, is that it gets very annoying to go rep armor damage after each fight. You will probably lose your plex while you are gone.

Now I've gotta learn all the new Intel for living in the new warzone. I'm so very lost in this pipe.

Fly ballsy o7