The last time I discussed a ship that is definitely not something for the new players among us. This time I want to do the exact opposite. Once there was a time when every newbie was told to train for a Rifter if they wanted to PVP. Thanks to CCP Rise, Fozzie and Ytterbium those days are behind us and every race now has decent attack frigates for beginners.
The Gallente version of that ship type is the Atron.
In my discussion of this nasty little bugger I am going to start with one of those counterintuitive fits. A shield-tanked Atron. Here is the option for really new players with low fitting skills.
[Atron, Shield Atron]
Micro Auxiliary Power Core I
Micro Auxiliary Power Core I
Emergency Damage Control I
Medium Subordinate Screen Stabilizer I
Limited 1MN Microwarpdrive I
J5b Phased Prototype Warp Scrambler I
Anode Light Neutron Particle Cannon I, Federation Navy Antimatter Charge S
Anode Light Neutron Particle Cannon I, Federation Navy Antimatter Charge S
Anode Light Neutron Particle Cannon I, Federation Navy Antimatter Charge S
[Empty High slot]
Small Hybrid Collision Accelerator I
Small Core Defense Field Extender I
Small Anti-EM Screen Reinforcer I
And here is a version for maximized fitting skills (especially when it comes to CPU). If you lack the CPU, a meta level Damage Control will also work.
[Atron, Shield Atron Highskill]
Micro Auxiliary Power Core II
Micro Auxiliary Power Core II
Damage Control II
Medium Subordinate Screen Stabilizer I
Limited 1MN Microwarpdrive I
J5b Phased Prototype Warp Scrambler I
Light Neutron Blaster II, Federation Navy Antimatter Charge S
Light Neutron Blaster II, Federation Navy Antimatter Charge S
Light Neutron Blaster II, Federation Navy Antimatter Charge S
[Empty High slot]
Small Hybrid Collision Accelerator I
Small Core Defense Field Extender I
Small Anti-EM Screen Reinforcer I
While this is easy to train for, it comes with a bit of a manual. Your ship is a short-range brawler. Outside of the warp-scrambler range of approximately 8km you are useless, and above 5km you do negligible damage. The idea is to use the Microwarpdrive to get close to the target quickly. That poses it's own problem. The combination of active MWD and the shield tank will make your signature the size of a battleship. While the MWD is running you can be locked in a second by another frigate (as opposed to two seconds without). You will also be easier to hit. That makes it advisable to not fly straight at your target but rather in a spiral course, but you are dependent on closing range fast or your enemy might escape and hit you from distance. In short, you will have to do some manual piloting. Then again, your ship is fast. Even with mediocre propulsion skills you will reach speeds of above 3000m/s. Top speed at max skills is 3700m/s. Your speed can also work as a factor to mitigate incoming damage.
The fact that you need to get some practice at manual piloting makes a fit like this rather difficult for the fledgeling solo pilot, but I can only encourage you to try. Where it really works well is in a small fleet. If your opponents can not shoot down all the buzzing little Atrons at the same time, some of them will get in range, and then the enemy will be in trouble. With volley damage in the mid to high 300 range and DPS between approximately 130 and 150 a squad of those ships can create a lot of problems for larger ships. One very important thing to remember is to turn off your MWD as soon as you are close enough to be in your optimal range (at or below 1km).
So much for that. now I want to introduce you to a very different kind of Atron:
[Atron, Plex Camper]
Damage Control II
200mm Reinforced Steel Plates II
Magnetic Field Stabilizer II
Limited 1MN Afterburner I
X5 Prototype Engine Enervator
Warp Scrambler II
Light Electron Blaster II, Void S
Light Electron Blaster II, Void S
Light Electron Blaster II, Void S
5W Infectious Power System Malfunction
Small Trimark Armor Pump I
Small Trimark Armor Pump I
Small Hybrid Collision Accelerator I
In many ways this one is the exact opposite of the shield Atron. It is slow, but it has a very low signature radius (increasing enemy lock speed and reducing incoming damage). It has pitiful volley damage, but the DPS is higher. It is not designed to get into range with an enemy, but to make sure an enemy doesn't get away and then blast them at short range. Because you have weaker guns, overheating them will almost be a must here, but beware to not burn out your neutralizer.
This ship setup is best suited for camping faction warfare plexes. You can sit inside a plex right at the warp beacon so anybody who comes in will end up right in front of your guns. Your web and scram are there to keep them from pulling away and your energy neutralizer will disable active tanking (except ancillary shield boosters) and everything else active (like lasers or hybrid turrets, or a warp disruptor/scrambler). You can run that neutralizer for quite some time, long enough to prevail in a 1v1 fight. Actually it can even help you escape by neuting out the enemy's capacity to hold a point on you (I can attest to that from experience).
The main downside of this ship is, that it is rather specialized. For example, you better not take a fight against anything that does not use capacitor for guns (Like Minmatar ships or Caldari/Amarr missile boats) Targets that are likely to run an Ancillary Shield Booster are also a bit problematic because you might lack the damage output to bring their regenerating buffer down. On the other hand, since you will be avoiding ships with selectable damage types, you can actually get away with not plugging that explosive hole. You will not be able to take all possible fights, but then again, knowing which ships you do want to fight and which ones you don't is actually a good thing for solo work. Unfortunately if your opponent gets help that usually means you are screwed.
Because this is a fit for a very clear purpose and a simple tactic, it is well suited for the beginning pilot. The fit shown needs mid-range skills, but you can easily manage it if you do not use T2 modules.
When you fly with friends, this Atron can also be a really nasty tackler for an armor frigate fleet if you fit it with a Micro Auxiliary Power Core and a Microwarpdrive like this:
[Armor tackle]
Damage Control II
200mm Reinforced Steel Plates II
Micro Auxiliary Power Core II
1MN Microwarpdrive I
X5 Prototype Engine Enervator
Warp Scrambler II
Light Ion Blaster II, Void S
Light Ion Blaster II, Void S
Light Ion Blaster II, Void S
5W Infectious Power System Malfunction
Small Trimark Armor Pump I
Small Trimark Armor Pump I
Small Hybrid Collision Accelerator I
There are of course other possibilities and variations both for the shield and the armor fit. What that shows nicely is the versatility of the Atron. It may not be a particularly strong ship, but the possibilities it offers can keep your enemy guessing.
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