This is a collection of short in-character fiction pieces about Awakened Industries, a group of capsuleers and their crews living in the enigmatic and dangerous regions of Wormhole Space in EVE Online. None of the protagonists are actual characters or corporations in-game. All similarities with persons fictional or real are possibly coincidental and only sometimes intentional. - Emergent Patroller

For an introduction to this blog refer to this link. You may also want to check out the guide for new readers

Warning
: The stories on this blog contain mature themes involving sexuality and violence and are not suitable for minors or sensitive people.

10 Apr 2014

TRS - Fitting Discussion: Armour Loki Part 1

In the previous few fitting discussions, I have focused on ships that were easy for new players to train into. This time I want to go for something more advanced. Full-on "elite PVP" material: A Strategic Cruiser. More specifically the Minmatar Loki in an armour configuration.




















I will begin with a disclaimer: The fits I will discuss are meant for lowsec and nullsec gangs because that's the thing I have experience with. I imagine that the wormhole meta is different. I also heard they are using armour tanked Lokis in incursion fleets. I wont be talking about any of this. Neither will I take coalition level fleet engagements into account. I'm focusing on small and medium gang PVP tactics here.

Because this is about a Tech 3 ship, subsystems play a role in fitting. Rather than discussing each and every one of them, I will mention how the specific ones I choose are useful for the fit. Even though I am restricting myself to one specific fitting concept, there are still enough variations for this ship, so the whole thing will be two parts.

Now let's get started.


Basic Building Blocks:

For all the setups, I consider it fine to use the same set of rigs. It can be argued that one fit or the other could be optimized by changing rigs, but there is one rig setup which I consider the mean standard of all the armor fits I am going to discuss:

Medium Trimark Armor Pump I
Medium Trimark Armor Pump I
Medium Trimark Armor Pump I

In addition to that you will need the following subsystems to assemble all possible combinations I will be discussing in both parts:

Loki Defensive - Adaptive Augmenter
Loki Electronics - Immobility Drivers
Loki Engineering - Power Core Multiplier
Loki Offensive - Projectile Scoping Array
Loki Offensive - Covert Reconfiguration
Loki Offensive - Turret Concurrence Registry
Loki Propulsion - Chassis Optimization
Loki Propulsion - Fuel Catalyst

You wont need all of them if you only want to fly one sort of Loki all the time, but this is a T3 ship. The cool thing about it is that you can change the way it works by switching subsystems.

Now let's look at the first concept:


Role: Heavy Tackle and Support

[Loki, Armor Webloki]
Armor Explosive Hardener II
Armor Kinetic Hardener II
Armor Thermic Hardener II
1600mm Reinforced Steel Plates II
Damage Control II
Co-Processor II

Warp Disruptor II
X5 Prototype Engine Enervator
X5 Prototype Engine Enervator
Experimental 10MN Microwarpdrive I

425mm AutoCannon II, Republic Fleet EMP M
425mm AutoCannon II, Republic Fleet EMP M
425mm AutoCannon II, Republic Fleet EMP M
425mm AutoCannon II, Republic Fleet EMP M
425mm AutoCannon II, Republic Fleet EMP M
425mm AutoCannon II, Republic Fleet EMP M

Medium Trimark Armor Pump I
Medium Trimark Armor Pump I
Medium Trimark Armor Pump I

Loki Defensive - Adaptive Augmenter
Loki Electronics - Immobility Drivers
Loki Engineering - Power Core Multiplier
Loki Offensive - Projectile Scoping Array
Loki Propulsion - Chassis Optimization

Fits similar to this one are in wide use as heavy tackler. Implants or faction modules can significantly increase the tanking ability here. Using CPU friendly faction modules can free up CPU for more resistance like this:

[Loki, Armor Webloki Faction]
Federation Navy Armor Thermic Hardener
Federation Navy Armor Kinetic Hardener
Federation Navy Armor Explosive Hardener
1600mm Reinforced Steel Plates II
Damage Control II
Energized Adaptive Nano Membrane II

Warp Disruptor II
X5 Prototype Engine Enervator
X5 Prototype Engine Enervator
Experimental 10MN Microwarpdrive I

425mm AutoCannon II, Republic Fleet EMP M
425mm AutoCannon II, Republic Fleet EMP M
425mm AutoCannon II, Republic Fleet EMP M
425mm AutoCannon II, Republic Fleet EMP M
425mm AutoCannon II, Republic Fleet EMP M
425mm AutoCannon II, Republic Fleet EMP M

Medium Trimark Armor Pump I
Medium Trimark Armor Pump I
Medium Trimark Armor Pump I

Loki Defensive - Adaptive Augmenter
Loki Electronics - Immobility Drivers
Loki Engineering - Power Core Multiplier
Loki Offensive - Projectile Scoping Array
Loki Propulsion - Chassis Optimization

I am using Federation Navy here because I have FW LP for them. In case you are not with the Gallente Militia, the True Sansha or Shadow Serpentis variants are usually a lot cheaper and have the same stats. Alternatively a CPU implant can be used to achieve similar results. If you are not flying in nullsec that much, I'd recommend going with the implant. Both options free up CPU to use a triple hardener setup in the low slots and then add an EANM. Alternatively you can fit a Gyrostabilizer, Tracking Enhancer or a Signal Amplifier. Effectively you gain an extra lowslot. Mind you, even with implants and faction modules, this ship is hard to fit. You will need good fitting skills, but then again, you wouldn't be flying a T3 if you hadn't? Right?


The fighting tactic for this ship is pretty straightforward: Due to the bonus of the Immobility Driver subsystem, your warp disruptor and your two webs have more or less the same range (1km longer for the warp disruptor on maximum skills). Your job is to lock a target, point them and put two webs on them. If you have more than one such Loki you can spread webs between primary and secondary targets. That will bring even faster ships to a near standstill. That makes them easier to hit, and prevents them from burning for gates or stations. Your defensive potential helps you to stay afloat once you have someone tackled. Ideally long enough for friendly logi reps land and for friendly DPS ships to blow your target to pieces.

With almost 16K armor hitpoints and above 100K EHP you should be able to hold out for a moment or two. The Adaptive Augmenter subsystem provides you with increased resistances, so make sure you have that subsystem skill trained high. The Microwarpdrive should be used no longer than necessary to get in range with your target. The Chassis Optimization gives you some extra speed to help with that. Once you have them, they wont be going anywhere fast. Pulse your MWD if they somehow manage to pull range anyway.

With high DPS ammo your optimal+falloff will be below 20, so your web and point actually reach further than the Autocannons. If you want to apply some meaningful damage I would recommend getting as close as 15km. That still keeps you out of web and scram range of ships with no bonus for those. Alternatively you can load Depleted Uranium or Barrage for longer range and less DPS. Depleted Uranium has a tracking bonus, but significantly lower DPS. Barrage has more damage and longer range, but also a tracking penalty. The Projectile Scoping Array very much favours autocannons because it has bonuses to rate-of-fire and falloff range, so I would personally always go for the highest DPS.

There is the possibility to make this thing even tankier - and slower - which doesn't necessarily defeat it's purpose and function at all. Consider this fit:

[Loki, Double Plate Armor Webloki]
Armor Explosive Hardener II
Kinetic Plating II
Energized Adaptive Nano Membrane II
1600mm Reinforced Rolled Tungsten Plates I
1600mm Reinforced Rolled Tungsten Plates I
Damage Control II

J5 Prototype Warp Disruptor I
X5 Prototype Engine Enervator
X5 Prototype Engine Enervator
Experimental 10MN Microwarpdrive I

220mm Vulcan AutoCannon II, Republic Fleet EMP M
220mm Vulcan AutoCannon II, Republic Fleet EMP M
220mm Vulcan AutoCannon II, Republic Fleet EMP M
220mm Vulcan AutoCannon II, Republic Fleet EMP M
220mm Vulcan AutoCannon II, Republic Fleet EMP M
220mm Vulcan AutoCannon II, Republic Fleet EMP M

Medium Trimark Armor Pump I
Medium Trimark Armor Pump I
Medium Trimark Armor Pump I

Loki Defensive - Adaptive Augmenter
Loki Electronics - Immobility Drivers
Loki Engineering - Power Core Multiplier
Loki Offensive - Projectile Scoping Array
Loki Propulsion - Chassis Optimization

Again, you can improve on resistance with CPU implants or faction modules that use lower CPU. Still, even with this vanilla setup you can reach 140K EHP and more than 22K armor hitpoints. Your weapon range will be slightly reduced, as will DPS. Volley damage suffers quite a bit, but you are not flying this ship to become top damage dealer on the killmail, you are flying it to make sure there will be killmails.


Up next?

In the second part of this fitting discussion I will focus first on artillery fits that are more for actual fighting, and then end it all with some special fits like a version for Black Ops drops and a 100MN Afterburner setup.

Fly deadly.

No comments:

Post a Comment