TRS - Fitting Discussion: Incursus Rail Scramkiter

The common fitting meta for Gallente ships tends to focus on blaster fit brawlers. One of the exceptions to that rule is exemplified by this fit:

[Incursus, RailScramkiter]
Damage Control II
Adaptive Nano Plating II
Magnetic Field Stabilizer II
Small Ancillary Armor Repairer, Nanite Repair Paste

Faint Epsilon Warp Scrambler I
Fleeting Propulsion Inhibitor I
1MN Afterburner II

125mm Railgun II, Federation Navy Antimatter Charge S
125mm Railgun II, Federation Navy Antimatter Charge S
125mm Railgun II, Federation Navy Antimatter Charge S

Small Auxiliary Nano Pump I
Small Transverse Bulkhead I
Small Hybrid Collision Accelerator I

Hobgoblin II x1

Fitting the ship like that is actually pretty easy and can be achieved even with average fitting skills. The main bottleneck is CPU and if you should run out of it, you could use a low-cost CPU implant or downgrade one of the midslot modules to something with lower CPU requirements. I would however not recommend doing that because the range of your tackling modules and the speed increase of the afterburner are instrumental for that ship to function in its intended way.

Another fitting particularity which has to do with the purpose of the ship is the Transverse Bulkhead rig. Like with many Gallente ships, hull hitpoints are the highest buffer you have and this rig increases it further. Fitting the ship with an armour plate and/or resist rig would result in somewhat higher effective hitpoints, but it would decrease the ship's speed which would again be self-defeating.

I have hinted at the intended purpose of the ship a few times now, so let me explain how it works. The most important thing to do at the beginning of a fight is to apply the web and scram. Those two modules should initially be overheated for maximum range. Once you are close enough, do not forget to turn the heat off again because you depend highly on the availability of both. The range you want to stay at is between 7000 and 8000 km. Further away, you risk getting out of scram range, and moving closer means that an opponent can potentially get under the tracking of your guns. You would also run the additional risk of being within range of small energy neutralizers which would put you under a lot of pressure.

At that range you are only slightly above the optimal of your guns, so you will be very good at applying damage. Only artillery cannons, missiles or pulse lasers with Scorch crystals would be able to compete with your damage projection but all three weapon systems would lose out in the DPS race. With 140 DPS at maximum skills, you would even outperform a Retribution or Wolf Assault Frigate. Short range weapons like autocannons or blasters will not even be able to hit you in most cases if you manage to control range effectively. Since you are fit for relatively high speed, you should be able to outmaneuver an opponent even if you are webbed yourself. If your opponent has no web, you are at a definitive advantage.

The main thing that needs a lot of attention is the Ancillary Armor Repairer. It is important to anticipate when you want to run it, and only do so for one cycle, two at most. You need to save capacitor and make sure you do not burn through your charges too quickly. If necessary, overheat the module to gain extra repairs and to accelerate the cycle time. Always remember that armor repairs become effective at the end of their cycle and act accordingly. Your structure buffer should provide you with some margin for error there.

If you need to get out of a fight, move away from the enemy, keep web and scram active and overheat them, overheat your afterburner as well and the armor repairer if necessary. Pay attention to your capacitor though, make sure you always retain enough to run the afterburner and the tackling modules. Eventually you should be able to escape from the point range of your opponent except if they are in a fast afterburner ship themselves.

Alltogether, this ship is cheap, easy to fit and easy to fly.You should avoid confrontations with more than one ship because your DPS tend to be insufficient to deal with several opponents quickly enough, but In frigate duels or in a small gang this is a very effective fighting ship for beginners and experts in frigate PVP.

TRS - Fitting Discussion: Shield Logi Frigates

In my previous fitting discussion post, I said that I will feature shield logi frigates, and so here we are.

To begin with I have to admit that this is pure theorycrafting. I prefer to write about ships I have some experience with but I have never actually flown a shield logi frigate. I have flown shield logi (Scimitar mostly), but that was in a time before there were frigates available for that role.

I have, however, applied much of the same fitting logic I would apply to the armor versions. That is: Keep your signature low, keep your speed up, maximize buffer and keep your capacitor stable.

When it comes to shield fits, there are two challenges with those goals: Shield ships tend to have pretty high signatures and they tend to have lower hitpoint buffers when compared to armor. Those negative aspects are balanced out by two pretty nice advantages: Shield ships are generally faster and shield transfers become effective at the beginning of the cycle. The latter factor makes it easier to apply your repair cycles correctly.

When it comes to fitting a ship that I am not experienced with, I usually have a look at the EVE University Wiki to check whether they have some example fits there. Unfortunately their suggested shield logi frigate fits are not what I would call optimal. They have a higher signature and lower EHP than the fits I came up with. A rather bad combination, because the higher signature makes it easier to hit you for full damage.

I would still recommend to take a look at their Microwarpdrive fits. They may have their uses despite me being prejudiced against using an MWD for such a ship because of the signature bloom. If your fleet tactics involve crossing some distance and moving fast on the grid, MWD fits might be necessary.
The ship that clearly has the speed advantage is the Minmatar Burst:

[Burst, AB Logi]
Damage Control II
Capacitor Power Relay II
Capacitor Power Relay II

Medium Shield Extender II
1MN Afterburner II
Adaptive Invulnerability Field II

Small S95a Remote Shield Booster
Small S95a Remote Shield Booster
Small S95a Remote Shield Booster

Small Anti-EM Screen Reinforcer I
Small Capacitor Control Circuit I
Small Capacitor Control Circuit I

With the Burst setup above you will have a lower buffer than any of the armor logi frigates, but you will be significantly faster. The ship is also easier to fit than any armor counterpart because of the lower powergrid needs of shield tank and shield transporters. With good skills you can fit a T2 Afterburner for some extra speed advantage.

Other than armor, there is no rig for shield that reduces the amount of capacitor you need for remote repair. That means you need to use Capacitor Control Circuits to achieve cap stability. Still, with the Burst you can get just as comfortably stable as with the armor repair frigates.

Another thing that sets the shield frigates apart from the armor versions is their better scan resolution. The Burst stands out the most in that respect. It gets noticeably faster locks, and it is important to lock fast if you are a logistics pilot.

So how does the Caldari version - the Bantam - compare to this?

[Bantam, AB Logi]
Damage Control II
Capacitor Power Relay II

1MN Afterburner II
Medium Shield Extender II
Cap Recharger II
Adaptive Invulnerability Field II

Small S95a Remote Shield Booster
Small S95a Remote Shield Booster
Small S95a Remote Shield Booster

Small Anti-EM Screen Reinforcer I
Small Capacitor Control Circuit I
Small Capacitor Control Circuit I

Almost all Caldari ships are natural shield tankers and this one is no exception. Its hitpoint buffer comes close to that of the Inquisitor and its EHP is superiour to the Navitas. Interestingly enough, its buffer is lower than that of the Navitas and it's EHP are worse than the Inquisitor's because of lower resists. Quite nicely balanced.

This ship is just as easy to fit as the Burst. You have slightly lower powergrid but better CPU, but even if you run out of powergrid, you can still downgrade your Shield Extender or Afterburner to a meta 4 version.

The Bantam has the highest signature of all the logi frigates and it is slower than the Burst. That puts it at a disadvantage for avoiding incoming damage. It still manages to outrun any armor logi frigate easily. Do not forget to keep moving within range to the friendlies you want to support. As I wrote in my last post: Always make sure you stay away from the thick of the fighting and always keep your radial speed as high as you can.

Shield fleets tend to be less popular these days, but there are still quite a number of frigate doctrines which use shield fits and take advantage of their high damage and speed. With the Bantam being a very well-rounded ship, and the Burst being the quickest and fastest locking of all logi frigates, those ships are definitely a good addition to any frigate based fleet doctrine.

Too bad that the Bantam was built by the State Bureau for Ridiculous Ship Design.

P.S. As with the other logi frigates, bring a scout drone to get on killmails.

TRS - Fitting Discussion: Armor Logi Frigates

Logistic ships are an important backbone of more advanced fleet operations. In the past, there was exactly one T2 hull for each race available to fulfill that role.

Since Retribution we have T1 logistics cruisers and frigates available. That opens the way for pilots to grow into the role of "healers" without having to train up to a T2 ship at first.

For the new pilots who would like to train for that role, the logistics frigates are an ideal entry point. I will feature all four of them, but I will begin with the two armor logi frigates.

The Amarr Inquisitor is the one I have most practical experience with. A good standard fit for that ship looks like this:

[Inquisitor, Logi Standard]
400mm Reinforced Rolled Tungsten Plates I
Pseudoelectron Containment Field I
Energized Adaptive Nano Membrane II
Energized Adaptive Nano Membrane II

Cap Recharger II
Experimental 1MN Afterburner I

Small 'Solace' Remote Armor Repairer
Small 'Solace' Remote Armor Repairer
Small 'Solace' Remote Armor Repairer

Small Remote Repair Augmentor I
Small Remote Repair Augmentor I
Small Remote Repair Augmentor I

The Inquisitor's drone bay has room for one small drone. Personally I would suggest using a Warrior II because it can be directed at targets quickly to get on killmails. Using a single repair drone or ECM drone is hardly effective.

This ship is quick to train for and easy to fit, but I would suggest training Amarr Frigate and Remote Armor Repair Systems to V as soon as possible. Both skills reduce the amount of capacitor needed by the RR modules. Being cap-stable is important for this ship, as I will explain.

To begin with, you want to be able to run your RR modules permanently if possible. You will also be in need of something to help you survive, because logi ships tend to get primaried often. Apart from a decent tank for a frigate, you will rely on a low signature and speed to avoid incoming damage. That makes the ability to permanently run your afterburner particularly important.

With your extended range for the RR modules, you can stay out of range from the main fight, and you should. Pay special attention to ships with stasis webifiers and energy neutralizers. Both can mean the end of your ship really quickly. Enemies with medium to long range are best dealt with by keeping your radial speed up to challenge the tracking of their guns.

Often fits for this ship will use an anti-explosive rig. Personally I consider the speed-tanking advantage of running your afterburner permanently a better asset in combat than the extra explosive resistance. So I prefer going for three Remote Repair Augmentors to stay comfortably cap-stable with everything running.

The Pseudoelectron Containment Field is chosen above the Internal Force Field array because of the price. If ISK is not an issue, and you are not worried to have a needlessly expensive frigate on your list of losses, by all means, go for the meta 4 version.

Of course you are not only there to avoid damage, but mainly to repair it.

The main challenge for the beginning logistics pilot will be to time their repairs properly. Because armor repair becomes effective only at the end of the cycle, you need to be proactive. Keep as many friendlies as possible on your watchlist and pre-locked. Start repairing once they take damage. Do not wait until they enter armor or your reps could be too late. Especially in frigate fleets one missed cycle can mean the the difference between exploding and surviving.

For those who do not have Amarr Frigate trained, the Navitas is an alternative.

This weird-looking fish-like ship has one less low slot but an extra mid. This means a less effective tank, but on the other hand you gain a bit more versatility. You can fit an ECCM in the extra mid to protect yourself against electronic warfare, or you could provide some EWAR support like in this example:

[Navitas, TD Logi]
400mm Reinforced Steel Plates II
Damage Control II
Energized Adaptive Nano Membrane II

Experimental 1MN Afterburner I
Cap Recharger II
Balmer Series Tracking Disruptor I, Optimal Range Disruption Script

Small 'Solace' Remote Armor Repairer
Small 'Solace' Remote Armor Repairer
Small 'Solace' Remote Armor Repairer

Small Ancillary Current Router I
Small Remote Repair Augmentor I
Small Remote Repair Augmentor I

The main problem with the Navitas is it's powergrid. Even with maximum skills you will need a rig or an implant to fit propulsion, three reppers and a 400mm plate. Even with a Tungsten Plate you will have too little powergrid, so better use that rig and fit a T2 plate if you have enough CPU with your skills. Because you are forced to use a powergrid rig, you will have a much harder time to get this ship cap-stable. Only with maximum skills in Afterburner and Fuel Conservation in addition to others that's achievable.

Personally I find that the Navitas is a bit broken in that respect. With maximum skills this fit should be possible without a rig. It's only 0.75 that's missing!

In total you end up with more hitpoint buffer, but still a good 1000EHP less than the Inquisitor because of lower resists. The signature of the Navitas is slightly higher, but it is also faster than the Amarr ship. Together those factors balance each other out nicely.

Just like the Inquisitor, the Navitas has space for one drone. Again, I'd suggest a Warrior II.for the killmails.

This concludes the first part of logistics frigates discussion. The next time I will deal with the shield versions: The Burst and the Bantam.