Scram Tacklers - Taranis v Enyo

I was browsing the Eve Uni forum a couple of days ago, and someone asked the apparently straightforward question:

Which makes the better scram tackler; the Enyo or the Taranis?

I originally set out to give a fairly straightforward answer about how the Combat Interceptors don't really have a role any more and AFs are probably the better choice, but made the mistake of trying to back that up with some real numbers. An hour or so later, I'd not only written an extensive analysis which went well beyond what I'd intended but I'd also managed to prove my original answer wrong in the process! It's not necessarily the most robust analysis and it does contain an unhealthy dose of EFT warrioring, but where possible I've tried to put things in a realistic context. Either way, I thought the whole thing was pretty interesting, so I've tidied it up a little and republished it here for your reading pleasure.

Retribution Ship Balancing Review - Part 2

Retribution has arrived, and with it a fairly large chunk of my Know Your Enemy articles have become outdated. It's going to be a while before I can write the updated versions - while I can EFT warrior to my heart's content, until the meta has stabilized a little bit I can't really say for sure how they're all going to be fit (I can have a reasonable guess, but I've never been a fan of going off theory alone).

However, I can give you a quick run-down based on my initial observations. This post follows on from part 1, which covered the new frigates and destroyers, and will instead be focusing on the newly balanced cruisers as well as the (technically) non-combat ships that I missed out before - the exploration and mining frigates.

Retribution Ship Balancing Review - Part 1

Retribution has arrived, and with it a fairly large chunk of my Know Your Enemy articles have become outdated. It's going to be a while before I can write the updated versions - while I can EFT warrior to my heart's content, until the meta has stabilized a little bit I can't really say for sure how they're all going to be fit (I can have a reasonable guess, but I've never been a fan of going off theory alone).

However, I can give you a quick run-down based on my initial observations. This post will cover the updated frigates and destroyers - expect cruisers to follow shortly.

What To Fit - Slasher and Condor

A request that I get a lot regarding my Know Your Enemy articles is to include specific fits for each ship. Rather than make those already long articles even longer (which I'd really have to do to do it justice), I've decided to start a separate series looking at how to fit various ships. This post is the first in that new series, provisionally titled 'What To Fit' (WTF)* and we'll kick off by looking at two new, and very similar, ships - the Minmatar Slasher and the Caldari Condor.

Know Your Enemy - Attack Frigates

Tech 1 Frigates are one of the first ships that a new player learns to fly, and their value combined with their low skill requirements make them an excellent choice for someone embarking on a career in PVP. In fact the pure enjoyment and versatility provided by these ships leads many PVPers to fly them as their solo PVP vessel of choice long after they're capable of flying larger or more expensive ships.

Attack Frigates trade survivability for speed, and excel at dictating the terms of a fight.

The Attack Frigates are designed for speed and tackling capability. All ships in this class receive a bonus significantly reducing the capacitor need of tackle modules. Combined with their high speed and strong capacitor regeneration, this makes the Attack Frigates an excellent choice for both long range and close range tackle. Attack Frigates are significantly more fragile than the beefier Combat Frigates, however their damage outputs remain similar to their more resilient cousins leaving them very effective if they're able to dictate the terms of an engagement and avoid taking damage themselves. Combined with their high speed (allowing them excellent range dictation) the Attack Frigates can make very effective solo vessels, and flown correctly they can be every bit as dangerous as their Combat counterparts.

Know Your Enemy - Combat Frigates

Tech 1 Frigates are one of the first ships that a new player learns to fly, and their value combined with their low skill requirements make them an excellent choice for someone embarking on a career in PVP. In fact the pure enjoyment and versatility provided by these ships leads many PVPers to fly them as their solo PVP vessel of choice long after they're capable of flying larger or more expensive ships.

The Combat Frigates range from heavily tanked brawlers like the Merlin and Punisher
to flexible kiters such as the Breacher and Tristan.

The Combat Frigates are the most numerous of the frigate sub-classes, with each race receiving two ships targeted towards slightly different aspects of that race's combat style. These are the front-line warships of the frigate class, with strong offensive and defensive capabilities giving them plenty of staying power compared to the other T1 frigates. Their brawling ability makes these ships an excellent choice for solo PVP, as well as for small frigate gangs. Their relative resilience makes them strong close range tacklers, however they lack the speed of their nimbler relatives the Attack Frigates which tend to overshadow them in any fast tackle role.

Newbie Tackling Guide

With the release of the new t1 attack frigates, I thought it would make sense to write an article on tackling. I expect most of my regular readers are already pretty familiar with the topic, but given how often a new PVPer is told to grab a t1 frigate and start tackling things, I figure we all know someone who might benefit from the knowledge. So go ahead and link this guide anywhere you think it might be useful, and let's start some more newbies on the path to PVP greatness.

I should probably preface this article by stating that this is just my way of doing things, and it's naturally going to be biased towards the kind of PVP that I do. Most of the information in here should be applicable across the board, but particularly when it comes to fitting and module suggestions this doesn't necessarily represent the only way to do things, or even necessarily the best - just mine.

Know Your Enemy - Assault Frigates

Assault Ships (more commonly referred to as Assault Frigates to avoid confusion with their larger relatives) are the real heavyweights of the t2 frigate line. In terms of sheer staying power, no other frigate even comes close to this class - with full t2 racial resists and significantly buffed HP, it's not unusual for an assault frigate to tank twice the amount that its t1 counterpart would be able to. This defensive capability is backed up by some of the most impressive damage outputs to be found among all of the frigate classes, making assault ships some of the most challenging smaller ships to fight.

Assault Frigs - First Impressions

I'll be posting an updated the Know Your Enemy article for Assault Frigs in the near future once I've had a chance to see how people are using them in practice, but first I'd like to share my impression of each of the ships after the recent buff.

First of all, I think the changes were actually very good - I was initially worried that the ships would be overpowered, but I've gradually warmed to them and actually think they've hit a good level. Not only that, but the biggest buffs have hit what were previously the weaker ships (retri, enyo, etc) while the strongest ones (ishkur, jag, etc) haven't actually benefited as much. I'd say the playing field among the eight AFs is now much more level than it used to be.

Ship Spotlight - The Merlin

Note: Due to rebalancing, the information in this article is now out of date.

I know I've already talked broadly about many different ship types, but today I'd like to spend a little more time on one ship in particular. The thing is, I've seen a lot of new players recently asking how they should start get involved in PVP - almost every one of them was quickly told to train minmatar and fly the rifter. This advice probably won't steer them wrong, but a PVP environment where everyone flies the same ship is more than a little boring, and more importantly in my opinion, does not do some of the other combat frigates the justice they deserve.

Don't get me wrong, the rifter is a really good ship - it's fast, it's flexible, and it packs a punch. It's also a ship that I'm personally very fond of - I've had some of my most memorable kills in a rifter, as well as some equally memorable losses. I just resent the idea that it's the only viable option, and that somehow by flying any of the other t1 combat frigates, you're doing it wrong.

Know Your Enemy - Faction Frigates

While faction frigates are t1 in name and in terms of skills required (and resists, incidentally!), they offer performance on par with or even exceeding t2. The capabilities of faction frigates vary wildly, from pseudo-interceptors like the dramiel and imperial navy slicer to the more assault-frigate like worm and caldari navy hookbill.

Know Your Enemy - T2 Frigates (Part 2)

Understanding the capabilities of different ships is a great advantage in eve pvp. This is a valuable skill for anyone, but especially useful for FCs, scouts, and anyone engaging in solo or small gang pvp.

Last time we started looking at the t2 frigate line, and this article will continue where that one left off. We've already covered assault ships, which are probably the more rounded of the t2 frigates. Now we're going to start looking at some of the slightly more specialised t2 frigate classes.

Know Your Enemy - T2 Frigates (Part 1)

This post is now out of date. For the updated version, see Know Your Enemy - Assault Frigates

Understanding the capabilities of different ships is a great advantage in eve pvp. This is a valuable skill for anyone, but especially useful for FCs, scouts, and anyone engaging in solo or small gang pvp.

In part two of this series, we're going to begin taking a look at the t2 frigate lineup. For me, this is where things become really interesting. T1 ships tend to be all-rounders; while some are better than others in a certain respect, none of them are particularly specialised. In t2 however, ships begin to fit into more of a defined role. While this makes them very effective at what they do, it also gives them weaknesses which can potentially be exploited.

Know Your Enemy - T1 Frigates

Note: This article is now out of date. Head over to the Article Index page to see the updated list.

Understanding the capabilities of different ships is a great advantage in eve pvp. This is a valuable skill for anyone, but especially useful for FCs, scouts, and anyone engaging in solo or small gang pvp.

If you're like me, you've probably already spent hours poring over ship attribute tabs, talking to pilots, or EFTing fits for anything and everything just to see what they're capable of. If you're not... well... this article might just come in useful to you!

The Hydra Principle - Frigate Fleet Tactics

Frigate fleets are an excellent way to get started as an FC, as well as a great low-stress environment for newer pvpers to join in on the fun. Not only are they incredibly cheap, but even those players with no pvp experience whatsoever are likely to already have the skills necessary to take part. The downside of course is effectiveness - t1 frigates are notoriously fragile, and while against one or two opponents it's fairly easy to simple get under your target's guns, this is not so simple when facing a group of opponents. Getting the most from your frigate fleet then, requires some thought.

Anyone who has taken an Agony BASIC class will already be familiar with what we call the Hydra Principle. Despite the fancy name, this is actually a fairly simple way of setting up your fleet which is specifically designed to work with fleets of small, fragile ships. It's designed mainly around frigate-centric gangs, and aims to counter some of their main weaknesses while taking advantage of their strengths. I doubt it's something that's unique to Agony, nor is it something that's particularly groundbreaking once you've been playing the game for a while. However, it's simple and it's easy, and I hope it inspires some newer players to take up the FC reins!

5 Common Myths About PVP

As you probably know, I spend a lot of time talking to people who aren't very experienced in PVP. Along the way I hear a lot of the same misconceptions, and I'd like to take a moment to set a few of them straight (or at least, post lots of words about them in the hope that it helps somebody out!)

I originally had a list of about 10 of these, but rather than terrifying you with a wall of text I've narrowed it down to 5. Hopefully anyone who has taken a class with me already knows most of these, but for those who haven't, hopefully there's something in here for you.

Solo PVP in 0.0, or the art of incerceptor fishing

So I was browsing the Eve University forum earlier today, and noticed a thread by a new player asking how to go about learning solo pvp. There were a number of good responses already however they were mostly related to lowsec, so I decided to chip in with the 0.0 perspective.

A few walls of text in, I realised - I could probably write about this for quite a while, and it might be useful to a wider audience than just the guy asking the question. And so, the blog was born!

There's a lot that can be said about solo pvp, and indeed pvp in general, but I'm going to start off by going through a fairly basic, but common tactic used when out pvping on your own. In Agony, we call this tactic 'Interceptor Fishing'.