Typhoons, Tempests, and Maelstroms, Oh MY! What should you choose? - Part One - the Typhoon

The Minmatar Battleship line up is the most difficult of all four races for deciding which to use in various cases, be that PVE or PVP.  This tends to be a rather disappointed situation because unlike say Amarr, Gallente, or Caldari battleship lineups.. you tend to have to have more skills and those skills at a higher level to get a similar combat performance, at least initially.  Amarr Battleship strengths lie in their higher than average optimal range and generally higher resists.  Gallente Battleship strengths lie in their true versatility, and a more constant training pattern.  Caldari Battleship strengths lie in higher resists and weapon systems that don’t miss.  So, this kinda leaves Minmatar pilots having to mix and match strengths to attain the best possible mixture of attributes.  Because of that, you really won’t come into your own with the Minmatar battleships for quite a while.  If you go the typical path of learning both sides of armor and shields, plus projectiles, some missiles, some drones you can expect to be ready for a battleship in PVP combat at around 10 to 12 million SP.

Minmatar Typhoon – A Tier One Beast, but not for the newbies

First off, we’ll talk about the infamous or legendary Typhoon, the first battleship that a Minmatar pilot has the option to get.  The Typhoon is legendary in many respects.  It was one of the first ships to be “Nano-ed”.  For those of you new to the game, “Nano-ed” refers to trying to get a ship so light, and so agile that it can either outrun or out manuver an enemies weapons.  Now, if you thought the speed of the Vagabond was fast, imagine a battleship, capable of out running missiles flying in circles around you.. and there is nothing you could do about it.  Needless to say, CCP finally stopped that, but still most understood that the Typhoon had the continued potential to be a very effective PVP ship.  Now, there is one caveat.  The Typhoon, while certainly better than it was in the past, requires a tremendous amount of SP to fly well.  And certainly don’t dare try flying it in PVP until you have plenty of combat miles under your belt.  The problem is that the Typhoon incorporates three weapon systems, but works optimally with support modules like Remote Armor reps, Vamps, Neutralizers, etc.  It used to be far worse, and you can thank the Minmatar community and CCP for FINALLY getting a 5/5 – Turret/Missile Launcher configuration versus the previous 4/4.  I’ve heard good things about people using the Typhoon for PVE, but I just don’t see it.  I prefer the Tempest or the Maelstrom, but it just could be they had better missile skills than I do, which could be the difference.  That being said, once you DO get the skills, the thing is a freaking monster for short range PVP.  I would say it now is probably the best solo battleship in the game (non-faction), and if it isn’t it a darn close second.

The most common mission PVE configuration will be one using cruise missiles, especially considering that they don’t miss and they have a range upwards of 160km.

[Typhoon, PVE Cruise Missile]
Large Armor Repairer II
Damage Control II
Large Armor Repairer II
Energized Adaptive Nano Membrane II
Racial Armor Hardener II
Racial Armor Hardener II
Ballistic Control System II

Heavy Capacitor Booster II, Cap Booster 800
Phased Weapon Navigation Array Generation Extron
LiF Fueled I Booster Rockets
Fleeting Propulsion Inhibitor I

‘Arbalest’ Cruise Launcher I, Paradise Cruise Missile
‘Arbalest’ Cruise Launcher I, Paradise Cruise Missile
‘Arbalest’ Cruise Launcher I, Paradise Cruise Missile
‘Arbalest’ Cruise Launcher I, Paradise Cruise Missile
‘Arbalest’ Cruise Launcher I, Paradise Cruise Missile
Large ‘Arup’ I Remote Bulwark Reconstruction
Large ‘Arup’ I Remote Bulwark Reconstruction
Drone Link Augmentor I

3x Rigs to Taste

Drones to Taste – Either Heavies or Sentries, with Light drones for smaller support.  However, from what I understand, Sentry drones are far superior.

Using the above configuration, you will have 70 to 80% resists against the target you are firing against, as well as good self-rep capabilities and drone repping capabilities.  Volley/DPS is at 2200/250 without drones and DPS goes to 550+ if using T2 Heavy Drones or T2 Sentries (EFT Numbers).  Overall not a bad situation as it is able to mimick the strengths of both the Gallente Dominix and the Caldari Raven.

For PVP, the configuration is considerably more varied, and while it is possible to setup a long range version of the Typhoon, it isn’t a practical idea.  Both the Tempest and the Maelstrom are far superior to the Typhoon in that arena.  Short range, however, the Typhoon is a very dangerous beast and should never been taken lightly.  Able to bring bonused weapons + a full squad of Heavy Drones as well as move faster than any other Battleship (its base speed is that of a battlecruiser, faster in some cases).  And add to it plenty of mid slots and spare high slots for E-War and Neuts or Vamps.. and Remote Reps.. you have yourself a very dangerous beast.  Below are two examples using both Torpedoes and Autocannons:

[Typhoon, Dominion - Torp]
1600mm Reinforced Rolled Tungsten Plates I
1600mm Reinforced Rolled Tungsten Plates I
Damage Control II
Ballistic Control System II
1600mm Reinforced Rolled Tungsten Plates I
Adaptive Nano Plating II
Energized Adaptive Nano Membrane II

Quad LiF Fueled I Booster Rockets
Phased Weapon Navigation Array Generation Extron
Warp Disruptor II
Heavy Electrochemical Capacitor Booster I, Cap Booster 800

‘Arbalest’ Siege Missile Launcher, Mjolnir Torpedo
‘Arbalest’ Siege Missile Launcher, Mjolnir Torpedo
‘Arbalest’ Siege Missile Launcher, Mjolnir Torpedo
‘Arbalest’ Siege Missile Launcher, Mjolnir Torpedo
‘Arbalest’ Siege Missile Launcher, Mjolnir Torpedo
Large ‘Solace’ I Remote Bulwark Reconstruction
Large ‘Solace’ I Remote Bulwark Reconstruction
Heavy Unstable Power Fluctuator I

Large Trimark Armor Pump I
Large Trimark Armor Pump I
Large Trimark Armor Pump I
Ogre II x5, ECM-300 x 5, Warrior II x5

This monstrosity has an effective combat range of around 20km, has a base speed of 140m/s, 777 DPS and a volley of 3400.  Its resists aren’t that great, but it still fields an EHP of 129k (EFT Numbers – Level V standard).  Even though it doesn’t mount a web, that Target Painter will certainly allow for more of its damage to be effective on target, giving this Typhoon an effective boost against smaller ships.  Now, here is the AC version:

[Typhoon, Dominion - AC]
1600mm Reinforced Rolled Tungsten Plates I
1600mm Reinforced Rolled Tungsten Plates I
Damage Control II
Gyrostabilizer II
1600mm Reinforced Rolled Tungsten Plates I
Energized Adaptive Nano Membrane II
Energized Adaptive Nano Membrane II

100MN MicroWarpdrive II
Target Painter II
Warp Disruptor II
Heavy Capacitor Booster II, Cap Booster 800

Dual 650mm Repeating Artillery II, Barrage L
Dual 650mm Repeating Artillery II, Barrage L
Dual 650mm Repeating Artillery II, Barrage L
Dual 650mm Repeating Artillery II, Barrage L
Dual 650mm Repeating Artillery II, Barrage L
Large Remote Armor Repair System II
Large Remote Armor Repair System II
Heavy Unstable Power Fluctuator I

Large Trimark Armor Pump I
Large Trimark Armor Pump I
Large Trimark Armor Pump I
Hornet EC-300 x5
Ogre II x5
Warrior II x5

The AC Typhoon is certainly does less damage than the Torpedo Typhoon, however the DPS difference (of about 120 dps), is countered somewhat by a 136k EHP tank.  The AC Typhoon also has a higher combat range at around 30km using Barrage and the damage is instant, not delayed like Torps.

In the end, it depends alot on your current skillset.  If you are fairly new, the Typhoon wouldn’t be a good investment either for PVE or PVP (despite it being a fairly inexpensive ship to purchase and setup).  If you have strong armor, missile, and/or drone skills, then the Typhoon is going to be a strong contender for you and is worth taking a look at.  However, if your skills are more geared toward Projectiles, then a better choice for the moment would certainly be either the Tempest or the Maelstrom.. particularly if you have strong shield tanking abilities.

As always, make sure your guns are loaded and your enemies are running.

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