The Tornado – The Mini-Tempest, for the price of a Tempest
Yes, it is certainly vertical.
As most players remember, the Tier 3 class of Battlecruisers were brought about by the mea culpa from CCP. CCP had, at the time, basically alienated a large portion of their playerbase, and in a smart and desperate move, made a vast number changes and introduced the Tornado, Talos, Oracle, and Naga.
All four of the designs were taken from player designs, back when CCP had made a contest a couple years back where the winner would have his design brought into Eve Online. Most of them were intended to be Battleships, but after a bit of review the developers at CCP decided that the new ships should infuse new life into the Battlecruiser line.
So, how does the Tornado stack up?
The Tornado has started to define the Tier 3 Battlecruiser class for one particular reason: The Tech II 1400mm Howitzer Artillery. Able to send out a volley of almost 10k, while requiring less training than skilling up a Tempest or Maelstrom.. as well as more maneuverable. True, you didn’t have nearly the tank.. but the value of 10k worth of damage at long range, certainly makes it a valuable ship.
So, what does a 1400mm Sniper Tornado look like? Well, here is an example of one that I currently fly. Strong side to this ship is the range, with a targeting range of about 120km, with a Volley damage of about 9200 damage using standard EMP. That damage increases to 10.6k when Republic fleet EMP or Quake is used. Tremor is also an option as your targeting area will be completely in your optimal range.
[Tornado, 1400mm Fit]
1400mm Howitzer Artillery II, EMP L
1400mm Howitzer Artillery II, EMP L
1400mm Howitzer Artillery II, EMP L
1400mm Howitzer Artillery II, EMP L
1400mm Howitzer Artillery II, EMP L
1400mm Howitzer Artillery II, EMP L
1400mm Howitzer Artillery II, EMP L
1400mm Howitzer Artillery II, EMP L
Experimental 10MN MicroWarpdrive I
Sensor Booster II
Large Shield Extender II
Invulnerability Field II
Invulnerability Field II
Reactor Control Unit II
Gyrostabilizer II
Gyrostabilizer II
Tracking Enhancer II
Medium Ancillary Current Router I
Medium Core Defence Field Extender I
Medium Core Defence Field Extender I
Now, there are a couple downsides to this configuration. The first is that your tank is the equivalent to a 1600mm plated Rupture.. on a ship that is easier to hit. So hit and run tactics with these guys is a must, because you aren’t going to last long in any protracted engagement.
A few fleets use a combo of 1400mm Tornadoes, supported by Drakes and Scimitars, producing a fleet capable of having quite a deadly range at 100+ km, while
Now, that isn’t what CCP had originally intended. As you can see, the 1400mm fit required one ANC rig and one T2 Reactor Control Unit just to make it work. The original intent clearly was for it to be a close range ship. You can tell by how easily Tech 2 800mm Autocannons fit while having a full shield tank. For example:
[Tornado, Short Range]
800mm Repeating Artillery II, Republic Fleet EMP L
800mm Repeating Artillery II, Republic Fleet EMP L
800mm Repeating Artillery II, Republic Fleet EMP L
800mm Repeating Artillery II, Republic Fleet EMP L
800mm Repeating Artillery II, Republic Fleet EMP L
800mm Repeating Artillery II, Republic Fleet EMP L
800mm Repeating Artillery II, Republic Fleet EMP L
800mm Repeating Artillery II, Republic Fleet EMP L
Large Shield Extender II
Large F-S9 Regolith Shield Induction
10MN MicroWarpdrive II
Adaptive Invulnerability Field II
Warp Disruptor II
Gyrostabilizer II
Tracking Enhancer II
Damage Control II
Overdrive Injector System II
Medium Anti-EM Screen Reinforcer I
Medium Core Defence Field Extender I
Medium Core Defence Field Extender I
I like this configuration because not only do you produce about about 653 DPS, but you are doing it in a ship whose base speed is faster than most Cruisers, which is about 316m/s, and over 1800m/s with MWD. The tank is also about 50% better than what you would get in a typical cruiser, measuring about 37.2k EHP.
The two big downsides to the Tornado start with the price, as it is at least double the price of a Cyclone, and about 20% to 50% higher in cost over a Hurricane frame. This pretty well puts the price close to that of a typically fit Tempest. Prices for these ships may go down, but if they haven’t dropped now, I don’t think you’ll see them do so for a while yet. The novelty of them still hasn’t disappeared yet.
The second downside really isn’t a downside for the Tornado, but rather for the Tier 1 battlecruisers as a whole. Ships like the Ferox and the Cyclone are little more than distractions, with little PVP value. The Brutix and the Prophecy suffer a little better, but also could use an upgrade to keep them relatively competitive in today’s PVP world.
Do Tier 3 BCs kick Sniper HACs out of usefulness?
The question is certainly one of importance because there has been a sizeable market for Sniper HACs, particularly Muninns and Zealots. The concern over this has caused somewhat of a stir in the Eve Community and bloggers have gone to the internets to voice their opinions. Ripard Teg makes some of the clear points as to why this is the case here in his blog: http://jestertrek.blogspot.com/2011/12/thought-experiment-eagle.html.
So, are Eve pilots right to be concerned?
Well, let’s analyze the problem first, because the answer may be more convoluted than informative. The release of the Tier 3 battlecruisers was in response to the need to be able to participate better against capital and supercapital ships in combat fleets. This move was combined with changes to supercarriers, titans, fighters, and bombers. The resulting plan was to give new pilots the capacity to join major fleets and not get immediately erased or have to bow out because they couldn’t bring anything of note.
The Tier 3 Battlecruisers thus have the following advantages:
- High DPS due to the use of Battleship class weapons and bonuses.
- Low Skill requirements for the Tier 3 BC which allows a new pilot to be useful in about a month.
- Lower cost of manufacturer means that new pilots won’t have to expend as much isk to be combat ready.
These advantages were to be countered by some pretty strong disadvantages:
- Lower PG and CPU causing the ships to have smaller than BC typical tanks
- Battlecruiser sized Signature radius
- Battlecruiser class Scan resolution
- Battleship Class weapons maintain tracking levels and signature resolutions
- Battlecruiser mass and speed making it more difficult to move and escape
Technically, the advantage/disadvantage ratio still allows for Sniper HACs to have a role in combat field operations. Ships like the Muninn, have a similar sized tank but have smaller signature radius and fly faster. Their base ship hulls also give them better tracking and better locking options, which in turn, make them more viable against a wider variety of targets. The weaker tank of the Tier 3 Battlecruisers also make them vulnerable to non-typical fleet ships like Assault Frigates, Sniper HACs, Short Range HACs and Cruisers. So definately on paper this looks like a very balanced addition to the EVE.
But is it? That is the harder question and one that really can’t be answered until more time has passed. The reason for this two fold: First, Sniper HACs do have some significant advantages over the Tier 3 that aren’t often utilized in Fleet battles. For example, one such advantage is the Sniper HACs ability to lock and fire sooner and quicker than the Tier 3 Battlecruisers, while having similar BS level damage. The other reason is based on how fleets and individual pilots move within those fleets. If you have two contending fleets, a pilot well knows that at long range, your ability to go fast isn’t going to do you much good, but at close range it could be a vital aspect. The reverse is also true in that just because you have a high rate of transvelocity to one enemy ship, another ship on the other side of the enemy fleet may see your transvelocity as almost nil, allowing you to be hit even by large Battleship turrets.
Now, going on a bit of theorycrafting here.. I will say that I do not think the Tier 3 Battlecruisers actually take the Sniper HACs role, but I will say that the definitiveness of the Sniper HAC will not be seen clearly until FC figure out tactics that can seperate them. Oddly enough, I don’t think it would be all that hard because Sniper HACs can do what Tier 3 Battlecruisers do and more, and it isn’t the other way around. I actually wouldn’t be surprised if FCs kept the two groups seperated though, mixing the Tier 3 BCs with Battleships and keeping Sniper HACs as an entity of their own, for use in taking out enemy Tier 3 BCs quickly.
But again, that is just theory. We’ll see what the truth of combat will bring.
The Talos and Tornado – Devblog Artsy Goodness
So, we get the first look at the Gallente Tier 3 Battlecruiser, the Talos:
Gallente Talos - Player Designed (Michael Schierup) - Eve Approved
Nice...
Talos:
Battlecruiser Skill Bonus:
5% bonus to Large Hybrid Turret damage
10% bonus to the velocity factor of stasis webifiers per level.
Role Bonus
95% reduction in the powergrid need of Large Hybrid Turrets
50% reduction in the CPU need of Large Hybrid Turrets
High slots: 8
Mid slots: 4
Low slots: 5
CPU: 400
PG: 1150
Calibration: 400
Turret Hardpoints: 8
Rig Slots: 3
Rig Size: 2
Structure HP: 2597
Capacity: 600 m3
Drone Capacity: 25 m3
Drone Bandwidth: 25 Mbit/s
Mass: 12,000,000
Volume: 270,000
Inertia Modifier: ?
Armor HP: 2272
Armor EM: 50%
Armor Exp: 10%
Armor Kin: 35%
Armor Therm: 35%
Shield HP: 2111
Shield Recharge: 140.00 s
Shield EM: 0%
Shield Exp: 50%
Shield Kin: 40%
Shield Therm: 20%
Capacitor: 3100
Recharge time: 775.00 s
Targeting:
Max Targeting Range: 70 km
Max Locked Targets: 7
Scan Res: 230 mm
Mag Sensor Strength: 20 pts
Signature Radius: 200
Propulsion:
Agility: 0.56
Max Velocity: 210
Base Warp Speed: ?
Ah, but let’s not forget the Minmatar Tornado out of this line-up. Its “Freakin’ Vertical!”-ness is certainly a sexy head turner..
Yep, it's Freaking Vertical!
by Pattern Clarc
Tornado:
Battlecruiser Skill Bonus:
5% bonus to Large Projectile Turret Rate of Fire
10% bonus to Large Projectile Turret falloff per level.
Role Bonus
95% reduction in the powergrid need of Large Projectile Turrets
50% reduction in the CPU need of Large Projectile Turrets
High slots: 8
Mid slots: 5
Low slots: 4
CPU: 380
PG: 1000
Calibration: 400
Turret Hardpoints: 8
Rig Slots: 3
Rig Size: 2
Structure HP: 2165
Capacity: 535 m3
Drone Capacity: 0
Drone Bandwidth: 0
Mass: 11,750,000
Volume: 216,000
Inertia Modifier: ?
Armor HP: 2272
Armor EM: 40%
Armor Exp: 10%
Armor Kin: 25%
Armor Therm: 35%
Shield HP: 2165
Shield Recharge: 140.00 s
Shield EM: 0%
Shield Exp: 50%
Shield Kin: 40%
Shield Therm: 20%
Capacitor: 2700
Recharge time: 675.00 s
Targeting:
Max Targeting Range: 60 km
Max Locked Targets: 6
Scan Res: 250 mm
Ladar Sensor Strength: 17 pts
Signature Radius: 170
Propulsion:
Agility: 0.54
Max Velocity: 225
Base Warp Speed: ?
Talos Devblog: http://www.eveonline.com/devblog.asp?a=blog&nbid=3014
Tornado Devblog: http://www.eveonline.com/devblog.asp?a=blog&nbid=3001
(Stats shamelessly stolen from “Finders Keepers” here: http://aidenmourn.wordpress.com/2011/10/25/tier-3-battlecruisers-the-full-stats-list/ - Be sure to stop by and thank Aiden for his efforts)
(Additional Note: Prior to Tuesday’s devblog, the highest number of visits I got was about 79. Yesterday, those visits more than doubled, so thanks for stopping by!)
Leaked Tier 3 Battlecruiser Specs – Revised
As brought out by Reddit, and now from Hannibal:
(08 Dec 2011 Edit – The final stats released from Crucible can be found here: http://2ndanomalyfromtheleft.wordpress.com/tier-3-battlecruiser-information/)
(November Edit: Full Stats can be found here: http://aidenmourn.wordpress.com/2011/10/25/tier-3-battlecruisers-the-full-stats-list/ - Remember, these are just initial testing stats.. they are very much subject to change)
- Tornado (Minmatar) – 8 Highslots, 4 Midslots, 5 Lowslots – 8 Turrets
Battlecruiser Skill Bonus: 5% bonus to Large Projectile Turret Rate of Fire and 10% bonus to Large Projectile Turret falloff per level.
Ship Bonus: 95% reduction in the powergrid need of Large Projectile Turrets 50% reduction in the CPU need of Large Projectile Turrets.
- Talos (Gallente) – 8 Highslots, 4 Midslots, 5 Lowslots – 8 Turrets
Battlecruiser Skill Bonus: 5% bonus to Large Hybrid Turret damage and 10% bonus to the velocity factor of stasis webifiers per level.
Ship Bonus: 95% reduction in the powergrid need of Large Hybrid Turrets 50% reduction in the CPU need of Large Hybrid Turrets.
- Naga (Caldari) – 8 Highslots, 6 Midslots, 4 Lowslots – 8 Turret and 8 Missile
Battlecruiser Skill Bonus: 10% bonus to Torpedo Velocity, 5% bonus to Torpedo explosion velocity, 10% bonus to Large Hybrid Turret optimal range and 7.5% bonus to Large Hybrid Turret tracking speed per level.
Ship Bonus: 95% reduction in the powergrid need of Large Hybrid Turrets 50% reduction in the CPU need of Large Hybrid Turrets 50% reduction in the capacitor need of Large Hybrid Turrets 40% reduction in the powergrid need of Siege Missile Launchers 58% reduction in the CPU need of Siege Missile Launchers
- Oracle (Amarr) – 8 Highslots, 3 Midslots, 6 Lowslots – 8 Turrets
Battlecruiser Skill Bonus: 7.5% bonus to Large Energy Turret tracking speed and 7.5% bonus to Large Energy Turret optimal range per level.
Ship Bonus: 95% reduction in the powergrid need of Large Energy Turrets 50% reduction in the CPU need of Large Energy Turrets 50% reduction in the capacitor need of Large Energy Turrets.
So apparently, these are the test stats for the new Tier 3 Battlecruiser. I am hoping this is just the very preliminary testing bonuses because it seems to me that I already see some issues. That being said, there are some little extra bits of data being put forth. First, let’s go to the Inner Sanctum of the Ninveah, where Kirith talks about some of the views there: http://www.ninveah.com/2011/10/pocket-battleships.html. One of the points to note is where he mentioned he saw eight turrets on the Tornado. My thought on that is that probably means it will only be able to mount three or four guns in the highslot (because every highslot turret shows as two guns on the ship). (Edit: Looks like the 8 turret hardpoints is the case, not just three or four, as per this blog: http://thebeginningsofpiracy.blogspot.com/2011/10/scoop-new-ships-layouts-and-bonuses.html)
It also would be good to check out Eve Opportunist, here: http://eveopportunist.blogspot.com/2011/10/early-tier-3-bc-status.html, as he goes into some deeper commentary on what each ship type could mean.
Since we don’t have any more information regarding these ships, we’re just going to have to go with what we know. I am going to assume, with the info we do have now, that these battlecruisers will follow their racial “heritage”. This means that we can expect Amarr and Gallente ships to be armor tanked, while Caldari and Minmatar will be shield tanked. This also means that their configurations will revolve around either short range (Gallente and Minmatar) or long range (Amarr and Caldari).
For the overall class, the ships have a 95% reduction in powergrid requirements for Large weapons as well as a 50% decrease in CPU need. The Minmatar and Gallente have one direct damage bonus, plus a bonus that helps deal with range issues. The Amarr and Caldari have two damage influencing bonuses. A buff to Hybrids seems to be in the works as well, so that may add to the confusion as to which one will be the FOTM.
The first ship up is the Amarr Oracle. The big problems I see in this ship start with the 95% reduction in powergrid requirements. Even the biggest Large Amarr laser now requires less power fit than the highest tier of Amarr medium weapons, and the 50% CPU reduction places it right in line with other Amarr medium weapons. The downside to these way overpowered weapons is their cap usage. Even with the bonus, their cap use is well over double the highest medium tier weapon is. However, the skill “Controlled Bursts” may have a higher influence than normal in this case, and limit cap problems. The way things look, I think the Oracle will probably be the FOTM when they get released. The Tracking and optimal range bonuses, CCP definately wants to make this a long range ship. But it being coupled with the best close range turrets in the game means that you can bet there will be a lot of people flying these ships in a close range configuration.
The next one in line is the Caldari Naga. Currently the ship has two sets of bonuses covering both Hybrids and Torpedoes. Probably, this is just a set of testing bonuses, but might be possible that CCP is letting the Caldari play with mixed weapon systems (the bane of the Minmatar). This would certainly give the Caldari a ship that is dangerously effective at close range with Torps, while still maintaining a significant presence for long range fights using Hybrids. The types of bonuses for each seem to lend some credance to that argument. If only one is used, I suspect it will be used in much the same way as the Ferox intended. Remember, the top battlecruiser in Eve is a missile throwing, shield tanking, Caldari beast. While the worst BC in the game is the hybrid Caldari gunboat, the Ferox. Another issue appears to be the slot formation is all wrong for a Caldari ship. (Edit, the slot formation information has been updated. It now has 6 midslots, 4 lowslots).
The Gallente Talos is clearly meant to be a close range ship, with bonuses that favor the high damage and short range of Blasters. Of particular interest is the velocity bonus to webs, that translates to 90% web if using a Tech 2 Statis webifier. This could either be a really great addition to the Gallente line up, as it takes focus away from drone capability.
The Tornado, the Minmatar ship drawn by Pattern Clarc which started this change, was given some very basic bonuses.. essentially making it a Hurricane version 1.5. As far as surprises go, I rather doubt that it’s going to be all that difficult to optimize. Probably we can expect it to be generally shield tanked, but have at least some option to armor tank. So, one more low slot and one less midslot compared to the Caldari Naga.
Overall, I think these new Battlecruisers are WAY, WAY, WAY TOO overpowered as they stand. They may just be at the testing phase right now, and some of the features are just there because they needed some place to start (see the Caldari slot setup), so I am pretty confident that CCP is far from done.
Tier 1 Battlecruisers – On the Road to Extinction?
Unfortunately, there is little room for the Tier 1 battlecruisers after this.. and CCP will have to do something to make them relevant, or re-classify them. The Ferox, a ship that was considered the worst BC when they were introduced years ago, now is utterly obsolete with the Naga hybrid bonuses. The Cyclone, a ship with a few redeeming angles, but still far weaker in PVP than the Hurricane certainly will have even less to offer, next to the far more powerful Tornado. The Brutix, the Blaster boat of the Gallente, has no chance of being used over the Talos because of the Talos’ highly valuable web velocity bonus. The Prophecy is the only Tier 1 battlecruiser that doesn’t lose anything new to the release of these Tier 3 BCs due to its heavy armor tank, but its powergrid and capacitor problems are likely going to keep it regulated to a “bait” ship.
When Versatile gets it right – The Minmatar Hurricane
The Minmatar Hurricane is simply one of the most outstanding ships in the Minmatar fleet, if not the entire game. Since its introduction, it has been wildly popular with PVP’ers, even before the projectile fix. Able to be effectively tanked both in shields and armor, as well as be set up as an effective long range or short range platform, the Hurricane is a must for any Minmatar PVP’er to have in their shipyard. It is a serious ship, to do a serious job. In fact, so effective was the Hurricane that it was mentioned as a reason NOT to fix the Minmatar weapon systems.
The Hurricane was introduced into Eve at the same time as the legendary Drake, the awe-inspring Harbinger, and the adaptable Myrmidon, all are very effective and intelligently designed ships, and all have their place in PVP, including the Hurricane. Let’s take a quick look at the strengths of the Hurricane:
- Slot Layout is 8 highs, 4 mediums, and six lows – giving the option of 6 turret (and 3 missle) hardpoints and 2 utility hardpoints in the highs.
- 5% Rate of Fire Bonus per level.
- 5% Damage Bonus per level.
- Base speed of 165 m/s, sharing the top speed with the Cyclone.
- 30m3 Drone Bay – Enough for a flight of light drones.
The Hurricane itself is part of the Rifter/Rupture/Tempest lineup because of its two damage bonuses (5% Rate of Fire and Damage per level) and with its nice slot layout with eight high slots, four midslots, and six lowslots, you can fit it for an acceptable armor tank or a fair shield tank, with plenty of low slots for gank configurations. There are few flaws with the slot layout or with the ship overall. For the most part, whatever it can’t out shoot, it can outrun.
So.. how do you set one up?
Personnally, I’ve found several good “base” configurations that you can expand on depending on need. The first one I’ll be discussing is an active tanked version. Normally I’m not big on active tank setups in PVP engagements, generally because buffer tanks provide a consistant level of protection (irregardless of the situation), while active tanks tend to be dependent on several variables.. most of which may not be in your control at any given time. However, active tanks do benefit the pilot in that they have no constant negatives either. They don’t blow your signature radius to high heaven like shield buffer tanks do, and neither do they massively increase your mass like armor buffer tanks do.
The active tank setup I use is a dual repper:
[Hurricane, PVP AC version]
Medium Armor Repairer II
Medium Armor Repairer II
Damage Control II
Energized Adaptive Nano Membrane II
Energized Adaptive Nano Membrane II
Gyrostabilizer II
Medium Capacitor Booster II, Cap Booster 800
10MN MicroWarpdrive II
Warp Disruptor II
Stasis Webifier II
220mm Vulcan AutoCannon II, EMP M
220mm Vulcan AutoCannon II, EMP M
220mm Vulcan AutoCannon II, EMP M
220mm Vulcan AutoCannon II, EMP M
220mm Vulcan AutoCannon II, EMP M
220mm Vulcan AutoCannon II, EMP M
Medium Energy Neutralizer II
Medium Energy Neutralizer II
Medium Anti-Explosive Pump I
Medium Nanobot Accelerator I
Medium Auxiliary Nano Pump I
Warrior II x6
I prefer the 220mm Vulcans over the 425mms in the particular configuration because they have better tracking, better fitting requirements, and do nearly the same amount of damage. I also prefer Neutralizers over Missiles because at this time (with my poor missile skills) the ability to control the speed/weapon usage of my target is more important than DPS. A couple things you must be aware of in an active tanking configuration like this, it is crucial to effectively raise your resistances and to stagger (i.e. activate at different times) both reppers (and your neuts too) or else you will have a very nasty hole while you are waiting for the next repping cycle.
Another popular armor tanking setup is the 1600mm Passive tank configuration:
[Hurricane, PVP AC Passive Version]
1600mm Reinforced Rolled Tungsten Plates I
Gyrostabilizer II
Damage Control II
Energized Adaptive Nano Membrane II
Energized Adaptive Nano Membrane II
Gyrostabilizer II
10MN MicroWarpdrive II
Medium Capacitor Booster II, Cap Booster 800
Warp Disruptor II
Stasis Webifier II
220mm Vulcan AutoCannon II, EMP M
220mm Vulcan AutoCannon II, EMP M
220mm Vulcan AutoCannon II, EMP M
220mm Vulcan AutoCannon II, EMP M
220mm Vulcan AutoCannon II, EMP M
220mm Vulcan AutoCannon II, EMP M
‘Malkuth’ Heavy Assault Missile Launcher I, Torrent Assault Missile
‘Malkuth’ Heavy Assault Missile Launcher I, Torrent Assault Missile
Medium Trimark Armor Pump I
Medium Trimark Armor Pump I
Medium Trimark Armor Pump I
Warrior II x6
This configuration is rather nice because you get a nice 68k EHP (EFT numbers), around 500 DPS using reliable 220mms. I generally keep a cap booster just to ensure I have MWD power on a fit like this because battleship plates do tend to hamper the mobility, requiring more time for me to get out of bad situations. However, its not an absolute necessity, and if you wish to use the midslot for something else, removing the medium cap booster should be the first to go. The downside of this configuration is of course the 1600mm plate. While it does give good protection, it will penalize you on speed, agility, and acceleration. If you wish to switch out the HAMs for standard Heavy Missile Launchers, you will run into some CPU issues.. but these can be easily remedied by downgrading the T2 Webifier for a “Named” equivlent.
Armored Artillery versions are also possible, but they lose alot of protection in the process:
[Hurricane, PVP Armor - Arty - 650mm]
800mm Reinforced Rolled Tungsten Plates I
Gyrostabilizer II
Damage Control II
Energized Adaptive Nano Membrane II
Energized Adaptive Nano Membrane II
Reactor Control Unit II
10MN MicroWarpdrive II
Medium Capacitor Booster II, Cap Booster 25
Warp Disruptor II
Fleeting Propulsion Inhibitor I
650mm Artillery Cannon II, Tremor M
650mm Artillery Cannon II, Tremor M
650mm Artillery Cannon II, Tremor M
650mm Artillery Cannon II, Tremor M
650mm Artillery Cannon II, Tremor M
650mm Artillery Cannon II, Tremor M
‘Malkuth’ Heavy Missile Launcher I, Thunderbolt Heavy Missile
‘Malkuth’ Heavy Missile Launcher I, Thunderbolt Heavy Missile
Warrior II x6
Unfortunately, the 1600mm plate needed to be removed to fit the heavier fitting requirements of artillery. Replacing it with an 800mm plate gives an EHP of around 44k (not including armor rigs). A Gyro was removed as well to fit the T2 RCU necessary for this fit. If you don’t have the skills for the T2 RCU, you will have to use a powergrid rig to make up the difference. This particular configuration gives you a DPS of about 370 with missile damage. You can also replace the 650mms with the much more powerful 720mms, but I’ve found that in a typical gate camp situation, while you should do pretty good at the first shot (provided you are far away from the gate), any ship with speed will be very difficult to hit and with the long rate of fire for the 720mms, you will likely be of little help in closer engagements.
But what about shield variants?
Well, here ya go:
[Hurricane, Shield Tanked - 650mms]
Damage Control II
Power Diagnostic System II
Co-Processor II
Gyrostabilizer II
Gyrostabilizer II
Tracking Enhancer II
Large Shield Extender II
Large Shield Extender II
10MN MicroWarpdrive II
Invulnerability Field II
650mm Artillery Cannon II, Tremor M
650mm Artillery Cannon II, Tremor M
650mm Artillery Cannon II, Tremor M
650mm Artillery Cannon II, Tremor M
650mm Artillery Cannon II, Tremor M
650mm Artillery Cannon II, Tremor M
‘Malkuth’ Heavy Missile Launcher I, Thunderbolt Heavy Missile
‘Malkuth’ Heavy Missile Launcher I, Thunderbolt Heavy Missile
Medium Core Defence Field Extender I
Medium Core Defence Field Extender I
Medium Core Defence Field Extender I
[Hurricane, Shield Tanked - 720mms]
Damage Control II
Gyrostabilizer II
Signal Amplifier II
Reactor Control Unit II
Gyrostabilizer II
Signal Amplifier II
Large Shield Extender II
Large Shield Extender II
10MN MicroWarpdrive II
Invulnerability Field II
720mm Howitzer Artillery II, Tremor M
720mm Howitzer Artillery II, Tremor M
720mm Howitzer Artillery II, Tremor M
720mm Howitzer Artillery II, Tremor M
720mm Howitzer Artillery II, Tremor M
720mm Howitzer Artillery II, Tremor M
[empty high slot]
[empty high slot]
Medium Anti-EM Screen Reinforcer I
Medium Core Defence Field Extender I
Medium Core Defence Field Extender I
[Hurricane, PVP AC Passive Shield]
Gyrostabilizer II
Damage Control II
Gyrostabilizer II
Gyrostabilizer II
Tracking Enhancer II
Tracking Enhancer II
10MN MicroWarpdrive II
Large Shield Extender II
Large Shield Extender II
Invulnerability Field II
220mm Vulcan AutoCannon II, EMP M
220mm Vulcan AutoCannon II, EMP M
220mm Vulcan AutoCannon II, EMP M
220mm Vulcan AutoCannon II, EMP M
220mm Vulcan AutoCannon II, EMP M
220mm Vulcan AutoCannon II, EMP M
‘Arbalest’ Heavy Assault Missile Launcher I, Torrent Assault Missile
‘Arbalest’ Heavy Assault Missile Launcher I, Torrent Assault Missile
Warrior II x6
Ah, but before we’re done, there is actually a VERY popular industrial version of the Hurricane. The Salvacane. Its slot configuration allows for a very effective support ship when picking up loot from missions:
[Hurricane, Industrial Variant]
Expanded Cargohold II
Expanded Cargohold II
Expanded Cargohold II
Expanded Cargohold II
Expanded Cargohold II
Expanded Cargohold II
10MN MicroWarpdrive II
10MN Afterburner II
Large Shield Extender II
Large Shield Extender II
Salvager I
Salvager I
Salvager I
Small Tractor Beam I
Small Tractor Beam I
Small Tractor Beam I
Small Tractor Beam I
Small Tractor Beam I
Medium Salvage Tackle I
Medium Salvage Tackle I
Medium Salvage Tackle I
Warrior II x5
Warrior II x1
The cargo hold with the expanders runs just over 2000 m3, usually more than enough for salvage and loot from an individual mission. The MWD/AB combination helps give you the option of operating with a speed mod in either normal or Deadspace areas. If you don’t expect much resistance, drop one of the Shield Extenders for a large Cap battery, which will help manage cap much easier.
In the end, the Hurricane is one of the VERY few successfully versatile ships in Eve, and can perform effectively with many configuration options. And it performs well both in low-sec and 0.0 environments as well as solo, small group engagements, and as support for larger fleets. It is a near perfect blend of damage, speed, tank, and adaptability. Make sure you have one!
Well, this concludes my piece on the Hurricane and I hope you found it informative. So, until next time, keep your guns loaded and your enemies running!
Wrangling in the Cyclone
The Minmatar Cyclone is a ship rarely seen on the battlefields of today. More often, the familiar style is seen in the Commandship variants, the Sleipnir and the Claymore. Nearly all of the PVP duties that the Cyclone engaged in have been taken over by the much feared and respected Hurricane. As much as I would like to say “Here’s a way to make it AWESOME!”, the simple fact of the matter is that due to its bonuses and due to the fact that its an active shield tanker.. there is simply no realistic comparision that we can do between the Hurricane and the Cyclone. The Hurricane can passively tank better, do far more damage both long and short range, using any type of AC or Arty and doesn’t require you to be reasonably skilled in two weapon systems. So, never get a Cyclone, right?
Well, besides being one of the best looking battlecruisers in the game (its got that steampunk/japanese pagoda/locomotive look going on..), it does have two advantages over the much praised Hurricane. Its cheaper and, in very short spurts, can take much more damage if setup correctly. This advantages are complimented by a slightly larger drone bay (40 m3) and that it is quite inexpensive to fit, and a decent PVP fit can be had with T1 equipment (which is nice when you are just starting to try out Battlecruiser PVP). Now, lets go into the bonuses that the Cyclone features:
- 7.5% Shield Boosting Bonus per level
- 5% Rate of Fire on Medium Projectile Turrets
The Cyclone itself features a eight High Slots (5 Turret/3 Launcher configuration), five Mid slots, and four Low slots and can be made using approximately 70% of the materials used in a Hurricane. The Cyclone also grabs an extra 25 CPU, but at a cost of 140 MW. Overall, the prices generally range about 8 to 10mil isk less than the Hurricane.
Setting up a PVP fitting for the Cyclone generally requires that you shield tank it. There are not enough low slots, nor are the bonuses good enough on their own to warrant trying to tank the ship with armor. Because of this, you are stuck with effectively three options: Active Tank/Close Range, Passive Tank/Close Range, Passive Tank/Long Range.
When putting together the Active Tank/Close Range variety of Cyclone for PVP, it is essential that you work your fit around an X-Large Shield Booster. While a T2 X-Large Booster would be nice, you’ll find that for all intents and purposes, best named will be a better option, both because of the CPU requirements, and surprisingly the cost as well aren’t that prohibitive. After you put on your X-Large Booster, you will then have three extra midslots (not counting the one for the MWD). The best combat option I have found is that you should have a medium capacitor booster (preferably T2, but T1 will work as well with 800 cap charges), with an Invulnerability Field T2, and a boost amplifier. With Battlecruiser V and Shield Compensation V, you will be recharging nearly 1000 shield points every few seconds. For example:
Cyclone (Close Range – Active Tank)
- High Slots: 5x 220mm Vulcan AC T2, 3x Assault Missile Launchers
- Medium Slots: 1x ‘Named’ X-Large Shield Booster, 1x Shield Boost Amp T1, 1x Invulnerability Field T2, 1x 10MN MWD T2, 1x Medium Cap Booster T2
- Low Slots: 1x PDU T2 or RCU T1, 1x Gyro T2, 1x Co-Processor T2, 1x Damage Control T2
As you’ll notice, there is no tackle. You could modifiy the fitting by replacing the Shield Boost Amp with a 24km Disruptor, but prepared for the 30% loss of shield repping. The one thing I do really like about this Cyclone fit is that if perhaps you are a newer character, but still want to help with PVP in small groups, this ship will definately give you its money’s worth. Many of the modules are or can be replaced with their T1 named counterparts with little to none performance reduction, and adding rigs, while beneficial, are not a critical need so you can save some isk in that regard as well. If you review the Minmatar battleship lineup, you’ll find that the Cyclone has the exact same Shield Rep bonus as the Maelstrom Battleship, so in effect, you are tanking as a battleship. Once you get the timing down for Boost times and when to turn on the cap booster, you should be a formitable opponent in small and solo PVP engagements. If your missile skills are stronger than mine, then you can switch out the 220mm Vulcans with Dual 180s and the Assault Missile Launchers with Heavy Assault Missile Launchers if you plan on hitting heavier targets like cruisers on up to battleships. Another option you might want to try is sort of a “Bleed Dry” variant. You should be able to replace all three missiles with two medium Vamps.. and combined with the medium cap booster, just wear down your enemy’s defenses.
For a Passive version of the Close Range Cyclone, you should merely change a couple modules. For example:
Cyclone (Close Range – Passive Tank)
- High Slots: 5x 220mm Vulcan ACs, 3x Assault Missile Launchers (or Two Neuts/Vamps)
- Medium Slots: 1x MWD, 2x Large Shield Extenders T2, 1x Invulnerability Field T2, 1x Warp Disruptor (20km/24km)
- Low Slots: 1x DC, 2x Gyrostabilizers, 1x Tracking Enhancer
This Cyclone fit can be modified further by removing the Assault missile launchers and replace some with Medium Neutralizers or Vamps.. though any more than two is overkill. Personally, I don’t fit Neuts if I can’t also fit a Cap Booster, or a Vamp if I don’t have some sort of massive power drain like an active repair unit or if I am fairly confident the enemy will be effectively using Neuts.
Now a long range setup for the Cyclone is possible.. but the Hurricane easily supplants the Cyclone in this role. It supplants it so well, that honestly, it is a waste of time to use a Cyclone for long range work in a PVP context. The difference is obvious: Six double damage bonused guns versus Five single damage bonused guns. The difference translates to an almost 50% damage increase. At close range, the damage variance can be compensated somewhat by the three missile systems available on the Cyclone.. but at range, missile systems tend to take too long to reach their target to be effective more than a few rounds.
All in all, while I throughly enjoy the look of the Cyclone, it lacks many of the strengths that makes the Hurricane feared. Nevertheless, the Cyclone can still be used as an inexpensive ”training ship” for newer Minmatar pilots who want to try their hand at PVP, or it can do a reasonable job as a Point Defense ship for fleet assets. Enjoy your Cyclone fits, feel free to e-mail/comment below, and keep shooting!
Behold! A Prophecy you can believe in!
Tier One battlecruisers, since the advent of the Tier Two battlecruisers have long be derided as out of date, ugly, useless, even waste of isk. The truth of this though, is certainly not with words.. but by actions. Personally, I find some comparisions made on Battleclinic and the Eve-O forums to be exercises is ignorance. While the Prophecy and the Harbinger are Amarr Battlecruisers, they are built with a difference purpose in mind, and both excel at their given tasks.
The battlecruiser we will discussing now, the Prophecy, is not the favored battlecruiser of Amarr pilots. However, its bonuses make it a very impressive tank, and while it may not be able to do the damage than a Harbinger can, it can easily tank more than the newer ship. So, as you might have guessed, it does make it a very formitable bait ship. Because of that, the best comparision is not the Harbinger, but the Caldari Drake, which also has similar characteristics. In fact, let’s take a look at the Prophecy Bonuses:
- 10% Reduction in Medium Energy Weapon capacitor use per leve
- 5% bonus to all armor resistances per level
As you can tell, its bonuses reflect a ship design that is meant to be in the thick of battle. At battlecruiser level V, it is able to use the second most powerful Medium T2 Beam lasers without running out of capacitor (with Controlled Bursts at IV.. at III, capacitor runs out at 34 minutes). The Prophecy, despite being a Tier One battlecruiser, does retain a few advantages over the similarly designed Drake. The first advantage is that it is armored tank. This is a two fold advantage in that it leaves the three midslot available for tackle, while not making the tank any weaker. The second part of this advantage is the since Shield Transporters are imbalanced next to Remote Armor Reps, most fleets tend to favor armor tanks. This give the Prophecy a place in the typical fleet. The second advantage is the amount of tank that it can field. A well thought out Prophecy can easily mount an armor tank equal to that of an Amarr Battleship.. even better because of signature and relative speed.
Here is one configuration that can be used in typical fleet combat:
[Prophecy, Tank - Laser]
1600mm Reinforced Rolled Tungsten Plates I
Damage Control II
Energized Adaptive Nano Membrane II
Energized Adaptive Nano Membrane II
800mm Reinforced Rolled Tungsten Plates I
Reactor Control Unit I
10MN MicroWarpdrive II
Warp Disruptor II
Fleeting Propulsion Inhibitor I
Focused Medium Beam Laser II, Aurora M
Focused Medium Beam Laser II, Aurora M
Focused Medium Beam Laser II, Aurora M
Focused Medium Beam Laser II, Aurora M
Focused Medium Beam Laser II, Aurora M
Focused Medium Beam Laser II, Aurora M
[empty high slot]
Medium Trimark Armor Pump I
Medium Trimark Armor Pump I
Medium Trimark Armor Pump I
Warrior II x5
The above configuration has an approximate EHP of 102k (EFT Numbers), and with its Beam weapons deal damage out to 50km (with T2 Aurora). It is also able to act as secondary tackle, or bait tackle with a top speed of above 700m/s with MWD. Overall it is a great addition to the fleet that is needing a multi-purpose platform that can handle itself in combat while also giving the option of a not so common bait ship in the fleets arsenal.
Now, if you expect to expect alot of close range combat, you might be interested in the following configuration.. which trades out range for tank and damage (yes.. both).
[Prophecy, AC Heavy Tank]
1600mm Reinforced Rolled Tungsten Plates I
Damage Control II
Energized Adaptive Nano Membrane II
Energized Adaptive Nano Membrane II
1600mm Reinforced Rolled Tungsten Plates I
Reactor Control Unit II
10MN MicroWarpdrive II
Warp Disruptor II
Stasis Webifier II
220mm Vulcan AutoCannon II, Barrage M
220mm Vulcan AutoCannon II, Barrage M
220mm Vulcan AutoCannon II, Barrage M
220mm Vulcan AutoCannon II, Barrage M
220mm Vulcan AutoCannon II, Barrage M
220mm Vulcan AutoCannon II, Barrage M
Medium ‘Arup’ I Remote Bulwark Reconstruction
Medium Trimark Armor Pump I
Medium Trimark Armor Pump I
Medium Trimark Armor Pump I
Warrior II x5
While most may disregard placing ACs on an Amarr ship, in this configuration it actually does more damage than the comparible version using lasers. With Barrage M ammo, its range reaches out to just shy of 20km, but it sports a top speed of over 740m/s, can remote rep, and has its effective hitpoint (EHP) boosted to a staggering 118k! And since AC use no cap, you can fire while being fully neuted.
The Prophecy even in these configurations still has some play with it for pilot skill, so don’t be afraid to mess around some. In fact, I know that a Railgun varient combination of two is possible, if that suits your skills. So, in the end, the Prophecy is, in my humble opinion, not an outdated battlecruiser, but a battlecruiser that can serve as a limited, but effective role in standard fleets and roaming gangs (last sentence edited).
Edit (some things that got me thinking after Ancy’s comment was made): One notable problem (outside of the fact that in every other way, the Harbinger is a superior ship) is that tanking such a ship so heavily makes it very ungainly. However, any effort outside of maximizing the tank really are futile because the same effort put forth on the Harbinger reap much better results. My own experience with the Prophecy is that because of the tank, it made it difficult to keep up with fast moving gangs, and sometimes even battlecruiser gangs. This is especially a liability if you need to pursue an enemy from any distance. One way to offset this issue though is, instead of having a web, use a Target Painter (with can gain a range of nearly 100km with falloff), or Tracking Disruptor (Optimal Range Reducing scripts being especially helpful at range), or even Sensor Dampeners (though the basic range tends to top out at 90km with falloff) to give some range advantage E-war.
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