Typhoons, Tempests, and Maelstroms OH MY! What should you choose – Part Four – The Summary
So, you’ve gone through all the previous sections relating to the Minmatar Battleship? No? That’s okay.. here’s the quick sheet:
For PVE – Mission Running:
- First Place – Maelstrom: Its relatively simple and direct setup allows a newer pilot to easily derive a reasonably acceptable configuration from the very outset. Large shield protection, High CPU and Powergrid, one defensive bonus, large drone bay, all allow the newer pilot to start off well in Missions.
- Second Place (tie) – Tempest/Typhoon – This depends on your missile/drone skills versus your projectile skills. If your missile and drone skills are good, then go with the Cruise Typhoon. If your projectile skills are good, then go for the Tempest which has a double damage bonus and can be reasonably tanked well either in shield/armor and active/passive setups.
- Bad Choice – None
For PVP – Sniper Configurations:
- 1st Place – Tempest: While the Maelstrom does more damage and can target longer ranges, the Tempest has the advantage of being able to deal nearly the same amount of damage.. while also being armor tanked and having a couple potentially useful utility High slots. However, the moment shield sniping fleets become more common, it will have to share first place with the Maelstrom.
- 2nd Place – Maelstrom: Certainly able to reach excellent ranges and requiring less modules to do so, the Maelstrom is only hampered by the fact that its a shield tanker.
- Bad Choice – Typhoon: You should never use a Typhoon as a sniper ship. The combination of weapon systems that you are required to use plus a minimal amount of midslot emphasize that the Typhoon has no business as a sniper boat.
For PVP – Remote Repair Configurations:
- First Place – Typhoon: Simply one of the best short range battleships available. Damage can be brought by Torpedoes, ACs, and Drones plus alot of useful tactical modules like Neutralizers and Vamps that can reek havoc on your target. The only downfall is that you need to skill up alot of skills before that can happen.
- Second Place – Tempest: The Tempest can do alot of projectile damage, while fielding two Remote Armor Repair modules. It’s relatively manuverable and versatile allowing for both armor and shield tanking configurations.
- Bad Choice – Maelstrom: Much of the damage power of the Maelstrom revolves around it being able to use all eight high slots for turrets. Even dropping one turret for remote rep, even a shield transporter, brings its damage below that of a Tempest. Plus, given that current faults of Shield Transporters, you will end up having to further gimp your Maelstrom with a CPU fitting module.
For PVP – Solo Combat Configurations:
- 1st Place – Typhoon: There is no other Battleship, save perhaps the Dominix, that is as dangerous in solo PVP as the Typhoon. Its massive drone bay, its 5/5 turret/missile setup, its raw speed and agility, low sig radius, plus its seven low slots for tank mark it as a truly destructive entity.
- 2nd Place (Tie) – Tempest/Maelstrom: The Tempest is fast, has a relatively low sig radius, has two utility high slots, and can be tanked either shield or armor. The Maelstrom has a good active defense bonus while having plenty of powergrid and cpu for a strong offensive setup and is coupled with a better than average sized drone bay.
- Bad Choice – All of them.. if you don’t have the skills.
So, that begs the question for the new pilot.. with so many options, what is the best path to get there and what do I need? That.. will be covered in a later article 
Until then, keep your guns loaded and your enemies running!
Typhoons, Tempests, and Maelstroms, Oh MY! What should you choose – Part Three – The Maelstrom
The Maelstrom – “a ship the Minmatar can design and build when their not trying to escape from slavery..”
The line from Clear Skies 2 emulates the feeling that most Minmatar pilots felt when CCP unveiled the Tier 3 battleship, the Maelstrom. The Maelstrom is unlike any of the other battleships that had been given to Minmatar pilots. It is well thought out. It has plenty of powergrid and CPU. It is easy and simple to fit. And most importantly, it doesn’t look like someone had pulled it from the side of a station using a crowbar. To be honest, it’s not just a good ship, it’s a BEAUTIFUL ship.
When CCP brought out the Tier 3 Battleships, it was clear that the focus of these new ships was heavy combat. Each battleship that was released had greatly improved base “racial” stats and bonuses and the ability to field T2 weaponry without needing fitting modules. The most unusual thing regarding the Maelstrom is that it is a partial departure from the usual CCP viewpoint of the Minmatar. In this regard, the Minmatar race finally got a real battleship.. though it still has a few flaws.
To be honest, the Maelstrom was probably first attempt to “deal” with the fact that the Minmatar race did not have any good fleet battleships. As such, the Maelstrom does not have many of the signature Minmatar features, such as a high speed, small signature radius, or even high and mid-level utility slots. These reductions were countered with having a rate of fire bonus on all eight available turrets and better than normal inherit standings.
This, however, is where CCP’s understanding of the current state of game sort of drops off. The need for the Minmatar was for them to have a true “fleet” ship and it does looks like the Maelstrom is that ship. But, upon closer inspection, the infamous “Nameless Dev” got to it and screwed everything up. While it is a sniper battleship, the active tanking bonus is certainly not very helpful in major fleet operations. Add to that the current flaws of Shield Transporter Modules and its usefulness in modern fleet warfare is reduced somewhat.
Still, to say that the Maelstrom is a bad ship is flat-out wrong. It just isn’t a good “typical” fleet ship. The ship is fine in every other way. In fact, if you are a starting Minmatar pilot, the Maelstrom is really the first battleship you should be getting yourself into. It is a easy to fly ship for PVE with plenty of drone space, excellent range, and effective with both Tech 1 and Tech 2 fits. Every time you gain an additional skill, the Maelstrom can be improved that much more. In regards to learning how to fly a Minmatar ship, the Maelstrom is the best starting place.
Let’s look at this bonuses of this ship:
- 5% Rate of Fire bonus per level
- 7.5% Shield Boost Amount per level
While they doesn’t look like much, when you compare the rest of the features to other battleships, the Maelstrom measures up to typical battleship standards and doesn’t have any huge glaring holes like the Typhoon or Tempest. The Shield Boost allows for some pretty impressive shield reps. At Battleships V, that translates to a base of 540 shield damage repaired per second. With a T2 Shield boost amp, that can go up to 720 without any rigs. Here’s my PVE fit that I use frequently:
[Maelstrom, PVE Mission Runner]
Gyrostabilizer II
Gyrostabilizer II
Tracking Enhancer II
Damage Control II
Overdrive Injector System II
Shield Boost Amplifier II
X-Large Shield Booster II
Heat Dissipation Amplifier II
Kinetic Deflection Amplifier II
Invulnerability Field II
Heavy Capacitor Booster II, Cap Booster 800
1200mm Artillery Cannon II, EMP L
1200mm Artillery Cannon II, EMP L
1200mm Artillery Cannon II, EMP L
1200mm Artillery Cannon II, EMP L
1200mm Artillery Cannon II, EMP L
1200mm Artillery Cannon II, EMP L
1200mm Artillery Cannon II, EMP L
1200mm Artillery Cannon II, EMP L
Large Anti-EM Screen Reinforcer I
Large Core Defence Capacitor Safeguard I
Large Core Defence Operational Solidifier I
Probably the first question people ask regarding this fit is, “Why not the 1400s?” The simple answer is that in a mission running ship you often don’t control your entry point. 1400mms have very bad tracking and even with my skills are optimal against most targets (cruisers to battleships) from 40km and farther. When running missions, very often you are dropped less than 10km from battleships/battlecruisers/HACs/Cruisers. It takes seemingly forever to get that necessary distance.. and you end up relying on medium drones to finish off those ships. Switching to the 1200mm gives you more control over those combat situations. However, if you are doing something where you do control the distance, such as belt ratting, then I would suggest that you switch to the 1400s. This will require dropping the Heavy Cap Booster for a Medium cap booster, and replacing the Overdrive with a Power Diagnostic Unit.. and probably taking out the Tracking Enhancer for a CPU Module.
As far as my lows, I found the Overdrive to be a surprisingly effective addition. Since I do not have Shield Upgrades V yet, I still have minor CPU issues on shielded ships. However, the Overdrive gives this Maelstrom fit a speed of about 130 to 140 m/s, which outpaces all but some Angel battleships, while allowing me to get away with not using any fitting mods.
For PVP fits, the changes are pretty typical as well and there’s some room for some reasonable fits. As mentioned before, the PVP options are twofold, either as a Sniper or as a small gang Battleship. I personally recommend using the Maelstrom for Sniper PVP work, but not so much as a close range battleship. The reason for this is not that the Maelstrom can’t do a good job at close range, its a very superior ship at close range combat. It’s just not a very good ship to support. In a typical combat situation, not only is the Maelstrom using shield, but its also losing alot of cap when operating its defenses. This typically means that your shield support elements are going to have to watch you closer, and get reps on your sooner than your passive tanking counterparts. One way around this is to just ignore the Shield Rep bonus in favor of a passive shield tank, but at best you will only retain a drake level tank… without tackle. Trying to armor tank this ship is out of the question with only five low slots and poor inherit armor.
A good sniper fit absolutely must fit 1400mms as 1200mms neither have the range, nor do they have the “effect” of the 1400s. What “effect” you might ask? 1400mms, above any other gun in the game, puts a smile on your face. You’ll see what I mean when you see the enemy’s shields disappear in one blow. The sound, the “woahs” from everyone else in the fleet, yeah.. people like 1400s. And yes, as John Roarke says, “Stationary ships do not react well to 1400s.” Below is a fit that I have used in the past:
[Maelstrom, Sniper]
Power Diagnostic System II
Damage Control II
Tracking Enhancer II
Gyrostabilizer II
Gyrostabilizer II
Sensor Booster II, Targeting Range
Sensor Booster II, Targeting Range
Tracking Computer II, Optimal Range
100MN MicroWarpdrive II
Tracking Computer II, Optimal Range
Invulnerability Field II
1400mm Howitzer Artillery II, Tremor L
1400mm Howitzer Artillery II, Tremor L
1400mm Howitzer Artillery II, Tremor L
1400mm Howitzer Artillery II, Tremor L
1400mm Howitzer Artillery II, Tremor L
1400mm Howitzer Artillery II, Tremor L
1400mm Howitzer Artillery II, Tremor L
1400mm Howitzer Artillery II, Tremor L
Large Core Defence Field Extender I
Large Core Defence Field Extender I
Large Core Defence Field Extender I
Vespa EC-600 x5
Warrior II x5
One fair note of warning: Sniper fits are only really possible with T2 fittings. So much so that if you can’t fit a fully T2 Sniper ship, don’t even bother. This is especially true of Minmatar battleships. The big reason behind this is that the necessary optimal range – 150km to 200+km – can only be had by Tremor, a tech 2 ammo. While it is true that you can get close using Tech 1 ammo, doing so would gimp your sniper to near uselessness. You will not gain any respect or e-honor by bringing a badly gimped sniper to a firefight. Just wait the extra twenty or so days for Large Projectile V, and then dance with the dragons.
Now the final fit I am going to post is one I’ve seen in action and I tell you it was a challenge taking this guy down. This particular setup has tackle, but the one we’ve seen had a T2 Invulnerability field instead. Without the invulnerability field, the ship can handle over 720 DPS.. with the T2 invulnerability field.. it almost reaches 1000 dps. All this while maintaining 720 DPS on the targets (Level V – EFT Numbers). I will say that it was able to hold us (Two battlecruisers, a HAC, and a frigate tackle) for quite a while.. probably a good ten minutes.
[Maelstrom, Close Range PVP]
Damage Control II
Gyrostabilizer II
Gyrostabilizer II
Co-Processor II
Gyrostabilizer II
Faint Warp Disruptor I
X-Large Shield Booster II
Invulnerability Field II
Shield Boost Amplifier II
Heavy Capacitor Booster II, Cap Booster 800
100MN MicroWarpdrive II
800mm Repeating Artillery II, Barrage L
800mm Repeating Artillery II, Barrage L
800mm Repeating Artillery II, Barrage L
800mm Repeating Artillery II, Barrage L
800mm Repeating Artillery II, Barrage L
800mm Repeating Artillery II, Barrage L
800mm Repeating Artillery II, Barrage L
800mm Repeating Artillery II, Barrage L
Large Projectile Burst Aerator I
Large Core Defence Operational Solidifier I
Large Core Defence Operational Solidifier I
In conclusion, the Maelstrom is definately a good addition to Minmatar battleship arsenal. For PVE, it will work great for you until you can afford the very expensive Vargur and, if you have a willing corp or alliance, it will serve you well on the battlefield. It can’t do everything but it does alot of things well, and certainly is the most beginner player friendly of all the Minmatar battleships. But never forget that a battleship, while powerful, is not without its weaknesses. Like the rest of your ships, it is a tool for a particular purpose.. trying to shoehorn it into something else will never come out well.
I will be doing one more installment, a simple review installment of all the battleships.. kind of a quick cheat sheet, with the base pros and cons, then I will probably start back at the basics with a review of Minmatar T1 frigates and their uses. Until then, keep your guns loaded and your enemies running.
Typhoons, Tempests, and Maelstroms, Oh MY! What should you choose – Part Two – the Tempest
The Tempest, of all the ships in Eve, has the strangest history.
In the beginning, all the Tier 2 battleships, the Raven, Megathron, Apocolypse, and the Tempest were focused on being heavy hitters. The Raven was given both a missile velocity (hits targets quicker) and a rate of fire bonus, the Megathron was given a tracking speed bonus and a damage bonus, the Apocolypse was given an optimal range bonus (improves overall range thus reducing misses as well as improving quality of hits) as well as a bonus to capacitor use which allows the laser weapons to fire for longer periods of time. The Tempest was the only one given two direct damage bonuses: Rate of Fire and Damage. Add those options to a shield tanked Tempest, with two or three gyros in the lows.. and you had a beast.
Except.. that it wasn’t. At that time Projectiles were quite anemic. The only option most Tempest pilots had was to fit 1400mms (which required RCUs and CPUs) and use it as a sniper platform. This worked great.. until they gave every ship an across the board Hitpoint raise. Well, Tempest pilots adapted and began using it as an AC platform.. using various e-war, usually ECM to help balance the difference. Sure enough, ECM was nerfed to the point that only had any real effect on bonused Caldari ECM ships. So, there was a switch to tracking disruptors.. and short thereafter.. tracking disruptors were nerfed so that only Amarr ships could use them to real effect. Then there was the MWD changes. Next came speed changes that reduced all ships base speed. Then came the mass changes, which for some ungodly reason had the mass of the Tempest higher than any other ship! The overall effect just crushed the use of Tempests, and it got so bad that you could get better damage results putting lasers or hybrid weapons on a Tempest than either ACs or Artillery (and even that wasn’t very effective because Minmatar ships generally have the lowest capacitor and capacitor recharge rate of all the races).
And because the Tempest had originally been designed as an active shield tanker, the midslots and the lowslots were of no help as you could not set up either a shield or armor passive tank that could match any other battleship. This also meant that a typical Tempest had less survivability against the Titan’s then Doomsday weapon. With both Sniper and Remote Repair Battleship fleets being almost exclusively used in the battlefield, it was not uncommon for Minmatar battleship pilots to be turned away from fleets and requested to fly Hurricanes or some other non battleship.
Multiple attempts were made to make the CCP aware of the fact that they needed to address this problem. However, often such discussions were shut down by a particular CCP Dev, who shall remain nameless for his utter ignorance and arrogance. This particular dev would spout off that the Tempest needed no changes, and every suggestion made by players and CSMs was shot down under the guise that the players just didn’t know what they were doing. Years passed while players fought with CCP regarding this, with this Dev constantly blocking changes. Through various conversations with that Dev, it was found out that the particular Dev never fought in a Tempest solo. In fact, most of his “success” claims turned out to be completely bogus because he only flew the Tempest in fleets.. he had no clue how bad it was because he never actually put it through any real tests. In the end, the uproar finally got to be so great and so organized and was able to present so many real facts next to the Devs “well, it feels balanced” attitude (yes, that is an actual quote from one of the CCP Devs – a quote he lived to regret), that CCP could no longer not take notice.
CCP Dev Nozh actually looked at the projectile data that they had and CCP started to realize the Tempest was VERY underpowered. Even then it was still a fight, but eventually the Tempest was changed so that it had more base armor than shields. While it was a minor change, it could now compete to a decent extent with the Megathron and the Apocolypse. (The Fleet Issue Tempest on the other hand, took a hit and CCP traded a midslot for a lowslot. This actually reduced the DPS of the Fleet Issue Tempest as most (well.. all) pilots had been shield tanked, and usually fit with two or three gyros in the lows. However, having the option to have tackle as well as additional utility mids somewhat blunted the negative.)
Which brings us up to today, the modern EVE battlefield. While the Tempest is no longer the top sniper, the changes to Projectile ammo, Projectile Artillery, as well as to the Tempest itself has now allowed it to have its place. As a Sniper, it can produce a Massive strike alpha using 1400mms, though its rate of fire has been dramatically increased. A well skilled Sniper Tempest pilot can make frigates and cruisers at long range very unhappy. The Brawler AC version is starting to regain popularity too as its two extra high slots and its ample mid slots allow for very effective mixes of E-war, while it now has enough tank to remain a reasonable time on the battlefield. Whereas once you would have been turned away, now you are welcomed with open arms.
Let’s look at the current Tempest strengths:
- 5% bonus to Large Projectile Rate of Fire per level.
- 5% bonus to Large Projectile Damage per level.
- Base Velocity – 120m/s
- Signature Radius – 340mm
Those four items are thing I feel are most critical when looking at fitting a Tempest. The two damage bonuses are gravy and are pretty easy to work with. The other two are a little more subtle. The Base Velocity is higher than all other battleships except for the Typhoon. This may not seem like a big deal, but it can be useful given certain situations. The Signature Radius is often the most ignored bonus to the Tempest, yet its crucial. All large turret weapons have a signature resolution of 400. This means that firing at a Tempest will yield, not only less hits, but less damaging hits.. and some of those hits won’t do any damage at all. That is certainly something not to be ignored, and in smaller gang fights, such would be a bonus if you can manage a decent active tanking configuration.
A typical Sniper configuration looks a little like this:
[Tempest, Typical Sniper Version]
Gyrostabilizer II
Gyrostabilizer II
1600mm Reinforced Rolled Tungsten Plates I
Damage Control II
Beta Reactor Control: Reaction Control I
Signal Amplifier II
Sensor Booster II, Targeting Range
Sensor Booster II, Targeting Range
Tracking Computer II, Optimal Range
100MN MicroWarpdrive II
Tracking Computer II, Optimal Range
1400mm Howitzer Artillery II, Tremor L
1400mm Howitzer Artillery II, Tremor L
1400mm Howitzer Artillery II, Tremor L
1400mm Howitzer Artillery II, Tremor L
1400mm Howitzer Artillery II, Tremor L
1400mm Howitzer Artillery II, Tremor L
[empty high slot]
[empty high slot]
[empty rig slot]
[empty rig slot]
[empty rig slot]
This is an unrigged, cheap setup sniper. Rigs will certainly improve performance, but in this currently configuration you will be able to reach past the 200km mark both in targetting, whereas your optimal will be about 140km.. and 212km at optimal+falloff. The volley is the key here at 5811 damage using Tremor. It’ll give you a bit of tank for in case for those “OHCHIT!” moments. Generally a pretty solid ship overall and I have used it many a times against both -A- and U’K.
The Brawler AC is the more.. versitile one. I will put up a couple RR fits I’ve used, but at this point you can pretty well fit the Tempest with a real variety.. though again, within reason. This next setup is one that I use on occasion. My drone skills are not that great, plus with how often we have to move, often a drone boat may not be as ideal.
[Tempest, Omni Tank Version 650mms]
Gyrostabilizer II
Damage Control II
Energized Adaptive Nano Membrane II
1600mm Reinforced Rolled Tungsten Plates I
1600mm Reinforced Rolled Tungsten Plates I
Energized Adaptive Nano Membrane II
100MN MicroWarpdrive II
Stasis Webifier II
Warp Disruptor II
Phased Weapon Navigation Array Generation Extron
Heavy Capacitor Booster II, Cap Booster 800
Dual 650mm Repeating Artillery II, EMP L
Dual 650mm Repeating Artillery II, EMP L
Dual 650mm Repeating Artillery II, EMP L
Dual 650mm Repeating Artillery II, EMP L
Dual 650mm Repeating Artillery II, EMP L
Dual 650mm Repeating Artillery II, EMP L
Heavy Unstable Power Fluctuator I
Heavy Unstable Power Fluctuator I
Large Projectile Burst Aerator I
Large Trimark Armor Pump I
Large Trimark Armor Pump I
Hammerhead II x5
Hornet II x5
This particular configuration gives it a decent 108k EHP (EFT Numbers – Level V standard), a DPS of 713, and fairly good secondary offensive ability in the dual Neutralizers. If you need more longevity and don’t mind losing some DPS, switching out the ROF Rig for another Trimark will net you 119k EHP at only a loss of 60 DPS. The downside though is that you are going to move like a drunken whale on land.
In an attempt to utilize the potential signature radius and speed, I have begun operating a ship similar to the one posted below:
[Tempest, Wolf Setup]
Gyrostabilizer II
1600mm Reinforced Rolled Tungsten Plates I
1600mm Reinforced Rolled Tungsten Plates I
Damage Control II
Energized Adaptive Nano Membrane II
Energized Adaptive Nano Membrane II
100MN Afterburner II
100MN MicroWarpdrive II
Heavy Capacitor Booster II, Cap Booster 800
Target Painter II
Faint Epsilon Warp Scrambler I
Dual 650mm Repeating Artillery II, EMP L
Dual 650mm Repeating Artillery II, EMP L
Dual 650mm Repeating Artillery II, EMP L
Dual 650mm Repeating Artillery II, EMP L
Dual 650mm Repeating Artillery II, EMP L
Dual 650mm Repeating Artillery II, EMP L
Heavy Unstable Power Fluctuator I
Heavy Unstable Power Fluctuator I
Large Projectile Burst Aerator I
Large Trimark Armor Pump I
Large Trimark Armor Pump I
Hornet II x5
Valkyrie II x5
You’ll notice it has both a MWD and AB. This is currently just a test platform and while there is one similar to this out in the combat arena, I’m sure there will need to be some adjustments made. This setup has a 108k EHP, an align time of 12.8 seconds (a loss of .7 seconds), and has a DPS of 684 using standard EMP. Changing out one of the plates for a Gyro drops the EHP to 87k while raising the align time to 12.5 seconds and DPS to 771. Changing the 1600mm plate with a EANM or Adaptive Nano improves the align time, but the tank is still at 94k EHP. So, I still think there is alot of work to be done.. and it may yet be a dead end road. But, I won’t know until I’ve seen how it truly reacts in the real world.
Thank you as always for reading my blog, I hope you found it useable, entertaining, and informative.. and remember, keep your guns loaded.. and your enemy running.
edit: Edited for grammar
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.
24km Disruptors – Battleship necessity?
Dawn of the Tempest
24km Disruptors have been the center of 95% of all successful PVP setups since the inception of T2. The reasoning behind this is sound. The more points you have available, the more ships you can keep locked down when you are winning. The logic fits well in dealing with high sec combat (war-decs) and low-sec combat especially. However, this does beg the question..
Could it be more efficent?
Really. In High and low sec there really isn’t much of an option. But what about 0.0? Is it truly necessary for every ship to have a point? Especially Battleships? The more I ponder this, the more I’m left struck that in 0.0, the typical mixed fleets and small gangs already have the majority of bases covered. Interceptors, typically fit HACs, Hictors, Dictors, T1/T2 Frigates, even Battlecruisers generally all carry some sort of tackle and can target much faster than battleships.
In many cases, it would actually be better to fit either a Target Painter or a Tracking Disruptor than a Warp Disruptor. A Scram would be a nice addition, even a web for RR Battleships, but really.. why waste the midslot with an extra point, when you could instead using that slot for something that will be more effective for your fleets?
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