Welcome to the Battle Basics series, where we will go through some basic concepts that are relevant to the low-sec PvP in general, and some specific tips and tricks for Faction Warfare.
We'll start with identifying your enemies. There are hundreds of ships available in Eve Online, each with unique characteristics. Trying to remember them all when you are just starting out is a tall order, as you could use your mental capacity for more pressing matters, like for example, how to pilot the new ship you just bought. To help you out, we'll go through the basic characteristics of each of the four Empires - the preferred weapons, tanks, and notable ships that you could encounter in the FW environment.
The Gallente
The Gallente pilots like to solve their problems with violence - their ships may not be the sturdiest in the galaxy, but they make up for that with overwhelming firepower. They often sport large drone bays to supplement their high-damage Blasters. Some hulls have a double damage bonus - one for guns and the other for drones, making them an ideal choice for people who prefer typical DPS roles in other MMOs.
One particular quirk of Gallente ships is that they have a relatively high hull hitpoint value, making hull tank a viable build choice for most of them. This can be used to gain a tactical advantage, as opponents may overextend to finish off what they perceive as a squishy target.
Popular ships:
- Catalyst - the go-to when you need to clear a plex
- Comet - versatile navy frigate with good damage output
- Exequror Navy Issue - Comet's big brother, works well as both a brawler and a kiter
The Caldari
The range is the name of the game for Caldari, with missiles having a natural advantage over turret platforms and multiple hulls with bonus range. Being shield tanked, Caldari ships offer plenty of mid slots that can be used for tank or control, making dual web brawlers a viable choice. Given they don't need to use low slots for tank, they can be used to either buff their damage output or, more often, to make up for their relatively low top speed. If you like to keep your enemies at a safe distance, Caldari is the choice for you.
Popular ships:
- Hookbill - powerful navy frigate with plenty of useful fits
- Caracal - good T1 cruisers, especially proficient at killing small targets thanks to Rapid Light Missile Launchers
- Osprey Navy Issue - a Caracal cranked to eleven, exceptionally fast for Caldari hull and paired with missile range bonus to take full advantage of it
The Amarr
If you want to grind down your enemies and be the last man standing, the Amarr should be your pick. With durable, slow-moving hulls they tend to win their fights by depleting enemy resources, whether straight-up health or capacitor. Amarr ships often have bonus resistance or armor health points, making them perfect heavy-duty tacklers. Keep in mind that while most ships have low top speeds, there are some outliers. Combined with ample low slots, Amarr pilots can sacrifice their usual tank in favor of speed, making them surprisingly capable kiters.
Popular ships:
- Punisher - incredibly durable frigate used as a bait / heavy fleet tackle
- Slicer - the opposite of Punisher, one of the few Amarr ships that are good at kiting
- Omen Navy Issue - Slicer on steroids, it can apply damage from incredible ranges and keep the speed up making it hard to close the gap
The Minmatar
If you want to stay unpredictable, Minmatar should be your choice. Being the only race where both shield and armor tank are viable choices, no two ships will be the same. Having flexible slot layouts, often paired with utility high slots, Minmatar can fit a ship for every opportunity. Some of the hulls actually have a split damage bonus (turrets + missiles) making each encounter with a Minmatar ship a game of guesses.
Popular ships:
- Breacher - surprisingly capable frigate that uses a dual tank to win the brawls
- Thrasher Fleet Issue - groups of Thrashers can easily overcome even larger ships using high volley damage of their artillery turrets - Stabber - quick, high-damage cruiser that uses its range bonus to stay out of harm's way
The cheat sheet
Knowing the basics is good but you probably don't have time to read through paragraphs of text in the heat of the battle. Here's a short comparison:
| Gallente | Caldari | Amarr | Minmatar |
Tank | Armor + Hull | Shield | Armor | Mixed |
Weapons | Hybrid + Drones | Missiles / Hybrid | Energy / Missiles + Drones | Projectile and/or Missiles |
Speed | Quite fast | Slow | Slow | Fast |
Favorite EWAR | Sensor Dampeners and Warp Disruptors/ Scramblers | ECM | Tracking Disruptors and Energy Neutralizer | Webs and Target Painters |
Sensor | Magnetometric | Gravimetric | Radar | Ladar |
Damage dealt | Therm / Kin | Any (Kin preferred) | EM / Therm | Any |
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