Capacitor warfare

This page should be updated due to game changes.
Reason: Nos module names and statistics need to be updated according to the Dec 2015 Neut/Nos tiericide.
Text should be reviewed. Neuts and Nos stats have been updated (Jan, 2017).

Capacitor warfare describes the use of various offensive modules or drones to disable hostile player ships by draining their capacitor, thereby rendering them unable to use modules which rely on capacitor to function. Modules that drain capacitor are known as "energy weapons" (not to be confused with energy turrets, the Amarr racial turret weapon) and are affected by  Capacitor Emission Systems.

Many players have probably heard the phrase "cap is life" during their time in New Eden. There are many reasons why this is true, and each one is also a reason why capacitor warfare can be effective. Capacitor is necessary for maintaining active tanks, directly feeds energy and hybrid turrets, and fully powers offensive mid slot modules, including all electronic warfare modules and propulsion systems. Thus, an enemy without capacitor is an enemy with few options, which means ships with capacitor warfare capabilities often dictate the flow of the battle.

While capacitor warfare is technically a type of electronic warfare, it is generally discussed separately due to how much it differs from the more well-known forms. Capacitor warfare has bee rebalanced several times in the history of EVE, and has experienced periods of being extremely powerful and comparatively weak. Regardless of its relative power, however, it is a viable tactic that can be used to great effect when used properly.

Overview

Heavy Energy Neutralizer I stats

Capacitor warfare can be accomplished in a few ways:

• Energy Neutralizers ("neuts") - Drains large amounts of enemy capacitor and consumes user capacitor. High slot modules of various sizes and meta levels.
• Energy Nosferatu ("vampires", "nos") - Drains small amounts of enemy capacitor and restores user capacitor (with restrictions). High slot modules of various sizes and meta levels.
• Energy Neutralizer Drones - Light, medium, and heavy drones based on Amarr combat drones.

All capacitor warfare systems affect the target's capacitor in the same way, removing a given amount of capacitor each cycle, "damaging" the capacitor in much the same way that conventional weapons damage hit points. This effect can be mitigated by neutralizer resistance granted by some modules.

Capacitor warfare modules are very different from the more well-known EWAR modules. Energy Neutralizers and Nosferatu are high slot modules with a very short range compared to conventional weaponry. When used on ships with bonuses to energy weapon range or strength, they can even serve as the ship's primary weapon system, often taking the place of turrets or missiles that could otherwise be fitted. They are also often fitted in utility high slots (high slots beyond the number of allowed turrets or launchers) to supplement combat effectiveness or aid capacitor stability. Because they do not deal any damage to hit points, ships using energy weapons often utilize drones to deal damage.

Capacitor warfare drones are substantially weaker than all but the smallest Energy Neutralizers, and operate in the same manner as other drones. They are rarely used do to their limited effectiveness, but are sometimes deployed by ships heavily specialized in capacitor warfare as part of a fleet, when the neutralizing ship has backup to deal damage.

Like most systems in EVE, capacitor warfare has setups against which it is inherently limited. Projectile turrets do not require capacitor to operate, and passive shield tanks continue to function without capacitor expenditure. When capacitor warfare is anticipated, pilots will often place more emphasis on heavy buffer tanks, which increases their survival time enough to possibly either destroy the neutralizer or call for reinforcements. With that said, capacitor is involved in every engagement – PvE or PvP – and thus capacitor warfare can threaten the capabilities of every ship in the game, whether through disabling weapons, support modules, or even warping to escape.

General Principles

Understanding capacitor warfare requires an understanding of capacitor mechanics. Capacitors are a self-recharging resource measured in gigajoules (GJ), with a capacitor recharge rate determined both by the specific ship and the percentage level of the capacitor, measured in gigajoules per second (GJ/sec). The 'peak' recharge rate occurs at 25% capacity, with the recharge rate sharply decreasing below this amount, and more gradually decreasing above it. Therefore, the rate of recharge is lowest when the capacitor is full (100%) or empty (0%). This is the same principle that governs the recharge rate of shields, though the values are slightly different.

Since capacitor warfare deals in the removal of capacitor it works in opposition to the recharge rate. Since the recharge rate is lowest at 100% and 0%, capacitor warfare will have the greatest relative effect at these levels. Capacitors recharge continuously over time, while energy weapons remove capacitor in chunks at the end of the weapon cycle. Energy weapons removed a base amount of capacitor per cycle, but their effectiveness is often also expressed in GJ/sec to facilitate easier comparison to the target's recharge rate. Capacitor warfare will have the smallest relative effect at peak recharge, as the amount of capacitor removed will be countered by the highest recharge rate the target's capacitor is capable of. Thus, it is often more difficult to "cap out" a target than it is to keep them capped out, i.e. it may require three neuts on a target to drain their capacitor as quickly as possible, but once fully depleted only one may be required to keep their capacitor empty. Because of this, it is recommended that ships utilizing cap boosters us charges that will bring their capacitor to 25%, so that maximum recharge is reached after each booster cycle.

The goal of capacitor warfare is to use enough neutralization to overcome the peak recharge rate of the target's capacitor. If a ship removes less then that amount, it will make it more difficult for the target ship to be cap stable, but if this is the case then it may be more effective to switch the energy weapon(s) for a different module. The basic rule of thumb is that a good capacitor warfare setup has a neutralization rate much higher than any conceivable recharge rate.

Energy Neutralizers

Energy Neutralizers ("Neuts", also formerly called Energy Destabilizers) are the heavy hitters of capacitor warfare, able to remove large amounts of capacitor and leave an enemy capped out faster than any other capacitor warfare system. However, they also require a large amount of capacitor to activate and have a long cycle time. Energy Neutralizers have relatively short ranges, though this range scales with module size to retain effectiveness on larger hulls.

All neutralizers have a similar set of attributes. The different sizes of neutralizer differ significantly, but for each size tier they are fairly consistent across meta levels. Aside from fitting considerations, the only attributes that change from meta 0 all the way to commander modules is the range and the amount of energy neutralized.

• Module activation cost is consistent (45 GJ for small, 150 GJ for medium, and 500 GJ for heavy). Therefore, at each size, higher meta modules are more efficient: meta 0 modules destabilize as much as their activation cost (100% efficiency), and this efficiency trends up to meta 5 (tech II) and higher modules at 120% efficiency.
• Cycle time is also consistent (6 seconds for small neuts, 12 seconds for medium, and 24 seconds seconds for heavy).
• Optimal range for modules from meta 0 to the highest are: small from 4,000m - 9,000m; medium from 8,000m - 16,500m; heavy from 16,000m - 32,000m; and capital from 30,000m - 40,000m.

Stats for Small Neuts - Last verified: January 2017

Meta Group	Meta Level	Name	Cycle Time	Optimal Range	Effectiveness Falloff	Activation Cost	Neutralization Amount	Neut Efficiency	Neuting per Sec (GJ)	Powergrid Usage	CPU usage
Tech I	0	Small Energy Neutralizer I	6 sec	4000 m	2000 m	45 GJ	45 GJ	100%	7.5 GJ/s	8 MW	10 tf
Tech I	1	Small Gremlin Compact Energy Neutralizer	6 sec	4000 m	2000 m	45 GJ	50 GJ	111%	8.3 GJ/s	7 MW	8 tf
Tech I	1	Small Infectious Scoped Energy Neutralizer	6 sec	4500 m	2250 m	45 GJ	50 GJ	111%	8.3 GJ/s	8 MW	10 tf
Tech II	5	Small Energy Neutralizer II	6 sec	5000 m	2500 m	45 GJ	55 GJ	122%	9.2 GJ/s	10 MW	10 tf
Storyline	6	Small 'Caltrop' Energy Neutralizer	6 sec	5000 m	2500 m	45 GJ	55 GJ	122%	9.2 GJ/s	7 MW	8 tf
Faction	8	Ammatar Navy Small Energy Neutralizer	6 sec	6000 m	3000 m	45 GJ	55 GJ	122%	9.2 GJ/s	8 MW	10 tf
Faction	8	Dark Blood Small Energy Neutralizer	6 sec	6000 m	3000 m	45 GJ	55 GJ	122%	9.2 GJ/s	8 MW	10 tf
Faction	8	Imperial Navy Small Energy Neutralizer	6 sec	6000 m	3000 m	45 GJ	55 GJ	122%	9.2 GJ/s	8 MW	10 tf
Faction	8	True Sansha Small Energy Neutralizer	6 sec	6000 m	3000 m	45 GJ	55 GJ	122%	9.2 GJ/s	8 MW	10 tf
Deadspace	10	Corpii C-Type Small Energy Neutralizer	6 sec	7000 m	3500 m	45 GJ	55 GJ	122%	9.2 GJ/s	9 MW	10 tf
Deadspace	12	Corpii B-Type Small Energy Neutralizer	6 sec	8000 m	4000 m	45 GJ	55 GJ	122%	9.2 GJ/s	10 MW	10 tf
Deadspace	14	Corpii A-Type Small Energy Neutralizer	6 sec	9000 m	4500 m	45 GJ	55 GJ	122%	9.2 GJ/s	11 MW	10 tf

Stats for Medium Neuts - Last verified: January 2017

Meta Group	Meta Level	Name	Cycle Time	Optimal Range	Effectiveness Falloff	Activation Cost	Neutralization Amount	Neut Efficiency	Neuting per Sec (GJ)	Powergrid Usage	CPU usage
Tech I	0	Medium Energy Neutralizer I	12 sec	8000 m	4000 m	150 GJ	150 GJ	100%	12.5 GJ/s	175 MW	20 tf
Tech I	1	Medium Gremlin Compact Energy Neutralizer	12 sec	8000 m	4000 m	150 GJ	165 GJ	110%	13.8 GJ/s	160 MW	16 tf
Tech I	1	Medium Infectious Scoped Energy Neutralizer	12 sec	9000 m	4500 m	150 GJ	165 GJ	110%	13.8 GJ/s	175 MW	20 tf
Tech II	5	Medium Energy Neutralizer II	12 sec	10 km	5000 m	150 GJ	180 GJ	120%	15.0 GJ/s	200 MW	20 tf
Storyline	6	Medium 'Ditch' Energy Neutralizer	12 sec	10 km	5000 m	150 GJ	180 GJ	120%	15.0 GJ/s	160 MW	16 tf
Faction	8	Ammatar Navy Medium Energy Neutralizer	12 sec	12 km	6000 m	150 GJ	180 GJ	120%	15.0 GJ/s	175 MW	20 tf
Faction	8	Dark Blood Medium Energy Neutralizer	12 sec	12 km	6000 m	150 GJ	180 GJ	120%	15.0 GJ/s	175 MW	20 tf
Faction	8	Imperial Navy Medium Energy Neutralizer	12 sec	12 km	6000 m	150 GJ	180 GJ	120%	15.0 GJ/s	175 MW	20 tf
Faction	8	True Sansha Medium Energy Neutralizer	12 sec	12 km	6000 m	150 GJ	180 GJ	120%	15.0 GJ/s	175 MW	20 tf
Deadspace	10	Corpum C-Type Medium Energy Neutralizer	12 sec	13.5 km	6750 m	150 GJ	180 GJ	120%	15.0 GJ/s	193 MW	20 tf
Deadspace	12	Corpum B-Type Medium Energy Neutralizer	12 sec	15 km	7500 m	150 GJ	180 GJ	120%	15.0 GJ/s	210 MW	20 tf
Deadspace	14	Corpum A-Type Medium Energy Neutralizer	12 sec	16.5 km	8250 m	150 GJ	180 GJ	120%	15.0 GJ/s	228 MW	20 tf

Stats for Heavy Neuts (excluding Officer modules) - Last verified: January 2017

Meta Group	Meta Level	Name	Cycle Time	Optimal Range	Effectiveness Falloff	Activation Cost	Neutralization Amount	Neut Efficiency	Neuting per Sec (GJ)	Powergrid Usage	CPU usage
Tech I	0	Heavy Energy Neutralizer I	24 sec	16 km	8000 m	500 GJ	500 GJ	100%	20.8 GJ/s	2000 MW	40 tf
Tech I	1	Heavy Gremlin Compact Energy Neutralizer	24 sec	16 km	8000 m	500 GJ	550 GJ	110%	22.9 GJ/s	1800 MW	32 tf
Tech I	1	Heavy Infectious Scoped Energy Neutralizer	24 sec	18 km	9000 m	500 GJ	550 GJ	110%	22.9 GJ/s	2000 MW	40 tf
Tech II	5	Heavy Energy Neutralizer II	24 sec	20 km	10 km	500 GJ	600 GJ	120%	25.0 GJ/s	2250 MW	40 tf
Storyline	6	Heavy 'Moat' Energy Neutralizer	24 sec	20 km	10 km	500 GJ	600 GJ	120%	25.0 GJ/s	1800 MW	32 tf
Faction	8	Ammatar Navy Heavy Energy Neutralizer	24 sec	24 km	12 km	500 GJ	600 GJ	120%	25.0 GJ/s	2000 MW	40 tf
Faction	8	Dark Blood Heavy Energy Neutralizer	24 sec	24 km	12 km	500 GJ	600 GJ	120%	25.0 GJ/s	2000 MW	40 tf
Faction	8	Imperial Navy Heavy Energy Neutralizer	24 sec	24 km	12 km	500 GJ	600 GJ	120%	25.0 GJ/s	2000 MW	40 tf
Faction	8	True Sansha Heavy Energy Neutralizer	24 sec	24 km	12 km	500 GJ	600 GJ	120%	25.0 GJ/s	2000 MW	40 tf
Deadspace	10	Corpus C-Type Heavy Energy Neutralizer	24 sec	26 km	13 km	500 GJ	600 GJ	120%	25.0 GJ/s	2200 MW	40 tf
Deadspace	12	Corpus B-Type Heavy Energy Neutralizer	24 sec	28 km	14 km	500 GJ	600 GJ	120%	25.0 GJ/s	2400 MW	40 tf
Deadspace	14	Corpus A-Type Heavy Energy Neutralizer	24 sec	30 km	15 km	500 GJ	600 GJ	120%	25.0 GJ/s	2600 MW	40 tf
Deadspace	16	Corpus X-Type Heavy Energy Neutralizer	24 sec	32 km	16 km	500 GJ	600 GJ	120%	25.0 GJ/s	2800 MW	40 tf

Falloff works by reducing the effectiveness of the module when in falloff range. The formula is the same as gun falloff:

• at 100% Optimal + 0% Falloff = 100% Effectiveness
• at 100% Optimal + 100% Falloff = ~50% Effectiveness
• at 100% Optimal + 200% Falloff = ~6% Effectiveness

When activating an Energy Neutralizer on a target, the activation cost will immediately be deducted from the neutralizer's capacitor and the neutralization amount (modified, if in falloff range) will be immediately deducted from the target's capacitor. This will be repeated each cycle time for as long as the neut is activated.

Energy Nosferatu

Energy Nosferatu (also called "nos" or "Energy Vampires") remove small amounts of capacitor from their target and use it to recharge the user's capacitor, and cycle more quickly than Energy Neutralizers. However, Energy Nosferatu are far more restricted in their effectiveness due to the double upside inherent in their use. Energy Nosferatu share the limited range of Energy Neutralizers, and drain much less capacitor. Most importantly, Energy Nosferatu only transfer capacitor when the user's capacitor is less than the target's capacitor. This is measured in terms of absolute capacitor amount, not capacitor percentage, e.g. a capacitor with 120 GJ of capacitor will always be able to transfer capacitor from a ship with 2000 GJ, regardless of what percentage of each ship's capacitor those amounts represent.

All nosferatus have a similar set of attributes. The different sizes of nosteratus differ significantly, but for each size tier they are fairly consistent across meta levels. Aside from fitting consideration, the only attributes that change from meta 0 all the way to commander modules is the range and the amount of energy transferred to the user.

• Cycle time is consistent (3 seconds for small nos, 6 seconds for medium, and 12 seconds for heavy).
• Small nosferatu will transfer from 8 - 10 GJ across the meta levels, medium from 30 - 36 GJ, and heavy from 100 - 120 GJ.
• Optimal ranges for all the modules from meta 0 to the highest are between: small from 4,000m - 8,000m; medium from 8,000m - 16,500m; and heavy from 16,000m - 32,000m.

Stats for Small Nosferatu - Last verified: January 2017

Meta Group	Meta Level	Name	Cycle Time	Optimal Range	Effectiveness Falloff	Neutralization Amount	Transfer Rate	Powergrid Usage	CPU usage
Tech I	0	Small Energy Nosferatu I	2.5 sec	4000 m	2000 m	8 GJ	3.2 GJ/s	8 MW	15 tf
Tech I	1	Small Ghoul Compact Energy Nosferatu	2.5 sec	4000 m	2000 m	9 GJ	3.6 GJ/s	7 MW	12 tf
Tech I	1	Small Knave Scoped Energy Nosferatu	2.5 sec	4500 m	2250 m	9 GJ	3.6 GJ/s	8 MW	15 tf
Tech II	5	Small Energy Nosferatu II	2.5 sec	5000 m	2500 m	10 GJ	4 GJ/s	10 MW	15 tf
Storyline	6	Small 'Upir' Energy Nosferatu	2.5 sec	5000 m	2500 m	10 GJ	4 GJ/s	7 MW	12 tf
Faction	8	Ammatar Navy Small Energy Nosferatu	2.5 sec	6000 m	3000 m	10 GJ	4 GJ/s	8 MW	15 tf
Faction	8	Dark Blood Small Energy Nosferatu	2.5 sec	6000 m	3000 m	10 GJ	4 GJ/s	8 MW	15 tf
Faction	8	Imperial Navy Small Energy Nosferatu	2.5 sec	6000 m	3000 m	10 GJ	4 GJ/s	8 MW	15 tf
Faction	8	True Sansha Small Energy Nosferatu	2.5 sec	6000 m	3000 m	10 GJ	4 GJ/s	8 MW	15 tf
Deadspace	10	Corpii C-Type Small Energy Nosferatu	2.5 sec	7000 m	3500 m	10 GJ	4 GJ/s	9 MW	15 tf
Deadspace	12	Corpii B-Type Small Energy Nosferatu	2.5 sec	8000 m	4000 m	10 GJ	4 GJ/s	10 MW	15 tf
Deadspace	14	Corpii A-Type Small Energy Nosferatu	2.5 sec	9000 m	4500 m	10 GJ	4 GJ/s	11 MW	15 tf

Stats for Medium Nosferatu - Last verified: January 2017

Meta Group	Meta Level	Name	Cycle Time	Optimal Range	Effectiveness Falloff	Neutralization Amount	Transfer Rate	Powergrid Usage	CPU usage
Tech I	0	Medium Energy Nosferatu I	5 sec	8000 m	4000 m	30 GJ	6.0 GJ/s	175 MW	25 tf
Tech I	1	Medium Ghoul Compact Energy Nosferatu	5 sec	8000 m	4000 m	33 GJ	6.6 GJ/s	160 MW	20 tf
Tech I	1	Medium Knave Scoped Energy Nosferatu	5 sec	9000 m	4500 m	33 GJ	6.6 GJ/s	175 MW	25 tf
Tech II	5	Medium Energy Nosferatu II	5 sec	10 km	5000 m	36 GJ	7.2 GJ/s	200 MW	25 tf
Storyline	6	Medium 'Strigoi' Energy Nosferatu	5 sec	10 km	5000 m	36 GJ	7.2 GJ/s	160 MW	20 tf
Faction	8	Ammatar Navy Medium Energy Nosferatu	5 sec	12 km	6000 m	36 GJ	7.2 GJ/s	175 MW	25 tf
Faction	8	Dark Blood Medium Energy Nosferatu	5 sec	12 km	6000 m	36 GJ	7.2 GJ/s	175 MW	25 tf
Faction	8	Imperial Navy Medium Energy Nosferatu	5 sec	12 km	6000 m	36 GJ	7.2 GJ/s	175 MW	25 tf
Faction	8	True Sansha Medium Energy Nosferatu	5 sec	12 km	6000 m	36 GJ	7.2 GJ/s	175 MW	25 tf
Deadspace	10	Corpum C-Type Medium Energy Nosferatu	5 sec	13.5 km	6750 m	36 GJ	7.2 GJ/s	193 MW	25 tf
Deadspace	12	Corpum B-Type Medium Energy Nosferatu	5 sec	15 km	7500 m	36 GJ	7.2 GJ/s	210 MW	25 tf
Deadspace	14	Corpum A-Type Medium Energy Nosferatu	5 sec	16.5 km	8250 m	36 GJ	7.2 GJ/s	228 MW	25 tf

Stats for Heavy Nosferatu (excluding Officer modules) - Last verified: January 2017

Meta Group	Meta Level	Name	Cycle Time	Optimal Range	Effectiveness Falloff	Energy Transfer Amount	Transfer Rate	Powergrid Usage	CPU usage
Tech I	0	Heavy Energy Nosferatu I	10 sec	16 km	8000 m	100 GJ	10 GJ/s	2000 MW	50 tf
Tech I	1	Heavy Ghoul Compact Energy Nosferatu	10 sec	16 km	8000 m	110 GJ	11 GJ/s	1800 MW	40 tf
Tech I	1	Heavy Knave Scoped Energy Nosferatu	10 sec	18 km	9000 m	110 GJ	11 GJ/s	2000 MW	50 tf
Tech II	5	Heavy Energy Nosferatu II	10 sec	20 km	10 km	120 GJ	12 GJ/s	2250 MW	50 tf
Storyline	6	Heavy 'Vrykolakas' Energy Nosferatu	10 sec	20 km	10 km	120 GJ	12 GJ/s	1800 MW	40 tf
Faction	8	Ammatar Navy Heavy Energy Nosferatu	10 sec	24 km	12 km	120 GJ	12 GJ/s	2000 MW	50 tf
Faction	8	Dark Blood Heavy Energy Nosferatu	10 sec	24 km	12 km	120 GJ	12 GJ/s	2000 MW	50 tf
Faction	8	Imperial Navy Heavy Energy Nosferatu	10 sec	24 km	12 km	120 GJ	12 GJ/s	2000 MW	50 tf
Faction	8	True Sansha Heavy Energy Nosferatu	10 sec	24 km	12 km	120 GJ	12 GJ/s	2000 MW	50 tf
Deadspace	10	Corpus C-Type Heavy Energy Nosferatu	10 sec	26 km	13 km	120 GJ	12 GJ/s	2200 MW	50 tf
Deadspace	12	Corpus B-Type Heavy Energy Nosferatu	10 sec	28 km	14 km	120 GJ	12 GJ/s	2400 MW	50 tf
Deadspace	14	Corpus A-Type Heavy Energy Nosferatu	10 sec	30 km	15 km	120 GJ	12 GJ/s	2600 MW	50 tf
Deadspace	16	Corpus X-Type Heavy Energy Nosferatu	10 sec	32 km	16 km	120 GJ	12 GJ/s	2800 MW	50 tf

Falloff works by reducing the effectiveness of the module when in falloff range. The formula is the same as gun and neut falloff:

• at 100% Optimal + 0% Falloff = 100% effectiveness
• at 100% Optimal + 100% Falloff = ~50% effectiveness
• at 100% Optimal + 200% Falloff = ~6% effectiveness

When within range of a target, and the target's capacitor amount (not percentage) is higher than your cap amount, then an activated Nosferatu acts much like a neut. The difference is that the transfer amount is added to the user's capacitor and removed from the target's capacitor. A nos will stay activated as long as the target is in range and pull cap when the cap level condition is met, so there is no downside to keeping a Nosferatu activated at all times. The primary caveat to using Nosferatu is that a nos is highly likely to be effective when fighting bigger targets, but not likely to work when fighting smaller targets.

A Nos is easier to effectively employ in a gang situation with multiple targets. While neuting the main target, a pilot can nos an alternative target (ideally a bigger ship) to maintain the Nosferatu's effectiveness. Properly employed, this synergy between neuts and nos is extremely effective.

Energy Neutralizing Drones

Main article: Drones#Combat utility drones

Acolyte EV-300 stats

Light, medium and heavy neutralizing drones employ the same general principles as other drones.

• Strengths
  • Normal rone range mechanics
  • Neutralizer drones have no impact on your cap
  • Quick 6 sec cycle time for all sizes
• Weaknesses
  • Normal drone weaknesses of vulnerability, flight times, etc.
  • Relatively small portions of cap neutralized

Cycle times are identical (6 seconds) for all three sizes of drones. The amount neutralized is easy to remember, as it is identical to the drone bandwidth: 5 GJ for Light, 10 GJ for Medium, and 25 GJ for Heavy drones. Like all other drone-based EWAR, pilot EWAR skills have no effect on the drones. There are no stacking penalties when using Neutralizer Drones.

Accordingly:

• A full flight (5) light drones will neutralize 25 GJ every 6 seconds. This is roughly 1/2 as effective as 1 small neut.

• A full flight (5) medium drones will neutralize 50 GJ every 6 seconds. This is roughly 2/3 as effective as 1 medium neut.

• A full flight (5) heavy drones will neutralize 125 GJ every 6 seconds. This is exactly as effective as 1 meta 0 heavy neut.

Skills

There are not many skills that directly impact capacitor warfare. Prequisite skills:

• Capacitor Emission Systems is the prequisite skill for Neuts and Nos. It's the only skill that directly impacts the effectiveness of capacitor warfare modules; however, it only affects neuts. It reduces the activation cost of all neuts by 5% per level which has excellent results on efficiency. At level V, a Tech II heavy neut will only require 375 GJ per cycle to neutralize 600 GJ (160% efficiency). Unfortunately, this has no positive effect on nos or drones as strictly speaking they do not have a capacitor activation cost.
• Advanced Drone Avionics is the prequisite skill for neut drones.

The better your capacitor the more effectively you can conduct capacitor warfare. Therefore both Capacitor Management and Capacitor Systems Operation are extremely important skills and should be trained to V for serious capacitor warfare users.

All the supporting capacitor management skills as listed in Capacitor Management 101 will assist in getting you to and through a fight with more cap available for capacitor warfare. Depending on preference, ship types and fits, the relative importance of each skill will change, but each can be considered a good investment of SP.

Implants

Talisman implants, the Bloodraider pirate faction set, directly enhance capacitor warfare by reducing the duration of modules requiring the Energy Emission Skill. The complete high-grade set (slots 1-6) will have an overall effect of -38.12%. This is of course a huge increase in the amount of cap removed per sec. A max skill Curse with a full Talisman set will destablize 40.4 GJ per sec with a single meta 4+ medium neut.

A low grade Talisman set is worth about 200 M isk as of November 2013, while a set of standard Talisman implants is worth about 3 billion ISK. The use of these implants will therefore likely be reserved for advanced pilots flying ships like the Bhaalgorn.

Low-Grade: total effect -26.94%

Name	Effect	Set Effect	Attribute
Alpha	1% reduction of duration	10% effect on bonus of the set	+2 Perception
Bravo	2% reduction of duration	10% effect on bonus of the set	+2 Memory
Gamma	3% reduction of duration	10% effect on bonus of the set	+2 Willpower
Delta	4% reduction of duration	10% effect on bonus of the set	+2 Intelligence
Epsilon	5% reduction of duration	10% effect on bonus of the set	+2 Charisma
Omega		25% effect on bonus of the set

High-Grade: total effect -38.12%

Name	Effect	Set Effect	Attribute
Alpha	1% reduction of duration	15% effect on bonus of the set	+3 Perception
Bravo	2% reduction of duration	15% effect on bonus of the set	+3 Memory
Gamma	3% reduction of duration	15% effect on bonus of the set	+3 Willpower
Delta	4% reduction of duration	15% effect on bonus of the set	+3 Intelligence
Epsilon	5% reduction of duration	15% effect on bonus of the set	+3 Charisma
Omega		50% effect on bonus of the set

In addition the following hardwirings are worth considering in addition to or in place of the Talisman set:

Slot 6

• Engineering - 'Squire' Energy Systems Operation EO-6##, +(1-6)% faster capacitor recharge. Most pilots who use cap warfare, especially on dedicated ships, will use cap boosters. As such, cap recharge rate become a minor factor in cap warfare.

Slot 7

• Engineering - 'Squire' Energy Emission Systems ES-7##: -(1-6)% capacitor usage by cap warfare modules and energy transmitters. This implant has a significant impact on the capacitor usage of cap warfare modules. It however stacks with the Egress Port Maximizer rig.

Slot 8

• Engineering - 'Squire' Energy Management EM-8##: +(1-6)% capacitor size. This implant is more useful than the EO-6##, but less than the ES-7##. A bigger capacitor is always useful.

Boosters

When approaching boosters from a capacitor warfare perspective, Mindflood is the drug of choice. This booster increases capacitor by a percentage that stacks on top of all other modifiers without stacking penalty.

Type	Increases Cap by	Side Effect Chance	Side Effect Strength
Synth	3%	0%	0%
Standard	10%	20%	20%
Improved	15%	30%	25%
Strong	20%	40%	30%

The potential side effects are:

• Shield Boost Amount
• Armor Repair Amount
• Turret Optimal Range Penalty
• Missile Explosion Cloud Penalty

On drone boats like the Sentinel, Curse, and Pilgrim these possible effects are usually minimal as DPS is from drones and many popular fits are buffer tanked only. The worst penalty is potentially armour repair amount for a solo fit Sentinel or Pilgrim, although there are Curse fits that use missle launchers to up DPS.

Bloodraider ships using lasers and cap warfare mods may have more of a trade-off to consider. Individual pilots will have a different risk assesment but there is a lot of potential for a relatively small chance of harmfull side effects after applicable skills are trained.

Rigs

The Egress Port Maximizer rigs decrease the capacitor use of all energy emission modules. This includes energy neutralizers and energy vampires. The Tech I reduces activation cost by 15%, the Tech II by 20%. More than one rig can be used, but because of stacking the effect get lower as more rigs are added.
With Energy Emission at V, the activation cost of a Medium Unstable Power Fluctuator I is as follow:

• With no rig: -9.4 GJ/s
• With 1 Egress Port Maximizer I: -8 GJ/s
• With 2 Egress Port Maximizer I: -6.9 GJ/s
• With 3 Egress Port Maximizer I: -6.3 GJ/s

Capacitor Warfare and PvE

NPCs 'cheat' in EVE. One of the ways they do this is with infinite capacitors. It is impossible to 'cap out' a rat as their cap will never decrease below 100%.

The use of Cap Warfare in PvE is not common, and not much has been published on the matter. It has been reported that the use of neutralizers, neutralizing drones, or nos on NPCs will result in a chance of disrupting both shield or armour repairing by the NPC. The chance of disrupting repairs seem to increase with the size of the modules and decrease with the size of the NPC ship. So using a heavy neut on a frigate NPC should have a very high chance of stopping any repairs. Likewise using a small nos on a BS NPC will have little to no effect on stopping repairs.

Capacitor Warfare and PvP

PvP is where capacitor warfare really comes into its own.

Tips and Techniques

Specific ships and fits will be discussed in the next section. These tips and techniques are something to think about for any ship employing or defending against capacitor warfare although many can only be executed by an actual capacitor warfare bonused ship like a Curse.

• Alpha is as important to cap as it is to DPS

By using a neut a ship class larger then your target you can practically ensure you will cap them out completely on each and every cycle. There are a few factors at play here.

• cycling and getting inside the nos or booster loop

BS, BC or Falcon/Rook: 1st cycle - 3 neuts, disable 2 2nd cycle - wait 2 seconds until I enable the 2nd one, and another 2 for the 3rd one

Cruiser: 2 neuts right away and 3rd one later, take one off in a few cycles for some extra cap.

Frigate: It doesn't matter 1 med will alpha majority cap.

• the functionality of an undersized neut

• maintaining the 'cap out'

• Neuting through Cap Boosters

• Neuting through a nos

• Nosing through a neut

Capacitor Warfare and PvP Ships

Bonused ships

The following ships have some bonus related to energy neutralizers and energy vampire for range or drain amount

Frigates

• The Cruor is a pirate faction frigate with a bonus to Energy Vampire and Energy Neutralizer drain amount
• The Sentinel is an Electronic Attack Frigate with a bonus to energy vampire and energy neutralizer range.
• The Hematos is a faction frigate with a bonus to Energy Vampire and Energy Neutralizer drain amount
• The Malice is a rare faction frigate with a bonus to energy vampire and energy neutralizer transfer amount and range

Destroyers

• The Dragoon is a destroyer with a bonus to energy vampire and energy neutralizer transfer range

Cruisers

• The Ashimmu is a pirate faction cruiser with a bonus to Energy Vampire and Energy Neutralizer drain amount
• The Pilgrim is a recon ship with a bonus to Energy Vampire and Energy Neutralizer transfer amount
• The Curse is a recon ship with a bonus to Energy Vampire and Energy Neutralizer range and transfer amount
• The Legion, when fitted with the Energy Parasitic module, has a bonus to Energy Vampire and Energy Neutralizer drain amount. The Legion is however very expensive, and a Curse is probably a better choice.
• The Vangel is a rare faction cruiser with a bonus to energy vampire and energy neutralizer transfer amount and range

Battlecruisers

• No battlecruiser is bonused for cap warfare

Battleships

• The Armageddon is a battleship with a bonus to Energy Neutralizer and Energy Vampire range
• The Bhaalgorn is a pirate faction battleship with a bonus to Energy Vampire and Energy Neutralizer drain amount

Unbonused ships

A number of ships fitted for cap warfare are not bonused for it. The Dominix or the Prophecy are well known examples of ships with no bonus to cap warfare range or transfer amount which have been used with great effect. While any ship could conceivably be fitted with a neutralizer or a nos, the following elements help make an unbonused ship suitable for cap warfare:

• Free high slots. You need a place to fit the module.
• Drone capacity. If you use your high slots for neuts and you want to have some dps, you'll have to rely on drones. You therefore are looking at a minimum for dronebay capacity and drone bandwidth. A drone damage bonus is also nice.
• Powergrid. Neuts cost a lot of powergrid to install. You won't have any turret or missile in your highs, but the more powergrid the higher the number of neut modules you can actually install.
• Capacitor size. Neuts cost a lot of cap to run, and a ship with a big capacitor will be easier to fight with.
• Tank. Your ship need to be close to your target. He probably won't like being neuted, so the bigger your tank, the harder you'll be to kill.
• Range. In an unbonused ship, you need to be be close to your target to use cap warfare modules. Don't mix cap warfare modules with long range modules such as ewar.

Frigates

• The Punisher is often flown with an utility cap warfare module.
• Many solo fits for frigates use a small cap wafare module.

Destroyers

• Except for the Dragoon (see above), destroyers are not usually used for cap warfare.

Cruisers

• The Arbitrator is usually flown with cap warfare modules. Its tank is not that great but it has a nice drone damage bonus.
• The Maller can be used as a surprise neuting cruiser. It won't have any dps to speak of, but can fit a point, a scram or a web while being cap stable and have more than 50K EHP.
• The Rupture is often flown with an utility cap warfare module.

Battlecruisers

• The Prophecy can be effectively fitted with cap warfare modules on its highs. It has a good tank, capacitor and with good drone skills a reasonable amount of dps.
• Brawling Hurricanes are often flown with a utility cap warfare module.

Battleships

• The Dominix is often used a cap warfare ship. Its great drone bonus makes it ideal as a close range cap warfare ship.
• Brawling Typhoons are often flown with a utility cap warfare module.
• Tempests are often flown with a utility cap warfare module.

Protection from Capacitor Warfare

Capacitor batteries reduce capacitor drain and neutralisation amounts as shown in Capacitor Warfare Resistance attribute on such modules. The resistance from multiple fitted capacitor batteries does stack.