Difference between revisions of "Capacitor warfare"
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− | + | =How Destabilizers, Vampires, and Neutralizer Drones Work= | |
TL;DR skip this section if you don't care about the why or the details | TL;DR skip this section if you don't care about the why or the details | ||
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− | + | ==General Principles== | |
Capacitor Warfare can only be understood if you first understand capacitors. Capacitors are a self recharging reasource with a [[Capacitor Recharge Rate]] that changes relative to the level of the capacitor. Accordingly, there is a 'peak' recharge at 25% with the recharge rate decreasing from either side of this peak. Therefore, the rate of recharge is lowest when the capacitor is full (100%) or empty (0%). Shield tankers should inherrently understand this principle as it is identical to the recharge mechanism on shields, and EVE university folks are very lucky to have access to the [[Capacitor Management 101]] class that Neville Smit teaches. | Capacitor Warfare can only be understood if you first understand capacitors. Capacitors are a self recharging reasource with a [[Capacitor Recharge Rate]] that changes relative to the level of the capacitor. Accordingly, there is a 'peak' recharge at 25% with the recharge rate decreasing from either side of this peak. Therefore, the rate of recharge is lowest when the capacitor is full (100%) or empty (0%). Shield tankers should inherrently understand this principle as it is identical to the recharge mechanism on shields, and EVE university folks are very lucky to have access to the [[Capacitor Management 101]] class that Neville Smit teaches. | ||
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− | + | ==Energy Destabilizers== | |
Energy Destabilizers - ie the assortment of Neutralizers (Neuts) are the heavy hitters of cap warfare. They can remove huge amounts of cap and leave an enemy 'capped out' faster than any other form of cap warfare. | Energy Destabilizers - ie the assortment of Neutralizers (Neuts) are the heavy hitters of cap warfare. They can remove huge amounts of cap and leave an enemy 'capped out' faster than any other form of cap warfare. | ||
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− | + | ==Energy Vampires== | |
Energy Vampires - ie the assortment of Nosferatus (Nos) remove small amounts of cap, but instead of costing your own cap to do this they will actually give you the cap your opponent lost. Because of the huge potential of being able to hurt a target while only aiding yourself there are several rather severe limitations on these modules. | Energy Vampires - ie the assortment of Nosferatus (Nos) remove small amounts of cap, but instead of costing your own cap to do this they will actually give you the cap your opponent lost. Because of the huge potential of being able to hurt a target while only aiding yourself there are several rather severe limitations on these modules. | ||
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− | + | ==Energy Neutralizing Drones== | |
Light, medium and heavy neutralizing drones employ the same general principles as other drones. General infomation can be found [[Drones|here]] and will not be discussed in this guide. | Light, medium and heavy neutralizing drones employ the same general principles as other drones. General infomation can be found [[Drones|here]] and will not be discussed in this guide. |
Revision as of 14:47, 15 August 2010
or Why These Pictures are Some of the Prettiest Things You Will See in EVE.
This is an ongoing project. Any changes or help will be appreciated and then mutilated, hacked, revised and generally forced into the authors grand vision (ha ha ha). Once an intial draft is completed (yes this will take months) a thread on the forums will be established for discussion and corrections. Thanks!
Capacitor Warfare Overview
You have probably heard the phrase 'cap is life' during your time in EVE. There are many good reasons why this is true, and each one is also a reason why Capacitor Warfare can be extremely effective. Capacitor directly feeds laser and hybrid turrets, keeps active tanks running, and powers the majority of fighting midslot modules including all EWAR modules and propulsion systems. An enemy without capacitor is an enemy without options which means you get to dictate the flow of the battle - kill them your way or if something goes wrong you can always be confident that warp jamming requires cap.
Cap Warfare is a bit mysterious for some. Rarely will you see EWAR guides include Cap Warfare even though that is where it rightfully belongs, much like warp jamming. Capacitor Warfare has had its ups and downs in the history of EVE, with its wild days of overpowered glory, and subsequent 'rebalancing' lows. It is still and will always be an extremely viable tactic in the sandbox of EVE, and the pendulum will continue to swing back and forth over the impossible 'balanced' ideal, but knowing what and how is extremely important even if you never plan to employ cap warfare yourself.
Capacitor Warfare, defined as direct action taken to reduce or elminate the capacitor of a target, can be accomplished a few ways:
- Using one of two types of Engineering Equipment modules
- Energy Destabilizers - energy neutralizers of various sizes and meta levels
- Energy Vampires - nosferatu of various sizes and meta levels
- Using one of three Combat Utility Drones
- Light, medium and heavy energy neutralizer drones based on Amarr drone models - the Acolyte EV-300, Infiltrator EV-600, and Praetor EV-900
(as an aside if you have ever been curious where the word nosferatu comes from check out this link to Nosferatu)
Although focussed on the same goal, each of the these systems has its own strengths and weakneses and each is very different in implementation. Cap warfare drones are the same as other EWAR drones and share strengths and weaknesses with the TD and SD drones. Alternatively the modules are very different from other EWAR modules. They fit like weapons rather than EWAR modules, in high slots with three sizes corresponding to hull size, competing for fitting slots with DPS and high slot utility rather than mid slot tank and utility. Compared to other EWAR modules they have short ranges and kill capacitors incrementally in the same way that DPS destroys shields. Much like TD, cap warfare has setups against which it is inherrently limited. As an example, a passive tanked drake will still be able to tank and DPS with 0 capacitor (it won't be able to use any active hardners, warp jamming, or propulsion modules though!). Cap Boosters are the natural counter to capacitor warfare as they inject capacitor charges which will nullify, mitigate, or enhance recovery from cap warfare just as a shield booster will counter DPS.
Capacitors are a common thread for every single ship in EVE. The same can't even be said for module slots. Every engagement, PvP or PvE, will involve cap. Cap to get there, cap to keep someone there, cap to tank, cap to kill, cap stable or capped out, cap is life. Therefore whether you are planning, fitting, or undocking, countering or using capacitor warfare is something which needs to be considered.
And that is the basics. Keep reading for how it works, what ships it works best with and how to make it work for you.
How Destabilizers, Vampires, and Neutralizer Drones Work
TL;DR skip this section if you don't care about the why or the details
General Principles
Capacitor Warfare can only be understood if you first understand capacitors. Capacitors are a self recharging reasource with a Capacitor Recharge Rate that changes relative to the level of the capacitor. Accordingly, there is a 'peak' recharge at 25% with the recharge rate decreasing from either side of this peak. Therefore, the rate of recharge is lowest when the capacitor is full (100%) or empty (0%). Shield tankers should inherrently understand this principle as it is identical to the recharge mechanism on shields, and EVE university folks are very lucky to have access to the Capacitor Management 101 class that Neville Smit teaches.
Since cap warfare deals in the removal of capacitor it opposes the recharge rate. And since the recharge rate is lowest at 100% and 0%, cap warfare will have the greatest effect (defined as amount of cap removed) at these levels. Cap warfare will have the least effect at 25% (peak recharge) as the amount of cap removed will be countered by the highest recharge the capacitor is capable of. Therefore, we know that it is more difficult to cap out an enemy than it is to keep them there - ie. you may have three neuts on them to drain their cap as quickly as possible but only need 1 to keep them capped out. (Incidentally it is also easy to see when selecting the cap booster charge that you obviously always want to try to select a charge at least 25% of the size of your capacitor to push you instantly to the 'good' side of your peak recharge rate.)
With this simple information tucked away we can discuss the particulars of how the individual cap warfare systems work.
Energy Destabilizers
Energy Destabilizers - ie the assortment of Neutralizers (Neuts) are the heavy hitters of cap warfare. They can remove huge amounts of cap and leave an enemy 'capped out' faster than any other form of cap warfare.
- Strengths
- Neutralizes large portions of the enemies capacitor every cycle
- Weaknesses
- Requires large amounts of your capacitor
- Long cycle time
- Relatively short ranges (improves with module size)
Here is screenshot of the attributes of the meta 0 heavy neut:
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. The energy 'cost' to neutralize 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 it trends up to meta 5 (tech II) and higher modules at 120% efficiency. Using the heavy neut example a Tech II neut would neutralize 600GJ with its 500GJ activation cost. The cycle time is also consistent (6 seconds for small neuts, 12 seconds for medium, and 24 seconds for heavy) and the range for modules from meta 0 to the highest are: small from 5,250m - 7,350m; medium from 10,500m - 14,000m; and heavy from 21,000m - 39,200m.
Stats for Small Neuts 0 - 6 meta level and meta 8 (faction) example
Meta Level | Name | Cycle Time | Range | Energy Cost | Energy Neuted | Neut Efficiency | Neuting per Sec |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
0 | Small Energy Neutralizer I | 6 sec | 5,250m | 45 GJ | 45 GJ | 100% | 7.5 GJ/sec |
1 | Small Rudementary Energy Destabilizer I | 6 sec | 5,500m | 45 GJ | 47 GJ | ~104% | ~7.8 GJ/sec |
2 | Small 'Gremlin' Power Core Disruptor I | 6 sec | 5,750m | 45 GJ | 49 GJ | ~109% | ~8.2 GJ/sec |
3 | 5W Infectious Power System Malfunction | 6 sec | 6,025m | 45 GJ | 51 GJ | ~113% | 8.5 GJ/sec |
4 | Small Unstable Power Fluctuator I | 6 sec | 6,300m | 45 GJ | 54 GJ | 120% | 9.0 GJ/sec |
5 | Small Energy Neutralizer II | 6 sec | 6,300m | 45 GJ | 54 GJ | 120% | 9.0 GJ/sec |
6 | 'Caltrop' Small Energy Neutralizer I | 6 sec | 6,300m | 45 GJ | 54 GJ | 120% | 9.0 GJ/sec |
eg 8 | Imperial Navy Small Energy Neutralizer | 6 sec | 7,350m | 45 GJ | 54 GJ | 120% | 9.0 GJ/sec |
- note: the only difference between meta 4 to 6 is the fitting requirements
- the only difference between meta 8 (faction) and from meta 4 to 6 is the range and fitting
Stats for Medium Neuts 0 - 6 meta level and meta 8 (faction) example
Meta Level | Name | Cycle Time | Range | Energy Cost | Energy Neuted | Neut Efficiency | Neuting per Sec |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
0 | Medium Energy Neutralizer I | 12 sec | 10,500m | 150 GJ | 150 GJ | 100% | 12.5 GJ/sec |
1 | Medium Rudementary Energy Destabilizer I | 12 sec | 11,025m | 150 GJ | 158 GJ | ~105% | ~13.2 GJ/sec |
2 | Medium 'Gremlin' Power Core Disruptor I | 12 sec | 11,550m | 150 GJ | 165 GJ | 110% | 13.75 GJ/sec |
3 | 50W Infectious Power System Malfunction | 12 sec | 12,075m | 150 GJ | 173 GJ | ~115% | ~14.4 GJ/sec |
4 | Medium Unstable Power Fluctuator I | 12 sec | 12,600m | 150 GJ | 180 GJ | 120% | 15 GJ/sec |
5 | Medium Energy Neutralizer II | 12 sec | 12,600m | 150 GJ | 180 GJ | 120% | 15 GJ/sec |
6 | 'Ditch' Medium Energy Neutralizer I | 12 sec | 12,600m | 150 GJ | 180 GJ | 120% | 15 GJ/sec |
eg 8 | Imperial Navy Medium Energy Neutralizer | 12 sec | 14,000m | 150 GJ | 180 GJ | 120% | 15 GJ/sec |
- note: the only difference between meta 4 to 6 is the fitting requirements
- the only difference between meta 8 (faction) and from meta 4 to 6 is the range and fitting
Stats for Medium Neuts 0 - 6 meta level, meta 8 (faction) and meta 14 (commander) example
Meta Level | Name | Cycle Time | Range | Energy Cost | Energy Neuted | Neut Efficiency | Neuting per Sec |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
0 | Heavy Energy Neutralizer I | 24 sec | 21,000m | 500 GJ | 500 GJ | 100% | ~20.8 GJ/sec |
1 | Heavy Rudementary Energy Destabilizer I | 24 sec | 22,050m | 500 GJ | 525 GJ | 105% | ~21.9 GJ/sec |
2 | Heavy 'Gremlin' Power Core Disruptor I | 24 sec | 23,100m | 500 GJ | 550 GJ | 110% | ~22.9 GJ/sec |
3 | 500W Infectious Power System Malfunction | 24 sec | 24,150m | 500 GJ | 575 GJ | 115% | ~24.0 GJ/sec |
4 | Heavy Unstable Power Fluctuator I | 24 sec | 25,200m | 500 GJ | 600 GJ | 120% | 25 GJ/sec |
5 | Heavy Energy Neutralizer II | 24 sec | 25,200m | 500 GJ | 600 GJ | 120% | 25 GJ/sec |
6 | 'Moat' Heavy Energy Neutralizer I | 24 sec | 25,200m | 500 GJ | 600 GJ | 120% | 25 GJ/sec |
eg 8 | Imperial Navy Heavy Energy Neutralizer | 24 sec | 29,400m | 500 GJ | 600 GJ | 120% | 25 GJ/sec |
eg 14 | Draclira's Modified Heavy Energy Neutralizer | 24 sec | 39,200m | 500 GJ | 600 GJ | 120% | 25 GJ/sec |
- note: the only difference between meta 4 to 6 is the fitting requirements
- the only difference between meta 8 (faction), meta 11 to 14 (commander), and from meta 4 to 6 is the range and fitting
- meta 11 to 14 (commander) have a huge increase in range - that example is the longest range neut in EVE
With these capabilities in mind, a ship fitted, and a victi... er... target located, the neut can be put into action.
There is no falloff and unless you are within the max neut range you will not be able to activate the module. If you are within range of a target and activate the neut the activation cost will immediately be deducted from your capacitor and the destabilized amount will be instantly deducted from the target's capacitor. Each cycle time if still within range this will be repeated for as long as you have capacitor to run it. Pretty simple, right?
The important thing to remember is that your goal is to 'cap out' your opponent and that you need to use a enough neutralization to overcome the peak recharge rate of their capacitor. Yes, you will make it harder for them to run cap stable, but likely you would be a more efficient killing machine using that high slot for something else if that is all you are accomplishing. The basic rule of thumb is that a good Cap Warfare setup has a neutralization rate MUCH higher than any concievable recharge rate. You want to cap out your opponent quickly and then have an easy way to keep the other pilot running on empty.
Energy Vampires
Energy Vampires - ie the assortment of Nosferatus (Nos) remove small amounts of cap, but instead of costing your own cap to do this they will actually give you the cap your opponent lost. Because of the huge potential of being able to hurt a target while only aiding yourself there are several rather severe limitations on these modules.
- Strengths
- Amount of cap removed from the target is transferred to you
- Quick cycle time
- Weaknesses
- Only transfers cap when your PERCENTAGE of capacitor is below the percentage of the targets capacitor
- Relatively short ranges (improves with module size)
- Removes much less cap than neutralizers and require more CPU to fit
Here is screenshot of the attributes of the meta 0 heavy nos:
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 you. The cycle time is consistent (3 seconds for small nos, 6 seconds for medium, and 12 seconds for heavy). Small nos will transfer from 8 - 10 GJ across the meta levels, medium from 30 - 36 GJ, and heavy from 100 - 135 GJ. The ranges for all the modules from meta 0 to the highest are between: small from 5,500m - 10,214m; medium from 10,500m - 19,500m; and heavy from 21,000m - 43,000m.
Stats for Small Nos 0 - 6 meta level, meta 8 (faction) example, and meta
Meta Level | Name | Cycle Time | Range | Energy Transfered | Nosing per Sec |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
0 | Small Nosferatu I | 3 sec | 5,500m | 8 GJ | ~2.7 GJ/sec |
1 | Small 'Ghoul' Energy Siphon I | 3 sec | 5,775m | 8.4 GJ | 2.8 GJ/sec |
2 | Small 'Knave' I Energy Drain | 3 sec | 6,050m | 8.8 GJ | ~2.9 GJ/sec |
3 | E5 Prototype Energy Vampire | 3 sec | 6,325m | 9.2 GJ | ~3.1 GJ/sec |
4 | Small Diminishing Power System Drain I | 3 sec | 6,600m | 9.6 GJ | 3.2 GJ/sec |
5 | Small Nosferatu II | 3 sec | 6,600m | 9.6 GJ | 3.2 GJ/sec |
6 | 'Upir' Small Nosferatu I | 3 sec | 6,500m | 10 GJ | ~3.3 GJ/sec |
eg 8 | Imperial Navy Small Nosferatu | 3 sec | 7,500m | 9.6 GJ | 3.2 GJ/sec |
eg 13 | Corpii A-Type Small Nosferatu | 3 sec | 10,214m | 10 GJ | ~3.3 GJ/sec |
- note: the only difference between meta 4 and 5 is the fitting requirements
- the only difference between meta 8 (faction) and from meta 4 and 5 is the range and fitting
- the only difference between meta 11 to 13 (complex) and from meta 6 is the range and fitting
Stats for Med Nos 0 - 6 meta level, meta 8 (faction) example, and meta 12 (complex) example
Meta Level | Name | Cycle Time | Range | Energy Transfered | Nosing per Sec |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
0 | Medium Nosferatu I | 6 sec | 10,500m | 30 GJ | 5.0 GJ/sec |
1 | Medium 'Ghoul' Energy Siphon I | 6 sec | 11,025m | 32 GJ | ~5.3 GJ/sec |
2 | Medium 'Knave' I Energy Drain | 6 sec | 11,550m | 33 GJ | 5.5 GJ/sec |
3 | E50 Prototype Energy Vampire | 6 sec | 12,075m | 35 GJ | ~5.8 GJ/sec |
4 | Medium Diminishing Power System Drain I | 6 sec | 12,600m | 36 GJ | 6.0 GJ/sec |
5 | Medium Nosferatu II | 6 sec | 12,600m | 36 GJ | 6.0 GJ/sec |
6 | 'Strigoi' Medium Nosferatu I | 6 sec | 12,500m | 36 GJ | 6.0 GJ/sec |
eg 8 | Imperial Navy Medium Nosferatu | 6 sec | 15,000m | 36 GJ | 6.0 GJ/sec |
eg 12 | Corpum B-Type Medium Nosferatu | 6 sec | 18,000m | 33 GJ | 5.5 GJ/sec |
- note: the only difference between meta 4 and 5 is the fitting requirements
- the only difference between meta 8 (faction) and from meta 4 and 5 is the range and fitting
- the only difference between meta 11 to 13 (complex) is the range and fitting
Stats for Heavy Nos 0 - 6 meta level, meta 8 (faction) example, meta 11 (complex) example, and meta (commander) example
Meta Level | Name | Cycle Time | Range | Energy Transfered | Nosing per Sec |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
0 | Heavy Nosferatu I | 12 sec | 21,000m | 100 GJ | ~8.3 GJ/sec |
1 | Heavy 'Ghoul' Energy Siphon I | 12 sec | 22,050m | 105 GJ | 8.75 GJ/sec |
2 | Heavy 'Knave' I Energy Drain | 12 sec | 23,100m | 110 GJ | ~9.2 GJ/sec |
3 | Heavy Prototype Energy Vampire | 12 sec | 24,150m | 115 GJ | ~9.6 GJ/sec |
4 | Heavy Diminishing Power System Drain I | 12 sec | 25,200m | 120 GJ | 10.0 GJ/sec |
5 | Heavy Nosferatu II | 12 sec | 25,200m | 120 GJ | 10.0 GJ/sec |
6 | 'Vrykolakas' Heavy Nosferatu I | 12 sec | 25,500m | 120 GJ | 10.0 GJ/sec |
eg 8 | Imperial Navy Heavy Nosferatu | 12 sec | 30,000m | 120 GJ | 10.0 GJ/sec |
eg 11 | Corpum C-Type Heavy Nosferatu | 12 sec | 33,000m | 120 GJ | 10.0 GJ/sec |
eg 14 | Shaqil's Modified Heavy Nosferatu | 12 sec | 43,000m | 120 GJ | 10.0 GJ/sec |
- note: the only difference between meta 4 and 5 is the fitting requirements
- the only difference between meta 8 (faction) and from meta 4 to 6 is the range and fitting
- the only difference between meta 11 to 14 (complex and commander) is the range and fitting
So if you are within range of a target, and your cap is lower as a percentage than the cap of that target then an activated nos acts exactly like a neut. The difference is that the 'activation cost' is a negative amount subtracted from your capacitor (so the cap is added on) equivalent to the amount removed from the opponent.
The caveat on only actively draining cap from the opponent when your own cap is lower means that the key offenseive element of caping out your opponent specifically requires you to be capped out as well. Even if this was not the case the low amounts of energy actually removed from a target while using a nosferatu makes it practically impossible to cap out an opponent using these modules. These are pretty severe limitations. Accordingly, nos require a different methodology than neuts and can be considered as a defensive form of cap warfare. Employment as a highslot cap recharger can be very useful for high cap usage fits (often multiple shield booster / armour repper fits will include a nos). They are also commonly employed in combination with neuts which are obviously cap intensive to run. If you are using a meta 0 heavy neut on a target with a larger capacitor than you, and 500GJ is 25% percent of your capacitor but only 10% of your targets capacitor, a nos will almost always be running. It will be helping to directly cap out this target with a much larger capacitor by removing those small amounts of cap while helping to keep your neut running as well. It is even easier to effectively employ in a gang situation with multiple targets. While neuting your main target you nos an alternative target and they spend the fight donating cap which is helping to destroy their fleet mate, now if that isn't fun I don't know what is! Properly employed this synergy between neuts and nos is extremely important. Nosferatus are extremely useful modules in certain circumstances but they require a better plannning and tactical employment than neuts.
Energy Neutralizing Drones
Light, medium and heavy neutralizing drones employ the same general principles as other drones. General infomation can be found here and will not be discussed in this guide.
- Energy Neutralizer Drones
- Strengths
- normal Drone range mechanics
- Neutralizer drones have no impact on your cap
- Weaknesses
- normal Drone weaknesses of vulnerability, flight times etc.
- Constant cycle time of 6 seconds for each type of drone with relatively small portions of cap neutralized
- Strengths
Here is a screenshot of the attributes with the information on neutralization for each of the drones:
As you can see cycle times are identical for all 3 sizes of drones at 6 seconds. The amount neutralized is easy to remember as well 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 and there is no stacking or usage concerns between drones.
Accordingly: A full flight (5) of 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.
So knowing this approximate effectiveness together with the strengths, such as great range, and weaknesses, such as targetability, of drones we will discuss their use in the fitting and fighting section.
Skills
Their is only 1 skill that directly impacts the effectiveness of your Capacitor Warfare modules and it only effects 1 type of cap warfare modules: destabilizers. This skill is Energy Emission Systems. It will reduce the activation cost of all neuts by 5% per level which has excellent results on efficiency. At level 5 a Tech II heavy neut will only require 375 GJ per cycle to neutralize 600 GJ. This is 160% efficiency. Unfortunately this has no positive effect on nos or drones as they do not use capacitor to activate.
The better your capacitor the more effectively you can conduct effective cap warfare. Therefore both Energy Management and Energy Systems Operation are extremely important skills and should be trained to 5 for serious cap 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. More cap available for cap warfare that is. Depending on preference, ship types, and fits the relative importance of each skill will change but can all be considered a good investment of SP.
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 there cap will not decrease.
Under the player to NPC behaviour for EWAR, is the caveat that use of neutralizers, neutralizing drones, or nos on NPCs will result in a chance of disrupting both shield or armour repairing by the NPC. I don't know the numbers but the chance of disrupting repairs increases with the size of the modules and decreases 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.
Additionally because they have infinite cap a nos can be counted on to provide infinite power to the user. As soon as you are below 100% capacitor you can always steadily draw cap from an NPC with a nos. This can be used in mission running quite effectively with certain setups, range likely being the prime limitation. This also means that if you are ever in the situation of sitting on a low sec gate tanking gate guns (not in the Uni of course) you can sit beside the billboard and nos as much as you like to keep your repairers running smoothly.
Ships
Any empty utility high slot or spare drone capacity is a reason to consider using capacitor warfare on any ship. However, certain ships excel at using this form of EWAR.
Things you need for cap warfare? A strong capacitor yourself if neuts are planned. However, nos will actually help bolster a weak capacitor and drones will have no effect either way. A setup already dependent on close range lends itself to use of neuts or nos, or a long range ship looking for options against close range aggressors. Spare high slots or drone capacity are of course essential.
Prime examples of 'casual' capacitor warfare usage would be a blaster boat with a Nos in a utility high, or an EWAR boat like an Arbitrator with 'defensive' neuts in case a fast tackler gets too close. Many solo fits for frigates with a utility high include a nos to keep the frigate's tackle, guns and tank running if it attacks a larger ship which has a neut fitted. Solo/small gang fits for several Minmatar ships (commonly the Rupture, Hurricane, Typhoon and Tempest) often include at least one medium or large neut in their utility highs as part of their defence against smaller targets, especially since the disadvantage of generally small capacitors is rendered irrelevant by using neuts against ships a class size smaller.
T1 Usage
There are no T1 hulls in the game with a direct bonus to capacitor warfare, but some ships are better suited for it than others.
Since the strength of capacitor is the number 1 consideration on a non-bonused hull, Amarr ships are generally the best non bonused cap warfare ships. The general race capacitor strengths are Amarr > Gallente ~ Caldari > Minmatar. Minmatar ships and Gallente droneboats are often particularly well supplied with utility highs. Any ship which doesn't use capacitor to run its weapons (Minmatar projectile ships, Gallente drone ships, Caldari missile ships and Amarr ships fitted with projectile turrets) or to maintain its tank (buffer armour tanks and passive shield tanks without active hardeners) has more capacitor to spare for capacitor warfare.
Punisher
The Punisher has an inordinately large capacitor for a T1 frigate. In fact, at 425 GJ without skills, it is larger than its runners up by 75 GJ (the Caldari Merlin and Gallente Tristan at 350 GJ - the Minmatar Rifter only has a 250 GJ capacitor), it is also has a larger one than all T2 frigates other than the Retribution (Amarr Assault Ship), and most of the faction frigates. It also has a utility high slot unuseable for DPS due to the number of turret and lack of missile slots. Finally it is particularly well suited to a negligable (DCU) capacitor armour tank due to its inherrent armour resist bonuses, four low slots, and very nice amount of shield and armour HP. Taken together the Punisher is the undisputed King of T1 frigate cap warfare platforms.
- The Punisher is the T1 frigate with the most robust capacitor and at least one (venerable) strategy for fitting it relies on a nos in precisely this way.
This faction frigate shares many of the Punishers advantages for Capacitor Warfare. It has a very large capacitor for its class size: 500 GJ without skills. It has a utility high slot due to the number of turret and lack of missle slots. It has a very good tank with 5 low slots, lending itself to a negligable (DCU) armour buffer tank if desired.
If used for cap warfare the optimal range bonus with Imperial Navy Mutifrequency (s) ties in rather well with the short range of small neuts or noses, and the effectiveness of a Multifrequency Pulse, Neut, AB, Scram, buffer tanked slicer is undeniable.
cruisers tbi
bcs tbi
Dominix
- Gallente drone boats rely on drones for much of their DPS and sometimes fit their high slots for capacitor warfare -- neuts are particularly common on the Dominix.
- The Amarr Arbitrator is also a drone boat, and so sometimes fits neuts and/or noses for the same reason.
Ships with Capacitor Warfare Bonuses
Amarr Ships
Sentinel
Pilgrim
Curse
Legion - with Electronics Subsystem (Electronic Parasytic Complex)
Blood Raider Ships
Cruor
Ashimmu
Bhaalgorn
Fitting and Fighting for Cap Warfare
Credits