Golden Horde Punishers

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Golden Horde

The Golden Horde are Blaster MWD Punishers. They are effectively the Armor version of the Magic Merlins, aiming to brawl up close and personal against larger opponents. Like the Merlins they take advantage of the ships natural resist bonus, while also using the huge amount of low slots to fit a frankly ridiculous armor tank. A well skilled Punisher has by far the highest EHP of any T1 frigate, and is on a par with most T2 frigates (for around a fifth of the cost). Due to the high resists, they also catch reps exceptionally well. As the Punisher has no damage bonus to a particular weapons type (only a capacitor bonus for lasers) it can be fitted effectively with any weapons system. This doctrine uses Neutron Blasters for the highest possible close range DPS of any weapons system. Four turret slots mean the overall DPS of a Blaster Punisher exceeds even Magic Merlins. Alternative close range weapons systems, like Autocannons, or Pulse Lasers can be used depending on pilot skills, however the Blaster version is preferable due to the high DPS

Implementation

Your basic strategy is to use the MWD to close range fast, then once scrams/webs are applied to your opponent, orbit at 500m, deactivate the MWD (to reduce signature radius) and deploy short range Void or Antimatter ammunition into the face of your prey

Your strengths are your huge tank, low sig radius, and great resist profile meaning you catch Logi reps very well. A couple of Logi ships in a Punisher fleet can render you almost unkillable except by high alpha damage. In addition, with Neutron Blasters, you have a huge 200+ DPS per ship to deploy at close range

The Punisher’s main weakness however is its speed. With the Microwarpdrive it can catch almost anything Battlecruiser and above, but it is slower than the Magic Merlins, and most fast nano-kiting Cruisers and smaller will still be able to pull range if not scrammed immediately. Watch your opponent’s speed and disengage if he’s kiting you.

The second weakness is that it only has two mid-slots. One is always used for the MWD, while the second can hold either a Warp Scrambler, or a Web. Your fleet needs both, so make sure you have your fleet swap modules around to ensure a good spread of both. This requires a little more micromanagement for an FC, and neglecting this can create issues later on in the fleet

In terms of targets, this remains a gank doctrine primarily aiming for fighting small numbers of large, slow ships (Battleships etc). It is also capable of fighting well against similar brawling fleets such as Magic Merlins, or T2 Assault Frigate fleets, however anything which has a range and speed advantage is a concern (Jackdaw fleets, Retributions, Cormorants etc)

As a close range brawling frigate doctrine, the natural home of the Golden Horde is in Faction Warfare Low Sec, where small ship fleets can thrive, and where plex mechanics allow better control over engagement ranges in the event of a fleet vs fleet fights

Fleet Composition

The primary DD fits are as below, however as noted, the strong preference is for the Blaster variant

FCs may also want to look at adding fits from the Brawling Assault Frigates as direct upgrades to the fits below which higher SP fleet members can use to add some additional combat capacity to this new player focused fleet

Inquisitor MWD Armor Logi

Your MWD frigates require an MWD Logi to support them effectively. 3:1 ratio of DD to Logi is ideal. As noted earlier, Logi support scales very well with the Punishers huge buffer, and high resists, so always ensure you have a decent spread of Logistics ships to maximize the capability of this doctrine

MWD Hyena

The slow speed of the Punishers means that ships with long range webs are arguably essential to slow down ships at long range, so that the Punishers can close range and lock a target down with their own scrams and webs. The Hyena is the ideal ship for this, however if you want to retain the T1 profile (to enter a Novice plex etc) then a Vigil Fleet Issue can fulfill this role with slightly lower effectiveness. One Hyena per 10 ships is probably sufficient.

Support Magus

An Armor Command Destroyer offers huge flexibility of mobility and tactical options with the MJFG, while Command Bursts can push the already high tank even higher, or give you a slight speed burst – however as a T2 Destroyer it is an expensive addition to an otherwise very cheap doctrine, and should not be considered essential

Police Comets

A slightly more expensive variation on this theme can use Federation Navy Comets as the primary DD ship. As they are faction frigates, rather than T1 frigates, the base hull cost is higher, however they can still be flown with relatively low skills, and combine a very fast base speed with an excellent armor tank, and frankly devastating damage output. Indeed, a Comet can almost match the performance of a T2 Enyo Assault Frigate, but with slightly lower SP and ISK requirements

Most importantly however, the Comet gets the best skin in the game in the form of the Police skin, turning your fleet of brawlers into a Concord approved police patrol, and letting you shout things such as “Woop woop it’s the space police” as you lead the charge against the criminal scum of Low Sec