Longbow Cormorants

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Longbow Cormorants

Longbows are a long range kiting/sniper doctrine. The basic concept of the fleet is to fight at extremely long ranges by maximising on the double range bonus that the Cormorant has, with the added help of a pair of Locus Coordinator rigs. This will give these ships an optimal range out to 80km even with low skills. These ship are extremely delicate however, therefore it is key that FCs optimise fleet positioning so that they can use that range to their advantage. Longbows are often referred to as a High Risk, High Reward doctrine. If the fleet finds themselves out of place, the almost complete lack of tank and resists can allow the adversary to decimate the fleet. A single, well positioned bomber pilot can be enough to wipe out the fleet. That said, their ability to put out sustained DPS with almost no tracking constraints, makes the Longbow an excellent choice for skirmishing and third party fights.

Implementation

Longbows excel at long range fighting. As previously mentioned, positing of the fleet is key to any successful engagement. If the fleet is taking damage from the adversary, certainly if it is sustained damage, then the fleet positioning is off. One thing to be very clear about is that FC should forget the idea of forcing a fleet fight. Due to the extreme range involved, it's very difficult to actually hold down an opposing fleet against their will. Instead, the main goal is to appear to be a appetising target. We want the adversary to think that they can beat us so that they stay around and attempt to do so. Our fleet of Longbows then can pick off targets as the adversary attempts to close the range. Kill what you can until the fleet positioning is compromised, warp off and reposition. Continue to do this until either fleet has been destroyed, or the adversary gives up.

Much like any large fleet, there are two main ways for the FC to position the fleet. The first way to fight is to anchor on the FC (Keep at Range 1000m). The FC can then attempts to maintain range away from a target if they do not perceive the fleet to be at risk, or to position the fleet at range prior to an engagement.

Secondly, and when actually fighting, best practice is to always be aligned. To make things easier, everyone in the fleet should have the Align To command visible in their broadcast history. As soon as the fleet lands on grid, the FC should broadcast a celestial for the fleet to align to. Everyone in the fleet should them immediate align to the broadcast BEFORE anything else. Fleet members should not break alignment unless FC calls for it.

As the fleet will not have any Logistics support, it is the responsibility of the individual pilot to ensure that they get themselves out of danger. If, at ANY point during the fight, a member of the fleet finds themselves being targeted (either Yellow or Red boxed) they are to immediately warp off themselves to the broadcasted align point and wait for the fleet to reposition. Unless specifically called to by the FC, fleet members should also NEVER warp themselves back to the fleet. By the time they land, they will be well out of position from the remaining fleet members on grid and are likely to therefore pointlessly die due to impatience. As previously mentioned, once the FC feels that the fleet position has been compromised (targets are too close for comfort or the fleet is taking too much damage) they should fleet warp all remaining members to the broadcasted align to. When landing, immediately call the next align to and repeat the process.

Fleet Composition

When it comes to a Longbow fleet, the main thing to consider is "the more, the merrier..."

Primarily the fleet should consist almost entirely of Cormorants. The more Cormorants in fleet, the higher the overall fleet DPS and therefore the faster the fleet can destroy adversary ships as they look to burn in those 80kms. Due to the extreme ranges that they should be fighting at, and the extremely low ehp that Longbows have, there is no requirement to have a Logistics wing with the fleet.

The Cormorant fit is very basic and designed purely around range. The two Small Hybrid Locus Coordinator I rigs extend the range the Railguns out past 100km for a well skilled pilot. Next, the two Sensor Boosters are used to extend the Cormorants maximum lock range out to match the now improved optimal of the Railguns. A MWD is needed for the fleet to maintain positioning and finally the low slots have two Magnetic Field Stabilizers to maximise the raw DPS output of the fit.

The default ammunition for fighting at range is either Spike (for those with T2 Railguns) or Caldari Navy Iron Charge S (for T1 guns). Targeting Range Scripts should be used in the Sensor Boosters. There is also the option to change to a close range configuration using Caldari Navy Antimatter Charge S and Scan Resolution Scripts when attempting to gank lone, weak targets but primarily the fleet should be set up to engage at range.

Caldari Destroyer III and Sharpshooter III are a basic requirement for this doctrine Without them pilots will not be able to hit out to the magical 80km. This allows the fleet to fight outside the maximum range of most other kiting doctrines. Alpha Pilots and anyone else who does not have a 80km optimal (even with Caldari Destroyer III and Sharpshooter III pilots still be a little short) you will also need to bring 3x Standard Frentix Booster to make up the additional range. These last 30 minutes each and require Biology I. Each level of Biology further increases their duration, therefore also worth training if you can find the time.

Alpha Longbow

You will not have the fitting to be able to fit all 7 hybrid turrets. Only use 6 turrets instead.

Omega Newbro Cormorant

You should comfortably be able to fit 7 turrets and reach out to 80km without the booster. If you can, use this as a baseline and upgrade what modules you can to match the T2 mainline fit. Use the Alpha Pilot fit if you cannot due to poor fitting skills.

Support Ships

For support ships, Scouts should bring Interceptors. EWAR aim to bring Vigils and Hyenas with dual Target Painters (for maximum fleet damage application) that can lock out past 80km. Target painters do not stack well, therefore any more than two bonused ships will become a waste (4x painters in total). Additional EWAR such as Damps or ECM does have some use such as disrupting opposing Logistics ships. Electronic Attack Frigates can also offer some support for ganks, such as providing long range tackle, however mainline Cormorant numbers should not be compromised to accommodate this. Finally a Command Destroyer can be used for Skirmish Boosts and fleet positioning.