Difference between revisions of "Interdictors"

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== Interdictors ==
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'''Interdictors''' (sometimes called "'''dictors'''") are advanced [[destroyer]] hulls which can launch warp disruption and stasis webification probes. Their probes are one of the few ways to create [[Tackling#Warp disruption fields|bubbles]], which prevent anyone trapped in them from warping away, and which can suck victims away from their intended warp destination. This ability makes them a valued class of ship in [[wormhole]] space and [[nullsec]] warfare.
  
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Interdictors and HICs ([[Cruiser#Heavy Interdictors|Heavy Interdictors]]) are the only ships that can tackle Titans and Motherships. They play a key role in nullsec. They launch warp disruption probes, usually called bubbles. Those probes create a warp disruption field in a 20km radius from the probe: inside that field, nothing can warp, no matter how many [[WCS|stabs]] they fit.  
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Interdictors are the smaller siblings of [[Heavy Interdiction Cruisers]] ("HICs"), which have a different bubbling capability.
  
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Interdictors are Tech 2 Destroyers. These are near-useless in highsec and lowsec, because bubbles cannot be used in lowsec or highsec space. 
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== Probes ==
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{{See also|Tackling#Tackle Modules}}
  
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The core tactical advantage of an interdictor is the ability to launch three types of probes out of a fitted '''Interdiction Sphere Launcher'''. Only one launcher may be fitted to a ship at a time, and its use is prohibited in [[Empire Space]], limiting its use to any system with a security status 0.0 or below or any [[Corruption_and_Suppression#Stage_5_-_Max_Corruption|lowsec system at level 5 corruption]]. Due to this restriction, Interdictors have little utility within high-security space.
  
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* Amarr: [[Heretic]]
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The three types of launchable probe are:
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* Caldari: [[Flycatcher]]
 
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* Gallente: [[Eris]]
 
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* Minmatar: [[Sabre]]
 
  
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==General Tips==
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# '''Warp Disrupt Probe''' - Creates a warp disruption field with a 20 km radius from the launch point of the probe, resulting in a 40 km diameter spherical field of effect. Any ship that is inside the field cannot warp out. Ships that have selected "Warp to" in their user interface but are bubbled before they have entered warp will cancel their warp and come to a complete stop once affected by the bubble, with the exception of ships warping due to a logoff. These probes also prevent capital ships from [[Jump drives|cynoing and jumping out]]. Ships with activated Interdiction Nullifiers and all [[shuttles]] are the only hulls immune to disruption bubbles. These warp disruption probes remain on-grid for 2 minutes before disappearing. Only 3 probes may be loaded in the launcher at a time.
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# Here's a basic guide to using an interdictor: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdoR7mhyWe8
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# '''Surgical Warp Disrupt Probe''' - These probes are similar to Warp Disrupt Probes but have a smaller radius of 10 km, and so a 20 km diameter. In return, they last an extra minute for 3 minutes on on-grid. Only 3 probes may be loaded in the launcher at a time.
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##Dictor bubble radius is 20km
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# '''Stasis Webification Probe''' - Nicknamed the "Wubble", this probe detonates 3 seconds after launching and instantly applies a 40% speed reduction to all ships within 10 km for 30 seconds. Wubbles don't persist after detonating and don't disrupt the warp drives of ships they affect. Still, they can be used in combination with conventional bubbles to immobilize further and hinder an enemy fleet. Only 5 probes may be loaded in the launcher at a time. Launching a subsequent bubble that affects the same ship only resets the timer and does not stack with the pre-existing webification effect.
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##Account for the ~1.5s delay between launcher activation and bubble drop when moving
 
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##Bubble affects ships that have ''activated'' warp, whether trying to warp in or out of it.
 
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##Know where the undock is for station camping
 
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##Bubble the middle of the gate for system gate camping
 
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##Place bubbles outside of anticipated smartbomb range, 5km (this is less necessary with Rev 2's bubble HP boost)
 
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# Interdictor pilots will have poor Kill/Death ratios. You will be called primary in every engagement with the enemy. You will be the number 1 threat to any enemy fleet, so focus on survivability (read: escape), not damage output. Drop a bubble and jump out or warp away. If you do this and come back to the fight, chances are the enemy will not call you primary straight away.
 
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## Practice bubble dropping to get accustomed to the delay. A good dictor pilot knows the time and range to launch for his ship to ensure a perfect placement while passing at top speeds.
 
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## Speed is Life -Because you want to live, fit speed mods (overdrives/nanofibers) in the low slots.
 
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## Fit a MSE - Medium Shield Extender, this is your buffer. You should have between 1500-2000 HP of shield by comparison with speed rigs my sabre has around 650 HP of armor. Once you get below 50% seriously think about warping away. Once that shield buffer is gone, you will just about be alpha'd.
 
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## A [[MWD]] is required to escape. Remember, though, that the MWD will drastically increase your sig radius, after leaving your bubble either warp out or transition smoothly into a high transversal orbit. You need to travel faster than 3.5kms (and preferably over 4kms) to speed tank missiles.
 
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# Bubble launcher does not auto-repeat.  (Rev2.0)
 
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# The dictor launcher can fire fast enough to perma-bubble with one launcher.(Rev2.0) Train Interdictors to V to make the most of this.
 
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# Be ready, always position yourself on the center of the gate either above or below it and aligned to something so that you can drop your bubble, burn and warp out. When camping a gate do it with your ship directly under the little stargate icon in the middle of the stargate if it's Gallente or Caldari. If it's an Amarr gate, right in the middle of the ring on top of the icon instead. If it's a Smuggler Route gate, a little towards the front of the gate, just in front of the icon.
 
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# Cloaked interdictors are great for laying traps (and general survival). If an enemy ganksquad is nearby, consider cloaking a dictor under a gate and have the rest of the fleet >15au away from that gate, outside of scanning range. When the enemy jumps in, the dictor decloaks, drops a bubble and then jumps out. The rest of our gang can then warp in to bookmarks above/below the gate and wipe them out. Even if the gang has a cov ops scout, they will think its clear and jump in.
 
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# You might want wrecks on your overview; you're going to want to use them as warp-ins to bubble the rest of the enemy fleet. <i>see [[#How to be a Hero|How to be a Hero]]</i>
 
  
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===About the "bubble" (Warp Disrupt Probe)===
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All probes are immune to targeted damage. They can only be damaged and destroyed by [[bombs]] and [[smartbombs]].
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# Anyone trying to warp to a spot within 150km of the edge of the bubble will be pulled to the edge of it,  ''if'' the bubble is in line with the two objects the ship is warping between, and on grid with the destination object.
 
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# It cannot be targeted, thus it is vulnerable only to bombs and smartbombs.  Bubbles have 1000 hitpoints with no resists (revelations 2)
 
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# Launching a bubble does not count as aggression '''HOWEVER once someone tries to warp inside your bubble, you will become aggressed.'''. Therefore, you can drop a bubble on an enemy at a gate and still jump through if you do it quickly. This is valuable for bubbling an enemy then jumping through and bubbling other side in case they try to jump through and run.
 
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# Interdictor bubbles cannot be deployed outside of 0.0 space.
 
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# Bubbles function with an anchored bubble nearby.
 
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# Bubbles stop cap ships in them from cyno-ing out.
 
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# Bubbles will cancel warps in-progress in the same way as warp scrambler modules
 
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# Bubbles will NOT prevent emergency warps (from logging off) if they (the bubble) are deployed AFTER the ctrl-q / log off.
 
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# Bubbles last for 2 minutes, during that time they act like [[Mobile Warp Disruptor]]s, but will only catch ships that initiated warp AFTER the dictor bubble was deployed.
 
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# A tech 3 cruiser fitted with the Interdiction Nullifier subsystem will however not be affected by any kind of bubbles.
 
  
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===Fleet ops===
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For each probe type, the launcher can launch a probe every 5 seconds and takes 60 seconds to reload. Given that warp disrupt probes last at minimum 2 minutes depending on which one you use, this allows you to maintain a persistent set of bubbles on the field until you run out of charges in your cargo. Placing warp disrupt probes does not cause you to become aggressed.
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# Understand your Fleet Commander's bubbling strategy. Some will tell you to bubble anything you can, others want only sniping bs's, others want you to bubble only on order. A bubble where your FC doesn't expect one can get your gang caught and killed.
 
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# Always know where the Fleet Commanders safe warp to spot will be. Often this a POS or a spot near the Sun. This can be tricky, but you must ensure that your bubble would not be in line with this safe spot and prevent your fleet from warping out. They will get sucked into your bubble.
 
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# After-warp bubble deployment in fleet fights can be hairy, since lag and timing issues might drop your bubble too far from the enemy.
 
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# When learning, it is expected to receive some grief from fellow gang mates when you get them killed with your bubbles. Take it in stride but learn from your mistakes.
 
  
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===Advanced Techniques===
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== Ships ==
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There are currently four different Interdictors, one for each of the main [[races]]. Each Interdictor has a ''10% reduction in Microwarpdrive signature radius bonus'' bonus per level of the {{Sk|Interdictors}} skill trained. Other bonuses vary per ship.
  
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# ''Using your bubble like an anchor'd bubble.'' When a hostile enters local but not from your gate, bubble then move to the edge of your bubble that is facing the gate they came from, if possible get others to assign you drones. This will help in decloaking covops. If you are doing this solo, be aligned, at 3/4 speed, and constantly spamming scan. The worst thing you can catch will be a rapier (follow'd by other recons), but the decloak calibration should be enough for you to escape to warp. Everything else dangerous you will be able to scan before it is caught. You can do this 100-150kms infront or behind the gate or station. It is just like using a medium anchor'd bubble, except -1. the bubble only lasts 2 minutes,2. will only catch things that initiate warp AFTER bubble is deployed and 3. will give you a 30sec aggression timer whenever someone tries to warp within your bubble.
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* {{sh|Heretic}} - Extremely thick armor for its size, but also rather slow. Each level of the {{Sk|Amarr Destroyer}} skill provides a ''15% bonus armor hitpoints'' and ''5% bonus to Light Missile launcher and Rocket rate of fire''. The Interdictors skill bonus provides ''4% bonus to all armor resistances'' for level.
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#  Bubble infront of the enemy fleet: every sniping bs fleet aligns on something and its easy to see what it is; when you land at the enemy fleet align on the same thing and drop your second bubble infront of them [you drop the first one when you land]
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* {{sh|Flycatcher}} - Extremely thick shields for its size, but with only 1 low slot it must choose between speed and resilience. Each level of the {{Sk|Caldari Destroyer}} skill provides ''10% bonus to Light Missile and Rocket kinetic damage'' and ''10% bonus to Light Missile and Rocket max velocity'' bonuses. The Interdictors skill bonus provides ''15% bonus to shield hitpoints''.
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#  Delay bubbling - a technique pioneered by BlackOps; used when gatecamping, often useful for catching small ships. When the target jumps through the gate, the dictor waits until it decloaks before bubbling. Often, a person jumping through a gate into a gatecamp will try to warp away immediately if they see they're in a bubble, especially if they're in a small, fast ship. Then, when the dictor drops his bubble, not only will the attempt to warp be aborted, the person will also be aggressed and thus unable to burn back to the gate to jump through. Often, the person falling for the delay bubble trick will be confused for a couple of seconds when the warp fails, until he notices the bubble - which is all the time you need to tackle him. The weakness of delay bubbling is that unless the dictor pilot is paying close attention, or if the system is considerably lagged, the bubble will be dropped too late to catch the target.
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* {{sh|Eris}} - A hybrid turret ship that has the highest potential DPS of the set. Each level of the {{Sk|Gallente Destroyer}} skill provides ''7.5% bonus to Small Hybrid Turret rate of fire'' and ''10% bonus to Small Hybrid Turret tracking speed'' bonuses. The Interdictor skill bonus provides ''20% reduction in Armor Plate mass penalty''; this makes the Eris more agile when fitted with a buffer armor tank.
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# Probing Dictor. By fitting two Co-Processor II's you can squeeze a Bubble launcher and an Expended Probe Launcher on a Heretic and still have room for a Microwarpdrive. You do not get any scan bonuses but if you have four Combat Scan Probes out set up with 1 or 0,5 AU range you will get 100% hits on battleship on grid easily. Which means you'll be able to warp to that sniper fleet about 8 seconds after they appear on grid to bubble them. Since you have no tank at all you'll very likely die but you cannot be popped on the way in.
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* {{sh|Sabre}} - Often preferred for its mixture of high speed, durable shields, and reliable ability to fit a rack of autocannons. Each level of the {{Sk|Minmatar Destroyer}} skills provides ''5% bonus to Small Projectile Turret damage'' and ''10% bonus to Small Projectile Turret tracking speed'' bonuses. The Interdictor skill bonus provides ''10% bonus to Small Projectile Turret falloff'' per level.
  
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===How to be the Hero===
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For years, the Sabre has been the most popular choice for an Interdictor because of its specific combination of useful traits. The Eris is useful when the 'dictor needs to supply DPS too, and the Heretic and Flycatcher come in handy when high survivability is needed.
  
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Dictors command a lot of power in Fleet battles.  They are the Number One Threat to the enemy fleet, and will be treated as such (i.e. primaried).  You can be a hero and single handedly turn a blueballs fleet encounter into a full on rape.  Follow these simple guidelines:
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== Roles and Fits ==
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Due to the limits of the Sphere Launcher, the Interdictor generally has two roles, requiring different types of fit:
  
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* Accept the fact that you are already dead. Most of the time you will die, so you must make sure you cause maximum anguish to the enemy. This isn't so expensive for sabre pilots anymore since the alliance reimbursement program started.
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# The Interdictor is an excellent tool in nullsec small-gang PvP. This role generally involves active engagement by the Interdictor in the fight, so DPS can be a consideration. Small gang fits are generally fit for damage, a moderate tank, and secondary tackle modules in addition to the Interdiction Sphere Launcher.
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# In a large fleet, Interdictors are entirely given over to the larger fleet's tactics and do not need to apply DPS. Fleet-fit interdictors rarely, if ever, directly engage enemy ships, as [[Timers#Combat_Timers|combat timers]] might prevent the dictor from jumping a gate to be able to bubble the other side. Fleet interdictors tend to employ a cloak to increase the chance of remaining on the field and allow the pilot to assess the situation as they are often primary targets in a battle's opening stages. This role is generally known to have no guns nor tackle modules. In addition to the Interdiction Sphere Launcher, their choice of modules focus on a cloak, speed, and increasing the probability and ability to survive through enhancing resistances and/or increasing tank buffer.
  
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Strategy A
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Both fleet and small-gang Interdictors can benefit from hyperspatial rigs that let them warp faster. They might also employ a prototype [[cloak]] to conceal their presence from the directional scanner; since Interdictors do not need to target anything to launch their probes, the penalty to targeting speed from fitting a cloak and the post-cloak targeting delay can be ignored.
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# Not all fleet fights happen at or beyond 150Km. When the battleships are given a warpin, warp in at 50Km or more.  When done correctly, you will exit warp beyond most enemy optimals and be more than 150Km from their fleet. Adjust your strategy if your waprin is on the far side of the fleet. NOTE: Spatial awareness is required to pull this off. 
 
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# Align towards the enemy fleet with your MWD off and wait for something to pop.
 
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# As soon as a wreck appears in the enemy fleet, warp to it at zero and launch your bubble. Immediately align to a warpout and hit the MWD. You will most likely die, but you will also have the satisfaction of hearing the FC talk over TS about how good that bubble was and you will know that you managed to completely destroy a 100 man BS fleet in the process.
 
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# If you die, go fit another dictor, then do it all over again. Your job is to be a kamikaze and cause the enemy to be bubbled.
 
  
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Strategy B
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Wormhole space lacks Local chat, forcing pilots to rely on [[D-Scan]] for scouting. Moreover, wormholes can be jumped despite active combat timers. Furthermore, fleets in wormhole space must often be smaller than fleets out in nullsec, meaning each ship must bring more tools to the table. These factors tend to tilt wormhole Interdictor fits towards small-gang style arrangements. The lack of Local in wormholes places an extra value on rigging for warp speed, as an Interdictor's appearance on D-scan might often be a target's first hint that a cloaked scout is calling in threats on them.
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# Coming in with the fleet then burning out of range then cloaking is also a decent tactic provided you don't get popped.
 
  
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[[category:Ships]]
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When choosing which fit to use, players should understand the objectives of their fleet commander and the characteristics of the other ships involved in the friendly fleet. Large organized groups typically have one or more pre-designed interdictor fits to help pilots fit into their [[doctrines]].
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== Tactics ==
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The single most important fact to remember when at the controls of a 'dictor is that the Interdictor's most powerful ability equally affects all ships, friend or foe. If you trap enemy ships and pods, any friendlies in the same space will be trapped too.
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The presence of your bubbles should not be a surprise to your fleet, in particular your fleet commander ("FC"). Operating an Interdictor will often either make you the fleet's favorite member, or their most hated. You don't want to be bubbling your DPS fleet without clear instructions from your FC. Ensure you have established clear operating instructions, including if and when you have discretion to place bubbles at will. Remember that bubbling a gate will slow down any friendlies who enter the system through that gate.
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If a fleet/gang is willing to engage your fleet/gang, then there is usually nothing you need to do: they aren't fleeing, so there is no need to risk your ship. The most optimal time to drop a bubble is often the point when you or the FC believe the opposing ship(s) are intending to flee, whether that is at the beginning of the engagement or mid-engagement.
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=== Fleet Engagements ===
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As mentioned earlier, Interdictors are usually the first ship class to be primaried by opposing fleet commanders. This means that without proper situational awareness, your ship may meet an immediate untimely death. Speed and awareness of other ships and their range are going to be the way you stay alive in the short term. However, in order to place bubbles, you have to eventually get up close and personal to the fleet during an engagement.
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One way to remain on the battlefield, and to help introduce or maintain an element of surprise is to cloak up as early as possible, which you should generally be able to do before you are locked. Cloaking also has the side benefit that the opposing FC might not see you when they are evaluating the field composition, or might eventually forget about your presence. If you have warped in with the rest of the fleet, burn in a direction away from the fleet and activate your cloak. If you warped in later or at range, cloak up once you hit grid and begin moving. You ideally want to be positioned >150 km from all possible objects of interest in the enemy fleet. You want to be able to warp to a friendly ship that is engaged within the enemy fleet, or a wreck, can or other debris when the time is right. As such, make sure your overview has all warpable objects visible and available. As the fleet engagement develops, keep an active observation of the different ways you can approach the field, which could involve uncloaking and warping to a nearby friendly and re-cloaking. If you're not undertaking a specific action, being further away is better than being close.
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==== Offensive Bubbles ====
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When the situation warrants dropping a bubble, understand where you need to bubble, execute that manoeuvre, and immediately leave the field. Failure to know where your warp-out point will be ahead of time will significantly increase the risk that you will be targeted and killed. Even more so, it prevents you from conducting follow-up runs on the field and inhibits you from being tasked with chasing the fleet. Where you ultimately warp to onto the field may not be the point that is the most effective to drop your bubbles; Be aware of the need to maintain high transversal and speed while within range of enemy ships. A Microwarpdrive is a critical component for manoeuvrability once landing on grid, although it will bloom your signature radius. In any circumstance, [[Overheating|heat]] and activate your hardeners, and warp away as soon as you can.
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If you want to try more advanced tactics, if the enemy fleet is a kiting fleet, which is generally always aligned to another object, you can try to drop a bubble in front of the fleet's line of travel. This will prevent the fleet from warping from their aligned tactical and will need to reposition themselves. This can be done as a single launch or can be part of when you launch your initial bubble inside the fleet (i.e., after you launch your first bubble, align in the same direction as the fleet and then drop a second bubble in front of them.)
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Likewise, there are some fits on Interdictors, such as the Heretic, which allow you to fit an Expanded Probe Launcher in addition to your Cloaking Device, Interdiction Sphere Launcher, and MWD with a light tank. This will allow you to get successful scans on battleships within 8 seconds with only 4 probes. You're more likely to die in such a configuration, but it will give you more freedom to decide when to land within the enemy fleet, whether immediately or at a later point in the engagement.
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==== Defensive Bubbles ====
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While uncommon, bubbles can also be used for defensive purposes during engagements. The purpose of defensive bubbles is to eliminate the ability for the opposing fleet to warp to tacticals or other points that are within brawling range of your fleet. This is most practical when your fleet is fit for kiting while the opposition may be fit for brawling. This requires coordination with your FC and clear communication on when and where you will be dropping the bubble, which may intersect with a segment of the friendly fleet. This tactic most typically involves following the friendly fleet in their alignment and dropping bubbles multiple times to build a wall.
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The other useful case for defensive bubbles is to limit the ability of stealth bombers during large engagements. The use of bombs requires a very specific distance and vector to their target, and placing defensive bubbles cause the bombers to spend much more time getting into the correct position and increases their risk on the field.
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=== Chasing ===
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Other than being on field during a fleet engagement, another important fleet-based role is to slow down and catch opposing fleets that are either in-flight or slow them down if they are chasing your fleet. This process involves needing to understand:
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# Where the opposing fleet is intending to go, and
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# Where your position compared to the rest of the opposing fleet
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Use tools like [https://evemaps.dotlan.net/ DOTLAN] to understand the topography of the region, as well as the [https://zkillboard.com/ Killboard] of the corporate or specific members of the fleet to chart their most plausible path of escape. Ideally, you should begin to collect and organize this information as soon as potential targets are identified, not at the end of an engagement as the ships are fleeing.
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A common mistake that is made by Interdictor pilots is to drop a bubble on an out-gate to slow down the enemy fleet, but instead significantly slowing down the friendly fleet. This is often caused by pilots who drop bubbles on out-gates while the target ships are already in warp; bubbles are ineffective against ships already in warp. A way to ensure this mistake is not made is to drop the bubble on the in-gate in the next system and proceed onto the next out-gate at 100km to drop a bubble and burn to the out-gate. This tactic of chasing ''ahead'' of the enemy fleet and slowing them down such that your fleet can catch up is also known as "waterboarding".
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If you're in a circumstance where you the opposing fleet is attempting to trap you and are aggressing you, wait until you have ~75% shield before jumping through the gate as your shield will be able to recharge by the time your gate cloak. This allows for the most amount of time for the rest of your fleet to appear.
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=== Drag and Catch Bubbles ===
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{{See also|Warp Disruption Fields}}
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Whether you're chasing ahead of a fleet, or awaiting the arrival of any individual, there are specific places of probes that have special names depending on their placement relative to an object of interest, like a station or a gate:
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* '''Drag bubbles''': Ships warping nearby may be “dragged” out of warp.
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* '''Catch bubbles''', also known as '''Stop bubbles''', are those placed in front of the intended destination, causing the ship to get caught in the bubble in front of their destination.
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Whether you are placing a catch bubble or drag bubble, the bubble must be in line with the line of travel between the origin of the ship and the destination warp point, as well as within 500km of the destination. As such, this makes drag bubbles a little bit more difficult to place than catch bubbles since slight misalignment can cause the ship to reach its intended destination. The choice of which type of bubble to use is dependent on personal choice, system design, and the circumstances of why you're setting up the bubbles.
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[[File:warpdisruption.jpg]]
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For systems that you plan on dropping catch and drop bubbles frequently, it's best to add [[bookmarks]] for those specific locations where you want to deploy the probes. Keep in mind that the probes must be deployed prior to the ship entering warp to be caught in the bubble, so catch and drag bubbles should be deployed the moment the target is in system. In addition to the primary bookmarks for bubble deployment location, you should also add bookmarks for the edge of the bubble where your targets would potentially be landing. This enables you to reliably get to the location where the target will be, and you should reposition yourself the moment you deploy the probe. When you see your target appear on D-Scan, you can deploy a second probe, and since the ship is already (presumably) in warp, they will not get caught in this bubble but be at the center of it. This tactic will limit the ability for the ship to turn around and escape the bubble quickly.
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=== Camping ===
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==== Gate Camping ====
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{{See also|Gate camps}}
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The Interdictor forms an important component in non-ganking gate camps, where it can specifically inhibit ships from warping away and trapping them at the gate or between the two gates. While waiting for a target or targets to enter system on a gate, the Interdictor is best positioned to wait at zero on the gate, ideally on the top side of the gate.
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There are a variety of gate camp fleet configuration you can employ. One involves everyone in your fleet being on-grid at the gate while you serve to purely trap incoming ships. This is the easiest to manage logistically. On the other hand, if you want to employ a sense of surprise or know the opposing fleet is using a scout, you can stage the fleet >14 AU outside D-Scan range ready to warp while you use a cloak to remain hidden on-grid. In this circumstance, you can let the scout jump in and pass freely, but when the rest of the fleet jumps in, decloak, pop a bubble, and jump through the gate to the other side. You can also wait for them to decloak to try and catch them mid-warp to another celestial. Once your first bubble is up, your fleet can warp in and evaluate whether to engage, or understand if the opposing fleet is burning back to the gate. Repeat this tactic to keep them trapped and pick them off.
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==== Station Camping ====
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Similar to gate camping, the Interdictor can be used for station camping. The key difference is that ships attempting to leave station can always dock up, unless a kick-out station is being camped, which are stations that departing ships are immediately ejected out of the docking ring when undocking. When station camping, you are largely aiming to prevent ships from using their instant undocks that would normally allow a ship to escape from the docking ring of a station due to being already aligned with the undock. In this case your bubble will prevent them from reaching that point.
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== Fleet Operations and Key Highlights ==
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* Establish clear expectations between you and your FC, and communicate your intentions. Some FCs will tell you to bubble anything you can, others want only sniping battleships, or logistics &c, others want you to bubble only on order. A bubble where your FC doesn't expect one can get your allies caught and killed.
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* Always know where the Fleet Commander's safe warp to spot will be. Often this is a POS or a spot near the Sun. This can be tricky, but you must ensure that your bubble would not be in line with this safe spot and prevent your fleet from warping out. They will get sucked into your bubble.
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* Organize intelligence as early as possible, whether that is the background of the opposing pilots or the situational awareness of the field.
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* You will be immediately primaried in most engagements.
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* Continuously anticipate where you'll need to be, your available options, and update yourself on the most effective route there.
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[[Category:Ships]]

Latest revision as of 01:57, 8 February 2024

Interdictors (sometimes called "dictors") are advanced destroyer hulls which can launch warp disruption and stasis webification probes. Their probes are one of the few ways to create bubbles, which prevent anyone trapped in them from warping away, and which can suck victims away from their intended warp destination. This ability makes them a valued class of ship in wormhole space and nullsec warfare.

Interdictors are the smaller siblings of Heavy Interdiction Cruisers ("HICs"), which have a different bubbling capability.

Probes

See also: Tackling#Tackle Modules

The core tactical advantage of an interdictor is the ability to launch three types of probes out of a fitted Interdiction Sphere Launcher. Only one launcher may be fitted to a ship at a time, and its use is prohibited in Empire Space, limiting its use to any system with a security status 0.0 or below or any lowsec system at level 5 corruption. Due to this restriction, Interdictors have little utility within high-security space.

The three types of launchable probe are:

  1. Warp Disrupt Probe - Creates a warp disruption field with a 20 km radius from the launch point of the probe, resulting in a 40 km diameter spherical field of effect. Any ship that is inside the field cannot warp out. Ships that have selected "Warp to" in their user interface but are bubbled before they have entered warp will cancel their warp and come to a complete stop once affected by the bubble, with the exception of ships warping due to a logoff. These probes also prevent capital ships from cynoing and jumping out. Ships with activated Interdiction Nullifiers and all shuttles are the only hulls immune to disruption bubbles. These warp disruption probes remain on-grid for 2 minutes before disappearing. Only 3 probes may be loaded in the launcher at a time.
  2. Surgical Warp Disrupt Probe - These probes are similar to Warp Disrupt Probes but have a smaller radius of 10 km, and so a 20 km diameter. In return, they last an extra minute for 3 minutes on on-grid. Only 3 probes may be loaded in the launcher at a time.
  3. Stasis Webification Probe - Nicknamed the "Wubble", this probe detonates 3 seconds after launching and instantly applies a 40% speed reduction to all ships within 10 km for 30 seconds. Wubbles don't persist after detonating and don't disrupt the warp drives of ships they affect. Still, they can be used in combination with conventional bubbles to immobilize further and hinder an enemy fleet. Only 5 probes may be loaded in the launcher at a time. Launching a subsequent bubble that affects the same ship only resets the timer and does not stack with the pre-existing webification effect.

All probes are immune to targeted damage. They can only be damaged and destroyed by bombs and smartbombs.

For each probe type, the launcher can launch a probe every 5 seconds and takes 60 seconds to reload. Given that warp disrupt probes last at minimum 2 minutes depending on which one you use, this allows you to maintain a persistent set of bubbles on the field until you run out of charges in your cargo. Placing warp disrupt probes does not cause you to become aggressed.

Ships

There are currently four different Interdictors, one for each of the main races. Each Interdictor has a 10% reduction in Microwarpdrive signature radius bonus bonus per level of the Interdictors skill trained. Other bonuses vary per ship.

  • Amarr Heretic - Extremely thick armor for its size, but also rather slow. Each level of the Amarr Destroyer skill provides a 15% bonus armor hitpoints and 5% bonus to Light Missile launcher and Rocket rate of fire. The Interdictors skill bonus provides 4% bonus to all armor resistances for level.
  • Caldari Flycatcher - Extremely thick shields for its size, but with only 1 low slot it must choose between speed and resilience. Each level of the Caldari Destroyer skill provides 10% bonus to Light Missile and Rocket kinetic damage and 10% bonus to Light Missile and Rocket max velocity bonuses. The Interdictors skill bonus provides 15% bonus to shield hitpoints.
  • Gallente Eris - A hybrid turret ship that has the highest potential DPS of the set. Each level of the Gallente Destroyer skill provides 7.5% bonus to Small Hybrid Turret rate of fire and 10% bonus to Small Hybrid Turret tracking speed bonuses. The Interdictor skill bonus provides 20% reduction in Armor Plate mass penalty; this makes the Eris more agile when fitted with a buffer armor tank.
  • Minmatar Sabre - Often preferred for its mixture of high speed, durable shields, and reliable ability to fit a rack of autocannons. Each level of the Minmatar Destroyer skills provides 5% bonus to Small Projectile Turret damage and 10% bonus to Small Projectile Turret tracking speed bonuses. The Interdictor skill bonus provides 10% bonus to Small Projectile Turret falloff per level.

For years, the Sabre has been the most popular choice for an Interdictor because of its specific combination of useful traits. The Eris is useful when the 'dictor needs to supply DPS too, and the Heretic and Flycatcher come in handy when high survivability is needed.

Roles and Fits

Due to the limits of the Sphere Launcher, the Interdictor generally has two roles, requiring different types of fit:

  1. The Interdictor is an excellent tool in nullsec small-gang PvP. This role generally involves active engagement by the Interdictor in the fight, so DPS can be a consideration. Small gang fits are generally fit for damage, a moderate tank, and secondary tackle modules in addition to the Interdiction Sphere Launcher.
  2. In a large fleet, Interdictors are entirely given over to the larger fleet's tactics and do not need to apply DPS. Fleet-fit interdictors rarely, if ever, directly engage enemy ships, as combat timers might prevent the dictor from jumping a gate to be able to bubble the other side. Fleet interdictors tend to employ a cloak to increase the chance of remaining on the field and allow the pilot to assess the situation as they are often primary targets in a battle's opening stages. This role is generally known to have no guns nor tackle modules. In addition to the Interdiction Sphere Launcher, their choice of modules focus on a cloak, speed, and increasing the probability and ability to survive through enhancing resistances and/or increasing tank buffer.

Both fleet and small-gang Interdictors can benefit from hyperspatial rigs that let them warp faster. They might also employ a prototype cloak to conceal their presence from the directional scanner; since Interdictors do not need to target anything to launch their probes, the penalty to targeting speed from fitting a cloak and the post-cloak targeting delay can be ignored.

Wormhole space lacks Local chat, forcing pilots to rely on D-Scan for scouting. Moreover, wormholes can be jumped despite active combat timers. Furthermore, fleets in wormhole space must often be smaller than fleets out in nullsec, meaning each ship must bring more tools to the table. These factors tend to tilt wormhole Interdictor fits towards small-gang style arrangements. The lack of Local in wormholes places an extra value on rigging for warp speed, as an Interdictor's appearance on D-scan might often be a target's first hint that a cloaked scout is calling in threats on them.

When choosing which fit to use, players should understand the objectives of their fleet commander and the characteristics of the other ships involved in the friendly fleet. Large organized groups typically have one or more pre-designed interdictor fits to help pilots fit into their doctrines.

Tactics

The single most important fact to remember when at the controls of a 'dictor is that the Interdictor's most powerful ability equally affects all ships, friend or foe. If you trap enemy ships and pods, any friendlies in the same space will be trapped too.

The presence of your bubbles should not be a surprise to your fleet, in particular your fleet commander ("FC"). Operating an Interdictor will often either make you the fleet's favorite member, or their most hated. You don't want to be bubbling your DPS fleet without clear instructions from your FC. Ensure you have established clear operating instructions, including if and when you have discretion to place bubbles at will. Remember that bubbling a gate will slow down any friendlies who enter the system through that gate.

If a fleet/gang is willing to engage your fleet/gang, then there is usually nothing you need to do: they aren't fleeing, so there is no need to risk your ship. The most optimal time to drop a bubble is often the point when you or the FC believe the opposing ship(s) are intending to flee, whether that is at the beginning of the engagement or mid-engagement.

Fleet Engagements

As mentioned earlier, Interdictors are usually the first ship class to be primaried by opposing fleet commanders. This means that without proper situational awareness, your ship may meet an immediate untimely death. Speed and awareness of other ships and their range are going to be the way you stay alive in the short term. However, in order to place bubbles, you have to eventually get up close and personal to the fleet during an engagement.

One way to remain on the battlefield, and to help introduce or maintain an element of surprise is to cloak up as early as possible, which you should generally be able to do before you are locked. Cloaking also has the side benefit that the opposing FC might not see you when they are evaluating the field composition, or might eventually forget about your presence. If you have warped in with the rest of the fleet, burn in a direction away from the fleet and activate your cloak. If you warped in later or at range, cloak up once you hit grid and begin moving. You ideally want to be positioned >150 km from all possible objects of interest in the enemy fleet. You want to be able to warp to a friendly ship that is engaged within the enemy fleet, or a wreck, can or other debris when the time is right. As such, make sure your overview has all warpable objects visible and available. As the fleet engagement develops, keep an active observation of the different ways you can approach the field, which could involve uncloaking and warping to a nearby friendly and re-cloaking. If you're not undertaking a specific action, being further away is better than being close.

Offensive Bubbles

When the situation warrants dropping a bubble, understand where you need to bubble, execute that manoeuvre, and immediately leave the field. Failure to know where your warp-out point will be ahead of time will significantly increase the risk that you will be targeted and killed. Even more so, it prevents you from conducting follow-up runs on the field and inhibits you from being tasked with chasing the fleet. Where you ultimately warp to onto the field may not be the point that is the most effective to drop your bubbles; Be aware of the need to maintain high transversal and speed while within range of enemy ships. A Microwarpdrive is a critical component for manoeuvrability once landing on grid, although it will bloom your signature radius. In any circumstance, heat and activate your hardeners, and warp away as soon as you can.

If you want to try more advanced tactics, if the enemy fleet is a kiting fleet, which is generally always aligned to another object, you can try to drop a bubble in front of the fleet's line of travel. This will prevent the fleet from warping from their aligned tactical and will need to reposition themselves. This can be done as a single launch or can be part of when you launch your initial bubble inside the fleet (i.e., after you launch your first bubble, align in the same direction as the fleet and then drop a second bubble in front of them.)

Likewise, there are some fits on Interdictors, such as the Heretic, which allow you to fit an Expanded Probe Launcher in addition to your Cloaking Device, Interdiction Sphere Launcher, and MWD with a light tank. This will allow you to get successful scans on battleships within 8 seconds with only 4 probes. You're more likely to die in such a configuration, but it will give you more freedom to decide when to land within the enemy fleet, whether immediately or at a later point in the engagement.

Defensive Bubbles

While uncommon, bubbles can also be used for defensive purposes during engagements. The purpose of defensive bubbles is to eliminate the ability for the opposing fleet to warp to tacticals or other points that are within brawling range of your fleet. This is most practical when your fleet is fit for kiting while the opposition may be fit for brawling. This requires coordination with your FC and clear communication on when and where you will be dropping the bubble, which may intersect with a segment of the friendly fleet. This tactic most typically involves following the friendly fleet in their alignment and dropping bubbles multiple times to build a wall.

The other useful case for defensive bubbles is to limit the ability of stealth bombers during large engagements. The use of bombs requires a very specific distance and vector to their target, and placing defensive bubbles cause the bombers to spend much more time getting into the correct position and increases their risk on the field.

Chasing

Other than being on field during a fleet engagement, another important fleet-based role is to slow down and catch opposing fleets that are either in-flight or slow them down if they are chasing your fleet. This process involves needing to understand:

  1. Where the opposing fleet is intending to go, and
  2. Where your position compared to the rest of the opposing fleet

Use tools like DOTLAN to understand the topography of the region, as well as the Killboard of the corporate or specific members of the fleet to chart their most plausible path of escape. Ideally, you should begin to collect and organize this information as soon as potential targets are identified, not at the end of an engagement as the ships are fleeing.

A common mistake that is made by Interdictor pilots is to drop a bubble on an out-gate to slow down the enemy fleet, but instead significantly slowing down the friendly fleet. This is often caused by pilots who drop bubbles on out-gates while the target ships are already in warp; bubbles are ineffective against ships already in warp. A way to ensure this mistake is not made is to drop the bubble on the in-gate in the next system and proceed onto the next out-gate at 100km to drop a bubble and burn to the out-gate. This tactic of chasing ahead of the enemy fleet and slowing them down such that your fleet can catch up is also known as "waterboarding".

If you're in a circumstance where you the opposing fleet is attempting to trap you and are aggressing you, wait until you have ~75% shield before jumping through the gate as your shield will be able to recharge by the time your gate cloak. This allows for the most amount of time for the rest of your fleet to appear.

Drag and Catch Bubbles

See also: Warp Disruption Fields

Whether you're chasing ahead of a fleet, or awaiting the arrival of any individual, there are specific places of probes that have special names depending on their placement relative to an object of interest, like a station or a gate:

  • Drag bubbles: Ships warping nearby may be “dragged” out of warp.
  • Catch bubbles, also known as Stop bubbles, are those placed in front of the intended destination, causing the ship to get caught in the bubble in front of their destination.

Whether you are placing a catch bubble or drag bubble, the bubble must be in line with the line of travel between the origin of the ship and the destination warp point, as well as within 500km of the destination. As such, this makes drag bubbles a little bit more difficult to place than catch bubbles since slight misalignment can cause the ship to reach its intended destination. The choice of which type of bubble to use is dependent on personal choice, system design, and the circumstances of why you're setting up the bubbles.

Warpdisruption.jpg

For systems that you plan on dropping catch and drop bubbles frequently, it's best to add bookmarks for those specific locations where you want to deploy the probes. Keep in mind that the probes must be deployed prior to the ship entering warp to be caught in the bubble, so catch and drag bubbles should be deployed the moment the target is in system. In addition to the primary bookmarks for bubble deployment location, you should also add bookmarks for the edge of the bubble where your targets would potentially be landing. This enables you to reliably get to the location where the target will be, and you should reposition yourself the moment you deploy the probe. When you see your target appear on D-Scan, you can deploy a second probe, and since the ship is already (presumably) in warp, they will not get caught in this bubble but be at the center of it. This tactic will limit the ability for the ship to turn around and escape the bubble quickly.

Camping

Gate Camping

See also: Gate camps

The Interdictor forms an important component in non-ganking gate camps, where it can specifically inhibit ships from warping away and trapping them at the gate or between the two gates. While waiting for a target or targets to enter system on a gate, the Interdictor is best positioned to wait at zero on the gate, ideally on the top side of the gate.

There are a variety of gate camp fleet configuration you can employ. One involves everyone in your fleet being on-grid at the gate while you serve to purely trap incoming ships. This is the easiest to manage logistically. On the other hand, if you want to employ a sense of surprise or know the opposing fleet is using a scout, you can stage the fleet >14 AU outside D-Scan range ready to warp while you use a cloak to remain hidden on-grid. In this circumstance, you can let the scout jump in and pass freely, but when the rest of the fleet jumps in, decloak, pop a bubble, and jump through the gate to the other side. You can also wait for them to decloak to try and catch them mid-warp to another celestial. Once your first bubble is up, your fleet can warp in and evaluate whether to engage, or understand if the opposing fleet is burning back to the gate. Repeat this tactic to keep them trapped and pick them off.

Station Camping

Similar to gate camping, the Interdictor can be used for station camping. The key difference is that ships attempting to leave station can always dock up, unless a kick-out station is being camped, which are stations that departing ships are immediately ejected out of the docking ring when undocking. When station camping, you are largely aiming to prevent ships from using their instant undocks that would normally allow a ship to escape from the docking ring of a station due to being already aligned with the undock. In this case your bubble will prevent them from reaching that point.

Fleet Operations and Key Highlights

  • Establish clear expectations between you and your FC, and communicate your intentions. Some FCs will tell you to bubble anything you can, others want only sniping battleships, or logistics &c, others want you to bubble only on order. A bubble where your FC doesn't expect one can get your allies caught and killed.
  • Always know where the Fleet Commander's safe warp to spot will be. Often this is a POS or a spot near the Sun. This can be tricky, but you must ensure that your bubble would not be in line with this safe spot and prevent your fleet from warping out. They will get sucked into your bubble.
  • Organize intelligence as early as possible, whether that is the background of the opposing pilots or the situational awareness of the field.
  • You will be immediately primaried in most engagements.
  • Continuously anticipate where you'll need to be, your available options, and update yourself on the most effective route there.
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