Difference between revisions of "Minmatar Basic Ship and Skill Overview"
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| − | {{ | + | {{ShipGuideBoilerintro}} |
| − | + | {{Tocright}} | |
| − | + | The Minmatar Empire is one of the four playable factions and, like the others, has a distinct line of ships with specific quirks and abilities. | |
| − | + | {{RaceShipInfo|Minmatar}} | |
| − | + | ==General Traits== | |
| − | + | The following characteristics are generally shared across most or all Minmatar ships: | |
| + | * '''Speed'''. Minmatar ships usually have the best base speeds for their size and class. This makes them well-suited to tactics that involve avoiding damage through high speed and agility, and for kiting tactics: keeping the enemy at a range where they can hurt the enemy but can't be damaged, and being able to disengage easily. Minmatar haulers can travel slightly faster because they spend slightly less time aligning. | ||
| + | * '''[[Turrets#Projectile_turrets|Projectile turrets]]''' are the most common weapon fitted to Minmatar ships, and many Minmatar ships have bonuses for them. Projectile turrets require no [[capacitor]] to fire, unlike other turrets. Projectile turrets are also the only kind of turret that lets pilots select damage types by changing ammo; on the other hand, they have a longer reload time (10 seconds) than other turrets. | ||
| + | ** Close-ranged autocannon track fairly well, and have very short optimal ranges and surprisingly long falloff ranges; pilots mounting autocannon should expect to fight in falloff range routinely. | ||
| + | ** Long-ranged artillery has a very high [[Alpha|alpha damage]] potential, though it deals less damage per second than some other options. In some circumstances—some types of fleet battle, and also suicide ganking—alpha can be more important than DPS. | ||
| + | * '''[[Missiles]]''' are the "secondary" Minmatar weapon, and a line of Minmatar ships have missile bonuses; notable examples are the Breacher, Talwar, Bellicose, Cyclone, and Typhoon. Missiles also don't use capacitor to fire, have good ranges, and always hit, but they can have trouble applying their damage. Missiles have fully-selectable damage types. Minmatar missile ships tend not to have the missile range bonuses found on some Caldari ones, so they tend to be missile brawlers rather than long-ranged missile platforms. | ||
| + | * '''Sensor advantages'''. This is a slightly subtler positive: Minmatar ships typically have high scan resolution for their size and class, which means they lock onto targets more quickly; they also have small signature radii for their size and class, which means they are harder to hit with turrets, take less damage from missiles, and are targeted more slowly by other ships. | ||
| + | * '''Utility high slots'''. Minmatar ships often have one or two spare high slots once all of the primary weapons have been fitted. These can be used for a range of other helpful modules: a secondary weapon system for more DPS, [[Capacitor warfare|energy neutralizers or nosferatus]], remote repair modules, drone link augmentors, [[Salvaging|salvagers]], &c. <!-- Something missing ?? -->> | ||
| + | * '''[[Electronic warfare#Target Painting|Target Painting]]''' is the type of electronic warfare which some Minmatar ships have bonuses for. Target painting makes ships easier to hit, and particularly helps missiles apply damage. This is a more situational kind of EWAR than that used by some of the other races. | ||
| + | * '''[[Tanking#Shield_tanking|Shield tanks]]'''. Most Minmatar ships can fit shield tanks. Some, such as the Breacher, Cyclone, and Maelstrom, have bonuses for shield boosters, which means they can mount excellent active shield tanks; many other ships can mount good active and/or passive shield tanks. However, Minmatar ships also use... | ||
| + | * ...'''[[Tanking#Armor tanking|Armor tanks]]'''. Although none have explicit bonuses for armor tanks, many Minmatar ships can mount good active or buffer armor tanks. | ||
| + | * '''Lower sensor strengths''' (for size and class of ship). This makes it easier to jam Minmatar ships with ECM. | ||
| + | * '''Weaker potential buffer tanks'''. Minmatar ships can be made sturdy, but they can't mount the kind of shield buffers possible on some Caldari hulls, or the kind of armor buffers possible on some Amarr hulls. | ||
| + | * '''Smaller capacitors'''. Minmatar ships typically have the smallest capacitors of the four races' ships, for their size and class. This is partly balanced out by both common Minmatar weapon systems requiring no capacitor to fire. | ||
| − | + | The broader hallmark of Minmatar ships is '''versatility'''. Most Minmatar ships can be fitted in many ways; this is typified, but not limited to, their tendency to be open to both armor and shield tanks. In PvP, especially, this makes Minmatar ships less predictable, and opponents have a harder time guessing how Minmatar ships will perform. | |
| + | However, if Minmatar pilots want to have all the different fitting options available, they will have to train more in-game skills and learn more about the game than pilots flying other races. That's not necessarily a bad thing: an experienced Minmatar pilot is proficient with a wide range of weapons, tactics, and fitting approaches. Minmatar pilots are well-placed to cross-train into any other race, and probably understand the other races' ships better than pilots of other races understand Minmatar ships. | ||
| − | = | + | ==Notable uses== |
| − | + | ===PvE=== | |
| − | + | Relatively-selectable damage from projectile turrets and fully-selectable damage from missiles make Minmatar ships fairly flexible PvE combat platforms. An "orthodox" progression for a character running missions might be the Rifter and Thrasher for Level 1 missions, the Rupture for L2s, the Hurricane for L3s, and the Maelstrom for L4s. A character focusing on missiles could consider the Breacher, Talwar, Bellicose, Cyclone, and the Typhoon, though Caldari missile ships tend to outdo Minmatar ones at missile-based mission running, as they are built around ranged combat. | |
| + | The Thrasher, with its high speed and a large number of high slots, is a good cheap salvaging ship. | ||
| − | + | Both the Hurricane and the Minmatar attack battlecruiser, the Tornado, see use in some types of [[Wormholes|wormhole]] PvE. | |
| + | ===PvP=== | ||
| − | + | T1 Minmatar ships find roles in most PvP contexts. Kiting tactics go well with Minmatar ships' high speeds, and in solo and small-gang PvP the Breacher and Stabber can be found kiting; a T2 development of the Stabber, the {{sh|Vagabond}}, is built around this tactic. The Rupture puts out remarkable DPS for a T1 cruiser hull. The Hurricane is a perennially popular and highly versatile ship, capable of a variety of tanks and tactics, ranging from scram-range brawling, through autocannon kiting, to long-range artillery fits. | |
| + | All three T1 Minmatar battleships can be dangerous in PvP, though like all T1 battleships they are expensive hulls and sometimes have their battlefield roles usurped by [[HAC]]s. The Typhoon can be fitted and boosted to achieve startling speed for a battleship, and its rarely-noted bonus to "explosion velocity" means it's a rare example of a large missile ship that can really apply some DPS to smaller targets. | ||
| − | + | T1 Minmatar ships also have some more niche PvP uses. The high amount of alpha damage that can be wrung from artillery-fit Thrashers and Tornadoes, relative to their cost and size, makes them popular ships for suicide ganking. | |
| + | == Skills == | ||
| − | + | Minmatar ships share many core skills with the ships of the other three main factions. Very new pilots should consider EVE University's [[Short Skill Plan]]; relatively new pilots should consider [[The Magic 14|the 14 skills which affect every ship]], the [[Fitting skills|fitting skills]] which make it easier to fit modules onto ships, and the [[Support skills|support skills]] which underpin much of your ship's performance. For longer-term training, EVE University's [[Pyramid Skill Plan]] offers one useful way of conceiving your goals. | |
| + | That said, there are some considerations that are specific to Minmatar ships. Pilots training to fly these ships should particularly polish their skills in the [[Support_skills#Mobility|Navigation category]], to bring out the Minmatar strengths in speed and agility. [[Support_skills#Capacitor|Capacitor skills]], meanwhile, are an important way to make up for these ships' relatively weaker capacitors. | ||
| − | + | Projectile turret skills and missile skills are necessary to bring out the damage potential of Minmatar ships. Note that while many skills in the Gunnery category are vital for projectile turrets, {{sk|Controlled Bursts}} has no effect on projectile guns, as it reduces turrets' capacitor demand, and projectile weapons don't use any capacitor. {{sk|Sharpshooter}} increases optimal range, and so is not very useful for autocannon, but still helpful for artillery. Pilots using autocannon will want to prioritise {{sk|Trajectory Analysis}} more than pilots flying other races' ships, as this boosts falloff range. | |
| − | + | ==Ships== | |
| − | + | Here are the Minmatar T1 ships. Please follow the links to the specific pages of the ship database for more details and particular fits. | |
| − | + | ===Corvette=== | |
| + | Little more than slower, armed shuttles, corvette (or "noobships") are the basic frigates that new pilots start with. You can acquire a new corvette at no cost (together with a civilian weapon, a civilian mining laser, and one unit of Tritanium) by clicking on the "Board my corvette" button available in the station menu when you're docked up. On their own, corvettes are useful for little other than basic errand-running, though since the ship is free a corvette can be spawned as a makeshift small station container when no other containers are available. | ||
| − | + | {{Ship|Reaper|box}} | |
| − | + | {{Clear}}<!-- Without this clear, the frigate heading is not visible in the page --> | |
| − | + | === Frigates === | |
| + | [[Frigates]] are the smallest of the ship classes in EVE. In fleet PvP, Tech 1 frigates are generally used for [[Tackling|tackling]] or electronic warfare, two roles in which they can have a significant impact. Tech 1 frigates are also flown for solo PvP: their speed and small size helps solo pilots to pick their targets, and their low cost makes them comfortably expendable. | ||
| − | + | In PvE, the more combat-focused frigates are used to complete Level 1 missions, though once new pilots are a little wealthier and better-trained they often begin to use [[Destroyers|destroyers]] instead. | |
| − | |||
| − | + | {{Ship|Breacher|box}} | |
| + | This is a long-range missile boat. It has some popularity in Faction Warfare PvP complexes, where it can sometimes kite other small frigates and benefits from its cheap cost. | ||
| − | |||
| − | + | {{Ship|Burst|box}} | |
| + | The Burst is the Minmatar logistics frigate and is designed for remote shield repair. It makes an ideal entry point for beginner Minmatar capsuleers who want to train into the {{sh|Scythe}}, the Minmatar Tier 1 Cruiser logi ship, before eventually training into the {{sh|Scimitar}}, the Minmatar Tier 2 Logistics ship. | ||
| − | |||
| − | + | {{Ship|Probe|box}} | |
| + | The Probe is the Minmatar Tech 1 [[Exploration|exploration, and scanning]] frigate. It is a good ship for players who are getting into probing and don't have the skills for the T2 version, the {{sh|Cheetah}}. Its bonus to cycle time for hacking, archaeology, and salvaging modules means it can be very effective for looting exploration sites as well. If you have the skills to deal with its small capacitor, it can be a speedy and cheap delivery ship due to its comparatively large cargo bay. | ||
| − | |||
| − | + | {{Ship|Rifter|box}} | |
| + | The Rifter is the primary damage frigate for Minmatar. For tackling, a {{sh|Slasher}} or {{sh|Merlin}} is by far better. While the Rifter used to be considered the best Tech 1 frigate in the game (leading to many memes surrounding it), it has been nerfed to be similar in abilities to the others. A balanced 4/3/3 layout gives the Rifter the ability to either shield or armor tank and provides flexibility in fitting. | ||
| − | |||
| − | + | {{Ship|Slasher|box}} | |
| + | The Slasher is the Tech 1 Minmatar fast tackle frigate. It receives a bonus to the cap usage of tackle mods, and it has the fastest base speed of the T1 frigates. Four mid slots also allow a great deal of flexibility in fitting. | ||
| − | |||
| − | + | {{Ship|Vigil|box}} | |
| + | The Vigil is the Tech 1 [[Electronic warfare|EWAR]] ship of the Minmatar Republic. Target painters are only situationally useful; they are also stacking penalized in effectiveness, and work reasonably well on hulls without bonuses to them. | ||
| − | + | === Destroyers === | |
| + | [[Destroyers]] are slightly larger and have more highslots than frigates but fit the same small-sized weapons. In PVP, they're designed to slaughter frigates but be vulnerable to most other ships, which limits them to very niche roles. Their high damage output (for small, cheap ships) makes them popular tools for suicide-ganking weak targets in highsec. They are also sometimes used to hunt frigate pilots or to kill a carrier's fighters, and some doctrines use destroyers as a cheap, expendable source of fast-moving DPS. | ||
| − | + | In PvE, destroyers are most often used for Level 1 missions, and they make superb introductory [[Salvaging|salvage]] ships. | |
| − | [[ | + | |
| − | [[ | + | {{Ship|Talwar|box}} |
| − | [[ | + | The Talwar uses rockets or light missiles to fight smaller craft like frigates or other destroyers. Due to its bonus reducing the signature radius bloom of microwarp drives—unique among T1 destroyers—it can reach great speeds without increasing its own signature radius significantly. |
| − | [[Category: | + | |
| + | |||
| + | {{Ship|Thrasher|box}} | ||
| + | The Thrasher can be an effective anti-frigate platform in PvE (L1 missions) or PvP. It is rarely seen in fleet combat, but its cheap cost makes it popular with suicide gankers, and it finds a role in some "glass cannon" group tactics. Its balanced mid and low slot layout makes it generally the most flexible destroyer, able to fit some tackle and an armor tank or damage and a shield tank. | ||
| + | |||
| + | === Cruisers === | ||
| + | |||
| + | [[Cruisers]] are EVE's medium-sized ships, larger than [[Frigates|frigates]] and [[Destroyers|destroyers]] but still much smaller, faster and nimbler than [[Battlecruisers|battlecruisers]] and [[Battleships|battleships]]. Cruisers mount medium-sized weapons and modules. Tech 1 cruiser hulls cost a few million ISK and tend to be the first major financial step up from frigates for new pilots. In PvP, some T1 cruisers, such as the Gallente {{sh|Thorax}} and the Minmatar {{sh|Rupture}}, can bring surprising amounts of DPS to a fight. The electronic warfare cruisers can also be important in PvP, as they are slightly tougher and often more effective [[Electronic warfare|EWAR]] platforms than their frigate equivalents. Cruisers can also fit tackle to provide some secondary, heavier tackling that's harder to scrape off than T1 tackling frigates. | ||
| + | |||
| + | In PVE, Tech 1 cruisers are the ships most commonly used to run Level 2 missions. | ||
| + | |||
| + | |||
| + | {{Ship|Bellicose|box}} | ||
| + | The Bellicose is the Minmatar EWar cruiser, with bonuses for the effectiveness of target painters. Although the {{sh|Vigil}}'s target painters have a longer range than those of the Bellicose, the cruiser provides a far more durable platform. Target painting is more situationally useful than ECM (Caldari) or sensor dampening (Gallente). On the other hand, like the {{sh|Arbitrator}}, the Bellicose has a secondary bonus for combat, in this case for the rate of fire of Rapid Light, Heavy Assault, and Heavy Missile Launchers. This means the ship can also double up as DD and is often used in a fleet support role. | ||
| + | |||
| + | |||
| + | {{Ship|Rupture|box}} | ||
| + | The heavy-duty combat cruiser of the Minmatar Republic, this ship looks like a chunk of brick. The Rupture is the favored mission cruiser for the Minmatar. It can mount a good active armor tank or regenerating passive shield tank and can use artillery and drones to destroy mission rats from range. | ||
| + | |||
| + | The Rupture is also a strong PvP ship. A number of fittings work well; in E-UNI fleets the most common approach is to fit an armor buffer tank and provide extra DPS and some sticky secondary tackle. Strong [[Support_Skills#Fitting|fitting skills]] and access to T2 autocannons (for kiting with Barrage ammo) open up some fast-moving shield-tanked PvP fits. | ||
| + | |||
| + | |||
| + | {{Ship|Scythe|box}} | ||
| + | The Scythe is a T1 logistics cruiser, with bonuses to shield repair. It is designed to support 3 medium shield transporters and a shield tank while remaining cap stable, but getting the Scythe both cap stable and well-tanked can be tricky for characters with limited SP. | ||
| + | |||
| + | |||
| + | {{Ship|Stabber|box}} | ||
| + | The Stabber is the fastest T1 cruiser, and it has a falloff bonus that lets autocannon strike from longer ranges. | ||
| + | |||
| + | If you plan on moving into ships that utilize speed tanking or avoidance tactics this is a good ship to practice with; T2 autocannon can load Barrage ammunition which really unleashes the Stabber's autocannon kiting potential and points the way towards the advanced version of this ship, the {{sh|Vagabond}}. On the other hand, the Stabber has an especially limited capacitor and pilots must be careful in their energy use while flying it. | ||
| + | |||
| + | The Stabber can also be fitted as a fast-yet-tough tackle ship or as a kind of "super destroyer" anti-frigate platform. | ||
| + | |||
| + | === Battlecruisers === | ||
| + | When you begin to fly Minmatar [[Battlecruisers]], it is a good idea to be training towards a Shield or Armor [[Tanking|T2 Tank]]. (You will need a full T2 tank to fly battlecruisers in wartime PvP if you're a uni pilot. Whether or not you're in the uni, a T2 tank is extremely helpful in PVP or PVE.) It is also wise to have basic [[Skills:Gunnery|Gunnery Support skills]] sorted out and to be training towards T2 light and medium drones. | ||
| + | |||
| + | In PvP, Tech 1 battlecruisers represent a good balance between DPS, tanking, agility, speed, and cost (they cost much less to lose than a battleship). Battlecruisers can be fitted for long or short range PVP combat. In large-scale alliance battles in nullsec they are often part of each side's 'support fleet', defending the main battleship fleet from attack. | ||
| + | |||
| + | In PvE, Tech 1 battlecruisers are the standard tool for completing Level 3 combat missions. Several battlecruisers can mount passive shield tanks ideal for PvE combat, and some battlecruisers are also suitable salvage ships for the large amount of loot produced by Level 4 missions. | ||
| + | |||
| + | |||
| + | {{Ship|Cyclone|box}} | ||
| + | The Cyclone is inferior to the Hurricane in most situations, but it has a few niches. The Cyclone is bonused towards missiles rather than projectile turrets. Unlike the Drake, which is designed to mount a large buffer tank and deal most of its damage with kinetic missiles, the Cyclone is bonused to take advantage of shield boosters to mount a massive active tank, albeit for an only limited period of time, while its rate of fire bonus allows the Cyclone greater flexibility in terms of the damage types it can use. The Cyclone also has a decent drone bay and bandwidth, allowing it to field a full flight of medium drones for extra DPS, or two flights of small drones instead. | ||
| + | |||
| + | |||
| + | {{Ship|Hurricane|box}} | ||
| + | The Hurricane has a long history of positive PvP and PvE performance and is one of the most versatile ships in EVE. It can deal impressive DPS and can be shield or armor tanked. Most Minmatar pilots choose a Hurricane as their Level 3 mission ship, fitting either a passive shield tank or an active armor tank. | ||
| + | |||
| + | In PvP, the Hurricane can be fitted as a simple, armor-buffered short-range bruiser, or as a fast, kiting, shield-tanked 'Nanocane', or as a shield-tanked, medium-range high-alpha artillery platform. Roaming gangs of shield Hurricanes with Scimitar logistic support are a fearsome sight and a highly effective combat fleet. | ||
| + | |||
| + | |||
| + | {{Ship|Tornado|box}} | ||
| + | The Tornado was made to do one thing and one thing only: blow the ever loving crap out of anything that is unfortunately preoccupied with other threats. Like the other Tier 3 Battlecruisers, this ship is all gank and no tank. This naturally leads many to fit it for 200km+ sniper combat, since even a couple of cruisers or small frigate wolfpack can tear it apart rather quickly. The Tornado is thus often fitted with 1400mm Artillery and used to deal massive alpha damage, in a similar style to the [{sh|Maelstrom}}. | ||
| + | |||
| + | === Battleships === | ||
| + | In PvP, Tech 1 [[Battleships]] can mount great buffer tanks and can deal very high DPS when fitted for short ranges. When mounting long-range 'sniper' fits, battleships can fight at the very longest ranges possible in Eve's engine, while still dealing effective DPS. Battleships' weaknesses are low speed and agility, combined with slow locking speeds and poor gun tracking speeds. Battleships, therefore, struggle to force smaller ships to engage and to kill smaller ships even when they can be pinned down. | ||
| + | |||
| + | In PvE, battleships are also the standard class of ship used to run Level 4 missions solo, since they can fit active tanks good enough to survive lots of DPS over a sustained period of time, while still dealing out enough damage to complete missions reasonably quickly. Battleships are also used very effectively in [[Incursions|Incursion]] fleets. | ||
| + | |||
| + | |||
| + | {{Ship|Maelstrom|box}} | ||
| + | On the same skill path as the Cyclone, the Maelstrom has a powerful active shield tank. Unlike the Cyclone, it can also deal lots of damage. The Maelstrom is the usual choice for running Level 4 missions, which it does quite well (Ships like the Vargur and Machariel outperform it, but cost much more, both in ISK and in skill training time). PvE Maelstroms usually fit an X-large shield booster for a powerful pulsed shield tank, and artillery for long-range DPS -- though against the Angel Cartel, whose battleships like to engage at close range, some pilots like to fit large autocannon instead. It is also a great introductory ship to get into [[Incursions]]. | ||
| + | |||
| + | In PvP, the Maelstrom is the backbone of the "alpha fleet" - fleets designed to one-shot ships to negate the power of logistics. | ||
| + | |||
| + | |||
| + | {{Ship|Tempest|box}} | ||
| + | The Tempest is one of two Minmatar Attack Battleships. Its bonuses favor Large Projectile Turrets, unlike the Typhoon which focuses on Battleship-size missiles/torpedos. With 5 mid slots and 6 low slots, the Tempest can be shield or armor tanked, both are equally common. With the recent rise in the use of the {{sh|Tornado}}, as a cheaper sniper, the primary role of the Tempest has been somewhat overshadowed. Nonetheless, the Tempest is still widely used in skirmish warfare. The Tempest is relatively quick and agile, for a battleship. | ||
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| + | |||
| + | {{Ship|Typhoon|box}} | ||
| + | The Typhoon is the missile-focused Minmatar T1 battleship. With no bonus for missile range, it is a bit more suited to brawling, unlike the Caldari {{sh|Raven}}. The Typhoon has an unusual bonus to missile explosion velocity, which means that it can apply its missile damage to smaller targets rather more easily than most large missile platforms. It has a very high base speed (for a battleship) and one niche use for it is as an unusually large fast ship in small, quickly-moving gangs. | ||
| + | |||
| + | === Haulers === | ||
| + | [[Haulers]] are a class of ships with a very large cargo bay, generally weak shields and armor, with few turret hardpoints. Haulers are designed to carry large volumes of cargo within their large holds. However, they are slow and fragile ships, leaving them vulnerable to attack. Some haulers have a better capacity to deal with threats than others, leaving some ships better at running the gauntlet than others with a chance of success. | ||
| + | |||
| + | {{Ship|Hoarder|box}} | ||
| + | The Hoarder is a highly specialized Hauler for hauling large volumes of ammunition. This is especially useful for transporting high-volume low-ISK items such as cap booster charges or large ammunition. | ||
| + | |||
| + | {{Ship|Mammoth|box}} | ||
| + | The Mammoth offers a good compromise between one of the largest cargo holds of the Haulers and a relatively fast align time. The low-slots can be filled with either cargo expanders or agility modules to balance these depending on the task at hand. | ||
| + | |||
| + | {{Ship|Wreathe|box}} | ||
| + | The Wreathe is the entry-level Hauler provided to Minmatar capsuleers during the tutorial missions. Its cargo hold leaves much to be desired but is sufficient for small hauling jobs. It offers the shortest align time of all T1 haulers and its low-slots can be used to improve that further. Level 1 distribution missions and light station trading are situations that this ship accommodates. As young pilots have less starting capital, the limited cargo size of the Wreathe will be less of a problem. | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==Projectile Turret Tips== | ||
| + | {{main|Turrets#Projectile turrets|Projectile turrets}} | ||
| + | {{main|Projectile ammunition}} | ||
| + | |||
| + | Projectile turrets are powerful and versatile, but complex: they are the only turrets with selectable damage types, which means you can load ammo appropriate to your target's weaknesses, but this comes at the cost of more involved thought. The pages linked above about projectile turrets and projectile ammunition repay a careful read, but here is a brief summary. | ||
| + | |||
| + | ===Autocannon=== | ||
| + | |||
| + | The optimal range modifiers on projectile ammo mean very little for autocannon, which have minimal optimal ranges anyway. For this reason, it usually makes sense to use one of the three short-range, high-damage types: | ||
| + | |||
| + | * EMP ammo for EM damage | ||
| + | * Fusion ammo for explosive damage | ||
| + | * Phased Plasma for thermal damage | ||
| + | |||
| + | There are two ammo types with 33% less damage but a 20% turret tracking bonus. | ||
| + | |||
| + | * Titanium Sabot for mostly kinetic damage | ||
| + | * Depleted Uranium for explosive damage spiced with thermal damage | ||
| + | |||
| + | The 33% reduced damage limits these types' usefulness: [[Guristas]] NPCs, for instance, are weakest to kinetic, but Phased Plasma normally outdamages Titanium Sabot against Guristas, because of its greater raw damage. Both types are useful in niche situations when you need to shoot small, faster targets. Proton, Nuclear, and Carbonized Lead have a larger damage penalty, and can be ignored when using autocannon. | ||
| + | |||
| + | Tech 2 autocannon ammo comes in two varieties: | ||
| + | |||
| + | * Hail: reduced range, reduced tracking, but high damage; explosive damage spiced with kinetic; useful for shooting large, slow PvP targets at close range | ||
| + | * Barrage: 50% more falloff range, reduced tracking; a little less damage than EMP, Fusion, and Phased Plasma; roughly 50/50 kinetic and explosive damage; useful for PvP kiting at medium range | ||
| + | |||
| + | ===Artillery=== | ||
| + | |||
| + | Unlike autocannon, artillery guns have noticeable optimal ranges. Nevertheless, you're usually still best off using the short-ranged ammo to maximize both DPS and alpha, unless your tank cannot take the damage your targets deal at shorter artillery ranges. To recap, those short-ranged ammo types are: | ||
| + | |||
| + | * EMP ammo for EM damage | ||
| + | * Fusion ammo for explosive damage | ||
| + | * Phased Plasma for thermal damage | ||
| + | |||
| + | Tech 2 artillery ammo comes in two varieties: | ||
| + | |||
| + | * Tremor: a huge range bonus, healthy damage, but a large tracking penalty; for PvP snipers | ||
| + | * Quake: reduces your optimal range to one quarter, for a 25% bonus to tracking; a last-resort PvP ammo type to load against targets that get too close | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==Missile Tips== | ||
| + | |||
| + | {{main|Missiles}} | ||
| + | |||
| + | Missiles are simpler to use than projectile turrets. For each type of missile launcher, there are four types of missile, and each type deals one of the four damage types. You can tell the damage type from the flavor word in the missile's name: | ||
| + | |||
| + | * "Mjolnir": EM damage | ||
| + | * "Inferno": thermal damage | ||
| + | * "Scourge": kinetic damage | ||
| + | * "Nova": explosive damage | ||
| + | |||
| + | In PvE combat, you can look up what your target NPCs' weakest damage resistance is, and target that. In PvP, you should bring a range of damage types and (where possible) select the appropriate damage before engaging. | ||
| + | |||
| + | A missile's range is its flight time multiplied by its velocity. You can check missile ranges easily by turning on the [[Tactical overlay|tactical overlay]] and hovering your cursor over the module button for your missile launcher(s): doing this will display the range as a red zone on the overlay, centered on your ship. | ||
| + | |||
| + | Unlike turret weapons, missiles take time to travel to their target. They also struggle to apply their damage to targets smaller than their own size: medium-sized missiles don't apply damage well to frigates, and large missiles don't apply damage well to cruisers. Target painting can help with this, as can rare ship bonuses such as the explosion velocity bonus on the Typhoon battleship, but you can also use small drones to scrape small targets off you. | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==Related Links== | ||
| + | *[[Missions]] | ||
| + | *[[Drones]] and [[Drone mechanics|Using Drones]] | ||
| + | {{ShipGuideLinks}} | ||
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| + | [[Category:Ships]] | ||
Latest revision as of 16:45, 13 March 2024
This guide provides general information and recommendations for T1 ships of a single player faction.
For more advanced and in-depth information on specific ships refer to EVE ships. This guide simply gathers the characteristics and overview of racial lineups in an easy to browse format for the very new player.
The Minmatar Empire is one of the four playable factions and, like the others, has a distinct line of ships with specific quirks and abilities.
Minmatar Republic Characteristics
| Tank Type: |  Armor or  Shield
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| Main Weapon Systems: |  Projectile Turrets or  Missile Launchers
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| Electronic Warfare: |  Target Painting and  Stasis Webifying
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General Traits
The following characteristics are generally shared across most or all Minmatar ships:
- Speed. Minmatar ships usually have the best base speeds for their size and class. This makes them well-suited to tactics that involve avoiding damage through high speed and agility, and for kiting tactics: keeping the enemy at a range where they can hurt the enemy but can't be damaged, and being able to disengage easily. Minmatar haulers can travel slightly faster because they spend slightly less time aligning.
- Projectile turrets are the most common weapon fitted to Minmatar ships, and many Minmatar ships have bonuses for them. Projectile turrets require no capacitor to fire, unlike other turrets. Projectile turrets are also the only kind of turret that lets pilots select damage types by changing ammo; on the other hand, they have a longer reload time (10 seconds) than other turrets.
- Close-ranged autocannon track fairly well, and have very short optimal ranges and surprisingly long falloff ranges; pilots mounting autocannon should expect to fight in falloff range routinely.
- Long-ranged artillery has a very high alpha damage potential, though it deals less damage per second than some other options. In some circumstances—some types of fleet battle, and also suicide ganking—alpha can be more important than DPS.
- Missiles are the "secondary" Minmatar weapon, and a line of Minmatar ships have missile bonuses; notable examples are the Breacher, Talwar, Bellicose, Cyclone, and Typhoon. Missiles also don't use capacitor to fire, have good ranges, and always hit, but they can have trouble applying their damage. Missiles have fully-selectable damage types. Minmatar missile ships tend not to have the missile range bonuses found on some Caldari ones, so they tend to be missile brawlers rather than long-ranged missile platforms.
- Sensor advantages. This is a slightly subtler positive: Minmatar ships typically have high scan resolution for their size and class, which means they lock onto targets more quickly; they also have small signature radii for their size and class, which means they are harder to hit with turrets, take less damage from missiles, and are targeted more slowly by other ships.
- Utility high slots. Minmatar ships often have one or two spare high slots once all of the primary weapons have been fitted. These can be used for a range of other helpful modules: a secondary weapon system for more DPS, energy neutralizers or nosferatus, remote repair modules, drone link augmentors, salvagers, &c. >
- Target Painting is the type of electronic warfare which some Minmatar ships have bonuses for. Target painting makes ships easier to hit, and particularly helps missiles apply damage. This is a more situational kind of EWAR than that used by some of the other races.
- Shield tanks. Most Minmatar ships can fit shield tanks. Some, such as the Breacher, Cyclone, and Maelstrom, have bonuses for shield boosters, which means they can mount excellent active shield tanks; many other ships can mount good active and/or passive shield tanks. However, Minmatar ships also use...
- ...Armor tanks. Although none have explicit bonuses for armor tanks, many Minmatar ships can mount good active or buffer armor tanks.
- Lower sensor strengths (for size and class of ship). This makes it easier to jam Minmatar ships with ECM.
- Weaker potential buffer tanks. Minmatar ships can be made sturdy, but they can't mount the kind of shield buffers possible on some Caldari hulls, or the kind of armor buffers possible on some Amarr hulls.
- Smaller capacitors. Minmatar ships typically have the smallest capacitors of the four races' ships, for their size and class. This is partly balanced out by both common Minmatar weapon systems requiring no capacitor to fire.
The broader hallmark of Minmatar ships is versatility. Most Minmatar ships can be fitted in many ways; this is typified, but not limited to, their tendency to be open to both armor and shield tanks. In PvP, especially, this makes Minmatar ships less predictable, and opponents have a harder time guessing how Minmatar ships will perform.
However, if Minmatar pilots want to have all the different fitting options available, they will have to train more in-game skills and learn more about the game than pilots flying other races. That's not necessarily a bad thing: an experienced Minmatar pilot is proficient with a wide range of weapons, tactics, and fitting approaches. Minmatar pilots are well-placed to cross-train into any other race, and probably understand the other races' ships better than pilots of other races understand Minmatar ships.
Notable uses
PvE
Relatively-selectable damage from projectile turrets and fully-selectable damage from missiles make Minmatar ships fairly flexible PvE combat platforms. An "orthodox" progression for a character running missions might be the Rifter and Thrasher for Level 1 missions, the Rupture for L2s, the Hurricane for L3s, and the Maelstrom for L4s. A character focusing on missiles could consider the Breacher, Talwar, Bellicose, Cyclone, and the Typhoon, though Caldari missile ships tend to outdo Minmatar ones at missile-based mission running, as they are built around ranged combat.
The Thrasher, with its high speed and a large number of high slots, is a good cheap salvaging ship.
Both the Hurricane and the Minmatar attack battlecruiser, the Tornado, see use in some types of wormhole PvE.
PvP
T1 Minmatar ships find roles in most PvP contexts. Kiting tactics go well with Minmatar ships' high speeds, and in solo and small-gang PvP the Breacher and Stabber can be found kiting; a T2 development of the Stabber, the 
Vagabond, is built around this tactic. The Rupture puts out remarkable DPS for a T1 cruiser hull. The Hurricane is a perennially popular and highly versatile ship, capable of a variety of tanks and tactics, ranging from scram-range brawling, through autocannon kiting, to long-range artillery fits.
All three T1 Minmatar battleships can be dangerous in PvP, though like all T1 battleships they are expensive hulls and sometimes have their battlefield roles usurped by HACs. The Typhoon can be fitted and boosted to achieve startling speed for a battleship, and its rarely-noted bonus to "explosion velocity" means it's a rare example of a large missile ship that can really apply some DPS to smaller targets.
T1 Minmatar ships also have some more niche PvP uses. The high amount of alpha damage that can be wrung from artillery-fit Thrashers and Tornadoes, relative to their cost and size, makes them popular ships for suicide ganking.
Skills
Minmatar ships share many core skills with the ships of the other three main factions. Very new pilots should consider EVE University's Short Skill Plan; relatively new pilots should consider the 14 skills which affect every ship, the fitting skills which make it easier to fit modules onto ships, and the support skills which underpin much of your ship's performance. For longer-term training, EVE University's Pyramid Skill Plan offers one useful way of conceiving your goals.
That said, there are some considerations that are specific to Minmatar ships. Pilots training to fly these ships should particularly polish their skills in the Navigation category, to bring out the Minmatar strengths in speed and agility. Capacitor skills, meanwhile, are an important way to make up for these ships' relatively weaker capacitors.
Projectile turret skills and missile skills are necessary to bring out the damage potential of Minmatar ships. Note that while many skills in the Gunnery category are vital for projectile turrets, Controlled Bursts has no effect on projectile guns, as it reduces turrets' capacitor demand, and projectile weapons don't use any capacitor. Sharpshooter increases optimal range, and so is not very useful for autocannon, but still helpful for artillery. Pilots using autocannon will want to prioritise Trajectory Analysis more than pilots flying other races' ships, as this boosts falloff range.
Ships
Here are the Minmatar T1 ships. Please follow the links to the specific pages of the ship database for more details and particular fits.
Corvette
Little more than slower, armed shuttles, corvette (or "noobships") are the basic frigates that new pilots start with. You can acquire a new corvette at no cost (together with a civilian weapon, a civilian mining laser, and one unit of Tritanium) by clicking on the "Board my corvette" button available in the station menu when you're docked up. On their own, corvettes are useful for little other than basic errand-running, though since the ship is free a corvette can be spawned as a makeshift small station container when no other containers are available.
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Role Bonus: The Reaper-class corvette is one of the smallest of the Minmatar vessels, just barely reaching rookie ship status instead of a manned fighter. The Reaper is very cheap and is used en masse in daring hit-and-run operations by Minmatars either side of the law. |
Frigates
Frigates are the smallest of the ship classes in EVE. In fleet PvP, Tech 1 frigates are generally used for tackling or electronic warfare, two roles in which they can have a significant impact. Tech 1 frigates are also flown for solo PvP: their speed and small size helps solo pilots to pick their targets, and their low cost makes them comfortably expendable.
In PvE, the more combat-focused frigates are used to complete Level 1 missions, though once new pilots are a little wealthier and better-trained they often begin to use destroyers instead.
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Minmatar Frigate bonuses (per skill level): The Breacher's structure is little more than a fragile scrapheap, but the ship's missile launcher hardpoints and superior sensors have placed it among the most valued Minmatar frigates when it comes to long range combat. |
This is a long-range missile boat. It has some popularity in Faction Warfare PvP complexes, where it can sometimes kite other small frigates and benefits from its cheap cost.
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Minmatar Frigate bonuses (per skill level): In YC114 each major empire faction, having been embroiled in a harrowing, extensive, long-term war, recognized the growing need for support and logistics functionality in their vessels during the kind of protracted interstellar warfare that might otherwise prove exhausting for its participants. In the Minmatar Republic, this led to the redesign and redeployment of the Burst. |
The Burst is the Minmatar logistics frigate and is designed for remote shield repair. It makes an ideal entry point for beginner Minmatar capsuleers who want to train into the Scythe, the Minmatar Tier 1 Cruiser logi ship, before eventually training into the Scimitar, the Minmatar Tier 2 Logistics ship.
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Minmatar Frigate bonuses (per skill level): The Probe is large compared to most Minmatar frigates and is considered a good scout and cargo-runner. Uncharacteristically for a Minmatar ship, its hard outer coating makes it difficult to destroy, while the limited weapon hardpoints force it to rely on drone assistance if engaged in combat. |
The Probe is the Minmatar Tech 1 exploration, and scanning frigate. It is a good ship for players who are getting into probing and don't have the skills for the T2 version, the Cheetah. Its bonus to cycle time for hacking, archaeology, and salvaging modules means it can be very effective for looting exploration sites as well. If you have the skills to deal with its small capacitor, it can be a speedy and cheap delivery ship due to its comparatively large cargo bay.
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Minmatar Frigate bonuses (per skill level): The Rifter is a very powerful combat frigate and can easily tackle the best frigates out there. It has gone through many radical design phases since its inauguration during the Minmatar Rebellion. The Rifter has a wide variety of offensive capabilities, making it an unpredictable and deadly adversary. |
The Rifter is the primary damage frigate for Minmatar. For tackling, a Slasher or 
Merlin is by far better. While the Rifter used to be considered the best Tech 1 frigate in the game (leading to many memes surrounding it), it has been nerfed to be similar in abilities to the others. A balanced 4/3/3 layout gives the Rifter the ability to either shield or armor tank and provides flexibility in fitting.
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Traits: The Slasher is cheap, but versatile. It's been manufactured en masse, making it one of the most common vessels in Minmatar space. The Slasher is extremely fast, with decent armaments, and is popular amongst budding pirates and smugglers. |
The Slasher is the Tech 1 Minmatar fast tackle frigate. It receives a bonus to the cap usage of tackle mods, and it has the fastest base speed of the T1 frigates. Four mid slots also allow a great deal of flexibility in fitting.
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Minmatar Frigate bonuses (per skill level): The Vigil is an unusual Minmatar ship, serving both as a long range scout as well as an electronic warfare platform. It is fast and agile, allowing it to keep the distance needed to avoid enemy fire while making use of jammers or other electronic gadgets. |
The Vigil is the Tech 1 EWAR ship of the Minmatar Republic. Target painters are only situationally useful; they are also stacking penalized in effectiveness, and work reasonably well on hulls without bonuses to them.
Destroyers
Destroyers are slightly larger and have more highslots than frigates but fit the same small-sized weapons. In PVP, they're designed to slaughter frigates but be vulnerable to most other ships, which limits them to very niche roles. Their high damage output (for small, cheap ships) makes them popular tools for suicide-ganking weak targets in highsec. They are also sometimes used to hunt frigate pilots or to kill a carrier's fighters, and some doctrines use destroyers as a cheap, expendable source of fast-moving DPS.
In PvE, destroyers are most often used for Level 1 missions, and they make superb introductory salvage ships.
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Minmatar Destroyer bonuses (per skill level): The Talwar is redolent of the renowned Minmatar practicality in terms of battle. Irrespective of numbers, firepower and circumstances, their strategy when engaged in combat often revolves around the same central tenet: Stay untouchable as much as you can, either by sneaking around or rushing in, do as much damage as fast as you can, and get out before you get killed. |
The Talwar uses rockets or light missiles to fight smaller craft like frigates or other destroyers. Due to its bonus reducing the signature radius bloom of microwarp drives—unique among T1 destroyers—it can reach great speeds without increasing its own signature radius significantly.
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Minmatar Destroyer bonuses (per skill level): Engineered as a supplement to its big brother the Cyclone, the Thrasher's tremendous turret capabilities and advanced tracking computers allow it to protect its larger counterpart from smaller, faster menaces. |
The Thrasher can be an effective anti-frigate platform in PvE (L1 missions) or PvP. It is rarely seen in fleet combat, but its cheap cost makes it popular with suicide gankers, and it finds a role in some "glass cannon" group tactics. Its balanced mid and low slot layout makes it generally the most flexible destroyer, able to fit some tackle and an armor tank or damage and a shield tank.
Cruisers
Cruisers are EVE's medium-sized ships, larger than frigates and destroyers but still much smaller, faster and nimbler than battlecruisers and battleships. Cruisers mount medium-sized weapons and modules. Tech 1 cruiser hulls cost a few million ISK and tend to be the first major financial step up from frigates for new pilots. In PvP, some T1 cruisers, such as the Gallente 
Thorax and the Minmatar Rupture, can bring surprising amounts of DPS to a fight. The electronic warfare cruisers can also be important in PvP, as they are slightly tougher and often more effective EWAR platforms than their frigate equivalents. Cruisers can also fit tackle to provide some secondary, heavier tackling that's harder to scrape off than T1 tackling frigates.
In PVE, Tech 1 cruisers are the ships most commonly used to run Level 2 missions.
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Minmatar Cruiser bonuses (per skill level): Being a highly versatile class of Minmatar ships, the Bellicose has been used as a combat juggernaut as well as a support ship for wings of frigates. While not quite in the league of newer navy cruisers, the Bellicose is still a very solid ship for most purposes, especially in terms of long range combat. |
The Bellicose is the Minmatar EWar cruiser, with bonuses for the effectiveness of target painters. Although the Vigil's target painters have a longer range than those of the Bellicose, the cruiser provides a far more durable platform. Target painting is more situationally useful than ECM (Caldari) or sensor dampening (Gallente). On the other hand, like the 
Arbitrator, the Bellicose has a secondary bonus for combat, in this case for the rate of fire of Rapid Light, Heavy Assault, and Heavy Missile Launchers. This means the ship can also double up as DD and is often used in a fleet support role.
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Minmatar Cruiser bonuses (per skill level): The Rupture is slow for a Minmatar ship, but it more than makes up for it in power. The Rupture has superior firepower and is used by the Minmatar Republic both to defend space stations and other stationary objects and as part of massive attack formations. |
The heavy-duty combat cruiser of the Minmatar Republic, this ship looks like a chunk of brick. The Rupture is the favored mission cruiser for the Minmatar. It can mount a good active armor tank or regenerating passive shield tank and can use artillery and drones to destroy mission rats from range.
The Rupture is also a strong PvP ship. A number of fittings work well; in E-UNI fleets the most common approach is to fit an armor buffer tank and provide extra DPS and some sticky secondary tackle. Strong fitting skills and access to T2 autocannons (for kiting with Barrage ammo) open up some fast-moving shield-tanked PvP fits.
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Minmatar Cruiser bonuses (per skill level): In YC114 each major empire faction, having been embroiled in a harrowing, extensive, long-term war, recognized the growing need for support and logistics functionality in their vessels during the kind of protracted interstellar warfare that might otherwise prove exhausting for its participants. Both Frigate and Cruiser-class ships were put under the microscope, and in the Minmatar Republic the outcome of the re-evaluation process led, among other developments, to a redesign and redeployment of the Scythe. |
The Scythe is a T1 logistics cruiser, with bonuses to shield repair. It is designed to support 3 medium shield transporters and a shield tank while remaining cap stable, but getting the Scythe both cap stable and well-tanked can be tricky for characters with limited SP.
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Minmatar Cruiser bonuses (per skill level): The Stabber is the mainstay of the Minmatar fleet. It is light and extremely fast, yet surprisingly powerful, with a wide variety of weapons. It is one of few Minmatar vessels that have reached popularity outside Minmatar space. |
The Stabber is the fastest T1 cruiser, and it has a falloff bonus that lets autocannon strike from longer ranges.
If you plan on moving into ships that utilize speed tanking or avoidance tactics this is a good ship to practice with; T2 autocannon can load Barrage ammunition which really unleashes the Stabber's autocannon kiting potential and points the way towards the advanced version of this ship, the Vagabond. On the other hand, the Stabber has an especially limited capacitor and pilots must be careful in their energy use while flying it.
The Stabber can also be fitted as a fast-yet-tough tackle ship or as a kind of "super destroyer" anti-frigate platform.
Battlecruisers
When you begin to fly Minmatar Battlecruisers, it is a good idea to be training towards a Shield or Armor T2 Tank. (You will need a full T2 tank to fly battlecruisers in wartime PvP if you're a uni pilot. Whether or not you're in the uni, a T2 tank is extremely helpful in PVP or PVE.) It is also wise to have basic Gunnery Support skills sorted out and to be training towards T2 light and medium drones.
In PvP, Tech 1 battlecruisers represent a good balance between DPS, tanking, agility, speed, and cost (they cost much less to lose than a battleship). Battlecruisers can be fitted for long or short range PVP combat. In large-scale alliance battles in nullsec they are often part of each side's 'support fleet', defending the main battleship fleet from attack.
In PvE, Tech 1 battlecruisers are the standard tool for completing Level 3 combat missions. Several battlecruisers can mount passive shield tanks ideal for PvE combat, and some battlecruisers are also suitable salvage ships for the large amount of loot produced by Level 4 missions.
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Minmatar Battlecruiser bonuses (per skill level): The Cyclone was created in order to meet the increasing demand for a vessel capable of providing muscle for frigate detachments while remaining more mobile than a battleship. To this end, the Cyclone's seven high-power slots and powerful thrusters have proved ideal. |
The Cyclone is inferior to the Hurricane in most situations, but it has a few niches. The Cyclone is bonused towards missiles rather than projectile turrets. Unlike the Drake, which is designed to mount a large buffer tank and deal most of its damage with kinetic missiles, the Cyclone is bonused to take advantage of shield boosters to mount a massive active tank, albeit for an only limited period of time, while its rate of fire bonus allows the Cyclone greater flexibility in terms of the damage types it can use. The Cyclone also has a decent drone bay and bandwidth, allowing it to field a full flight of medium drones for extra DPS, or two flights of small drones instead.
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Minmatar Battlecruiser bonuses (per skill level): The force with which this ship hits is more than sufficient to leave a trail of shattered enemies, floating around like so much lifeless debris. An adaptable vessel, it has enough turret hardpoints for a full-scale assault while remaining versatile enough to allow for plenty of missile fire, and has both sufficient speed to outrun its enemies and sufficient capacitor charge to outlast them. |
The Hurricane has a long history of positive PvP and PvE performance and is one of the most versatile ships in EVE. It can deal impressive DPS and can be shield or armor tanked. Most Minmatar pilots choose a Hurricane as their Level 3 mission ship, fitting either a passive shield tank or an active armor tank.
In PvP, the Hurricane can be fitted as a simple, armor-buffered short-range bruiser, or as a fast, kiting, shield-tanked 'Nanocane', or as a shield-tanked, medium-range high-alpha artillery platform. Roaming gangs of shield Hurricanes with Scimitar logistic support are a fearsome sight and a highly effective combat fleet.
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Minmatar Battlecruiser bonuses (per skill level): In YC 113 Republic Security Services learned the Amarr Empire was building a new battlecruiser capable of supporting battleship-class weapons. Determined to not lose their technological edge to their adversaries, Republic Fleet commissioned Boundless Creation to construct a gunboat to match. |
The Tornado was made to do one thing and one thing only: blow the ever loving crap out of anything that is unfortunately preoccupied with other threats. Like the other Tier 3 Battlecruisers, this ship is all gank and no tank. This naturally leads many to fit it for 200km+ sniper combat, since even a couple of cruisers or small frigate wolfpack can tear it apart rather quickly. The Tornado is thus often fitted with 1400mm Artillery and used to deal massive alpha damage, in a similar style to the [{sh|Maelstrom}}.
Battleships
In PvP, Tech 1 Battleships can mount great buffer tanks and can deal very high DPS when fitted for short ranges. When mounting long-range 'sniper' fits, battleships can fight at the very longest ranges possible in Eve's engine, while still dealing effective DPS. Battleships' weaknesses are low speed and agility, combined with slow locking speeds and poor gun tracking speeds. Battleships, therefore, struggle to force smaller ships to engage and to kill smaller ships even when they can be pinned down.
In PvE, battleships are also the standard class of ship used to run Level 4 missions solo, since they can fit active tanks good enough to survive lots of DPS over a sustained period of time, while still dealing out enough damage to complete missions reasonably quickly. Battleships are also used very effectively in Incursion fleets.
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Minmatar Battleship bonuses (per skill level): With the Maelstrom, versatility is the name of the game. Its defensive capabilities make it ideally suited for small raid groups or solo work, while its 8 turret hardpoints present opportunities for untold carnage on the fleet battlefield. |
On the same skill path as the Cyclone, the Maelstrom has a powerful active shield tank. Unlike the Cyclone, it can also deal lots of damage. The Maelstrom is the usual choice for running Level 4 missions, which it does quite well (Ships like the Vargur and Machariel outperform it, but cost much more, both in ISK and in skill training time). PvE Maelstroms usually fit an X-large shield booster for a powerful pulsed shield tank, and artillery for long-range DPS -- though against the Angel Cartel, whose battleships like to engage at close range, some pilots like to fit large autocannon instead. It is also a great introductory ship to get into Incursions.
In PvP, the Maelstrom is the backbone of the "alpha fleet" - fleets designed to one-shot ships to negate the power of logistics.
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Minmatar Battleship bonuses (per skill level): The Tempest is one of the Republic Fleet's key vessels; a versatile gunship proficient at long-range bombardment and capable of dishing out specialized types of damage with great effectiveness. A well-rounded squadron of Tempests has been proven time and time again to be an invaluable wild card in a fleet battle, one which opponents should ignore at their own peril. |
The Tempest is one of two Minmatar Attack Battleships. Its bonuses favor Large Projectile Turrets, unlike the Typhoon which focuses on Battleship-size missiles/torpedos. With 5 mid slots and 6 low slots, the Tempest can be shield or armor tanked, both are equally common. With the recent rise in the use of the Tornado, as a cheaper sniper, the primary role of the Tempest has been somewhat overshadowed. Nonetheless, the Tempest is still widely used in skirmish warfare. The Tempest is relatively quick and agile, for a battleship.
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Minmatar Battleship bonuses (per skill level): Much praised by its proponents and much maligned by its detractors, the Typhoon-class battleship has always been one of the most hotly debated spacefaring vessels around. Its distinguishing aspect - and the source of most of the controversy - is its sheer versatility, variously seen as either a lack of design focus or a deliberate freedom for pilot modification. |
The Typhoon is the missile-focused Minmatar T1 battleship. With no bonus for missile range, it is a bit more suited to brawling, unlike the Caldari Raven. The Typhoon has an unusual bonus to missile explosion velocity, which means that it can apply its missile damage to smaller targets rather more easily than most large missile platforms. It has a very high base speed (for a battleship) and one niche use for it is as an unusually large fast ship in small, quickly-moving gangs.
Haulers
Haulers are a class of ships with a very large cargo bay, generally weak shields and armor, with few turret hardpoints. Haulers are designed to carry large volumes of cargo within their large holds. However, they are slow and fragile ships, leaving them vulnerable to attack. Some haulers have a better capacity to deal with threats than others, leaving some ships better at running the gauntlet than others with a chance of success.
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Minmatar Hauler bonuses (per skill level): Aside from being endowed with the usual carrying capabilities of haulers, the Hoarder possesses an extra cargo bay. That bay is a static-free, blast-proof chamber, and as such is meant to be dedicated solely to ferrying consumable charges of all kinds, including ammunition, missiles, capacitor charges, nanite paste and bombs. |
The Hoarder is a highly specialized Hauler for hauling large volumes of ammunition. This is especially useful for transporting high-volume low-ISK items such as cap booster charges or large ammunition.
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Minmatar Hauler bonuses (per skill level): The Mammoth is the largest hauler of the Minmatar Republic. It was designed with aid from the Gallente Federation, making the Mammoth both large and powerful yet also nimble and technologically advanced. A very good buy. |
The Mammoth offers a good compromise between one of the largest cargo holds of the Haulers and a relatively fast align time. The low-slots can be filled with either cargo expanders or agility modules to balance these depending on the task at hand.
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Minmatar Haulers bonuses (per skill level): The Wreathe is an old hauler of the Minmatar Republic and one of the oldest ship designs still in use. The design of the Wreathe is very plain, which is the main reason for its longevity, but it also makes the ship incapable of handling anything but the most mundane tasks. |
The Wreathe is the entry-level Hauler provided to Minmatar capsuleers during the tutorial missions. Its cargo hold leaves much to be desired but is sufficient for small hauling jobs. It offers the shortest align time of all T1 haulers and its low-slots can be used to improve that further. Level 1 distribution missions and light station trading are situations that this ship accommodates. As young pilots have less starting capital, the limited cargo size of the Wreathe will be less of a problem.
Projectile Turret Tips
- Main article: Projectile turrets
- Main article: Projectile ammunition
Projectile turrets are powerful and versatile, but complex: they are the only turrets with selectable damage types, which means you can load ammo appropriate to your target's weaknesses, but this comes at the cost of more involved thought. The pages linked above about projectile turrets and projectile ammunition repay a careful read, but here is a brief summary.
Autocannon
The optimal range modifiers on projectile ammo mean very little for autocannon, which have minimal optimal ranges anyway. For this reason, it usually makes sense to use one of the three short-range, high-damage types:
- EMP ammo for EM damage
- Fusion ammo for explosive damage
- Phased Plasma for thermal damage
There are two ammo types with 33% less damage but a 20% turret tracking bonus.
- Titanium Sabot for mostly kinetic damage
- Depleted Uranium for explosive damage spiced with thermal damage
The 33% reduced damage limits these types' usefulness: Guristas NPCs, for instance, are weakest to kinetic, but Phased Plasma normally outdamages Titanium Sabot against Guristas, because of its greater raw damage. Both types are useful in niche situations when you need to shoot small, faster targets. Proton, Nuclear, and Carbonized Lead have a larger damage penalty, and can be ignored when using autocannon.
Tech 2 autocannon ammo comes in two varieties:
- Hail: reduced range, reduced tracking, but high damage; explosive damage spiced with kinetic; useful for shooting large, slow PvP targets at close range
- Barrage: 50% more falloff range, reduced tracking; a little less damage than EMP, Fusion, and Phased Plasma; roughly 50/50 kinetic and explosive damage; useful for PvP kiting at medium range
Artillery
Unlike autocannon, artillery guns have noticeable optimal ranges. Nevertheless, you're usually still best off using the short-ranged ammo to maximize both DPS and alpha, unless your tank cannot take the damage your targets deal at shorter artillery ranges. To recap, those short-ranged ammo types are:
- EMP ammo for EM damage
- Fusion ammo for explosive damage
- Phased Plasma for thermal damage
Tech 2 artillery ammo comes in two varieties:
- Tremor: a huge range bonus, healthy damage, but a large tracking penalty; for PvP snipers
- Quake: reduces your optimal range to one quarter, for a 25% bonus to tracking; a last-resort PvP ammo type to load against targets that get too close
Missile Tips
- Main article: Missiles
Missiles are simpler to use than projectile turrets. For each type of missile launcher, there are four types of missile, and each type deals one of the four damage types. You can tell the damage type from the flavor word in the missile's name:
- "Mjolnir": EM damage
- "Inferno": thermal damage
- "Scourge": kinetic damage
- "Nova": explosive damage
In PvE combat, you can look up what your target NPCs' weakest damage resistance is, and target that. In PvP, you should bring a range of damage types and (where possible) select the appropriate damage before engaging.
A missile's range is its flight time multiplied by its velocity. You can check missile ranges easily by turning on the tactical overlay and hovering your cursor over the module button for your missile launcher(s): doing this will display the range as a red zone on the overlay, centered on your ship.
Unlike turret weapons, missiles take time to travel to their target. They also struggle to apply their damage to targets smaller than their own size: medium-sized missiles don't apply damage well to frigates, and large missiles don't apply damage well to cruisers. Target painting can help with this, as can rare ship bonuses such as the explosion velocity bonus on the Typhoon battleship, but you can also use small drones to scrape small targets off you.
Related Links
- Missions
- Drones and Using Drones
- Basic skills and Support skills - Training support skills is a key step towards flying a ship well. Read up on support skills here.
- Fitting Guidelines - Some general guidelines for fitting ships.
- Fitting Modules and Rigs Guide - A list of rigs and module types with short descriptions.
- NPC damage types and NPC Ship Attributes - To see which resists to use and damage types to deal against NPC rats.
- Creating an Alt Hauler - Having an alt hauler can be useful for shopping trips during wartime, if you are living in highsec.
