Fitting missile launchers: Difference between revisions

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This article focuses on the knowledge you need to be able to fit missile launchers to your ship. It contains a number of detailed discussions and does not cover all the general concepts in depth. If you are not completely clear as to how missile launcher systems work, or as to how missiles do damage when they hit, you should read [[Missile Launchers]] and [[Missile Damage]] before continuing on this page.

=== Primary Missile Skills and Specializations ===

Most pilots train the primary skills for Rockets and Light Missiles at least to Level III first, and then move on to larger missiles as they move to larger ships. Naturally you will want to advance according to your own needs — just keep in mind that skills interact, and that as you move your missile skills up, you many also want to increase your launcher and/or basic fitting skills to match.

=== Launcher Support Skills ===  

=== Other Skills ===

=== Frigate Class ===

With its bonuses and four launchers, the Kestrel is an excellent ship for Level I Missions. The four mid slots allow for a solid shield tank. This configuration can be set up with lower level equipment to match lower level skills and upgraded as skills improve.

This Breacher fit builds on the bonus for Shield Booster. The two drones provide significant support for close-in PvP action with Rockets. The Ancillary Medium Shield Booster uses Cap Booster charges to power itself, thus reducing the draw on the ship's capacitor. This is an effective approach in PvP fights, which tend to be fairly short. Note that T2 drones require two level V drone skills ... a considerable investment. This fit is good for pilots who are thinking about using drones in larger ships later on.  

=== Destroyer Class ===

This Talwar is a fleet build that is designed to deliver heavy damage from range while other ships tackle the targets. This is an inexpensive T1 fit that requires relatively low level skills. This is consistent with fleet combat in a ship that has little defense – if it blows up, you just replace it.  Note that two of the rigs focus on ship speed and maneuverability. This ship needs to be fast and nimble as it cannot stand to take much damage.

=== Cruiser Class ===

=== Battlecruiser Class ===

This Drake fit builds on the bonus for Heavy Assault Missiles (HAMs) and Shield Resistance to create a fast, powerful tackler for fleet combat. It is an advanced ship, requiring a number of T2 components. HAMs are short range, high damage missiles. Combined with this ship's large passive shield tank, they make for a strong, fast tackler that can also do considerable close in damage.

This somewhat unusual fit builds on the Prohecy's capacity and bonuses for drones, and on the fact that the ship has no particularly bonused weapons system. While you would expect an Amarr ship to use energy weapons, the Rapid Light Missile Launchers do not draw on the ship's capacitor, and they provide plenty of defense against smaller, faster PvE ships. With medium combat drones, this fit works well for Level III Missions.

=== Battleship Class ===

== Specific Missile Weapons Systems ==

Item prices can vary dramatically from system to system, but typically, higher meta level gear is more expensive, and the most widely used gear is less expensive (''because industrialists manufacture more of it''). [[Techs, Tiers and Meta levels|Meta levels]] vary from 1 to 10 and give a very rough estimate of the item's value in combat.  

''For example, if a missile has a 10k m/s speed and a flight time of 6.3 seconds: it will first travel 60,000 meters ... and then, 30% of the time, it will go an additional  10,000 meters.''

From the game's point of view, this makes the math work out, but from a pilot's point of view, missiles can have a variable maximum range. Most of the time, this will not matter. But if you are fitting a ship for combat at extreme range, you will want to factor this into your analysis.

=== Missile Types ===

Within each class of missile different types vary a missile's Flight Time, Explosion Radius, Explosion Velocity and Base Damage. Specific type values are different for each class of missile - this chart shows the approximate percentage variation from the standard missile in each class.  

|+ '''Comparison of Missile Types'''

|-  

| Standard || 1 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0  || 0

In general, different types of launchers vary the firing rate, shots per load, and the powergrid and cpu requirements of the launcher. Specific values are different for each class of launcher - this chart shows the approximate percentage variation from the standard launcher in each class.

|+ '''Comparison of Launcher Types'''

|+ ''Note that some faction and storyline launchers are hard to find and extremely expensive.''

|-

|| Standard T I || 0 ||0  ||0 || 0 || 0

=== Support Equipment ===

Which of the equipment that enhances missiles and missile launchers you choose to use is highly dependent not only on your skills and ship characteristics, but also on your combat goals. If you are fitting a ship to attack large targets as a fleet sniper, you want entirely different equipment than if you are fitting a ship to kill small, fast PVE targets while flying a drone boat. That said, Ballistic Control Systems, which improve general damage, are probably the most widely used supporting modules.  Warhead Calefaction Catalyst and Bay Loading Accelerator are arguably the most widely used rigs.

==== Modules ====

Launcher modules generally benefit damage, flight time, velocity and explosion effectiveness.

==== Rigs ====

* Bay Loading Accelerator: +rate of fire, stacking penalties apply

* Hydraulic Bay Thrusters: +velocity,  stacking penalties apply

* Warhead Rigor Catalyst: reduces explosion radius

* Ionic Field Projector: +targeting range

* Targeting System Subcontroller: +targeting speed

== Footnotes and References ==

[[Category:Weapons]]