Natural Resists

THIS IS A DRAFT, AND A WORK IN PROGRESS! DO NOT EDIT YET PLEASE!

Natural enemies

Before going into ship types you need to know the races, and more importantly who are enemies to each other in order to understand how the natural resists work.

Amarr VS Minmatar

Gallente VS Caldari

Each race has a dominant damage type

Amarr

Amarr deal both EM and thermal, but does more EM damage throughout all ammo types. This makes EM the dominant Amarr Damage type

Minmatar

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Minmatar deal all damage types depending on ammo, but 6 out of the 8 ammo types you will find some explosive damage. Most people will argue that projectile ammo can be interchanged to deal any damage type, however for the sake of this topic; we will stick to Explosive as the Minmatar dominant damage type.

Gallente

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Gallente use hybrid ammo that only deal kinetic and thermal damage. It is clear that Gallente have thermal as highest damage type, however for the sake of this topic lets assume that the dominant Gallente damage type is thermal. 

Caldari

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Caldari missiles have the versatility to deal all damage types equally well. However, three of their most popular ships also have bonuses to kinetic damage. So it is safe to say that Caldari have kinetic as the dominant damage type.

Race	Dominant Damage Type
Amarr	EM
Minmatar	Explosive
Gallente	Thermal
Caldari	Kinetic

Tech 1 Ships

Generally all Tech 1 ships (and faction ship) follow a general pattern when it comes to resists. For a given race, all tech 1 ships and faction ships have the same resists, be it a tech 1 frigate or a titan. A Punisher has the same exact resistance attributes as an Avatar.

All tech 1 ships have an EM shield hole and an explosive armor hole.

All tech 1 ships and faction ships have the same shield resist. However, armor resists between different races vary slightly, mainly to compensate for the dominating enemy race damage type.

Lets take a look at the different tech 1 ship resists by comparing them to their natural enemies.

Amarr VS Minmatar

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As you can see, the Minmatar tech 1 ships have a slightly higher EM armor resist to compensate for the dominant Amarr damage type. Likewise, the Amarr tech 1 ships have a slightly increased explosive resist to compensate for the dominant Minmatar damage type.

Gallente VS Caldari

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The Caldari tech 1 ships have a slightly higher thermal armor resist, again to compensate for the dominant Gallente damage type. The Gallente however opted for a balanced kinetic/thermal resistance attribute.

Tech 2 Ships

Tech 2 ships have different resist types than their tech 1 variants.

Tech 2 resists can be split into 6 diffrent profiles. Lets examine these profiles using a table.

Some ships offer bonusus to resistance based on the prerequsite skill to fly them. In the next table, you will find the resistance profiles based on having the respective ship skill at level 5.

For comparisons sake, lets examine the aggregate resists of each of these resistance profiles.

Class	Type 1	Type 2	Type 3	Type 4	Type 5	Type 6
Defence Type	Shield Armor	Shield Armor	Shield Armor	Shield Armor	Shield Armor	Shield Armor
Amarr Minmatar Gallente Caldari	227.5 177.5 192.5 225 211.25 195 208.75 200	120 140 120 140 120 140 120 140	120 140 120 140 120 140 120 140	150  188.75 180    166.25 160 178.75 175 176.25	120 140 120 140 120 140 120 140	130 159.375 145 148.125 135 154.375 137.5 153.125

Lets now look at the modified shield and armor aggregate resists.

Class	Type 1 Modified Shield	Type 1 Modified Armor	Type 2 Modified Shield	Type 2 Modified Armor
Defence Type	Shield Armor	Shield Armor	Shield Armor	Shield Armor
Amarr Minmatar Gallente Caldari	120 140 120 140 120 140 120 140	150  188.75 180    166.25 160 178.75 175 176.25	120 140 120 140 120 140 120 140	130 159.375 145 148.125 135 154.375 137.5 153.125

Tech 2 Frigates

Tech 2 frigates all have different resists based on thier hull, but they follow the same principle. I will be using the assault frigate as an example.

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File:T2Electronic.png

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Assault frigates are variations of a tier 1 frigate hull, namely the Incursus, Rifter, Punsiher and the Merlin. Since both Assault frigates from each race stem from the same hull, any one of the two will do for the comparison. When comparing the four assault frigates, we see a pattern that resembles the tier 1 resistance attributes. Some ships still have a shield EM hole and an armor explosive hole.

It is worth mentioning that the Vengeance has a 5% armor resist bonus per assault ships level, which means at level 5 assault ships, the Vengeance gets a 25% bonus to armor resistance. However, this does not affect the ships natural resistance, but the remaining amount. For example, the Vengeance has an 80% armor explosive resistance, but the 25% armor resistance bonus works on the incoming 20% damage. This means that out of the 20% incoming explosive damage, 25% is resisted, which is 5% of total incoming damage and results in a total of 85% explosive armor resistance.

• Amarr vs Minmatar

It is clear that the Amarr Vengeance has an increased explosive resist to make up for the Minmatar explosive damage. On the other hand, we have the Minmatar Jaguar with a high EM resist to make up for the Amarr dominant EM damage type. We see a similar pattern with armor as well.

• Gallente vs Caldari

Again, here we see the Gallente ships have an ever so slightly higher kinetic shield resists, while the Caldari have a slightly higher thermal shield resists. Same goes for armor.

• Noticeable findings

Both the Gallente are Caldari are striving for high thermal and kinetic resists, while ignoring the EM and explosive resists. The Vengance covers most resistances in its armor, while the Jaguar covers its resistances in its shields.

Adding up all the shield resists and armor resists, will yield the following table.

Amarr generally are better off armor tanked, while Minmatar are better off shield tanked. Gallente and Caldari have a good balance between shield and armor, with the Gallente leaning a little towards armor and Caldari leaning towards shield.

The rate at which each faction covers its defenses versus their enemies damage type changes with each class. It is highest with the Assault ships and lowest with the interceptor and the covert-ops, which share the same resists.

Tech 2 Destroyers

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Tech 2 Destroyers, also known as Interdictors, follow the same principle as the tech 2 frigates. However, it is interesting to notice is that they have the exact same resists as the interceptors and covert-ops ships.

Tech 2 Cruisers

Heavy Interdictors

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Heavy Interdictors again follow the same principle of tech 2 frigates, and again they have the same resists as the Assault frigates. However, keep in mind that Heavy Interdictors have a 25% bonus to armor (Gallente,Amarr) and 25% bonus to shield (Minmatar, Caldari) as a prerequisite to fly one. Cruiser 5 is a prerequisite and offers a 5% bonus to either armor or resist per level.

For clarification, it works on incoming damage rather than the ships natural resists. For example, the Devoter has an 80% explosive resistance, but the 25% bonus from the ship will work on the 20% incoming damage only. This means that out of the 20% incoming damage 25% will be resisted which means only 5% bonus resistance to explosive damage, making the Devoter's armor resist a total of 85%.

Heavy Assault Cruisers

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Although each faction have 2 Heavy Assault Cruisers (HACs) which have different hulls, they both share the same resistance attributes; which are similar to the assault firgate resists.

The Amarr Sacrilege has an armor resist bonus and the Caldari Eagle has a shield resist bonus which works exactly the same way as the Heavy Interdictor bonuses.

Logistics

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Logistics also follow the standard T2 resists pattern, and they have the same values as the Assault Frigates, Heavy Interdictors and HACs.

Recon Ships

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Force Recon Ships have the same resists as the Electronic attack frigates.

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However, the Combat Recon Ships have thier own unique resists. Compared to the most common T2 resist pattern (The assault Frigate Pattern),

• Amarr Combat Recons have a slightly lower shield and armor explosive and kinetic resists
• Minmatar Combat Recons have a slightly lower shield and armor EM and thermal resists
• Gallente Combat Recons have both a lower thermal and kinetic shield and armor resists
• Caldari Combat Recons also have lower thermal and kinetic shield and armor resists

Tech 2 Battlecruisers

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Also known as Command Ships, are split into two types, Fleet Command and Field command; and both have the same hull type for each faction.

• Fleet Command ships have the same resists as T2 assault frigates. The Amarr Damnation has a 25% bonus to armor resists and the Caldari Vulture has a 25% bonus to shield resists as a prerequisite. Take a look at the Heavy Interdictors section to find out more how these bonuses work.

• Field Command Ships follow the same resist pattern as the Combat Recon Ship resistance attributes. Again, as with the Fleet Command Ships, the Amarr Absolution has a 25% bonus to armor resists and the Caldari Nighthawk has a 25% bonus to shield resists as a prerequisite.

Tech 2 Battleships

Marauders

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Marauders follow the same general principle of T2 ship resists, and they have the exact same resist values as the stealth bombers.

Black-ops

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Black-ops follow the same principle of T2 ship resists, but they have their own unique values that differ from all other T2 ships. They have a slightly higher resist than the interceptor, covert-ops and Interdictor resistance attributes, which puts them at the 2nd worst resists among all the T2 ships. This follows the trend that Cloak-able ships have lower resistances compared to non Cloak-able ships.

Tech 2 Transport Ships

Deep space Hauler

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Deep Space Haulers follow the same principle of other T2 ship resists. They have the same resists as the Assault Frigate ship type.

Blockade Runner

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Blockade Runners follow the same principle of other T2 ship resists. They have the same resists as the Electronic Attack Ship type.

Summary

• Assault Frigates, Heavy Interdictors, HACs, Logistics, Fleet combat ships and Deep Space haulers have the same natural resists.However, all Heavy Interdictors, Sacrilege, Eagle, Damnation and Vulture have a 25% resist skill bonus, which makes them the highest natural resistance ships in game.

• Combat Recon ships and Field Combat ships have the same resists. Absolution and Nighthawk both have a 25%

• Electronic Attack Frigates, Force Recon Ships and Blockade Runner have the same resists.

• Stealth Bombers and Marauders have the same resists.

• Black-ops have a unique resists that differ from all other T2 ships.

• Interceptors, Covert-ops and Interdictors have the same natural resists.

The above list is arranged from highest to lowest T2 ship resists.

Which ammo should I use?

When the Resistance hole is unplugged

With the assumption that your target doesn't try to plug in their resist holes lets analyze the damage types of each faction vs all ships resists.

Amarr

Lasers have EM damage as primary damage type and thermal as secondary.

Tech 1

Lasers will do most damage to any T1 ship shield, but will do considerably less damage to armor, especially tech 1 Minmatar ships which have a higher armor EM resist.

Tech 2

Lasers will do great damage to Gallente, Caldari and Amarr shield tanking pilots but will have problems with Minmatar shield tanking ships. lasers will do highest damage vs other tech 2 Amarr ships but will do considerably less damage to other faction ships that armor tank, especially Minmatar.

Minmatar

Projectiles do have explosive as their dominant damage type, but they do have the luxury of selecting damage type and are quite efficient at doing so. It is not a very good idea to change ammo mid fight where every second counts, but if one has the enemy fleet composition and has Intel on the targets common fits; then knowing if a target is armor tanked or shield tanked can be a major advantage. Try to load the correct ammo before the fight.

Tech 1

Since shields have an EM hole and armor has a explosive hole, then it is best to use EMP vs all tier 1 ships shields and Fusion vs all tier 1 ships armor.

Tech 2

• EMP is best used against Amarr, Caldari and Gallente ship's shield, but has the worst damage vs Minmatar shield.
  
• Fusion is best used against Caldari, Gallente and Minmatar ship's armor, but has the worst damage vs Amarr armor.
  
• Phased Plasma is best used against Amarr armor and shields, and has the worst damage vs Caldari armor and shields.
  

Gallente

Hybrids have kinetic damage as primary damage type and thermal as secondary.

Tech 1

Hybrids do slightly more damage to all tier 1 ship's armor than shield. They do least armor damage to other Gallente ships.

Tech 2

Hybrids do most damage to Minmatar Tech 2 ships,with Amarr as 2nd highest, Caldari as third highest and does the least damage to other Gallente ships.

Caldari

Caladari pilots, like the Minmatar, have the ability to chose their own damage types, based on which missile they use.

Tech 1

If you are in a ship that has a kinetic damage bonus(Kestrel, Carcal and drake), then it is best to use kinetic damage (Bloodclaw,Scourge) against armor tanked ships and EM(Sabertooth,Thunderbolt) vs shield tanked ships regardless of faction.

Tech 2

• Kinetic damage (Bloodclaw,Scourge) is most efficient vs tech 2 Minmatar ships.
• EM damage (Sabertooth,Thunderbolt) is most efficient vs tech 2 Amarr Gallente and Caldari shield.
• Thermal damage (Flameburst,Widowmaker) is most efficent vs Amarr shield and armor.
• Explosive damage (Piranha,Havoc) is most efficient vs Minmatar Gallente and Caldari armor.

When the resistance hole is plugged

Tech 1

Ships that are shield tanking will always try and plug their EM resist hole, and armor tanking ships will always try and plug their explosive hole. Some pilots who are known to face many Caldari ships, that do high kinetic damage, may also chose to plug both explosive and kinetic holes; but they are very rare and extremely situational.

Tech 2

Amarr will plug EM when shield tanking and thermal when armor tanking.

Minmatar will plug kinetic when shield tanking and explosive when armor tanking.

Gallente and Caldari will plug EM when shield tanking and explosive when armor tanking.

Amarr

Lasers have EM damage as primary damage type and thermal as secondary.

Tech 1

If tech 1 ships plug in their shield EM resist hole then laser's primary damage(EM) is mitigated with both shield tanking and armor tanking ships. However, lasers have thermal as their secondary damage type. Therefore, they can do decent thermal damage to all shield and armor tanked ships, but might face difficulties vs Caldari armor tanked pilots; since they have a natural thermal resist that is higher than other races.

Tech 2

Lasers really do little damage vs all tech 2 frigates if they plug their resist holes. Most shield tanking ships excluding Amarr will be above 50% resist to both EM and thermal once the holes are plugged reducing the lasers damage considerably. However, when Tech 2 ships plug in their explosive armor resist, their lowest armor resist now becomes EM; this can be exploited to their favor. Keep in mind thought that Minmatar have a high EM armor natural resist, which means that lasers are least effective vs Minmatar shield and armor tanked ships.

Minmatar

Tech 1

Now that shield tanked pilots have their EM hole plugged, their new hole will end up being thermal, So its a good idea to use Phased plasma vs shield tanked ships. Similarly, when armor tanked pilots plug in their explosive hole thier new hole will be kinetic followed by thermal, which makes the Phased plasma the best choice.

Tech 2

EMP is best used against Amarr, Caldari and Gallente ship's armor, but has the worst damage vs Minmatar armor.

Fusion is best used against Caldari, Gallente and Minmatar ship's Shield, but has the worst damage vs Amarr Shield.

Phased Plasma is best used against Amarr armor and shields, and has the worst damage vs Caldari armor and shields.

Gallente

Tech 1

It is interesting to notice that shield and armor tanked ships will try to plug EM and explosive damages respectively, meaning that this will have no effect on hybrids. Hybrids do slightly more damage to all tier 1 ship's armor than shield. They do least armor damage to other Gallente ships.

Tech 2

Again same with tech 1, although Amarr pilots might try to plug their armor thermal hole, it will not make a big difference since they will have a new kinetic hole. Hybrids do most damage to Minmatar Tech 2 ships,with Amarr as 2nd highest, Caldari as third highest and does the least damage to other Gallente ships.

Caldari

Tech 1

If you are in a ship that has a kinetic damage bonus(Kestrel, Carcal and drake), then it is best to use kinetic damage (Bloodclaw,Scourge) against armor tanked ships and Thermal damage (Flameburst,Widowmaker) vs shield tanked ships regardless of faction.

Tech 2

• Kinetic damage (Bloodclaw,Scourge) is most efficient vs armor tanked Minmatar ships, also if in a ship bonused to kinetic damage, it can be effective vs armor tanked Amarr ships and caldari ships(But t2 caldari ships are never armor tanked anyways).
• EM damage (Sabertooth,Thunderbolt) is most efficient vs tech 2 Amarr Gallente and Caldari armor tanked ships.
• Thermal damage (Flameburst,Widowmaker) is most efficent vs Amarr shield(This is also rare, maybe shield tanked interceptors or Zealots in a shield HAC gang).
• Explosive damage (Piranha,Havoc) is most efficient vs Gallente armor tanked ships, and when not in a ship bonused for kinetic damage, it can also be effective vs Amarr and Caldari.