Blockade Runners: Difference between revisions

'''Blockade Runners''' are [[Techs, Tiers and Meta levels|Tech 2]] industrial ships, specialized for travel through dangerous areas of space. Though they can carry only relatively small amounts of cargo (compared to [[industrial|other industrial ships]]), they are some of the fastest and most agile ships in EVE, and can fit [[Covert Ops|covert ops cloaking devices]], making them very hard to catch by enemy pilots.  

;Cargo

:Most blockade runners can carry around 4000-6500 m³ of cargo (depending on fit), which is slightly less than the fast Tech 1 industrial ships. Additionally, every blockade runner can be [[#Fitting|fit]] for maximum cargo space, allowing them to carry just over 10,000 m³ (so that they can carry a [[packaged]] [[cruiser]]), but at the cost of reduced agility and/or speed.  

:Blockade runners are immune to cargo scanners (so others players cannot tell what you are transporting), but can still be scanned for contraband by NPC customs ships.  

;Speed and agility

:Blockade runners are the fastest industrial ships by quite a margin, both at sub-light speeds and in warp. In sub-light, they can do at least 200 m/s, and can top 300 m/s when fit for speed (which is comparable to a fast cruiser). In warp, blockade runners are some of the fastest ships in EVE: when fit for speed, they can reach over 9 AU/s, meaning they can easily outrun any ship save for speed-fit [[interceptor]]s and the [[Leopard]].   

:In addition to their speed, blockade runners are also very agile. Even when fit to maximise cargo space, they can align and warp in 5 seconds (assuming the propulsion module is not active); speed-fit blockade runners can align in 4 seconds (or even 3 seconds for some extreme fits, which is as agile as a frigate). Reducing align time is, however, heavily dependent on having good [[#Skills|navigation skills]] or fitting [[implants]].  

;Tank

:Given that blockade runners are designed to fly quickly and stealthily, it's not surprising that their [[tank]]s are relatively weak. They have around 8-15k effective hit points (EHP), which is roughly comparable to the Tech 1 bulk transports. On the upside, their [[signature radius]] is around 110m, half of the Tech 1 industrials', which makes them harder to lock on to or hit with weapons. Nonetheless, blockade runners are fragile for their size; most cruisers with a similar signature radius have 4-10x as much EHP.  

;Cloak

:Blockade runners can fit covert ops (CovOps) [[cloaking|cloaking devices]], which means they can warp while cloaked. They can also use [[Jump_Drives_and_Cynosural_Fields#Covert_Cynosural_Fields|covert jump bridges]] (created by [[Black Ops]] battleships).  

There are four different blockade runner ships, one from each race. All have two high slots, a total of six medium (M) and low (L) slots (the Crane has 4M/2L, the Viator and Prowler have 3M/3L, and the Prorator has 2M/4L), and two medium rig slots. They are rather expensive ships, costing around 100M ISK (not including fittings).  

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:left; font-size:90%; border-collapse:collapse; border:1px solid #333333; padding:5px;"

|-

! style="background:#222222;" | Race

! style="background:#222222;" | Ship

! style="background:#222222;" | Description

| nowrap style="padding:0px;text-align:center; vertical-align:middle;" | {{icon|amarr|64|Amarr Empire}}

| nowarp style="padding:0px;" | [[image:Prorator.jpg|64px]]

| style="vertical-align:top" | The '''[[Prorator]]''' is the most flexible of the blockade runners. While it has the lowest base cargo capacity, its four low slots means it can be easily customised between speed and cargo capacity, but its overall stats are somewhat average.

| nowrap style="padding:0px;text-align:center;vertical-align:middle;" | {{icon|caldari|64|Caldari State}}

| nowrap style="padding:0px;" | [[image:Crane.jpg|64px]]

| style="vertical-align:top" |  The '''[[Crane]]''' is the toughest of the blockade runners, with over 15k EHP (about 50% more than the other ships). While it has the highest base cargo capacity, there is not much room for customisation as it only has two low slots, and its align time tends to be higher than the other ships'.  

| nowrap style="padding:0px;text-align:center;vertical-align:middle;" | {{icon|gallente|64|Gallente Federation}}

| nowrap style="padding:0px;" | [[image:Viator.jpg|64px]]

| style="vertical-align:top" | The '''[[Viator]]''' is a middle-of-the-road ship, with average tank and speed, and an above-average cargo capacity. However, its signature radius is the highest of the blockade runners, about 15% larger than the Prowler's.  

| nowrap style="padding:0px;text-align:center;vertical-align:middle;" | {{icon|minmatar|64|Minmatar Republic}}

| nowrap style="padding:0px;" | [[image:Prowler.jpg|64px]]

| style="vertical-align:top" | The '''[[Prowler]]''' is the fastest blockade runner at sub-light speeds, reaching 350 m/s with good skills (about 40% faster than the other ships). It also has the smallest signature radius, but its cargo capacity tends to be a bit below average.  

{{expansion past|The blockade runners were rebalanced in the [[Kronos (Expansion)|Kronos expansion]]. Before then, only the Prowler had two high slots (the other ships only had one), making it the preferred ship for flying in wormhole space. Additionally, only the Viator and the Prorator could be easily fit to carry 10,000 m³ (i.e. a packaged cruiser) of cargo.}}

* <Racial> Industrial V (e.g. {{sk|Amarr Industrial|V|mult=yes}} to fly the Prorator)

* {{sk|Warp Drive Operation|I|mult=yes}} to fit Hyperspatial Accelerator and Warp Core Stabilizer modules.  

* {{sk|Electronic Warfare|IV|mult=yes}} to fit a ECM Burst II module (the Tech 1 module only needs level I).  

A low align time is vital for safely flying a blockade runner, as it reduces the time that you are vulnerable at a gate or wormhole before entering warp. Keep in mind that, because the EVE universe operates in "server ticks" of one second, align times are rounded '''up''' to the nearest second. Therefore, if your align time (which you can determine through an external fitting tool such as [[EFT]]) is 3.1 seconds, you will actually align in 4 seconds.   

Every blockade runner should fit a '''{{co|wheat|Covert Ops Cloaking Device II}}''' (as there is little point in flying a blockade runner without one). In the second high slot, many pilots will fit a '''{{co|wheat|Core Probe Launcher}}''' to find wormholes to use as shortcuts (if you are planning on taking your blockade runner into [[Wormhole Space|wormhole space]], then the probe launcher is mandatory!).  

What you fit in your low and rig slots will depend on how you want to use your blockade runner, as explained below.  

Every blockade runner is capable of carrying a packaged cruiser (10,000 m³), which can be useful for moving expensive ships through dangerous space (e.g to bring a Tech 2 cruiser into nullsec to use it for ratting). In order to do this, you must fit:

* '''{{co|wheat|Expanded Cargohold II}}''' modules in ''every'' low slot ('''{{co|wheat|Local Hull Conversion Expanded Cargo I}}''' (the Tech 1 meta 4 module) would also work, but tends to be more expensive than the Tech 2 module), and  

Using an external fitting tool such as [[EFT]] can be very helpful here. Even with maximum skills, you cannot get any of the blockade runners to carry a cruiser ''and'' align faster than 5 seconds, unless you use [[#Implants|implants]].  

* Fit three '''{{co|wheat|Inertia Stabilizer II}}''' modules (the Tech 1 Meta 4 module, '''{{co|wheat|Local Hull Conversion Inertial Stabilizers I}}''', has the same benefits as the Tech 2 module, but with a decreased penalty to [[signature radius]]).

The Inertia Stabilizer module gives a considerable boost to your agility (lowering your align time), but it also increases your signature radius, making it easier for hostile ships to lock on to you. However, even if you fit three Inertia Stabilizer modules, your enemies' [[Targeting|locking time]] will only decrease by 0.1-0.3 seconds, which in most cases will not make a big difference. Nonetheless, if you can replace an Inertia Stabilizer with a '''{{co|wheat|Nanofiber Internal Structure}}''' without affecting your align time, then do so (as the Nanofiber Internal Structure doesn't increase your signature radius, and gives a boost to your sub-light speed to boot).  

====Mid slots====

*'''{{co|wheat|Adaptive Invulnerability Field}}''': Active module, +25% shield resistance (+30% for the Tech 2 module) to all damage types

====Low slots ====

*'''{{co|wheat|Inertia Stabilizers}}''': -16.7% inertia, +10% signature radius (-20%, +11% for the Tech 2 module)

When flying through [[high-sec]], it's very difficult to destroy your ship, as your quick align time gives potential [[Suicide Ganking 101|suicide gankers]] very little time to lock on to you and do enough damage to destroy your ship. This presumes, of course, that you don't use the autopilot to fly your ship (as it lands you 10km away from stargates). Nonetheless, it's a good idea to cloak while warping to make your ship even more stealthy. Keep in mind that blockade runners are immune to cargo scans (so there is no way for others to tell what you are hauling) - this can be both a blessing and a curse, as even though suicide gankers don't know for sure that you're carrying something valuable, they may assume that since you're flying an unscannable ship you've obviously got ''something'' to hide, and will attack you anyway.  

Similar rules apply to [[low-sec]], except that you can expect more frequent [[gatecamps]], especially at choke points or the entrances to low-sec space from high-sec. You are most vulnerable just after jumping through a stargate, but keep in mind that unless you start moving your ship or activate any modules, you are [[Timers#Gate_Cloak_Timer|invulnerable for 60 seconds]]. Take this time to assess the situation after jumping through a gate, paying particular attention to any ships or structures within 2000m of you (which will prevent you from [[cloaking]]) or close to the flight path towards your destination. Also check for any for [[Interceptor]]s, as they can target you very quickly.  

If the path is clear, you can give the "Warp To" (or "Jump") command, and immediately activate your cloak. This gives hostile ships next to no time to lock on to you and activate their [[point|warp disruptor modules ("point")]], so you should be reasonably safe. You will accelerate under cloak and warp off to your destination.  

If, on the other hand, your path is blocked, if you try to cloak and warp, you will be decloaked when you pass near to another ship or structure. Once you are decloaked, any hostile ships will have a few seconds to lock on to you and [[point]] you, preventing you from warping off. You can choose to take the risk (depending on how quickly your ship aligns, the time window may be very short), or you can first warp to another celestial/bookmark to which the path is clear. Again, follow the same procedure as above (give the warp command, then immediately cloak); then, once you have arrived, warp to your destination. Since your blockade runner is very fast, it's very unlikely that the hostile ships will be able to catch up to you.  

The biggest danger to blockade runners are [[bubble|warp disruption bubbles]], which are a reasonably common sight in null-sec. These are often set up around stargates or along common flight routes (eg between two stargates), and will prevent you from warping as long as you are inside one of them. Therefore, it's generally advised to never warp directly from stargate to stargate, but instead warp to a random celestial (planet/moon/bookmark) first.  

Bubbles can also catch you while you are warping to a stargate. The best way to avoid them is to never warp directly from gate to gate (most bubbles are set up along that flight path). For an extra layer of security, set up [[Bookmarks#Observation_Bookmarks|gate observation bookmarks]] in systems you frequently fly through, and fly to them first to observe any activity around the stargate (locations of bubbles, ships, etc). If the path to the gate is clear, you can then jump through the gate and into the next system.  

[[Category:Guides]]