Projectile ammunition: Difference between revisions

Projectile ammunition is a complex topic because, unlike [[Turrets#Hybrid ammo|hybrid]] or [[Turrets#Frequency crystals|energy]] ammunition, different kinds of projectile ammunition can have not only different optimal [[range]] modifiers, but also different [[tracking]] modifiers and completely different damage types.

{| class="wikitable"

|-  style="background-color: #222222;;"

! scope="col" style="color: #BFBB7D;" | Name

! scope="col" style="color: #BFBB7D;" | Optimal Range

! scope="col" style="color: #BFBB7D;" | Tracking

! scope="col" style="color: #00BFFF;" | EM

! scope="col" style="color: #FA5858;" | Thermal

! scope="col" style="color: #D8D8D8;" | Kinetic

! scope="col" style="color: #FF8000;" | Explosive

! scope="col" style="color: #BFBB7D;" | Damage

! scope="col" style="color: #BFBB7D;" | Small

! scope="col" style="color: #BFBB7D;" | Medium

! scope="col" style="color: #BFBB7D;" | Large

| EMP || style="color: #FE2E2E;" | -50% || 0% || style="background-color: #0080FF;" | 75% || || 8% || 17% || style="color: #00FF00;" | 150% || N ||  || I  

| Fusion || style="color: #FE2E2E;" | -50% || 0% ||  ||  || 17% || style="background-color: #B45F04;" | 83% || style="color: #00FF00;" | 150% || I || I || I  

| Phased Plasma || style="color: #FE2E2E;" | -50% || 0% || || style="background-color: #B40404;" | 83% || 17% || || style="color: #00FF00;" | 150% || I ||  ||   

| Titanium Sabot || +0% || style="color: #00FF00;" | 20% || || || style="background-color: #6E6E6E;" | 75% || 25% || 100% ||  ||  ||  

| Depleted Uranium || +0% || style="color: #00FF00;" | 20% || || style="background-color: #B40404;" | 38% || 25% || style="background-color: #B45F04;" | 38% || 100% || I || I ||   

| Proton || style="color: #00FF00;" | +60% || style="color: #E1F5A9;" | 5% || style="background-color: #0080FF;" | 60% || || 40% || || style="color: #FE2E2E;" | 62.5% || I ||  ||   

| Nuclear || style="color: #00FF00;" | +60% || style="color: #E1F5A9;" | 5% || || || 20% || style="background-color: #B45F04;" | 80% || style="color: #FE2E2E;" | 62.5% ||  ||  || IN  

| Carbonized Lead || style="color: #00FF00;" | +60% || style="color: #E1F5A9;" | 5% || || || style="background-color: #6E6E6E;" | 80% || 20% || style="color: #FE2E2E;" | 62.5% ||  || I || I  

{| class="wikitable"

|- style="background-color: #222222;"

! scope="col" style="color: #BFBB7D;" | Name

! scope="col" style="color: #BFBB7D;" | Optimal Range

! scope="col" style="color: #BFBB7D;" | Falloff Range

! scope="col" style="color: #BFBB7D;" | Tracking

! scope="col" style="color: #00BFFF;" | EM

! scope="col" style="color: #FA5858;" | Thermal

! scope="col" style="color: #D8D8D8;" | Kinetic

! scope="col" style="color: #FF8000;" | Explosive

! scope="col" style="color: #BFBB7D;" | Damage

| Hail || style="color: #FE2E2E;" | -50% || style="color: #FE2E2E;" | -25% || style="color: #FE2E2E;" | -25% || || || 21% || style="background-color: #B45F04;" | 79% || style="color: #00FF00;" | 193%

| Barrage || +0% || style="color: #00FF00;" | +50% || style="color: #FE2E2E;" | -25% ||  ||  || 45% || style="background-color: #B45F04;" | 55% || style="color: #00FF00;" | 138%

{| class="wikitable"

|- style="background-color: #222222;"

! scope="col" style="color: #BFBB7D;" | Name

! scope="col" style="color: #BFBB7D;" | Optimal Range

! scope="col" style="color: #BFBB7D;" | Tracking

! scope="col" style="color: #00BFFF;" | EM

! scope="col" style="color: #FA5858;" | Thermal

! scope="col" style="color: #D8D8D8;" | Kinetic

! scope="col" style="color: #FF8000;" | Explosive

! scope="col" style="color: #BFBB7D;" | Damage

| Quake || style="color: #FE2E2E;" | -75% || style="color: #00FF00;" | +25% || || || 36% || style="background-color: #B45F04;" | 64% || style="color: #00FF00;" | 175%

| Tremor || style="color: #00FF00;" | +80% || style="color: #FE2E2E;" | -75% || ||  || 37% || style="background-color: #B45F04;" | 63% || style="color: #00FF00;" | 138%

Autocannons(AC) have terrible optimal ranges and long falloff (read more about optimal and falloff [[Range|here]]). The only reasons why you should be taking ACs into their optimal range is when fighting missile ships or if you've landed on top of a sniping battleship. All other times, fight in your falloff.

* If your ship has a falloff bonus, it's designed to fit ACs

Because optimal range bonuses on ACs are as useful as explosive damage bonuses for lasers.

(There are some very minor exceptions to this rule. For example if you're trying to hit a close-orbiting [[Jaguar]] with medium ACs Titanium Sabot not only gives you a tracking bonus, but also hits the Jaguar's weakest resist, kinetic.)

* Do not ignore the low and middle-tier ACs

125mm, 150mm, Dual 180mm, 220mm, Dual 425mm and Dual 650mm ACs have stupidly low fitting requirements and allow you to either fit massive plates, loads of nos, twin reps, MWDs and cap boosters without gimping your setup. Using the next tier above means 4-5% more damage, a slightly reduced ammo consumption, and more falloff.

* Fit top-tier ACs for PvE

They use a lot less ammo, which is very important when shooting rats with ACs as they have the highest rate of fire of all turrets

There are two types of Tech 2 AC ammo, Barrage and Hail. Barrage is useful if you're fighting at long AC range, and Hail is useful to deal extra damage against targets which are easier to hit. Note that only Tech 2 ACs can load Tech 2 ammunition.

Barrage comes with a 50% boost to falloff and a 25% penalty to tracking. It does a mixture of explosive and kinetic damage, a little more explosive than kinetic. Barrage is often very useful for kiting/skirmishing tactics: it can let small AC reach out towards the further reaches of warp scrambler range, medium AC reach out to the further reaches of warp disruptor range, and large AC reach out very far indeed. It synergizes well with ships with range bonuses such as the [[Stabber]] and [[Vargur]]

Barrage can struggle against ships with Multispectrum Shield Hardener tanks and Tech 2 Amarr ships, which both have very high explosive resists and are weaker to EM or thermal damage.

Hail does a lot of damage, on paper. It also cuts your tracking speed by 25%, optimal range by 50% and falloff by 25%. It can be an excellent high-damage option against targets which are easier to hit (e.g. they have been webbed or target-painted) and/or are one or more size classes larger than your guns (e.g. firing on cruisers or battleships with small AC, or on battleships with medium AC).

# Fusion to hit armor tanks

# Fusion to hit armor tanks at close range

The rule of thumb for PvE is to hit the weakest resists of the rat type you're fighting, as detailed [[NPC damage types|here]].

{| class="wikitable"

|- style="background-color: #222222;

! scope="col" style="color: #BFBB7D;" | Pirate Faction

! scope="col" style="color: #BFBB7D;" | Best Damage

! scope="col" style="color: #BFBB7D;" | Second Best

| Angel Cartel || Fusion || Titanium Sabot  

| Blood Raiders || EMP || Phased Plasma

| Guristas || Phased Plasma || Titanium Sabot

| Serpentis || Phased Plasma || Titanium Sabot

| Sansha || EMP || Phased Plasma

| Mercenaries || Phased Plasma || Titanium Sabot

| Mordu's Legion || Phased Plasma || Titanium Sabot

| Rogue Drones || EMP || Phased Plasma  

| Amarr Empire || EMP || Phased Plasma  

| Caldari State || Phased Plasma || Titanium Sabot

| Gallente Federation || Phased Plasma || Titanium Sabot

| Minmatar Republic || Fusion || Titanium Sabot

Artillery pieces do low DPS but high [[Alpha Strike|alpha]] -- they deal a lot of damage in one hit. This is a further incentive to use the high-damage, short range ammo, to maximise your alpha strike. In certain PvP situations you can destroy a target in one hit, rendering DPS pretty irrelevant.

# Fusion to hit armor tanks

== See also ==