Difference between revisions of "Solo PvP"

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Fighting in a fleet is a lot of fun, and it is, in many ways, the classic EVE experience. However fighting solo, or in a small group of 2 or 3 people can be just as fun, much easier to get set up, and importantly, is one of the best ways to develop your all-round PvP skills. Skills such as scouting, target calling and overall FC’ing are all very transferable from solo or small groups, right up to huge fleets. In EVE, many of the best FCs started out in solo or small gang situations, and many of them still roam solo when not leading fleets.
 
Fighting in a fleet is a lot of fun, and it is, in many ways, the classic EVE experience. However fighting solo, or in a small group of 2 or 3 people can be just as fun, much easier to get set up, and importantly, is one of the best ways to develop your all-round PvP skills. Skills such as scouting, target calling and overall FC’ing are all very transferable from solo or small groups, right up to huge fleets. In EVE, many of the best FCs started out in solo or small gang situations, and many of them still roam solo when not leading fleets.
  
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=Security Status disclaimer=
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==Security status==
  
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In Low and High Security space, taking hostile action against a pilot not flagged as a criminal, a war target or a suspect will result in a loss of your own [[security status]]. Therefore, engaging in regular PvP as described in this guide will inevitably reduce your security status. This is why Low Sec is often described as pirate space. Low security status can cause you to be attacked by faction police when entering High Security space.  
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In low- and high-security space, taking hostile action against a pilot not flagged as a criminal, a war target or a suspect will result in a loss of your own [[security status]]. Therefore, engaging in regular PvP as described in this guide will inevitably reduce your security status. This is why Low Sec is often described as pirate space. Low security status can cause you to be attacked by faction police when entering High Security space.  
  
 
If you continue to live in lowsec or nullsec, having a low security status is unlikely to affect you as you can simply use a hauler alt, or a hauling corporation to get ships and other supplies from Highsec to where you live.  
 
If you continue to live in lowsec or nullsec, having a low security status is unlikely to affect you as you can simply use a hauler alt, or a hauling corporation to get ships and other supplies from Highsec to where you live.  
  
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Should you wish to retain the ability to travel back into High Security space at any time without restriction, you can always take actions to recover your security status, either by killing NPC rats, or by redeeming [[Clone Soldier Tags]]  
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Should you wish to retain the ability to travel back into High Security space at any time without restriction, you can always take actions to recover your security status, either by killing NPC rats, or by redeeming [[Clone Soldier Tags]].
  
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EVE University members are required to maintain a security status above -4 in order to obtain new titles. A security status below -5 is also likely to incur an email from management asking the pilot to repair this. However remaining above this level is not difficult, particularly given the Clone Soldier Tag mechanics
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{{Important note box|EVE University members are required to maintain a security status above -4 in order to obtain new titles. A security status below -5 is also likely to incur an email from management asking the pilot to repair this. However remaining above this level is not difficult, particularly given the Clone Soldier Tag mechanics.}}
  
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=Where to fight?=
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==Where to fight?==
  
 
While fighting in Null-Sec, Wormhole, or even High Sec space is perfectly possible, the majority of small scale PvP is done in Low Security space. Specifically, those areas of Low Sec designated as “[[Faction Warfare]] Space”
 
While fighting in Null-Sec, Wormhole, or even High Sec space is perfectly possible, the majority of small scale PvP is done in Low Security space. Specifically, those areas of Low Sec designated as “[[Faction Warfare]] Space”
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Faction Warfare mechanics includes many features which are specific to corporations and individuals who elect to align themselves to one faction, as described in more detail in the [[Faction Warfare]] Wiki page. For the purposes of this guide however, we will only be considering those aspects which relate to all players, regardless of affiliation.
 
Faction Warfare mechanics includes many features which are specific to corporations and individuals who elect to align themselves to one faction, as described in more detail in the [[Faction Warfare]] Wiki page. For the purposes of this guide however, we will only be considering those aspects which relate to all players, regardless of affiliation.
  
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==Faction Warfare Arenas: Plex==
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===Faction Warfare Arenas: Plex===
  
 
Faction Warfare space contains Factional Warfare Complexes (commonly known as "Plexes", not to be confused with [[PLEX]]) which are effectively PvP arenas. These appear on your overview and probe scanner window as beacons which all players can warp to with names such as “Gallente Novice Outpost” or “Caldari Large Installation”
 
Faction Warfare space contains Factional Warfare Complexes (commonly known as "Plexes", not to be confused with [[PLEX]]) which are effectively PvP arenas. These appear on your overview and probe scanner window as beacons which all players can warp to with names such as “Gallente Novice Outpost” or “Caldari Large Installation”
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NOTE: The gate limits ship sizes, however it does NOT limit the number of ships entering the plex. You can still be overpowered by a gang or fleet of ships if you are not aware and careful.
 
NOTE: The gate limits ship sizes, however it does NOT limit the number of ships entering the plex. You can still be overpowered by a gang or fleet of ships if you are not aware and careful.
  
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===The Beacon===
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====The Beacon====
  
 
When you initially activate an acceleration gate and “slide” into the plex, you will arrive within around 2.5km of a “beacon” in space. This beacon should be visible on your overview as you land. If not, adjust your overview settings to display all brackets (items in space), as the location of the beacon is a key factor in plex combat.
 
When you initially activate an acceleration gate and “slide” into the plex, you will arrive within around 2.5km of a “beacon” in space. This beacon should be visible on your overview as you land. If not, adjust your overview settings to display all brackets (items in space), as the location of the beacon is a key factor in plex combat.
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The beacon is key to fighting in a plex, as it means that when inside a plex, you know almost exactly where an enemy ship will enter. Likewise, when entering a plex where an opponent is already within, they will have positioned themselves knowing where you will appear. This always gives a slight advantage when fighting to the ship which is already inside the plex, and a large part of the various strategies for frighting in a plex is based around this mechanic.
 
The beacon is key to fighting in a plex, as it means that when inside a plex, you know almost exactly where an enemy ship will enter. Likewise, when entering a plex where an opponent is already within, they will have positioned themselves knowing where you will appear. This always gives a slight advantage when fighting to the ship which is already inside the plex, and a large part of the various strategies for frighting in a plex is based around this mechanic.
  
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===Warp Blocking===
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====Warp Blocking====
  
 
The other thing to note is that you cannot warp within a plex. While normally if an object is 150km away from you, but still on grid you can warp to it, within a plex you will get an error message. If your scout, or fast tackler chases a fast ship 150km away from you within the plex, there is no way to catch up to him without following him with sub-warp engines.  
 
The other thing to note is that you cannot warp within a plex. While normally if an object is 150km away from you, but still on grid you can warp to it, within a plex you will get an error message. If your scout, or fast tackler chases a fast ship 150km away from you within the plex, there is no way to catch up to him without following him with sub-warp engines.  
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These are have effectively replaced Assault Frigates as the best small ship option in PvP. They are only marginally slower than standard frigates (and often faster when in propulsion mode), while also retaining the excellent damage and a strong tank of the destroyer hull. They make for great Brawlers and Kiters alike and are virtually impossible to counter in a T1 frig except in a few select scenarios. Pirate and Assault frigates may stand a chance, however only in skilled hands and with good tactics. Less experienced pilots should simply avoid these ships without substantial support.
 
These are have effectively replaced Assault Frigates as the best small ship option in PvP. They are only marginally slower than standard frigates (and often faster when in propulsion mode), while also retaining the excellent damage and a strong tank of the destroyer hull. They make for great Brawlers and Kiters alike and are virtually impossible to counter in a T1 frig except in a few select scenarios. Pirate and Assault frigates may stand a chance, however only in skilled hands and with good tactics. Less experienced pilots should simply avoid these ships without substantial support.
  
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=Basic Ship Meta=
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==Basic Ship Meta==
  
 
Ships for PvP in general are grouped primarily by their optimal range. All other things being equal, winning a PvP fight, whether solo, or when leading a huge fleet, usually means ensuring that you are in your optimal range, and your opponent is not.  
 
Ships for PvP in general are grouped primarily by their optimal range. All other things being equal, winning a PvP fight, whether solo, or when leading a huge fleet, usually means ensuring that you are in your optimal range, and your opponent is not.  
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In Low Sec PvP, as most fighting is in plexes where much of the engagement takes place around the fixed point of the beacon, it’s important to note that Micro-Warp Drives (MWDs) are generally not preferred, as they can be immediately de-activated by a warp scrambler, rendering you at an immediate speed disadvantage. While MWDs can be useful for Kiters, and some more unusual fits, the predominant propulsion module used is the afterburner. It should be noted though that in Null Sec PvP, without Plex mechanics, MWD fitted ships are the dominant force.
 
In Low Sec PvP, as most fighting is in plexes where much of the engagement takes place around the fixed point of the beacon, it’s important to note that Micro-Warp Drives (MWDs) are generally not preferred, as they can be immediately de-activated by a warp scrambler, rendering you at an immediate speed disadvantage. While MWDs can be useful for Kiters, and some more unusual fits, the predominant propulsion module used is the afterburner. It should be noted though that in Null Sec PvP, without Plex mechanics, MWD fitted ships are the dominant force.
  
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==Brawlers==
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===Brawlers===
  
 
Brawlers use high damage, close range weapons, such as blasters or pulse lasers. Because of this, they rely on quickly getting into close range, and preventing opponents from pulling away.
 
Brawlers use high damage, close range weapons, such as blasters or pulse lasers. Because of this, they rely on quickly getting into close range, and preventing opponents from pulling away.
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Due to range being key, fast brawlers like the [[Atron]] or [[Federation Navy Comet]] are very useful here due to their raw speed, as well as the damage boosts to brawling weapons. An alternative is a ship which carries dual stasis webs, such as the dual-web armor [[Kestrel]] or the [[Caldari Navy Hookbill]]. These are relatively slow ships in general terms, however the double web effect applied to your opponent will remove the speed advantage of almost any other ship, and allow you to dictate range despite being the slower ship on paper.
 
Due to range being key, fast brawlers like the [[Atron]] or [[Federation Navy Comet]] are very useful here due to their raw speed, as well as the damage boosts to brawling weapons. An alternative is a ship which carries dual stasis webs, such as the dual-web armor [[Kestrel]] or the [[Caldari Navy Hookbill]]. These are relatively slow ships in general terms, however the double web effect applied to your opponent will remove the speed advantage of almost any other ship, and allow you to dictate range despite being the slower ship on paper.
  
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==Scram Kiters==
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===Scram Kiters===
  
 
An effective defence against a brawler is to fight from outside their optimal range, but still within warp scrambler and web range, normally between 7–9km. This is called "'''Scram Kiting'''". At this point, brawling damage will be minimal, however mid-range weapons such as beam lasers, railguns or rockets can still hit an opponent for substantial damage.
 
An effective defence against a brawler is to fight from outside their optimal range, but still within warp scrambler and web range, normally between 7–9km. This is called "'''Scram Kiting'''". At this point, brawling damage will be minimal, however mid-range weapons such as beam lasers, railguns or rockets can still hit an opponent for substantial damage.
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For this reason, scram-kite ships often still fit speed modules and rigs to try and maintain speed advantage. Common scram-kiters include [[Breacher]], [[Tormentor]] and [[Incursus]]. The Dual-Web [[Kestrel]] and [[Caldari Navy Hookbill]] noted earlier can also be equally effective as a scram-kiter as rockets can deal effective damage up to 9km, while the dual webs maintain your speed advantage.
 
For this reason, scram-kite ships often still fit speed modules and rigs to try and maintain speed advantage. Common scram-kiters include [[Breacher]], [[Tormentor]] and [[Incursus]]. The Dual-Web [[Kestrel]] and [[Caldari Navy Hookbill]] noted earlier can also be equally effective as a scram-kiter as rockets can deal effective damage up to 9km, while the dual webs maintain your speed advantage.
  
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==Kiters==
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===Kiters===
  
 
The other key factor in the meta are long range kiting ships. These will equip a warp disrupter to tackle at 20km+ ranges, and use long range weapons to fight well beyond the range of other ships. They are generally glass cannons, maximized for speed and damage. As they will not be able to apply a stasis web to their opponent at such long ranges, they usually rely on Micro-Warp Drives to maintain a speed advantage. However as a MWD can be switched off by a warp scrambler, if they can be closed down and tackled they will usually die quickly.
 
The other key factor in the meta are long range kiting ships. These will equip a warp disrupter to tackle at 20km+ ranges, and use long range weapons to fight well beyond the range of other ships. They are generally glass cannons, maximized for speed and damage. As they will not be able to apply a stasis web to their opponent at such long ranges, they usually rely on Micro-Warp Drives to maintain a speed advantage. However as a MWD can be switched off by a warp scrambler, if they can be closed down and tackled they will usually die quickly.
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Common kiting ships are the [[Condor]], [[Imperial Navy Slicer]] or [[Tristan]]
 
Common kiting ships are the [[Condor]], [[Imperial Navy Slicer]] or [[Tristan]]
  
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==Snipers==
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===Snipers===
  
 
While very uncommon, snipers aim to sit at extreme ranges, with very high alpha damage weapons, and deal huge damage at long ranges as soon as an opponent lands on grid.  They are extremely rare in the current meta in Low Sec, however they are more common in Null Sec, particularly in gate camps, and it is important to be aware of the possibility. They usually trade considerable tank and maneuverability for their high damage output, and as with kiters, if they can be closed down they will die rapidly.
 
While very uncommon, snipers aim to sit at extreme ranges, with very high alpha damage weapons, and deal huge damage at long ranges as soon as an opponent lands on grid.  They are extremely rare in the current meta in Low Sec, however they are more common in Null Sec, particularly in gate camps, and it is important to be aware of the possibility. They usually trade considerable tank and maneuverability for their high damage output, and as with kiters, if they can be closed down they will die rapidly.
  
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=Key Concepts=
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==Key Concepts==
  
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==Range and Speed==
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===Range and Speed===
  
 
As should be clear from the above, controlling range is the single most important factor in PvP. Being able to impose your range on a fight will allow even a T1 fitted frigate to kill much more expensive fits. Overheating your afterburner gives you a huge 50% extra speed boost, and should always be done at the start of a fight.
 
As should be clear from the above, controlling range is the single most important factor in PvP. Being able to impose your range on a fight will allow even a T1 fitted frigate to kill much more expensive fits. Overheating your afterburner gives you a huge 50% extra speed boost, and should always be done at the start of a fight.
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This emphasis on speed and range impacts on all aspects of Low Sec PvP. For instance, buffer armor tank fits with armor plates are very rare due to the speed penalty incurred, with most armor ships favoring active armor repairers which do not harm your speed or acceleration. Likewise, ships which cannot fit a stasis web alongside their scram and afterburner, such as the [[Punisher]], are very rare as they are completely unable to dictate range versus any ship carrying at least one stasis web.
 
This emphasis on speed and range impacts on all aspects of Low Sec PvP. For instance, buffer armor tank fits with armor plates are very rare due to the speed penalty incurred, with most armor ships favoring active armor repairers which do not harm your speed or acceleration. Likewise, ships which cannot fit a stasis web alongside their scram and afterburner, such as the [[Punisher]], are very rare as they are completely unable to dictate range versus any ship carrying at least one stasis web.
  
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==Tracking==
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===Tracking===
  
 
An additional consideration when trying to minimize damage, is tracking. Longer range weapons such as beam lasers and railguns have very poor tracking, and will miss a lot of shots against a ship in a fast orbit. Orbiting your opponent while using these weapons is therefore not the optimal method of engagement, instead use the “keep at range” command to minimize the transversal velocity.
 
An additional consideration when trying to minimize damage, is tracking. Longer range weapons such as beam lasers and railguns have very poor tracking, and will miss a lot of shots against a ship in a fast orbit. Orbiting your opponent while using these weapons is therefore not the optimal method of engagement, instead use the “keep at range” command to minimize the transversal velocity.
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Ships using blasters, drones or rockets also suffer much less from tracking issues, and a fast orbit in these ships can minimize incoming damage from poor tracking weapons while ensuring good damage application for your own weapons
 
Ships using blasters, drones or rockets also suffer much less from tracking issues, and a fast orbit in these ships can minimize incoming damage from poor tracking weapons while ensuring good damage application for your own weapons
  
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==Intel==
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===Intel===
  
 
All of the above means that knowing the fit of your opponent before you engage in combat gives you a huge advantage over rushing in blindly. With good intel, you can avoid fights which obviously don’t favor you, and devise tactics to win fights which would otherwise be equal engagements.
 
All of the above means that knowing the fit of your opponent before you engage in combat gives you a huge advantage over rushing in blindly. With good intel, you can avoid fights which obviously don’t favor you, and devise tactics to win fights which would otherwise be equal engagements.
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For this reason as well, never name your ship anything which includes your character’s name. This just makes it easy for an opponent to research you and devise a counter for your ship.
 
For this reason as well, never name your ship anything which includes your character’s name. This just makes it easy for an opponent to research you and devise a counter for your ship.
  
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==Surprise==
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===Surprise===
  
 
This idea of anticipating your opponent can also be used against an experienced pilot to surprise them with an unusual fit, or a ship you rarely fly.
 
This idea of anticipating your opponent can also be used against an experienced pilot to surprise them with an unusual fit, or a ship you rarely fly.
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Similar ideas can also apply to more unusual fits such as a kiting [[Rifter]], a neut [[Slasher]], or a dual web [[Merlin]]. A surprise [[ECM]] module such as a tracking disrupter or damp can also turn an otherwise unpromising fight in your favor.
 
Similar ideas can also apply to more unusual fits such as a kiting [[Rifter]], a neut [[Slasher]], or a dual web [[Merlin]]. A surprise [[ECM]] module such as a tracking disrupter or damp can also turn an otherwise unpromising fight in your favor.
  
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=Finding a Fight in Null Sec=
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==Finding a Fight in Null Sec==
  
 
Low Sec PvP is by far the most common arena for solo players and small gangs of 2-3 players. Null Sec solo/gang PvP is absolutely possible, however it is much harder to find fights, let alone get kills without having a substantial fleet jump in on top of you.  
 
Low Sec PvP is by far the most common arena for solo players and small gangs of 2-3 players. Null Sec solo/gang PvP is absolutely possible, however it is much harder to find fights, let alone get kills without having a substantial fleet jump in on top of you.  
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Another thing you can do in Nullsec is to bring a few warp disruption bubbles and set traps next to system gates.
 
Another thing you can do in Nullsec is to bring a few warp disruption bubbles and set traps next to system gates.
  
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=The Null-Sec Meta=
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===The Null-Sec Meta===
  
 
The key difference between Null-Sec and Low-Sec meta comes down primarily to propulsion modules. In Null-Sec, MWDs are far more common compared to the predominately Afterburner meta of low-sec, which has a substantial impact on tactics.  
 
The key difference between Null-Sec and Low-Sec meta comes down primarily to propulsion modules. In Null-Sec, MWDs are far more common compared to the predominately Afterburner meta of low-sec, which has a substantial impact on tactics.  
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Another big change with MWDs is that you get a strong capacitor penalty simply for fitting one, and on top of that using the MWD in itself uses a lot of capacitor. What this means is that both MWD ships get a lot less capacitor to work with at the beginning of an engagement in scram range. This is a huge drawback to capacitor intensive ships that use hybrid and lasers and like to work with a small ancillary armor repairer at the same time: the [[Tormentor]] and [[Incursus]] which are very effective ships in AB engagements become a lot less potent in this meta, while shield tanked rocket and projectile ships such as the [[Talwar]] or the [[Jaguar]] get a notable advantage due to their lower capacitor needs
 
Another big change with MWDs is that you get a strong capacitor penalty simply for fitting one, and on top of that using the MWD in itself uses a lot of capacitor. What this means is that both MWD ships get a lot less capacitor to work with at the beginning of an engagement in scram range. This is a huge drawback to capacitor intensive ships that use hybrid and lasers and like to work with a small ancillary armor repairer at the same time: the [[Tormentor]] and [[Incursus]] which are very effective ships in AB engagements become a lot less potent in this meta, while shield tanked rocket and projectile ships such as the [[Talwar]] or the [[Jaguar]] get a notable advantage due to their lower capacitor needs
  
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=In-depth look at the Ship Meta=
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==In-depth look at the Ship Meta==
  
 
In order to look in more depth at the ship meta, and how different ships, tactics and strategies match up in space, the below describes some example ship fits seen in Low Sec PvP. These fits assume fairluy optimal skills, and Tech 2 fits. Other fits may vary, however the broad themes of meta-match ups described below remain the same:
 
In order to look in more depth at the ship meta, and how different ships, tactics and strategies match up in space, the below describes some example ship fits seen in Low Sec PvP. These fits assume fairluy optimal skills, and Tech 2 fits. Other fits may vary, however the broad themes of meta-match ups described below remain the same:
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The following will examine the use of the ships described above in various 1v1 scenarios.
 
The following will examine the use of the ships described above in various 1v1 scenarios.
  
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==Slow brawler vs fast scram-kiter==
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===Slow brawler vs fast scram-kiter===
  
 
Even if the fight starts at 0,1km which would be the best for the [[Merlin]], he would have to apply his full DPS for 20 seconds to break the active tank of the [[Executioner]]. Since the Executioner is moving 150m/s faster than the Merlin it would only take him 6,6 seconds to get out of the Merlin’s optimal range, past that point it becomes easier and easier to active tank as seconds into fall-off pass. The Merlin has the choice to switch to Null ammo (which takes 5 seconds) but even then, the fight is going to be a struggle and the Merlin will probably lose.  
 
Even if the fight starts at 0,1km which would be the best for the [[Merlin]], he would have to apply his full DPS for 20 seconds to break the active tank of the [[Executioner]]. Since the Executioner is moving 150m/s faster than the Merlin it would only take him 6,6 seconds to get out of the Merlin’s optimal range, past that point it becomes easier and easier to active tank as seconds into fall-off pass. The Merlin has the choice to switch to Null ammo (which takes 5 seconds) but even then, the fight is going to be a struggle and the Merlin will probably lose.  
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Now this was assuming the best possible engagement range for the Merlin, if the fight starts anywhere between 4km and 7.5km, the Merlin cannot theoretically win. This remains only theoretically however, as if either pilot makes a mistake, if for instance the Executioner forgets to apply his web or forgets to overheat his AB for a few seconds, the true result may not match the theoretical calculations here.  
 
Now this was assuming the best possible engagement range for the Merlin, if the fight starts anywhere between 4km and 7.5km, the Merlin cannot theoretically win. This remains only theoretically however, as if either pilot makes a mistake, if for instance the Executioner forgets to apply his web or forgets to overheat his AB for a few seconds, the true result may not match the theoretical calculations here.  
  
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===Fast brawler versus slow scram kiter===
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==Fast brawler versus slow scram kiter==
 
  
 
You might think this is opposite of what we just saw, the fast brawler will catch the slow scram-kiter and kill it. However in reality the calculation is more complex. Let’s take the blaster [[Atron]] vs  rail [[Incursus]] match-up for example: if the fight starts close, then the webbed AB [[Atron]] is 150m/s faster than the webbed AB [[Incursus]], this means he wil be able apply the entirety of his theoretical DPS by always staying at his optimal range. But a 150m/s different is not nearly enough to orbit at 0 and create big enough transversal velocity to outtrack the [[Incursus]], this means that if the [[Incursus]] burns away from you, he will be able to apply his full theoretical DPS to you as well.  
 
You might think this is opposite of what we just saw, the fast brawler will catch the slow scram-kiter and kill it. However in reality the calculation is more complex. Let’s take the blaster [[Atron]] vs  rail [[Incursus]] match-up for example: if the fight starts close, then the webbed AB [[Atron]] is 150m/s faster than the webbed AB [[Incursus]], this means he wil be able apply the entirety of his theoretical DPS by always staying at his optimal range. But a 150m/s different is not nearly enough to orbit at 0 and create big enough transversal velocity to outtrack the [[Incursus]], this means that if the [[Incursus]] burns away from you, he will be able to apply his full theoretical DPS to you as well.  
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Now once again this is entirely theoretical, if the Incursus forgets to overload his prop, he’ll get caught a lot faster, if he forgets to overload his guns or his tank, if he forgets to launch his small drone he might very well lose the DPS race. If neither mess-up but if the Atron has considerably superior turret and tanking skills, he may still win the DPS race too.
 
Now once again this is entirely theoretical, if the Incursus forgets to overload his prop, he’ll get caught a lot faster, if he forgets to overload his guns or his tank, if he forgets to launch his small drone he might very well lose the DPS race. If neither mess-up but if the Atron has considerably superior turret and tanking skills, he may still win the DPS race too.
  
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===Slow Brawler vs Slow Scram-kiter / Fast Brawler vs Fast scram-kiter===
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==Slow Brawler vs Slow Scram-kiter / Fast Brawler vs Fast scram-kiter==
 
  
 
In these match-ups, both ships’ tank are going to be pretty much the same and they’ll fly at pretty much the same speed, so these match-ups are usually purely decided by the initial engagement range: If the brawler manages to be right on-top (0 to 1,5km) of the scram-kiter when they both apply scram and web he’ll probably win. If the Scram kiter manages to engage outside 4km he’ll probably win. The player who messes up and forgets to overload the AB or applies his web late is going to lose almost automatically.  
 
In these match-ups, both ships’ tank are going to be pretty much the same and they’ll fly at pretty much the same speed, so these match-ups are usually purely decided by the initial engagement range: If the brawler manages to be right on-top (0 to 1,5km) of the scram-kiter when they both apply scram and web he’ll probably win. If the Scram kiter manages to engage outside 4km he’ll probably win. The player who messes up and forgets to overload the AB or applies his web late is going to lose almost automatically.  
  
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===Brawlers VS Brawlers / Scram-kiters vs Scram-kiters===
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==Brawlers VS Brawlers / Scram-kiters vs Scram-kiters==
 
  
 
These are the only match ups where speed will not be as relevant to actually win the fight, although the fastest ship may still be able to disengage and run away if he realizes he’s losing. In this case the pure damage*EHP ratio will generally win fights. Therefore the most important thing will be to have a good fit, the second most important thing will be to overheat your modules, and the third most important thing will be damage and tanking skills.
 
These are the only match ups where speed will not be as relevant to actually win the fight, although the fastest ship may still be able to disengage and run away if he realizes he’s losing. In this case the pure damage*EHP ratio will generally win fights. Therefore the most important thing will be to have a good fit, the second most important thing will be to overheat your modules, and the third most important thing will be damage and tanking skills.
  
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===Meta-breaking fits in scram-range===
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==Meta-breaking fits in scram-range==
 
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There are a few fits that are not going to fit into the calculations above, these can be considered as “meta-breakers".
 
There are a few fits that are not going to fit into the calculations above, these can be considered as “meta-breakers".
  
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===Dual Web Ships===
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====Dual Web Ships====
  
 
They will be able to completely control range. A dual-web brawler will catch-up to its target quickly and a dual web scram-kiter will be able to exit the range of a brawler in seconds; this makes the initial engagement range largely irrelevant and is great to invade a plex for example.  
 
They will be able to completely control range. A dual-web brawler will catch-up to its target quickly and a dual web scram-kiter will be able to exit the range of a brawler in seconds; this makes the initial engagement range largely irrelevant and is great to invade a plex for example.  
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Dual web rocket ships are a special case, the dual web Hookbill is very popular but the dual Breacher and Kestrel are also viable dual web frigates. Rockets do not need to track which means you can play as both a scram-kiter and a brawler. You’ll be able fight brawlers by keeping them at the edge of the scram range and you’ll be able to fight scram-kiters by orbiting them at 0 and mitigate some of their DPS.
 
Dual web rocket ships are a special case, the dual web Hookbill is very popular but the dual Breacher and Kestrel are also viable dual web frigates. Rockets do not need to track which means you can play as both a scram-kiter and a brawler. You’ll be able fight brawlers by keeping them at the edge of the scram range and you’ll be able to fight scram-kiters by orbiting them at 0 and mitigate some of their DPS.
  
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===Tracking Disruptors===
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====Tracking Disruptors====
  
 
This module has two uses: the first, is to decrease your enemy’s optimal and falloff range by half which allows you to basically scram-kite other scram-kiter. The crucifier navy issue is designed around this idea. This might also allow the autocannon TD Slasher which is theoretically a Brawler to scram kite other brawlers. The second use of the TD is to reduce your opponent’s tracking; this is mostly useful against bad brawlers who do not have a web, or generally people with less range control modules than you. The hookbill for example may fit two webs on top of a TD which allows him to get under the guns of other scram kiters by orbiting them at 0.
 
This module has two uses: the first, is to decrease your enemy’s optimal and falloff range by half which allows you to basically scram-kite other scram-kiter. The crucifier navy issue is designed around this idea. This might also allow the autocannon TD Slasher which is theoretically a Brawler to scram kite other brawlers. The second use of the TD is to reduce your opponent’s tracking; this is mostly useful against bad brawlers who do not have a web, or generally people with less range control modules than you. The hookbill for example may fit two webs on top of a TD which allows him to get under the guns of other scram kiters by orbiting them at 0.
  
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===Neuts===
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====Neuts====
  
 
Having a neut or several neuts on a brawler may completely break the DPS race mechanics by turning the opponent’s guns off. This allows the Slasher or the neut Tristan to beat ships that rely heavily on capacitor for their damage and their tank, SAAR hybrid and SAAR laser ships are very popular in the current  lowsec meta which makes neuts very powerful.
 
Having a neut or several neuts on a brawler may completely break the DPS race mechanics by turning the opponent’s guns off. This allows the Slasher or the neut Tristan to beat ships that rely heavily on capacitor for their damage and their tank, SAAR hybrid and SAAR laser ships are very popular in the current  lowsec meta which makes neuts very powerful.
  
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===Dual Repair Modules ("Dual Rep")===
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====Dual Repair Modules ("Dual Rep")====
  
 
These are pretty popular ships that rely on a simple gimmick: sacrificing all range control in order to have as big of a tank as possible and win thanks to pure DPS/EHP ratio, this is basically the opposite to a dual web ship. The big difference is that you can’t run away from a dual web ship that counters you, but you can always run away from a dual rep frigate that counters you. Dual rep ships therefore often rely on opponents not attempting to escape until it is too late.
 
These are pretty popular ships that rely on a simple gimmick: sacrificing all range control in order to have as big of a tank as possible and win thanks to pure DPS/EHP ratio, this is basically the opposite to a dual web ship. The big difference is that you can’t run away from a dual web ship that counters you, but you can always run away from a dual rep frigate that counters you. Dual rep ships therefore often rely on opponents not attempting to escape until it is too late.
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The Dual Rep Incursus is the most popular fit of this type but the dual MASB Breacher exists too. In order to effectively engage these gimmicky ships you need to stay out of their range and poke them until your opponent runs out of cap booster charges and is unable to maintain its repar modules. If you don’t have the means to poke it without getting hit then you should simply leave and go somewhere else.  
 
The Dual Rep Incursus is the most popular fit of this type but the dual MASB Breacher exists too. In order to effectively engage these gimmicky ships you need to stay out of their range and poke them until your opponent runs out of cap booster charges and is unable to maintain its repar modules. If you don’t have the means to poke it without getting hit then you should simply leave and go somewhere else.  
  
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=Solo PvP Beyond Frigates=
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==Solo PvP Beyond Frigates==
  
 
Now that you understand how solo mechanics work for small ships, it is relatively straightforward to apply this to larger ships as well.  
 
Now that you understand how solo mechanics work for small ships, it is relatively straightforward to apply this to larger ships as well.  
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First of all there’s no “scram kiting” a cruiser. The short range variations of medium and heavy guns always hit far enough to work anywhere inside scram-range. Therefore there are only Brawlers and Kiters. A second thing when considering soloing as a cruiser and above is that you must always be able to fight smaller stuff than you. If frigates can easily get under your guns, you are going to get killed repeatedly. This is a huge constraint and it dramatically restrains the range of fits you can use solo as there aren’t that many tools for fighting small ships as a big ship
 
First of all there’s no “scram kiting” a cruiser. The short range variations of medium and heavy guns always hit far enough to work anywhere inside scram-range. Therefore there are only Brawlers and Kiters. A second thing when considering soloing as a cruiser and above is that you must always be able to fight smaller stuff than you. If frigates can easily get under your guns, you are going to get killed repeatedly. This is a huge constraint and it dramatically restrains the range of fits you can use solo as there aren’t that many tools for fighting small ships as a big ship
  
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==Kiting==
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===Kiting===
  
 
There are very few ships that apply well to frigates outside of scram range and Rapid light missile launchers ships are the undisputed king. The [[Orthrus]] is the best at it, but the other RLML cruisers are viable solo ships too: [[Caracal]], [[Scythe Fleet Issue]], [[Osprey Navy Issue]]. These are all fast ships that can find good success kiting Frigates and Cruisers alike. Other very specific ships like the scorch [[Omen Navy Issue]] or the [[Phantasm]] might also be successful as solo kiting ships as their bonuses allow them to apply their damage to small ships relatively well.
 
There are very few ships that apply well to frigates outside of scram range and Rapid light missile launchers ships are the undisputed king. The [[Orthrus]] is the best at it, but the other RLML cruisers are viable solo ships too: [[Caracal]], [[Scythe Fleet Issue]], [[Osprey Navy Issue]]. These are all fast ships that can find good success kiting Frigates and Cruisers alike. Other very specific ships like the scorch [[Omen Navy Issue]] or the [[Phantasm]] might also be successful as solo kiting ships as their bonuses allow them to apply their damage to small ships relatively well.
  
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==Brawling==
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===Brawling===
  
 
It is always an option to brawl as a Cruiser vs frigates, destroyers and even T3 destroyers. You’ll mainly rely on Medium Neuts and Webs to fight smaller stuff in scram range but be always be careful, as a brawling cruiser you’re an ideal target for kiting ships.  
 
It is always an option to brawl as a Cruiser vs frigates, destroyers and even T3 destroyers. You’ll mainly rely on Medium Neuts and Webs to fight smaller stuff in scram range but be always be careful, as a brawling cruiser you’re an ideal target for kiting ships.  
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For offense you’ll often want to use Neuts (a medium Neut can instantly empty the cap of a frig from 10km away, a heavy neut from 30km away), Webs, and Target Ppainters. You’ll generally want the highest tracking guns as possible. Afterburners and oversized afterburners are good things to have if you can as they’ll help with the tracking too.
 
For offense you’ll often want to use Neuts (a medium Neut can instantly empty the cap of a frig from 10km away, a heavy neut from 30km away), Webs, and Target Ppainters. You’ll generally want the highest tracking guns as possible. Afterburners and oversized afterburners are good things to have if you can as they’ll help with the tracking too.
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This is going to be an introduction to Solo PvP. On top of being a very fun thing to do in Eve, it will help you develop the skills you need to fly in small gangs without anchors. It will also improve your general knowledge of the game which will come in handy if you want to command fleets at some point in your career.
 
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== First things first: Frigates and destroyers  ==
 
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Frigate vs frigate fights are a great introduction to the different solo PvP mechanics, that’s because frigates are mostly cheap and they get to choose which engagements they take thanks  to their speed, their align time and their small sig (which makes locking them slower). Frigate fights are generally the most common type of 1V1 engagements which means it will be easier to find a fight. Now the more you’ll fight, the better you’ll get.  The reason I’m mentioning destroyers is you can basically think of them as oversized frigates that are both slower, tankier and more powerful. It would be a mistake to see destroyers as a “better frigate” though. 1v1 is all about fighting on your terms and range control will often be the most decisive factor, this means being slow can be a huge drawback: it’s often the difference between winning and being countered. Some frigates fits will hard counter some destroyer fits and vice versa. Now T3 destroyers are kind of a special case but we’ll get to that later.
 
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== Security Status disclaimer  ==
 
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If you want to have fun solo PvPing you are going to lose sec status, it can’t be avoided. I know as a new player that might sound scary but that’s actually not a big issue at all. There are two reasons for that. The first reason is that you may completely circumvent the whole Security status by using another character. If you live in lowsec or nullsec, having a sec status won’t really affect you as you can simply use a hauler alt to get ships from Highsec to where you live. You may pretty much any Highsec activity with an alt and you get two other chars on your account to do that with.
 
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The second reason is that security status may simply be “bought back” using clone soldier tags but you probably won’t want to that as most people who live highsec generally don’t want to turn back and end up leaving it for good.
 
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Now if you are reading this article because you are a member of EVE University, you might run into a little trouble here. From what I remember you are discouraged to go below a certain sec status while in the uni, so if you start to solo PvP seriously, you might run into Sec status troubles after a few dozens of fights or so. I recommend asking the EVE University solo PvPers (such as Kelon Darklight) how they manage it, if you really bump into a wall, you may simply need to leave EVE University and find a corp more oriented towards a PvP lifestyle. Still, you should know that your sec status will take time to degrade and that it will take a while to become an issue, you may definitely dip your toes into solo PvP without any big consequences and while staying in the Uni.
 
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== Soloing in Nullsec versus soloing in Lowsec  ==
 
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Most aspiring soloers don’t realize that the 1v1 metagame varies between lowsec and nullsec. First of all it is generally harder to find a 1v1 frigate fight in null: being alone against a gang is a much more common occurrence than true 1v1. In this case, you will generally try to separate gangs using gate mechanics, bubbles, or simply managing to split the enemies on grid. Eveiseasy is a youtube channel mostly dedicated to this kind of PvP and you will find a ton of info about creating opportunities for 1v1 there. What can be said right now though is that a Microwarpdrive is borderline mandatory if you are going to solo in SOV space that doesn’t belong to your corp. An exception can be made for oversized Afterburners (this means fitting a cruiser sized Afterburner on a destroyer or fitting a Battleship sized afterburner on a cruiser/BC). There are several reasons why a Microwarpdrive drive is so important in nullsec. The first one is that an AB ship is helpless against a gang, you will not be fast enough to separate several people on grid and you will not be fast enough to reapproach gates and separate your foes using gates and [[Timers|aggression mechanics]]. The other main reason is bubbles: Nullsec is full of bubbles (both deployable and interdictor made) and they will screw an AB ship a lot more badly than an MWD ship. Speed is critical for both escaping them and taking advantage of them. Now an Afterburner can still be a good idea to bring in nullsec as long as you have an MWD too. It’s called a dualprop ship and is great for soloing as in this case the AB is not used as a tool for moving around but as a mean to do two other thigs: it allows you to control range in scram range during 1v1s and it allows you to Signature tank bigger ships than yourself (cruisers, BCs, BSs), this can be great if you are trying to gank null ratters for example.
 
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Lowsec is a whole different beast: first of all there are no bubbles, secondly there are far more people willing to solo, especially in faction warfare space. Thirdly the Faction Warfare (“FW”) [[Factional Warfare|Plex mechanics]] in lowsec promotes having an afterburner for fighting in scram range. Novice, Small, Medium and large complexes (“plexes”) are places in a system specifically dedicated to PvP, they are open to anyone, not only to the people engaged in FW. These places are only accessible by using a single acceleration gate (similar to those you can find in missions). This means that there is a single entry point, if you are in a plex already and waiting for someone to come in; you know for sure where the other person will enter. So, if you decide to sit at the exit point at 0, the person invading the plex will warp straight on top of you which will net you a quasi-automatic scram if you wish to scram which renders the other person’s MWD obsolete if he has one. An AB on the other hand stays active while scrammed.
 
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Now I do not mean at all that an AB is mandatory in FW space, there are MWD fits that counter AB fits in the grand scheme of things, there’s a rock-paper-scissors mechanics of frigate PvP. Just remember that, contrarily to nullsec, an AB is a completely viable thing in FW space, it is even preferred in the current meta.
 
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== The rock-paper-scissors Mechanics of frigate PVP  ==
 
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People usually divide PvP ships in two categories: Brawlers and Kiters. Brawler as a generic term generally describes ships who want to fight into warp scrambler range, this means the fight is happening below 10km. Ships engaged in a brawl will not be able to use their MWD (that’s what a scram does) and thus, the ships will generally move quite slowly.
 
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On the other hand, Kiters wish to fight at full MWD speed all the time using a warp disruptor instead of a scram, they rely on their speed and longer range to destroy the other ship without it being able to reach them, this mean they’ll try to avoid getting webbed at all cost and getting into scram range will generally put them in a very bad position. They will usually try to fight between 13km (overheated web range of the other ship) and 24km (the range of a tech II warp disruptor). Now not messing up as a kiter can be pretty hard when both ships are moving at 3000+ m/s per second (MWD speed), but it’s going to be easier if the other guy is moving at 1300 m/s (AB speed). Now there are a few exceptions to this, a few ships have special bonuses with longer webs, longer scrams, longer disruptors or exceptional AB speed. Offgrid links boosting can be a factor too as they increase tackle range and speed considerably.
 
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Now, there’s an additional layer of subtlety to frigates and destroyers because they use small sized weapons. In their cases, brawling comes in two varieties:  Scram kiting brawlers who are designed to fight at the edge of the scram range (between 6 and 9km) and brawler brawlers who are designed to fight between 0 and 4km. Yes, as you have noticed the denomination is not quite completely clear and brawling can mean two things, thank god you’ll generally understand what people mean with the context.
 
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So the goal of scram kiters is to fight outside the range of full-brawlers so they don’t get hit. While the goal of full-brawlers is to catch them and and kill them with their superior close-range DPS (in general: the smaller your range is, the harder you hit).
 
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[[File:Frigatepvp.jpg]]
 
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== How fighting in scram-range changes in Nullsec ==
 
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All this was written with AB ships and faction warfare lowsec in mind, which is a place where MWD ships that fight in scram are rare. In nullsec though, people tend to fit MWDs and I will now explain how that changes the deal: it’s quite the same with a few significant differences.
 
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MWD brawlers and MWD scram-kiters basically function the same as AB ships except they are faster while moving around on the grid and slower during a fight. This means the initial engagement range is going to be extremely critical and the most decisive factor: the speed difference between a fast and a slow ship are going to be a lot less important.  For example, the difference in speed between a webbed MWD Atron and a webbed MWD Merlin is only 50m/s (the difference was 150m/s earlier with Afterburners). This massive reduction in speed has a collateral effect: it makes rocket ships drastically better. Since fights happen at a slower velocity, rocket ships are able to use rage rockets and apply their full damage with a single web (as long as the enemy isn’t dual propped). On the other hand, rocket ships are not as good with ABs: they need to either use faction rockets with one web which means not great damage, or rage rockets with two webs which means not great tank.
 
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The other big change with MWDs is that you get a strong capacitor penalty simply for fitting one, on top of that using the MWD in itself uses a lot of capacitor. What this means is that both MWD ships get a lot less capacitor to work with at the beginning of an engagement in scram range. This is a huge drawback to capacitor intensive ships that use hybrid and lasers and like to work with a small ancillary armor repairer at the same time: Tormentors and Incursii who are at the at the top of the food chain in AB engagements become a lot less potent while shield tanked rocket and projectile ships become a lot better. Another small speed-related difference is that low tracking-high damage T2 short range ammo (Void, Hail and Conflag) become somewhat viable in nullsec: when both ship are close to each other and going at 150 m/s, the extra damage is sometimes possible to apply reliably.
 
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Finally, a more down to earth difference between Nullsec and lowsec is that nullsec players are generally worse. They get much fewer opportunities to fight 1v1 which moves they don’t improve at it as fast (or at all). This is actually double edged: yes it will be easier to beat nullsec players in 1v1 because they’ll have terrible fits and no web but they will also be a lot more prone to blob you.
 
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== How to win a fight in scram range, recap and remarks ==
 
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The most important thing is to choose your engagements well, when you see a ship on Dscan, you need to know what are the most popular fits for the ship and what to generally expect from it. If you can link the ship on dscan to a name in local, you should search his name on zkillboard and try to find what fit he used last time he lost that ship as most people tend to buy fits in bulks and use the same over and over. This applies both ways, if you can use an unpredictable fit; the enemy might engage wrongly thinking he counters you.
 
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Secondly you need to maximize your chances and try to use a fit that have both good counter potential and good DPS/TANK ratio, that will allow you to brute force through engagements that look close on paper.  Now in order to have good countering abilities you need range control, the first thing to it is to always have a range control module, possibly more than one if you feel like maximizing your counter-ability and lowering your brute forcing ability. As I said earlier, the person with the most range control modules dictates the range of the engagement and gets the choice to disengage if he wants to. If you are flying an AB ship in lowsec, a web is mandatory. If you are flying an MWD ship in Nullsec, fitting an afterburner on top of your MWD (dualprop) will give you even better range control than a web does (but, remember that you should never fly a rocket ship without a web, you won’t be able to apply damage). You may also go dualprop+web on ships with plenty of mids like the Hookbill, this makes you the king of scram range control in Nullsec.
 
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But, if you are flying a scram MWD frigate, you should always be super wary of AB ships, even if they are rarer in nullsec, they remain a distinct possibility. If you notice that the other guy is moving around on the grid at a speed between 900 and 1400 m/s, this means he has an AB and no MWD fitted: he sacrificed the ability to move fast on the grid which turns him into kiting food (I’ll get to that later) in exchange for super control in scram range so he might very well counter you there. Since he is so slow and you are fast, you always get the choice not to engage if you don’t want to and you’ll have to evaluate the risk: if getting scram-kited or brawled with 250 neutron blaster DPS is a possibility you should run away. On the other hand, if you know for sure his optimal range is the same as you and you think his DPS/EHP is lower than yours, then you are clear to engage. The worst thing that might happen is him managing to run away once he starts to lose.
 
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Now if you are flying against someone with the same amount of range control modules as you, the decisive factor will be speed: sacrificing speed is almost always a bad idea, armor rigs generally have an awful speed penalty and are generally bad with a few niche uses. Plates are generally seen as pretty bad for the same reason but less so, their EHP gained/speed loss ratio isn’t nearly as bad as the armor rigs’. Still, in the current meta, the best way to armor tank your ship is generally to go with a small ancillary armor repairer, you may couple it with small auxiliary nano pumps for rigs as they give you good tanking ability without sacrificing speed, be careful though as these ships are susceptible to being neuted out. This piece of advice can be expanded to bigger stuff too: kiting with a decent armor tank becomes possible by combining armor repairers to Energized adaptive membranes and auxiliary nano pumps. Trying to buffer tank an armor ship is often subpar in the current metagame as it means sacrificing way too much speed. Shields do not have this issue and can be both buffer and active tanked. The penalty for buffer tanking shields is sig radius and it is not often big enough to be a major drawback.
 
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== Kiting, the art of fighting outside scram range ==
 
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One of the biggest pros of kiting is that it allows you to fight outnumbered, but it is a  lot more difficult than fighting in scram-range as it should be done by piloting manually. Most of the time, the orbit and keep at range buttons are not viable options as they’ll get you either hit or slingshotted (I’ll get to that later), you also need to manual pilot in order to track your opponents: orbiting someone in an imperial navy slicer (the most famous kiting frigate) will not work for example, you’ll have too much transversal to track your target. The only time where keeping at range might be viable is when kiting a very slow AB brawler who has no means to hit past 20km. But even then, manual piloting should be recommended as it is more fun and allows you to improve.  On top of being good for soloing, kiting by manual piloting is extremely useful in a small gang situation. The ability to manual pilot is, in the current Meta, what separates the average and the great solo/small gang PvPer.
 
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The principle of kiting is to stay between 13km (the other person’s web range) and 24km (your warp disruptor range) which basically allows you to hit brawlers without getting hit yourself. You are trying to avoid getting caught while staying close enough to keep your target from running away with your point, in order to do that you’ll need to be able to activate and overload your mwd and your point with hotkeys while double clicking in space at the same time for controlling your ship. Now this whole double clicking in space thing is actually quite impossible to fully explain by writing and I suggest watching Chessur’s slicer videos on youtube as they currently are the best tutorial you can find. As an MWD brawler (in this case the term “brawler” also applies to scram-kiters) the counter to kiters is a maneuver called the slingshot. You first double click in space away from the kiter: the goal is to get him to rush towards you, when he does you suddenly change course and rush towards him as fast as possible in order to catch him, you’ll find several youtube videos showing you this mechanic. This basically means 1v1 as a kiter or against a kiter isn’t simply a matter of fitting and hard-countering your opponent, it’s a matter of piloting skill which makes the fight more organic and piloting base. One ship stat that’s going to help you tremendously with all that is speed, both kiting and slingshotting will be easier the faster you are. A duel between a kiting slicer and a brawling MWD comet is a perfect example to this peculiar synergy as both have good chances to win; the outcome of the fight is not decided in advance and depends mostly on both pilots’ piloting skills. In order to practice kiting and slingshot, I strongly recommend going to the Test Server where you get instant fights and infinite money to play with.
 
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There are basically three main ways of kiting with frigates: light missile launchers which have low DPS but apply their damage almost perfectly to pretty much anyone (except maybe interceptors), drones which have better DPS but can be killed and are limited by their speed. They need to fly towards the enemy before doing damage and it may also be hard to apply drone damage on a very fast linked and snaked (speed implants) target. The final way is turret based kiting which mostly means good damage but might struggle to hit when transversal is high.
 
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== Pirate frigs, destroyers and T2 frigates ==
 
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Now you might be asking yourself, where do Interceptors, Assault frigs, Destroyers, Interdictors and Tactical destroyers fit in all that? Let’s consider those cases one by one:
 
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Interceptors come in two flavors, the combat ceptor and the fleet ceptor. The fleet ceptor is basically worthless in 1v1. Combat ceptors can be decent as they get some very useful nullsec utility (being invincible to bubbles), the thing is this extra-utility isn’t really handy when it comes to pure 1v1. They unfortunately don’t make for potent kiters; else the Sig bonus would be quite insane. Still, their low speed and sig can be very handy for catching kiters for example (the crusader is notably good at that). Also, the dual prop Taranis is quite renowned for its ability kill ratters. Generally, combat ceptors are decent but do not make insane dueling frigates when it comes to DPS/EHP ratio, they can definitely be killed by T1 frigs and are quite expensive. They will mostly lose 1v1s against comets for example.
 
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Destroyers:
 
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Think of it as very big frigates with bad range control but great DPS/EHP ratio to make up for it, they can be kited by frigates and die miserably but they might also be able to tear their way through much more expensive Pirate frigs in a mirror Brawler/Brawler or Scram-Kiter/Scram-kiter match up.  They can make half decent kiters too because even though they are ridiculously slow, their sheer DPS/EHP ratio might allow them to brute-force through a something even though they’ve been singshotted.
 
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Pirate frigs:
 
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They are either meta-breakers are exceptionally potent frigates: The daredevil for example is the equivalent of a double web ship, it can also make for a niche kiter that fights between scram range and the edge of Web-range. The Dramiel is basically a super-fast brawler with good damage and paper tank. The cruor is a pretty niche neut-metabreaker. The succubus gets a bonus to AB which allows it to either be flown as a super-fast brawler that controls scram range well or a weird slow kiter than can’t get scrammed and has amazing sig-tanking. The Astero is a big-ass Tristan. The Garmur is a meta-breaking kiter that is able to outkite other kiters, it also gets a defensive scram to defend itself against brawlers trying to slingshot it. (But Garmur can still very well get slingshotted, a few kilometers of scram range might not be enough when both ships move at 4500 km/s). Worms have the DPS and tank of destroyers while being frigate fast, they are mostly flown as kiters but since they apply their damage perfectly anywhere and have great tank, they’ll be great in scram range too.
 
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Don’t be too afraid of pirate frigs though; they can all be countered by specific T1 frigate and T1 destroyer fits and they are often flown by terrible pilots with terrible fits.
 
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Assault frigates:
 
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Think of it as marginally better, marginally slower and a lot more expensive T1 destroyers. They are not very popular right now as they are generally a lot worse than Tactical destroyers while not being that much cheaper.
 
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Interdictors:
 
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The sabre is pretty much the only one used for solo and it’s always flown as an Autocannon brawler, which means it’s scram-kiteable. The Eris has insane blaster DPS but only two mids which means it’s scram-kite food. The heretic and flycatchers mostly struggle with fitting issues and are rarely seen solo. You might see them once in a while in kiting gangs though.
 
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Tactical destroyer:
 
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They are very close to being “better frigates”, they are marginally slower than frigs but are still very fast in prop mode. They have great damage and decent tank. They make for great Brawlers and Kiters alike and are virtually impossible to counter in a T1 frig except in a few select scenarios, they can still be hard-countered by Assault and Pirate frigs but are overall better than them in cost/efficiency ratio. If you are reading this guide and not that good at solo PvP yet, you should probably stay away from them from them for now.
 
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Command destroyers:
 
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They aren’t quite as fast as tactical destroyers and do slightly less damage but they do have great tank. They are most flown in a gang but are sometimes seen solo in small plexes trying to brawl small gang of frigates by themselves with insane active tanks.
 
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== How to choose a small ship to solo PvP with ==
 
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We are coming to the end of this introduction to solo PvP and we are now ready to tackle one the trickiest issue: what ships you should fly.
 
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Well there are several types of ship that are worth flying: one option is to fly notoriously good ships with a wide engagement range that allow you to fight different things: powerful scram-kiters (by that I mean not very fast but high DPS/tank ratio) are a very good place to start as they’ll allow you to have good odds against all types of brawlers and other scram-kiters. When it comes to Afterburner oriented scram kiters, the beam Tormentor, the rail Incursus and the rail Comet are at the top of the food chain. On top of being great in sram-range they have the ability to use long range ammo (infrared and Iron) and drones in order to fend off kiters. In Nullsec on the other hand, a strong and cheap rocket ship like a Kestrel or a Breacher might work very well (I suggest watching Suitonia’s kestrel videos, you’ll see destroying Brawl-Sabers worth 60m with Kestrels worth 6M), an MWD scram-kiting comet might be a great idea too.
 
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Another advice would be to fly ships that can be fit in a wide variety of way. A Tristan for example is a very polyvalent ship that can be fit in a lot of ways: the blaster Tristan, the neut Tristan, the rail scram-kiting Tristan and the Kiting tristans are all very good, if the other guy doesn’t know how you’re fit he’s less likely to engage you with a counter (but he’s also more likely to run away).
 
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It might also be a good idea to run with less known ships and fits that are not currently the flavor of the month. The only issue is that theorycrafting good ships by yourself is going to require some good solo PvP knowledge already. What you could fly in this vein is a neut slasher or even a Neut+TD slasher, a neut Tristan can be very fun and skillful to fly too (you’ll need good module micromanagement as it should be flown without a cap booster). Meta breakers are generally good and fun as long as they are not super obvious and expected (for example the Artillery double web firetail is probably a bad idea). Double web AB frigate might also be a cool thing to start with, they’ll be a little less versatile but have more counter potential, the AB double web kestrel is quite unknown and good at the same time, the different variations of the AB double web Hookbills are very well-known but extremely potent in lowsec, they make the hookbill at the very top of the foodchain for 1v1 AB duels.
 
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If you want to learn to kite the Tristan, condor, possibly breacher are good ways to start with, if you want to start with turret based kiting cheaply, a beam executioner with Standard S can be a very fun and unexpected little thing to fly and will be a good introduction to the slicer. Kiting comets and hookbills might get you some success too, they won’t be as good as the slicer but they’ll be unexpected and generally more forgiving. Another good idea would be the Coercer or the Cormorant; they are very slow for kiters but they pack such a high DPS/EHP ratio that you might very well still tear through anything that catches you, including T2 and Pirate frigs.
 
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Finally going with a T1 destroyer might be a good idea too, you’ll be die more to gatecamps and you’ll generally be scarier which means you might get less fights but you’ll get to have a better shot against more expensive stuff like pirate and T2 frigs. The Coercer for kiting and the Algos for brawling might be very good places to start with.
 
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== Finding and engaging in a fight in practice ==
 
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All right, now that you’ve got a few ships fitted, it’s time to go roaming. Your best bet will probably to head towards active FW space: you can find that by opening your map and checking the “militia ships destroyed in the last x hours” box. Don’t head for one specific system with lots of kills, instead head for an area of space with several moderately to highly active systems. Once you’re there, you should start watching for open plexes. Open means that they appear on the overview (if you have faction warfare complexes checked), they’ll only show if someone has already warped to them. This means complexes that show on your probe scanner window but do not appear on your overview have never ever been warped to, so you won’t find a fight there.
 
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Now, you are specifically looking for novice and small plexes (because only frigates and destroyers can enter them), and you want people inside. This means you need to DSCAN them with a five degree angle. A tip for d-scanning something quickly is to bind a hotkey to the “point the [[camera]] towards an object”. This means you don’t actually need to move the camera in space and manually “find” the object you wish to dscan. You only need to activate your hotkey and click the overview object to get the info you are looking for. If the open plex is far away, you’ll need to travel within 14,3AU to Dscan it. This means you are going to need to find a planet (or the sun) within 14,3AU of the plex and warp at 100 to it. Warping at 100 as a frigate/destro means you are relatively safe, the bigger stuff you fly though, the bigger align time you’ll get and the more “safes” (bookmarks) you’ll need to create. Now some people might advise you to bookmarks dozens of things everywhere you go before even thinking about fighting people but that’s a pretty dumb and risk averse mentality, especially if you are learning to solo in cheap t1 frigs, warping to things at 100 is often enough.
 
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All right, once you find a single ship sitting in a plex with your Dscan, the first thing to do is try to link that ship to someone in Local, if you are only three or four in local you may simply look up for the other pilots on zkillboard to find who it belongs to straight away. If the ship has a Russian name and there’s a pilot from a Russian corp in local that can be your link too. The general goal is to quickly find the fit of your opponent before the start of the fight. Be aware though that once he spots you on DSCAN he’ll probably try to do exactly the same thing. Once you get a little accustomed to the metagame and you know the different ways a ship can be fit, you’ll sometimes know wether or not you should take the fight without looking at the fit and may completely skip this part.
 
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If you are flying something that is not absurdly cheap and that you do mind a little losing, you’ll probably want to check if the other guy is truly soloing or baiting for his gang. If you managed to link the ship on Dscan to a name, check if he has fresh kills with the ship you’re seeing, if others appear on the killmail he’s probably not alone. If you can’t really link the ship to someone in local you’ll just have two guess using the corps of the other persons in system: if there are several people of the same corp in local, do you think these people live there? Do you think they are shipspinning in station or do you think are they are roaming around in frigs? Some Dscanning and a quick check on zkillboard might give you the answer.  Once again, if you are starting out, what I highly recommend is to fly cheap things you can afford to lose en-masse and don’t spend too much time zkillboard-ing/metagaming your fun away. Take risks, don’t engage your direct counters of course but take fights when there’s some hope of winning, don’t be afraid of gangs, have fun and rack-up some experience.
 
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Let’s use a basic scenario to show you how the whole thing works: You dscan down a Merlin in a novice plex in Minmatar FW space, you see 4 people in local, 3 of them are people who seem to live here and you don’t see them on dscan, the fourth one is a pilot engaged in amarr militia. You quickly look him up on zkill and sees he often loses Blaster Merlin when Soloing. The story checks out and nothing seems fishy, you are clear to engage if you want.
 
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Now you need to think about wether your ship has a chance to win and what will be the most important thing to do so (most of the time it’s gonna be range control so you’ll need to pre-overload your modules and hit your “AB-lock- keep at range-scram-web” buttons as fast as possible when landing in the plex. That’s how the initial engagement range will be decided, don’t forget to launch your drones too if you have some.
 
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Another way to get Intel on a ship is simply to use the “look-at” function and watching [http://i.imgur.com/Wsf2ban.jpg what kind of guns the other ship has]. For example, if you are sitting in a plex as a t1 scram-kiter like an incursus and you see a comet approaching on Dscan, you might want to burn away from the beacon to a comfortable and safe distanc. Once the comet lands on grid, you should look at it. If he has railguns fitted he is most likely to be a better scram kiter than you and you should probably leave. If he has neutron blasters, it might be a fight you want to take. You’ll generally try to let it burn into you and stay as far as possible in order to negate null ammo damage while still being close enough to scram if he tries to run. Killing the drones might be a good idea too if you can do it before the comet starts shooting you. On top of that, if you notice that he’s going at 3500+ m/s instead of the 1000+ m/s you are expecting, it means he is MWD fit and that you’ll be able to completely control range in scram-range.  (Be careful though as the blaster comet is still very potent with null ammo and might be able to brute-force his way through weaker scram-kiters).
 
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If you are flying a kiter, finding fights in lowsec might be a little more difficult as you can’t really afford to enter a plex if someone with a scram is waiting for you in it. You’ll generally want to either catch people on acceleration gates, third party existing fights, or sit in a plex of your own waiting for someone (in this case, you’ll get generally get better fights by tricking people into thinking you aren’t a kiter, if you can get AB ships to engage you are golden).
 
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You might also be able to take some fights on gates/stations and flying as a kiter will generally help you with that. Lowsec FW space is full of people like you who are not actually engaged in FW and are simply here to fight, this means that they’ll often have suspect timers which means you can attack them at gate and station without getting hit by the sentries. Do not engage Neutral (not suspect) people on gate if you’re flying a frig or a destroyer though, the sentries would destroy you. People with low enough [[Security Status Details|security status]] are also engageable in lowsec without sentries interfering. Generally being aware of the Timers that affect gate mechanics are also going to help you with that kind of engagement.
 
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== Finding a fight in Nullsec ==
 
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This is a whole other matter and is going to take more skill than fighting a solo fight in lowsec, if you live in null far from active lowsec space this might be your only shot at soloing though so it’s always worth trying.
 
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In order to find fights in Null you’ll need to head towards the active SOV of another alliance, there are several tools on the map that will help you do that, checking the “active pilots in space during the last X minutes” box for example. Once you are headed towards a populated part of Nullsec there are several ways to find a fight. The ideal thing would be to find a ship of your size actively trying to solo too and proceed with a honorable 1v1, but that’s not going to happen a lot. A more reliable way to find fights is simply to piss-off residents enough and provoke them into fighting you. Killing their ratters, killing their miners or simply taunting them in local might do the trick. Once they’re pissed off they are likely to send a gang, what you are going to need is to try to split this gang using gates, bubble and aggression mechanics, or simply splitting them on grid. If a player is 100km away from his mates, he’s effectively alone for a while as you can only warp to fleet mates further than 150km. Suitonia’s youtube channel Eveiseasy is full of him doing that and you should probably head towards there for practical advice.
 
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One important thing to know about the initial engagement range of two frigates in nullsec is that if both Players approach each other at full speed and apply Scram/Web at the same time, the momentum of both ships will bring them to overshoot each other. Ships can’t turn on a dime so they’ll cross, by the time they turn back they’ll generally be between 7 and 13km which gives scram-kiters the advantage. If you are flying a brawler in null and you and the other guy both approach each other, you might want to start turning before actually crossing your target by double clicking in space behind you. This can be tricky but might prevent the overshoot.
 
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In the same manner, you might be able to separate gangs in lowsec if you have a MWD fitted. Warping to a fleet member is completely disabled both inside Plexes and on the outside of them (next to the acceleration gates) so these are great places to split people up.
 
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If you are kiting, you don’t even absolutely need to split people up, you might be able to engage people close toeach other as long as you can stay out of the effective range of all of them and you don’t get caught by webs and scram (this applies to nullsec and lowsec alike).
 
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Another thing you can do in Nullsec is to bring a few anchorable bubbles (the smallest ones are very cheap, they cost around 2m in jita) and set traps next to tube systems’ gates.
 
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== Soloing bigger, the case for Cruisers and above ==
 
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Now that you understand how solo mechanics work for small stuff you may understand how they apply to bigger things. Now first of all there’s no “scram kiting” a cruiser, the short range variations of medium and heavy guns always hit far enough to work anywhere inside scram-range. There are only Brawlers and Kiters. A second thing when considering soloing as a cruiser and above is that you must always be able to fight smaller stuff than you, if frigates can easily get under your guns, you are going to get bopped repeatedly. This is a huge constraint and it restrains the range of fits you can use solo by a whole lot because there aren’t that many tools for fighting small stuff as a big ship:
 
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Kiting: There are very few ships that apply well to frigates outside of scram range and Rapid light missile launchers ships are the undisputed king. The Orthrus famously is the best at it, but the other RLML cruisers are viable solo ships too: Caracals, Scythe fleet issues, Osprey navy issues. Those are pretty fast ships that can find good success kiting Frigates and Cruisers alike. Other very specific ships like the scorch Omen navy issue or the Phantasm might be successful as solo kiting boats too because their specificities allows them to apply their damage to small stuff.
 
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Brawling:  It is always an option to brawl as a Cruiser vs frigs, destroyers and even T3 destroyers. You’ll mainly rely on your Medium Neut and Web to fight smaller stuff in scram range but be always be careful, as a brawling cruiser you’re probably kiting food. A duel of brawling Cruisers will usually be decided by DPS/TANK ratio, fights might last a while so killing enemy drones can be critical. Big active tanks will only be good as long as they are not overly out-DPSed.
 
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Contrarily to solo kiting, solo Brawling is viable with big ships too, in this case you’ll probably only get to fight several people at once, the general philosophy behind it is that if you can Perma-Tank entire gangs of enemy with a huge active tank and annihilate everything that gets into your scram range, then you’ll be free to MJD away whenever you wish to disengage.  The few critical modules to do that are armor repairers/shield boosters and drugs for active tanking. For offense you’ll use Neuts (a medium Neut can instantly empty the cap of a frig from 10km away, a heavy neut from 30km away), Webs (and their recently introduced stasis grappler variation), and Target painters. You’ll generally want the highest tracking guns as possible coupled to the drop drug if you wish, afterburners and oversized afterburners are good things to have if you can as they’ll help with the tracking too.
 
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This kind of ship will be countered by a group of kiters with high DPS, a few logis or command destroyers to get it off the gate. -->
 
  
 
[[Category:PvP]]
 
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Revision as of 02:27, 1 May 2017

Fighting in a fleet is a lot of fun, and it is, in many ways, the classic EVE experience. However fighting solo, or in a small group of 2 or 3 people can be just as fun, much easier to get set up, and importantly, is one of the best ways to develop your all-round PvP skills. Skills such as scouting, target calling and overall FC’ing are all very transferable from solo or small groups, right up to huge fleets. In EVE, many of the best FCs started out in solo or small gang situations, and many of them still roam solo when not leading fleets.

Security status

In low- and high-security space, taking hostile action against a pilot not flagged as a criminal, a war target or a suspect will result in a loss of your own security status. Therefore, engaging in regular PvP as described in this guide will inevitably reduce your security status. This is why Low Sec is often described as pirate space. Low security status can cause you to be attacked by faction police when entering High Security space.

If you continue to live in lowsec or nullsec, having a low security status is unlikely to affect you as you can simply use a hauler alt, or a hauling corporation to get ships and other supplies from Highsec to where you live.

Should you wish to retain the ability to travel back into High Security space at any time without restriction, you can always take actions to recover your security status, either by killing NPC rats, or by redeeming Clone Soldier Tags.

EVE University members are required to maintain a security status above -4 in order to obtain new titles. A security status below -5 is also likely to incur an email from management asking the pilot to repair this. However remaining above this level is not difficult, particularly given the Clone Soldier Tag mechanics.

Where to fight?

While fighting in Null-Sec, Wormhole, or even High Sec space is perfectly possible, the majority of small scale PvP is done in Low Security space. Specifically, those areas of Low Sec designated as “Faction Warfare Space”

For EVE University members, our Low Sec Campus is located on the edge of Faction Warfare Space, and the primary activity of this campus is PvP in the surrounding region. This guide is designed in part as a primer for life in this campus, however is applicable to any pilot looking for solo and gang PvP content.

Faction Warfare mechanics includes many features which are specific to corporations and individuals who elect to align themselves to one faction, as described in more detail in the Faction Warfare Wiki page. For the purposes of this guide however, we will only be considering those aspects which relate to all players, regardless of affiliation.

Faction Warfare Arenas: Plex

Faction Warfare space contains Factional Warfare Complexes (commonly known as "Plexes", not to be confused with PLEX) which are effectively PvP arenas. These appear on your overview and probe scanner window as beacons which all players can warp to with names such as “Gallente Novice Outpost” or “Caldari Large Installation”

The key factor to note is the “size” of the plex, as denoted by the middle word in the description. This indicates the size of ships which are able to enter the arena for fights

  • Novice: Frigates only
  • Small: Frigates & Destroyers
  • Medium: Frigates, Destroyers, Cruisers
  • Large: Any ship

When you initially warp to any plex other than the large sized variant, you will encounter an acceleration gate. Only the appropriate sized ship will be able to activate the gate and enter the plex itself. Large plex have no gate and allow any ship to enter.

The reason these arenas are so important for PvP is that:

  • They provide a fixed point in deadspace for people to fight at
  • The size limitations mean that you can, to a limited extent, control the fights you take, and ensure that when looking for a fight in, say, a frigate, you are not immediately jumped on by a T2 Cruiser for instance. This is a key reason why most Low Sec PvP is done in frigates which can fit into any plex.

NOTE: The gate limits ship sizes, however it does NOT limit the number of ships entering the plex. You can still be overpowered by a gang or fleet of ships if you are not aware and careful.

The Beacon

When you initially activate an acceleration gate and “slide” into the plex, you will arrive within around 2.5km of a “beacon” in space. This beacon should be visible on your overview as you land. If not, adjust your overview settings to display all brackets (items in space), as the location of the beacon is a key factor in plex combat.

Any ship entering the plex will also next to this beacon – there is no way to warp in at range. The exception is large-sized plex, which have no acceleration gate, and therefore can be warped to at range as with any normal cosmic object

The beacon is key to fighting in a plex, as it means that when inside a plex, you know almost exactly where an enemy ship will enter. Likewise, when entering a plex where an opponent is already within, they will have positioned themselves knowing where you will appear. This always gives a slight advantage when fighting to the ship which is already inside the plex, and a large part of the various strategies for frighting in a plex is based around this mechanic.

Warp Blocking

The other thing to note is that you cannot warp within a plex. While normally if an object is 150km away from you, but still on grid you can warp to it, within a plex you will get an error message. If your scout, or fast tackler chases a fast ship 150km away from you within the plex, there is no way to catch up to him without following him with sub-warp engines.

This makes sniping, and kiting ships very effective at defending plex, although they are also much less effective when attacking a plex.

D-Scanning for fights

Much of PvP is about picking your fights, and having a clear strategy in place before you engage. For this, you need intel.

The most basic form of intel you will need is to determine if a plex contains a ship already, and if so, what kind of ship. Or if you are already inside a plex, what ships are coming your way, and might try to enter your plex to attack you. The tool for this will be your Directional Scanner, or D-Scan.

The Wiki Directional Scanner Guide is already an excellent and detailed resource on using this tool and should be read in detail, however the following is a brief overview of the important aspects for plex scanning:

  • When scanning plex, keep your D-Scan set at a 5 degree angle, and max range, and hold down your D-Scan hotkey (by default “V”) then click on the plex within your overview to quickly and efficiently scan each plex
  • Note that the D-Scan will not tell you if a ship is actually inside a plex, or outside, next to the acceleration gate. If you see a ship on D-Scan which is too large for the plex you are scanning, they are likely sat on the acceleration gate outside, and may be trying to catch ships entering
  • When inside a plex, set your D-Scan to 360 degrees, and 1AU range, and ensure you are scanning regularly to detect anyone landing on the acceleration gate who may be about to enter. You may want to occasionally switch to a longer range as well just to check what is happening elsewhere in the system.

Solo/Gang PvP Ships

T1 Frigates

Probably the majority of Low-Sec PvP is done in T1 frigates, making this an excellent entry point for new players, as well as for more experienced ones. These are less common in Null-Sec PvP, however their low cost, high effectiveness, and ability to enter any plex in the game mean they are the most common sight in Low Sec plexes

Faction / Pirate Frigates

These are also very common sights in Low Sec due to their power advantage versus T1 frigates while still being able to enter Novice plexes.

Faction frigates are a slightly more expensive, but still affordable step up from T1 frigates. While powerful, they can still be killed by a skilled T1 pilot, and should be seen as an extension of the frigate meta game when devising tactics

Pirate frigates are substantially more expensive, but also have subtantial advantages versus almost all other frigate variants, and are some of the toughest opponents in PvP. In skilled hands they are able to take on ships substantially larger than themselves, or multiple other frigates simultaneously. These are quite advanced ships, and new pilots should probably not be flying nor fighting them without backup.

T1 Destroyers

These can be thought of as larger frigates with very poor range control due to their speed, but great DPS/EHP ratio to make up for it. They can be kited by a skilled T1 frigate pilot very effectively but they are also able to tear their way through much more expensive Faction or Pirate frigates if both ships have similar optimal ranges.

T1 Cruisers

Relatively rare sights in Low Sec plexes, and a magnet for other cruisers, or advanced ships such as pirate frigates and T3 destroyers looking for an expensive killmail. The few cruisers you do see flying solo are often fitted specifically to kill adventurous or foolish frigate pilots, and new pilots should avoid engaging them. In particular anti-frigate cruisers such as the Vexor and Stabber should be avoided.

T2 Assault Frigates

Despite their frigate hulls, in performance Assault Frigates are more similar to T1 destroyers. Like the T1 destroyers, they trade manouverability for higher DPS and EHP, however the Assault Frigates do so at a considerably higher cost. They are not very popular in the current game as they are generally outperformed by T3 destroyers, and even some Pirate frigates, while not being that much cheaper.

T3 Destroyers

These are have effectively replaced Assault Frigates as the best small ship option in PvP. They are only marginally slower than standard frigates (and often faster when in propulsion mode), while also retaining the excellent damage and a strong tank of the destroyer hull. They make for great Brawlers and Kiters alike and are virtually impossible to counter in a T1 frig except in a few select scenarios. Pirate and Assault frigates may stand a chance, however only in skilled hands and with good tactics. Less experienced pilots should simply avoid these ships without substantial support.

Basic Ship Meta

Ships for PvP in general are grouped primarily by their optimal range. All other things being equal, winning a PvP fight, whether solo, or when leading a huge fleet, usually means ensuring that you are in your optimal range, and your opponent is not.

  • 0-5 km Optimal Range - Brawlers
  • 5-10 km Optimal Range - Scram Kiters
  • 10-20km Optimal Range - Kiters
  • 20km+ Optimal Range – Snipers

In Low Sec PvP, as most fighting is in plexes where much of the engagement takes place around the fixed point of the beacon, it’s important to note that Micro-Warp Drives (MWDs) are generally not preferred, as they can be immediately de-activated by a warp scrambler, rendering you at an immediate speed disadvantage. While MWDs can be useful for Kiters, and some more unusual fits, the predominant propulsion module used is the afterburner. It should be noted though that in Null Sec PvP, without Plex mechanics, MWD fitted ships are the dominant force.

Brawlers

Brawlers use high damage, close range weapons, such as blasters or pulse lasers. Because of this, they rely on quickly getting into close range, and preventing opponents from pulling away.

When defending a plex, they will orbit the beacon very closely, and immediately try to scram and web any incoming ship to hold them at close range and prevent them pulling away.

When attacking a plex, they will need to try and swiftly close the range between them and the defending ship to get into their optimal range.

Due to range being key, fast brawlers like the Atron or Federation Navy Comet are very useful here due to their raw speed, as well as the damage boosts to brawling weapons. An alternative is a ship which carries dual stasis webs, such as the dual-web armor Kestrel or the Caldari Navy Hookbill. These are relatively slow ships in general terms, however the double web effect applied to your opponent will remove the speed advantage of almost any other ship, and allow you to dictate range despite being the slower ship on paper.

Scram Kiters

An effective defence against a brawler is to fight from outside their optimal range, but still within warp scrambler and web range, normally between 7–9km. This is called "Scram Kiting". At this point, brawling damage will be minimal, however mid-range weapons such as beam lasers, railguns or rockets can still hit an opponent for substantial damage.

Once again, this tactic relies on relative speed to maintain range. When defending a plex you will likely orbit the beacon at your optimal range, however a brawler could quickly close range if they have a notable speed advantage.

Likewise, when attacking a plex, if a brawler is waiting at the beacon you will need to pull range before you take too much damage, which requires your ship to be faster overall than the brawler, as well as being tanky enough to survive the initial damage long enough to pull out of range.

For this reason, scram-kite ships often still fit speed modules and rigs to try and maintain speed advantage. Common scram-kiters include Breacher, Tormentor and Incursus. The Dual-Web Kestrel and Caldari Navy Hookbill noted earlier can also be equally effective as a scram-kiter as rockets can deal effective damage up to 9km, while the dual webs maintain your speed advantage.

Kiters

The other key factor in the meta are long range kiting ships. These will equip a warp disrupter to tackle at 20km+ ranges, and use long range weapons to fight well beyond the range of other ships. They are generally glass cannons, maximized for speed and damage. As they will not be able to apply a stasis web to their opponent at such long ranges, they usually rely on Micro-Warp Drives to maintain a speed advantage. However as a MWD can be switched off by a warp scrambler, if they can be closed down and tackled they will usually die quickly.

A good Kiting ship who is already inside a plex is very difficult to kill, as they will orbit the beacon well outside of scram range, and closing them down is very challenging. A ship such as a Tormentor with beam lasers can switch to long range ammo to damage the kiting ship at range, but without the ability to close range and get tackle, the Kiter is likely to simply warp away if they take too much damage. The primary disadvantage of a kiting ship is that they are very poor at attacking a plex, as any defending ship is likely to immediately scram and web them on the beacon and prevent them pulling range.

Common kiting ships are the Condor, Imperial Navy Slicer or Tristan

Snipers

While very uncommon, snipers aim to sit at extreme ranges, with very high alpha damage weapons, and deal huge damage at long ranges as soon as an opponent lands on grid. They are extremely rare in the current meta in Low Sec, however they are more common in Null Sec, particularly in gate camps, and it is important to be aware of the possibility. They usually trade considerable tank and maneuverability for their high damage output, and as with kiters, if they can be closed down they will die rapidly.

Key Concepts

Range and Speed

As should be clear from the above, controlling range is the single most important factor in PvP. Being able to impose your range on a fight will allow even a T1 fitted frigate to kill much more expensive fits. Overheating your afterburner gives you a huge 50% extra speed boost, and should always be done at the start of a fight.

This emphasis on speed and range impacts on all aspects of Low Sec PvP. For instance, buffer armor tank fits with armor plates are very rare due to the speed penalty incurred, with most armor ships favoring active armor repairers which do not harm your speed or acceleration. Likewise, ships which cannot fit a stasis web alongside their scram and afterburner, such as the Punisher, are very rare as they are completely unable to dictate range versus any ship carrying at least one stasis web.

Tracking

An additional consideration when trying to minimize damage, is tracking. Longer range weapons such as beam lasers and railguns have very poor tracking, and will miss a lot of shots against a ship in a fast orbit. Orbiting your opponent while using these weapons is therefore not the optimal method of engagement, instead use the “keep at range” command to minimize the transversal velocity.

Conversely, when attacking ships with these poor tracking weapons, advanced pilots will “spiral” into close range, using a high transversal velocity to minimize damage taken as they close to close range. This is a good way for fast brawling ships to get within range of scram kiters without dying before they can close the range.

Ships using blasters, drones or rockets also suffer much less from tracking issues, and a fast orbit in these ships can minimize incoming damage from poor tracking weapons while ensuring good damage application for your own weapons

Intel

All of the above means that knowing the fit of your opponent before you engage in combat gives you a huge advantage over rushing in blindly. With good intel, you can avoid fights which obviously don’t favor you, and devise tactics to win fights which would otherwise be equal engagements.

Often, just knowing the type of ship via D-Scan gives you some indication of the fight you can expect. For instance, a Condor is almost always kiting fit, Atrons are usually brawling fit, Breachers are most commonly scram-kiters.

If there are relatively few people in local, or if you already know the identity of the pilot you will face, you may want to research them on ZKill, to see their most commonly used fits and help you guess at what you will be facing. For this reason as well, never name your ship anything which includes your character’s name. This just makes it easy for an opponent to research you and devise a counter for your ship.

Surprise

This idea of anticipating your opponent can also be used against an experienced pilot to surprise them with an unusual fit, or a ship you rarely fly.

The king of this approach is the Tristan. The Tristan can be fitted very effectively in numerous ways; the standard kiting Tristan, a brawler blaster Tristan, a scram-kite rail Tristan, or a Neut Tristan relying on close range Energy Neutralisers to drain an opponent’s capacitor and shut down their ship while your drones slowly kill them. As there are so many viable fits for the Tristan, it is almost impossible for an opponent to know beforehand what they will be facing and devise a counter-strategy in advance. This makes the Tristan very powerful in the meta game, and can get you a good number of surprise wins as a new player.

Similar ideas can also apply to more unusual fits such as a kiting Rifter, a neut Slasher, or a dual web Merlin. A surprise ECM module such as a tracking disrupter or damp can also turn an otherwise unpromising fight in your favor.

Finding a Fight in Null Sec

Low Sec PvP is by far the most common arena for solo players and small gangs of 2-3 players. Null Sec solo/gang PvP is absolutely possible, however it is much harder to find fights, let alone get kills without having a substantial fleet jump in on top of you.

In order to find fights in Null you’ll need to head towards the active SOV of another alliance, there are several tools on the map that will help you do that, checking the “active pilots in space during the last X minutes” box for example. Once you are headed towards a populated part of Nullsec there are several ways to find a fight. The ideal thing would be to find a ship of your size actively trying to solo too and proceed with a honorable 1v1, but that’s not going to happen a lot.

A more reliable way to find fights is simply to annoy residents enough and provoke them into fighting you. Killing their ratters, killing their miners or simply taunting them in local might do the trick. Once they’re annoyed they are likely to send a gang, what you are going to need is to try to split this gang using advanced tactics such as gates, bubble and aggression mechanics, or simply splitting them on grid. If a player is 100km away from his mates, he’s effectively alone for a while as you can only warp to fleet mates further than 150km. Suitonia’s youtube channel Eveiseasy is full of him doing that and you should probably head towards there for practical advice.

Another thing you can do in Nullsec is to bring a few warp disruption bubbles and set traps next to system gates.

The Null-Sec Meta

The key difference between Null-Sec and Low-Sec meta comes down primarily to propulsion modules. In Null-Sec, MWDs are far more common compared to the predominately Afterburner meta of low-sec, which has a substantial impact on tactics.

There are several reasons why Microwarpdrives are so common in nullsec. The first one is that an AB ship is helpless against a gang, you will not be fast enough to separate several people on grid and you will not be fast enough to reapproach gates and separate your foes using gates and aggression mechanics.

The other main reason is warp disruption bubbles: Nullsec is full of bubbles (both deployable and interdictor made) and speed is critical for both escaping them and taking advantage of them. For this, the substantial speed boost of the MWD is invaluable. An Afterburner can still be a good idea to bring in nullsec as long as you have an MWD too. This fit is called a dualprop ship and is great for soloing as in this case the MWD allows you to escape bubbles and close range rapidly to an opponent, while the afterburner lets you also retain a speed advantage once in scram range (where both of your MWDs will likely be deactivated by your respective warp scramblers)

MWD brawlers and MWD scram-kiters basically function the same as AB ships except they are faster initially while moving around on the grid and then considerably slower during a fight once they have been tackled and their MWD deactivated by a scram. This means the initial engagement range is going to be extremely critical and the most decisive factor: the actual speed difference between a fast and a slow ship are going to be a lot less important. For example, the difference in speed between a webbed MWD Atron and a webbed MWD Merlin is only 50m/s (the difference with Afterburners is around 150m/s). For this reason, slower ships such as the Harpy which are rarely seen in Low Sec 1v1 PvP are much more viable in Null Sec

This massive reduction in speed has many other collateral effects. For example, it makes rocket ships drastically better. Since fights happen at a slower velocity, rocket ships are able to use rage rockets and apply their full damage with a single web (as long as the enemy isn’t dual propped)

The fact that almost all ships will be MWD fitted by default also means that kiting becomes more challenging. Kiting ships which are viable in Low Sec such as the Tristan no longer have a speed advantage in Null Sec where your opponent will also be MWD fit. Instead, kiting relies on ships with natural speed bonuses which allow them to outpace even other MWD fits. Examples include the Garmur or combat interceptors such as the Raptor

Another big change with MWDs is that you get a strong capacitor penalty simply for fitting one, and on top of that using the MWD in itself uses a lot of capacitor. What this means is that both MWD ships get a lot less capacitor to work with at the beginning of an engagement in scram range. This is a huge drawback to capacitor intensive ships that use hybrid and lasers and like to work with a small ancillary armor repairer at the same time: the Tormentor and Incursus which are very effective ships in AB engagements become a lot less potent in this meta, while shield tanked rocket and projectile ships such as the Talwar or the Jaguar get a notable advantage due to their lower capacitor needs

In-depth look at the Ship Meta

In order to look in more depth at the ship meta, and how different ships, tactics and strategies match up in space, the below describes some example ship fits seen in Low Sec PvP. These fits assume fairluy optimal skills, and Tech 2 fits. Other fits may vary, however the broad themes of meta-match ups described below remain the same:

Meta-Type Example Ship DPS Optimal Range Buffer EHP Active EHP Approx Speed (Heated) Approx Speed (Heated and Webbed)
Slow Brawler Merlin 220 1km 6.4k N/A 1350m/s 607m/s
Fast Brawler Atron 220 1km 2.6k 2.9k at 100 HP/s 1800m/s 810m/s
Slow Scram-Kiter Incursus 160 7km 3.6k 5k at 166 HP/s 1450m/s 652m/s
Fast Scram-Kiter Executioner 175 12km 2.5k 3.2k at 100 HP/s 1700m/s 765m/s

The following will examine the use of the ships described above in various 1v1 scenarios.

Slow brawler vs fast scram-kiter

Even if the fight starts at 0,1km which would be the best for the Merlin, he would have to apply his full DPS for 20 seconds to break the active tank of the Executioner. Since the Executioner is moving 150m/s faster than the Merlin it would only take him 6,6 seconds to get out of the Merlin’s optimal range, past that point it becomes easier and easier to active tank as seconds into fall-off pass. The Merlin has the choice to switch to Null ammo (which takes 5 seconds) but even then, the fight is going to be a struggle and the Merlin will probably lose.

Now this was assuming the best possible engagement range for the Merlin, if the fight starts anywhere between 4km and 7.5km, the Merlin cannot theoretically win. This remains only theoretically however, as if either pilot makes a mistake, if for instance the Executioner forgets to apply his web or forgets to overheat his AB for a few seconds, the true result may not match the theoretical calculations here.

Fast brawler versus slow scram kiter

You might think this is opposite of what we just saw, the fast brawler will catch the slow scram-kiter and kill it. However in reality the calculation is more complex. Let’s take the blaster Atron vs rail Incursus match-up for example: if the fight starts close, then the webbed AB Atron is 150m/s faster than the webbed AB Incursus, this means he wil be able apply the entirety of his theoretical DPS by always staying at his optimal range. But a 150m/s different is not nearly enough to orbit at 0 and create big enough transversal velocity to outtrack the Incursus, this means that if the Incursus burns away from you, he will be able to apply his full theoretical DPS to you as well.

In this case, even though the Atron does more damage, the Incursus is much tankier than the Atron. It takes theoretically 34 seconds for the Incursus to kill the Atron while it takes 38 seconds for the Atron to kill the Incursus, which means the Incursus theoretically wins. Now as the initial engagement range increases, the match-up gets tougher and tougher for the Atron because he first has to catch-up before being able to apply his whole DPS. Even if the fights starts at 4km which is moderately close, the Atron will need to catch up 3km at 150 m/s before applying his full DPS which means he’s going to lose even harder. N

Now once again this is entirely theoretical, if the Incursus forgets to overload his prop, he’ll get caught a lot faster, if he forgets to overload his guns or his tank, if he forgets to launch his small drone he might very well lose the DPS race. If neither mess-up but if the Atron has considerably superior turret and tanking skills, he may still win the DPS race too.

Slow Brawler vs Slow Scram-kiter / Fast Brawler vs Fast scram-kiter

In these match-ups, both ships’ tank are going to be pretty much the same and they’ll fly at pretty much the same speed, so these match-ups are usually purely decided by the initial engagement range: If the brawler manages to be right on-top (0 to 1,5km) of the scram-kiter when they both apply scram and web he’ll probably win. If the Scram kiter manages to engage outside 4km he’ll probably win. The player who messes up and forgets to overload the AB or applies his web late is going to lose almost automatically.

Brawlers VS Brawlers / Scram-kiters vs Scram-kiters

These are the only match ups where speed will not be as relevant to actually win the fight, although the fastest ship may still be able to disengage and run away if he realizes he’s losing. In this case the pure damage*EHP ratio will generally win fights. Therefore the most important thing will be to have a good fit, the second most important thing will be to overheat your modules, and the third most important thing will be damage and tanking skills.

Meta-breaking fits in scram-range

There are a few fits that are not going to fit into the calculations above, these can be considered as “meta-breakers".

Dual Web Ships

They will be able to completely control range. A dual-web brawler will catch-up to its target quickly and a dual web scram-kiter will be able to exit the range of a brawler in seconds; this makes the initial engagement range largely irrelevant and is great to invade a plex for example.

The drawback is that you are using one of your mid slots for range control instead of using it for Tanking, which means you are going to be better at countering other types of fits but will struggle more when engaging the same type of ships. A dual web Artillery firetail for example might very well lose to a beam tormentor or a rail incursus in a pure DPS race. Viable dual web turret based frigs include the Firetail, the Merlin and the Slasher.

Dual web rocket ships are a special case, the dual web Hookbill is very popular but the dual Breacher and Kestrel are also viable dual web frigates. Rockets do not need to track which means you can play as both a scram-kiter and a brawler. You’ll be able fight brawlers by keeping them at the edge of the scram range and you’ll be able to fight scram-kiters by orbiting them at 0 and mitigate some of their DPS.

Tracking Disruptors

This module has two uses: the first, is to decrease your enemy’s optimal and falloff range by half which allows you to basically scram-kite other scram-kiter. The crucifier navy issue is designed around this idea. This might also allow the autocannon TD Slasher which is theoretically a Brawler to scram kite other brawlers. The second use of the TD is to reduce your opponent’s tracking; this is mostly useful against bad brawlers who do not have a web, or generally people with less range control modules than you. The hookbill for example may fit two webs on top of a TD which allows him to get under the guns of other scram kiters by orbiting them at 0.

Neuts

Having a neut or several neuts on a brawler may completely break the DPS race mechanics by turning the opponent’s guns off. This allows the Slasher or the neut Tristan to beat ships that rely heavily on capacitor for their damage and their tank, SAAR hybrid and SAAR laser ships are very popular in the current lowsec meta which makes neuts very powerful.

Dual Repair Modules ("Dual Rep")

These are pretty popular ships that rely on a simple gimmick: sacrificing all range control in order to have as big of a tank as possible and win thanks to pure DPS/EHP ratio, this is basically the opposite to a dual web ship. The big difference is that you can’t run away from a dual web ship that counters you, but you can always run away from a dual rep frigate that counters you. Dual rep ships therefore often rely on opponents not attempting to escape until it is too late.

The Dual Rep Incursus is the most popular fit of this type but the dual MASB Breacher exists too. In order to effectively engage these gimmicky ships you need to stay out of their range and poke them until your opponent runs out of cap booster charges and is unable to maintain its repar modules. If you don’t have the means to poke it without getting hit then you should simply leave and go somewhere else.

Solo PvP Beyond Frigates

Now that you understand how solo mechanics work for small ships, it is relatively straightforward to apply this to larger ships as well.

First of all there’s no “scram kiting” a cruiser. The short range variations of medium and heavy guns always hit far enough to work anywhere inside scram-range. Therefore there are only Brawlers and Kiters. A second thing when considering soloing as a cruiser and above is that you must always be able to fight smaller stuff than you. If frigates can easily get under your guns, you are going to get killed repeatedly. This is a huge constraint and it dramatically restrains the range of fits you can use solo as there aren’t that many tools for fighting small ships as a big ship

Kiting

There are very few ships that apply well to frigates outside of scram range and Rapid light missile launchers ships are the undisputed king. The Orthrus is the best at it, but the other RLML cruisers are viable solo ships too: Caracal, Scythe Fleet Issue, Osprey Navy Issue. These are all fast ships that can find good success kiting Frigates and Cruisers alike. Other very specific ships like the scorch Omen Navy Issue or the Phantasm might also be successful as solo kiting ships as their bonuses allow them to apply their damage to small ships relatively well.

Brawling

It is always an option to brawl as a Cruiser vs frigates, destroyers and even T3 destroyers. You’ll mainly rely on Medium Neuts and Webs to fight smaller stuff in scram range but be always be careful, as a brawling cruiser you’re an ideal target for kiting ships.

A duel between two brawling Cruisers will usually be decided by pure DPS/TANK ratio. Fights might last a while so killing enemy drones and managing capacitor can be critical. Big active tanks will only be good as long as they are not overly capacitor intensive.

Contrarily to solo kiting, solo Brawling is viable with big ships too, in this case you’ll probably only get to fight several people at once, the general philosophy behind it is that if you can Perma-Tank entire gangs of enemy with a huge active tank and annihilate everything that gets into your scram range, then you’ll be free to MJD away whenever you wish to disengage. The few critical modules to do that are armor repairers/shield boosters and drugs for active tanking.

For offense you’ll often want to use Neuts (a medium Neut can instantly empty the cap of a frig from 10km away, a heavy neut from 30km away), Webs, and Target Ppainters. You’ll generally want the highest tracking guns as possible. Afterburners and oversized afterburners are good things to have if you can as they’ll help with the tracking too.

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