Difference between revisions of "Capacitor warfare"

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Energy Neutralizers have an odd history in PvE. Traditionally, Neutralizers have had no effect on NPC ships, as those ships do not use Capacitor to function; and Nosferatus have been of questionable use at best as NPCs had small capacitors and poor regeneration so using a Nosferatu as a backup energy source was generally ineffective. This applies to most common NPC ships found throughout all levels of KSpace and JSpace.
 
Energy Neutralizers have an odd history in PvE. Traditionally, Neutralizers have had no effect on NPC ships, as those ships do not use Capacitor to function; and Nosferatus have been of questionable use at best as NPCs had small capacitors and poor regeneration so using a Nosferatu as a backup energy source was generally ineffective. This applies to most common NPC ships found throughout all levels of KSpace and JSpace.
  
−
However, in the years since the [[Into the Abyss]] expansion, that story has changed. All NPC ships which have been introduced since the creation of [[Abyssal Deadspace]], including the ships which are found inside the Abyss and all ships involved in the [[Triglavian Invasion]], '''''do''''' use their Capacitors to power their electronic warfare and local and remote repair abilities, and thus are vulnerable to having energy neutralizers shut them down. (It is not known whether or not they also use capacitor to power their weapons or high-speed 'chase' mode.) These ships can also be used as Nosferatu targets for emergency capacitor sustain, as they themselves frequently bring neutralizers to drain players who would fight them.
+
However, in the years since the Into The Abyss expansion (May, 2018), that story has changed. All NPC ships which have been introduced since the creation of [[Abyssal Deadspace]], including the ships which are found inside the Abyss and all ships involved in the [[Triglavian Invasion]], '''''do''''' use their Capacitors to power their electronic warfare and local and remote repair abilities, and thus are vulnerable to having energy neutralizers shut them down. (It is not known whether or not they also use capacitor to power their weapons or high-speed 'chase' mode.) These ships can also be used as Nosferatu targets for emergency capacitor sustain, as they themselves frequently bring neutralizers to drain players who would fight them.
  
 
==Capacitor Warfare and PvP Ships==
 
==Capacitor Warfare and PvP Ships==

Revision as of 08:40, 2 November 2020

Visual effects for Energy Nosferatus (left) and Energy Neutralizers (right)

Capacitor warfare describes the use of various offensive modules or drones to disable hostile player ships by draining their capacitor, thereby rendering them unable to use modules which rely on capacitor to function.

Many players have probably heard the phrase "cap is life" during their time in New Eden. There are many reasons why this is true, and each one is also a reason why capacitor warfare can be effective. Capacitor is necessary for maintaining active tanks, directly feeds energy and hybrid turrets, and fully powers offensive mid slot modules, including all electronic warfare modules and propulsion systems. Thus, an enemy without capacitor is an enemy with few options, which means ships with capacitor warfare capabilities often dictate the flow of the battle.

While capacitor warfare is technically a type of electronic warfare, it is generally discussed separately due to how much it differs from the more well-known forms. Capacitor warfare has been rebalanced several times in the history of EVE, and has experienced periods of being extremely powerful and comparatively weak. Regardless of its relative power, however, it is a viable tactic that can be used to great effect when used properly.

Overview

Heavy Energy Neutralizer I stats

Capacitor warfare can be accomplished in a few ways:

  • Energy Neutralizers ("neuts") - Drains large amounts of enemy capacitor and consumes user capacitor. High slot modules of various sizes and meta levels.
  • Energy Nosferatu ("vampires", "nos") - Drains small amounts of enemy capacitor and restores user capacitor (with restrictions). High slot modules of various sizes and meta levels.
  • Energy Neutralizer Drones - Light, medium, and heavy drones, and a wing of support fighters, based on Amarr combat drones.

All capacitor warfare systems affect the target's capacitor in the same way, removing a given amount of capacitor each cycle, "damaging" the capacitor in much the same way that conventional weapons damage hit points. This effect can be mitigated by neutralizer resistance granted by some modules.

Capacitor warfare modules are very different from the more well-known EWAR modules. Energy Neutralizers and Nosferatu are high slot modules with a very short range compared to conventional weaponry. When used on ships with bonuses to energy weapon range or strength, they can even serve as the ship's primary weapon system, often taking the place of turrets or missiles that could otherwise be fitted. They are also often fitted in utility high slots (high slots beyond the number of allowed turrets or launchers) to supplement combat effectiveness or aid capacitor stability. Because they do not deal any damage to hit points, ships using energy weapons often utilize drones to deal damage.

Capacitor warfare drones are substantially weaker than all but the smallest Energy Neutralizers, and operate in the same manner as other drones. They are rarely used due to their limited effectiveness, but are sometimes deployed by ships heavily specialized in capacitor warfare as part of a fleet, when the neutralizing ship has backup to deal damage.

Like most systems in EVE, capacitor warfare has setups against which it is inherently limited. Projectile turrets do not require capacitor to operate, and passive shield tanks continue to function without capacitor expenditure. When capacitor warfare is anticipated, pilots will often place more emphasis on heavy buffer tanks, which increases their survival time enough to possibly either destroy the neutralizer or call for reinforcements. With that said, capacitor is involved in every engagement – PvE or PvP – and thus capacitor warfare can threaten the capabilities of every ship in the game, whether through disabling weapons, support modules, or even warping to escape.

General Principles

Understanding capacitor warfare requires an understanding of capacitor mechanics. Capacitors are a self-recharging resource measured in gigajoules (GJ), with a capacitor recharge rate determined both by the specific ship and the percentage level of the capacitor, measured in gigajoules per second (GJ/sec). The 'peak' recharge rate occurs at 25% capacity, with the recharge rate sharply decreasing below this amount, and more gradually decreasing above it. Therefore, the rate of recharge is lowest when the capacitor is full (100%) or empty (0%). This is the same principle that governs the recharge rate of shields, though the values are slightly different.

Since capacitor warfare deals in the removal of capacitor it works in opposition to the recharge rate. Since the recharge rate is lowest at 100% and 0%, capacitor warfare will have the greatest relative effect at these levels. Capacitors recharge continuously over time, while energy weapons remove capacitor in chunks at the end of the weapon cycle. Energy weapons removed a base amount of capacitor per cycle, but their effectiveness is often also expressed in GJ/sec to facilitate easier comparison to the target's recharge rate. Capacitor warfare will have the smallest relative effect at peak recharge, as the amount of capacitor removed will be countered by the highest recharge rate the target's capacitor is capable of. Thus, it is often more difficult to "cap out" a target than it is to keep them capped out, i.e. it may require three neuts on a target to drain their capacitor as quickly as possible, but once fully depleted only one may be required to keep their capacitor empty. Because of this, it is recommended that ships utilizing cap boosters us charges that will bring their capacitor to 25%, so that maximum recharge is reached after each booster cycle.

The goal of capacitor warfare is to use enough neutralization to overcome the peak recharge rate of the target's capacitor. If a ship removes less then that amount, it will make it more difficult for the target ship to be cap stable, but if this is the case then it may be more effective to switch the energy weapon(s) for a different module. The basic rule of thumb is that a good capacitor warfare setup has a neutralization rate much higher than any conceivable recharge rate.

Like many other Electronic Warfare modules, Capacitor Warfare modules have both Optimal and Falloff ranges. Using modules outside their Optimal range results in reduced effectiveness. The formula for effectiveness loss is the same as Turret falloff:

  • at 100% Optimal + 0% Falloff = 100% Effectiveness
  • at 100% Optimal + 100% Falloff = ~50% Effectiveness
  • at 100% Optimal + 200% Falloff = ~6% Effectiveness
  • at 100% Optimal + 300% Falloff, the module shuts down as the target is considered 'out of range'.

Energy Neutralizers

Icon energy neutralizer i.png

Energy Neutralizers ("Neuts", also formerly called Energy Destabilizers) are the heavy hitters of capacitor warfare, able to remove large amounts of capacitor and leave an enemy capped out faster than any other capacitor warfare system. However, they also require a large amount of capacitor to activate and have a long cycle time. Energy Neutralizers have relatively short ranges, though this range scales with module size to retain effectiveness on larger hulls.

All neutralizers have a similar set of attributes. The different sizes of neutralizer differ significantly, but for each size tier they are fairly consistent across meta levels. Aside from fitting considerations, the only attributes that change from meta 0 all the way to commander modules is the range and the amount of energy neutralized.

  • Module activation cost is consistent (45 GJ for small, 150 GJ for medium, and 500 GJ for heavy). Therefore, at each size, higher meta modules are more efficient: meta 0 modules destabilize as much as their activation cost (100% efficiency), and this efficiency trends up to meta 5 (tech II) and higher modules at 120% efficiency. Module activation costs are reduced by the Icon skillbook2.png Capacitor Emission Systems, which provides 33% increased efficiency at level 5.
  • Cycle time is also consistent (6 seconds for small neuts, 12 seconds for medium, and 24 seconds seconds for heavy).
  • Optimal range for modules from meta 0 to the highest are: small from 4,000m - 9,000m; medium from 8,000m - 16,500m; heavy from 16,000m - 32,000m; and capital from 30,000m - 40,000m.
  • Faction and Deadspace Neutralizers have increased range, but the same drain amount as T2 variants. Faction Neutralizers have reduced CPU and Powergrid costs; Deadspace Neutralizers have increased Powergrid costs.

When activating an Energy Neutralizer on a target, the activation cost will immediately be deducted from the neutralizer's capacitor and the neutralization amount (modified, if in falloff range or if the target has some form of resistance) will be immediately deducted from the target's capacitor. This will be repeated each cycle time for as long as the neut is activated.

Energy Nosferatu

Vamp.png

'Energy Nosferatu (also called "nos" or "Energy Vampires") remove small amounts of capacitor from their target and use it to recharge the user's capacitor, and cycle more quickly than Energy Neutralizers. However, Energy Nosferatu are far more restricted in their effectiveness due to the double upside inherent in their use. Energy Nosferatu share the limited range of Energy Neutralizers, and drain much less capacitor. Most importantly, Energy Nosferatu only transfer capacitor when the user's capacitor is less than the target's capacitor. This is measured in terms of absolute capacitor amount, not capacitor percentage, e.g. a capacitor with 120 GJ of capacitor will always be able to transfer capacitor from a ship with 2000 GJ, regardless of what percentage of each ship's capacitor those amounts represent.

Blood Raider ships have a unique interaction with Energy Nosferatus: Nosferatus used by Blood Raider ships ignore the target's capacitor level, and always transfer energy. This means that, for a Blood Raider ship, a Nosferatu is functionally both an indefinitely sustainable Neutralizer with a lower strength but a much shorter cycle time, and a Cap Booster that does not consume cap charges. This also means that a Blood Raider-run Nosferatu can be used to test whether or not a target ship's capacitor is dry: that Nos will only start draining 0GJ/cycle if the target has 0GJ available.

All nosferatus have a similar set of attributes. The different sizes of nosteratus differ significantly, but for each size tier they are fairly consistent across meta levels. Aside from fitting consideration, the only attributes that change from meta 0 all the way to commander modules is the range and the amount of energy transferred to the user.

  • Cycle time is consistent (2.5 seconds for small nos, 5 seconds for medium, and 10 seconds for heavy).
  • Small nosferatu will transfer from 8 - 10 GJ across the meta levels, medium from 30 - 36 GJ, and heavy from 100 - 120 GJ.
  • Optimal ranges for all the modules from meta 0 to the highest are between: small from 4,000m - 9,000m; medium from 8,000m - 16,500m; and heavy from 16,000m - 32,000m.

When within range of a target, and the target's capacitor amount (not percentage) is higher than your cap amount, then an activated Nosferatu acts similarly to a neut. However, the capacitor drain occurs at the end of the cycle rather than the beginning, and rather than consuming the user's capacitor to reduce the target's, the energy which is removed from the target's capacitor is added to the user's. A nos will stay activated as long as the target is in range and pull cap when the cap level condition is met, so there is no downside to keeping a Nosferatu activated at all times. The primary caveat to using Nosferatu is that a nos is highly likely to be effective when fighting bigger targets, but not likely to work when fighting smaller targets.

A Nos is easier to effectively employ in a gang situation with multiple targets. While neuting the main target, a pilot can nos an alternative target (ideally a bigger ship) to maintain the Nosferatu's effectiveness. Properly employed, this synergy between neuts and nos is extremely effective.

Energy Neutralizing Drones

Main article: Drones#Combat utility drones
Acolyte EV-300 stats

Light, medium and heavy neutralizing drones employ the same general principles as other drones.

  • Strengths
    • Normal drone range mechanics
    • Neutralizer drones have no impact on your cap
    • Quick 6 sec cycle time for all sizes
  • Weaknesses
    • Normal drone weaknesses of vulnerability, flight times, etc.
    • Relatively small portions of cap neutralized

Cycle times are identical (6 seconds) for all three sizes of drones. The amount neutralized is easy to remember, as it is identical to the drone bandwidth: 5 GJ for Light, 10 GJ for Medium, and 25 GJ for Heavy drones. Like all other drone-based EWAR, pilot EWAR skills have no effect on the drones. There are no stacking penalties when using Neutralizer Drones.

Accordingly:

  • A full flight (5) light drones will neutralize 25 GJ every 6 seconds. This is roughly 1/2 as effective as 1 small neut.
  • A full flight (5) medium drones will neutralize 50 GJ every 6 seconds. This is roughly 2/3 as effective as 1 medium neut.
  • A full flight (5) heavy drones will neutralize 125 GJ every 6 seconds. This is exactly as effective as 1 meta 0 heavy neut.

Skills

Prerequisite skills:

  • Capacitor Emission Systems is the prequisite skill for Energy Neutralizers and Nosferatus. It's the only skill that directly impacts the effectiveness of capacitor warfare modules; however, it only affects neuts. It reduces the activation cost of all neuts by 5% per level which has excellent results on efficiency. At level V, a Tech II heavy neut will only require 375 GJ per cycle to neutralize 600 GJ (160% efficiency). Unfortunately, this has no positive effect on nos or drones as they do not have a capacitor activation cost.
  • Advanced Drone Avionics is the prequisite skill for Neutralizer Drones (and all other electronic warfare drones).

The better a ship's capacitor, the more effectively it can conduct capacitor warfare. Therefore both Capacitor Management and Capacitor Systems Operation are extremely important skills and should be trained to V for serious capacitor warfare users.

All the supporting capacitor management skills as listed in Capacitor Management 101 will assist in getting pilots through a fight with more capacitor available for capacitor warfare. Depending on preference, ship types and fits, the relative importance of each skill will change, but each can be considered a good investment of SP.

Implants

Talisman implants, the Blood Raider pirate set, directly enhance capacitor warfare by reducing the duration of modules requiring Icon skillbook2.png Capacitor Emission Systems. The complete high-grade set (slots 1-6) will have an overall effect of -38.12% cycle time. This is of course a huge increase in the amount of GJ/sec drained. A max skill Curse with a full Talisman set will neutralize 40.4 GJ per sec with a single meta 4+ medium neut.

Low-Grade: total effect -26.94%

Name Effect Set Effect Attribute
Alpha 1% reduction of duration 10% effect on bonus of the set +2 Perception
Bravo 2% reduction of duration 10% effect on bonus of the set +2 Memory
Gamma 3% reduction of duration 10% effect on bonus of the set +2 Willpower
Delta 4% reduction of duration 10% effect on bonus of the set +2 Intelligence
Epsilon 5% reduction of duration 10% effect on bonus of the set +2 Charisma
Omega 25% effect on bonus of the set

High-Grade: total effect -38.12%

Name Effect Set Effect Attribute
Alpha 1% reduction of duration 15% effect on bonus of the set +3 Perception
Bravo 2% reduction of duration 15% effect on bonus of the set +3 Memory
Gamma 3% reduction of duration 15% effect on bonus of the set +3 Willpower
Delta 4% reduction of duration 15% effect on bonus of the set +3 Intelligence
Epsilon 5% reduction of duration 15% effect on bonus of the set +3 Charisma
Omega 50% effect on bonus of the set


In addition, the following hardwirings are worth considering in addition to or in place of the Talisman set:

Slot 6

  • Engineering - 'Squire' Energy Systems Operation EO-6##, +(1-6)% faster capacitor recharge. Most pilots who use cap warfare, especially on dedicated ships, will use cap boosters. As such, cap recharge rate become a minor factor in cap warfare.

Slot 7

  • Engineering - 'Squire' Energy Emission Systems ES-7##: -(1-6)% capacitor usage by cap warfare modules and energy transmitters. This implant has a significant impact on the capacitor usage of cap warfare modules. It however stacks with the Egress Port Maximizer rig.

Slot 8

  • Engineering - 'Squire' Energy Management EM-8##: +(1-6)% capacitor size. This implant is more useful than the EO-6##, but less than the ES-7##. A bigger capacitor is always useful.

Boosters

When approaching boosters from a capacitor warfare perspective, Mindflood is the drug of choice. This booster increases capacitor by a percentage that stacks on top of all other modifiers without stacking penalty.

Type Increases Cap by Side Effect Chance Side Effect Strength
Synth 3% 0% 0%
Standard 10% 20% 20%
Improved 15% 30% 25%
Strong 20% 40% 30%

The potential side effects are:

  • Shield Boost Amount
  • Armor Repair Amount
  • Turret Optimal Range Penalty
  • Missile Explosion Cloud Penalty

On drone boats like the Amarr Sentinel, Amarr Curse, and Amarr Pilgrim, the impact of these possible effects is usually minimal, as DPS usually comes from drones and many popular fits are buffer tanked only. The worst penalty is potentially the armor repair amount for a solo fit Sentinel or Pilgrim, although there are Curse fits that use missile launchers to up DPS.

Blood Raider ships using lasers and cap warfare mods may have more of a trade-off to consider. Individual pilots will have different risk assessments, but once the applicable skills have been trained (Icon skillbook2.png Neurotoxin Control and Icon skillbook2.png Neurotoxin Recovery), the risk and impact of side effects can be greatly reduced.

Rigs

The Egress Port Maximizer rigs decrease the capacitor use of all energy weapon modules. The Tech I rig reduces activation cost by 15%, and the Tech II by 20%. More than one rig can be used, but because of stacking penalties, the effects get lower as more rigs are added.

Capacitor warfare and PvE

Energy Neutralizers have an odd history in PvE. Traditionally, Neutralizers have had no effect on NPC ships, as those ships do not use Capacitor to function; and Nosferatus have been of questionable use at best as NPCs had small capacitors and poor regeneration so using a Nosferatu as a backup energy source was generally ineffective. This applies to most common NPC ships found throughout all levels of KSpace and JSpace.

However, in the years since the Into The Abyss expansion (May, 2018), that story has changed. All NPC ships which have been introduced since the creation of Abyssal Deadspace, including the ships which are found inside the Abyss and all ships involved in the Triglavian Invasion, do use their Capacitors to power their electronic warfare and local and remote repair abilities, and thus are vulnerable to having energy neutralizers shut them down. (It is not known whether or not they also use capacitor to power their weapons or high-speed 'chase' mode.) These ships can also be used as Nosferatu targets for emergency capacitor sustain, as they themselves frequently bring neutralizers to drain players who would fight them.

Capacitor Warfare and PvP Ships

The following ships have some bonus related to Energy Neutralizers and Energy Nosferatu for range or drain amount:

Frigates

Destroyers

  • Amarr Dragoon (Destroyer)
    • 20% bonus to Energy Nosferatu and Energy Neutralizer optimal range per level of Icon skillbook2.png Amarr Destroyer
    • 10% bonus to Energy Nosferatu and Energy Neutralizer falloff range per level of Icon skillbook2.png Amarr Destroyer

Cruisers

  • Blood Raider Ashimmu (Pirate faction cruiser)
    • 15% bonus to Energy Nosferatu and Energy Neutralizer drain amount per level of Icon skillbook2.png Amarr Cruiser
  • Amarr Pilgrim (Recon Ship)
    • 10% bonus to Energy Nosferatu and Energy Neutralizer drain amount per level of Icon skillbook2.png Recon Ships
    • 20% bonus to Energy Nosferatu and Energy Neutralizer optimal range per level of Icon skillbook2.png Recon Ships
    • 10% bonus to Energy Nosferatu and Energy Neutralizer falloff range per level of Icon skillbook2.png Recon Ships
  • Amarr Curse (Recon Ship)
    • 40% bonus to Energy Nosferatu and Energy Neutralizer optimal range per level of Icon skillbook2.png Recon Ships
    • 20% bonus to Energy Nosferatu and Energy Neutralizer falloff range per level of Icon skillbook2.png Recon Ships
    • 20% bonus to Energy Nosferatu and Energy Neutralizer drain amount per level of Icon skillbook2.png Recon Ships
  • Amarr Legion (Strategic Cruiser, equipped with Energy Parasitic Complex Electronic Subsystem)
    • 10% bonus to Energy Nosferatu and Energy Neutralizer drain amount per level of Icon skillbook2.png Amarr Core Systems
    • 10% bonus to the benefits of overheating Energy Nosferatu and Energy Neutralizer modules per level of Icon skillbook2.png Amarr Core Systems

Battleships

  • Amarr Armageddon (Battleship)
    • 10% bonus to Energy Nosferatu and Energy Neutralizer optimal range per level of Icon skillbook2.png Amarr Battleship
    • 5% bonus to Energy Nosferatu and Energy Neutralizer falloff range per level of Icon skillbook2.png Amarr Battleship
  • Blood Raider Bhaalgorn (Pirate faction battleship)
    • 15% bonus to Energy Nosferatu and Energy Neutralizer drain amount per level of Icon skillbook2.png Amarr Battleship

Blood Raider ships also have a unique role bonus that allows fitted Energy Nosferatu to successfully drain capacitor regardless of the target's capacitor level, thereby allowing them to remain effective at using Nosferatu against smaller targets.

Unbonused ships

A number of ships fitted for cap warfare are not bonused for it. The Gallente Dominix and the Amarr Prophecy are well known examples of ships with no bonus to cap warfare range or transfer amount which have been used with great effect. While any ship could conceivably be fitted with a neutralizer or a nos, the following elements help make an unbonused ship suitable for cap warfare:

  • Free high slots. The ship needs a place to fit the modules.
  • Drone capacity. When usin high slots for neuts, pilots have to rely on drones for damage. A drone damage bonus is also helpful.
  • Powergrid. Neuts cost a lot of powergrid to install.
  • Capacitor size. Neuts cost a lot of cap to run, and a ship with a big capacitor will be easier to fight with.
  • Tank. Neutralizers and Nosferatus have short ranges, so pilots will need to be close to their target, and will thus be more vulnerable to damage.
  • Range. In an unbonused ship, you need to be be close to your target to use cap warfare modules. Don't mix cap warfare modules with long range modules such as ewar.

Frigates

  • The Amarr Punisher is often flown with an utility cap warfare module.
  • Many solo fits for frigates use a small cap wafare module.

Destroyers

  • Except for the Amarr Dragoon (see above), destroyers are not usually used for cap warfare.

Cruisers

  • The Amarr Arbitrator is usually flown with cap warfare modules. Its tank is not that great but it has a nice drone damage bonus.
  • The Amarr Maller can be used as a surprise neuting cruiser. It won't have any dps to speak of, but can fit a point, a scram or a web while being cap stable and have more than 50K EHP.
  • The Minmatar Rupture is often flown with an utility cap warfare module.

Battlecruisers

  • The Amarr Prophecy can be effectively fitted with capacitor warfare modules in its high slots. It has a good tank, capacitor and with good drone skills a reasonable amount of dps.
  • Brawling MinmatarHurricanes are often flown with a utility cap warfare module.

Battleships

  • The Gallente Dominix is often used a cap warfare ship. Its great drone bonus makes it ideal as a close range cap warfare ship.
  • Brawling MinmatarTyphoons are often flown with a utility cap warfare module.
  • MinmatarTempests are often flown with a utility cap warfare module.

Protection from capacitor warfare

Capacitor Batteries reduce capacitor drain and neutralization amounts as shown by the Capacitor Warfare Resistance attribute on such modules. The resistance from multiple fitted capacitor batteries does stack.

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