Fitting ships: Difference between revisions

Once you have selected the the engagement range, role, and tank of your ship, comes the time to actually fit it. Here is a guide on how to actually do this. Note that this guide is PvP orientated. While it may have some applications for PvE fits be cautious following this guide for them.

For ships where damage is the primary purpose, start with weapons that are consistent with your engagement range and ship class: laser beams for snipers, artillery for skirmishers, blasters or rockets for brawlers etc. Try to use the most damaging weapons of the class that you've selected. You may have to downgrade them later (or may choose to downgrade them later so that everything will fit, or to improve tracking), but for now, if you're fitting blasters, try to fit neutron blasters, and so on.

Do not mix weapons and stick to weapons that go with your ship's bonuses. In addition, fit as many weapons as your ship has either missile or gun hard-points. Finally, do not mix weapons of the same type but of different "grades". For instance, do not mix 180mm and 220mm autocannons on the same ship.

In a similar fashion, if the ship is designed to act as logi, the first thing to do is to fit the remote repair modules. If you are fitting an EWAR ship, start by fitting the EWAR modules that match your ship bonuses.

Now look at your ship's role. If your role is damage, you're probably already in good shape but start to consider tracking. If you are going to be shield tanking, by default you should be using two damage-increasing modules consistent with your weapons in the lows. You might end up with one, you might end up with three. But start with two. If you have more than four low slots and will be using guns, you'll probably want to fit at least one Tracking Enhancer module as well. If you are going to be armor tanking, by default you should have one damage-increasing module consistent with your weapons in the lows.

This also applies to ECM ships: if you are shield-tanking, fit two Signal Distortion Amplifiers. If you are armor-tanking, try to find room for one. This is generally a good rule of thumb for enhancing the damage or the other effects that your ship puts out.

Finally, armor-tanking gun-ships with lots of mid-slots should consider a Tracking Computer in one or perhaps two of them.  

Nearly all PvP ships should give a single mid slot over to a propulsion module, something to increase your ship's speed. You must choose between a [[Microwarpdrive]] (MWD) or [[Afterburner]] (AB). A MWD allows greater manoeuvrability which makes them more commonly fit. However ABs are popular on brawling armor ships as they enhance their natural signature tank and cannot be shut off by warp scramblers (often found at close ranges).

Most PvP ships should give a single mid slot to a tackle module of some type. For [[skirmishers]] (specialised scouts), primary damage, and screen ships this should nearly always be a long point, a Warp Disruptor module of some kind. Ships in a tackle role should usually fit a Warp Scrambler module of some kind. Ships in other roles can forgo tackle modules.

ECM is a large danger to logistics so you should consider fitting [[ECCM]] to counter it. A sensor booster (either to counter sensor dampening or to allow your to apply reps faster) should also be considered.

Next, consider your tank. First, fit a Damage Control unit of some kind. T2 should always be favoured however meta 3 or 4 can be used due to dramatically less CPU usage (bear in mind that meta 4 damage controls are quite costly).

*the heaviest armor plate your ship can fit consistent with its size and your guns (i.e. 200 or 400mm for frigates and destroyers, 800 or 1600mm for cruiers, 1600mm for battlecruisers and battleships). You should fit T2 if you can, downgrading to meta 4 otherwise.

*look at your four resistances and "close" the one that is lowest with a single active armor hardener of the appropriate type

*look at your four resistances and "close" the one that is lowest with a single active shield hardener of the appropriate type

Passive shield tanking is not normally used for PvP.

The first four increase your power grid; the MAPC is for greatly increasing grid on frigates - and is almost mandatory on every shield tanked frigate - and the RCU is for greatly increasing grid on ships bigger than frigates. The last two increase your CPU. In general, try to use the rig first before sacrificing a valuable low-slot module. '''Under almost no circumstances is fitting more than two fitting mods a good choice.''' If you find yourself fitting more than two fitting mods, you have probably made an incorrect choice in your ship fit somewhere. Fit meta 4 shield extenders or plates; reduce the number of shield extenders or plates; or reduce the guns you have chosen by one grade, from (for instance) neutron blasters to ion blasters, or from 425mm autocannons to 220mm autocannons.

Speed-tanking operates in a similar fashion, but reduces the maximum number of tanking modules available to one or two, usually focusing on shield. Most often, a Medium Shield Extender (often of the meta variety) and a Damage Control module are the two modules chosen. Alternately, other ships work well with two Large Shield Extenders and a Damage Control. In the general case, if you have only a few tanking modules on a ship, it is better to increase buffer with those that you do use unless you are also flying with a logistics ship, in which case you can replace one with a single module to increase your resists.  

At this point, you may have a low slot or two free. You may have a mid slot or two free. And you may have a high slot or two free. High slots are the easiest, and the only ones you should consider leaving empty (due to high fitting requirements of the options). For ships in a tackle role, a NOS is usually the best choice. For ships in all other roles, a neut is usually the best choice. A free low slot should be given to an additional damage module, an additional Tracking Enhancer, or (if you're running short of CPU), a Nanofiber Internal Structure. An additional mid slot should be given to an additional tackle mod (usually a Stasis Webifier), a Capacitor Booster, or some form of utility electronic warfare, usually a Sensor Dampener.

Inertia Stabilizers should not be fit on PvP ships under any circumstances. Sensor Boosters can be fit on PvP ships but should be fit only with a great deal of care and consideration - the most common being for gate camping. In a gang, this module will nearly always get you made fun of unless it is specifically required for sniping applications or the like.

Finally, modules that passively regenerate some aspect of your ship's operation should almost never be used in PvP. These include Cap Rechargers, Cap Power Relays, Shield Rechargers, and Shield Power Relays. While these modules are fine for PvE, the incoming damage or impacts to capacitor in PvP will generally be too strong for these modules to have much if any effect.

Finally and last, rig your ship using any remaining rig slots. In general at the basic level, passive shield tanking ships should use a full set of Core Defense Field Extender rigs. Passive armor ships should use a full set of Trimark Armor Pumps. This will increase the size of your ship's buffer and extend your life on the battle field. Active tanking ships use more specialized rigs. Active armor-tanking ships will use two Auxiliary Nano Pump rigs and one Nanobot Accelerator rig. Active shield-tanking ships will give one or two rig slots over to increasing shield resistances but may also use a Core Defense Operational Solidifier or (much more rarely) a Core Defense Capacitor Safeguard. Of course, if you have given over some rig slots to fitting rigs, you will have fewer rigs to devote to defense.

As with passive regeneration modules, do not use the Core Defense Field Purger rig in PvP at the basic level. While there are advanced level ships that can (and do) use this rig successfully in PvP, at the basic level you should stick with increasing buffer.