Interdictors: Difference between revisions

'''Interdictors''' (sometimes called "'''dictors'''") are advanced [[destroyer]] hulls which can launch warp disruption and stasis webification probes. Their probes are one of the few ways to create [[Tackling#Warp disruption fields|bubbles]], which prevent anyone trapped in them from warping away, and which can suck victims away from their intended warp destination. This ability makes them a valued class of ship in [[Wormholes|wormhole]] space and [[System security#Known space|nullsec]] warfare.  

The core tactical advantage of an interdictor is the ability to launch three types of probes out of a fitted '''Interdiction Sphere Launcher'''. Only one launcher may be fitted to a ship at a time, and its use is prohibited in [[System security#Empire space|Empire Space]], limiting its use to any system with a security status 0.0 or below. Due to this restriction, Interdictors have little utility within low- and high-security space.

# '''Warp Disrupt Probe''' - Creates a warp disruption field with a 20 km radius from the launch point of the probe, resulting in a 40 km diameter spherical field of effect. Any ship that is inside the field cannot warp out. Ships that have selected "Warp to" in their user interface but are bubbled before they have entered warp will cancel their warp and come to a complete stop once affected by the bubble, with the exception of ships warping due to a logoff. These probes also prevent capital ships from [[Jump drives|cynoing and jumping out]]. Ships with activated Interdiction Nullifiers and all [[shuttle|shuttles]] are the only hulls immune to disruption bubbles. These warp distruption probes remain on-grid for 2 minutes before disappearing. Only 3 probes may be loaded in the launcher at a time.

 

* {{sh|Heretic}} - Extremely thick armor for its size, but also rather slow. Each level of the '''Amarr Destroyer''' skill provides a ''15% bonus armor hitpoints'' and ''5% bonus to Light Missile launcher and Rocket rate of fire''. The Interdictor skill bonus provides ''4% bonus to all armor resistances'' for level.

* {{sh|Flycatcher}} - Extremely thick shields for its size, but with only 1 low slot it must choose between speed and resilience. Each level of the '''Caldari Destroyer''' skill provides ''10% bonus to Light Missile and Rocket kinetic damage'' and ''10% bonus to Light Missile and Rocket max velocity'' bonuses. The Interdictor skill bonus provides ''15% bonus to shield hitpoints''.

* {{sh|Eris}} - A hybrid turret ship that has the highest potential DPS of the set. Each level of the '''Gallente Destroyer''' skill provides ''7.5% bonus to Small Hybrid Turret rate of fire'' and ''10% bonus to Small Hybrid Turret tracking speed'' bonuses. The Interdictor skill bonus provides ''20% reduction in Armor Plate mass penalty''; this makes the Eris more agile when fitted with a buffer armor tank.

* {{sh|Sabre}} - Often preferred for its mixture of high speed, durable shields, and reliable ability to fit a rack of autocannons. Each level of the '''Minmatar Destroyer''' skills provides ''5% bonus to Small Projectile Turret damage'' and ''10% bonus to Small Projectile Turret tracking speed'' bonuses. The Interdictor skill bonus provides ''10% bonus to Small Projectile Turret falloff'' per level.

 

Due to the limits of the Sphere Launcher, the Interdictor generally has two roles, requiring different types of fit. When choosing which fit to use, players should understand the objectives of their fleet commander, and the characteristics of the other ships involved in the friendly fleet. Large organised groups typically have one or more pre-designed interdictor fits to help pilots fit into their [[doctrines]]; since Interdictors are often high-priority targets, good alliances and corporations typically refund the costs of losses.

Both fleet and small-gang Interdictors can benefit from hyperspatial rigs which let them warp faster. They might also employ a prototype [[Cloaking|cloak]] to conceal their presence from the directional scanner; since Interdictors do not need to target anything to launch their probes, the penalty to targeting speed from fitting a cloak and the post-cloak targeting delay can be ignored.

Wormhole space lacks Local chat, forcing pilots to rely on [[D-Scan]] for scouting. Moreover, wormholes can be jumped despite active combat timers. Furthermore, fleets in wormhole space must often be smaller than fleets out in nullsec, meaning each ship must bring more tools to the table. These factors tend to tilt wormhold Interdictor fits towards small-gang style arrangements. The lack of Local in wormholes places an extra value on rigging for warp speed, as an Interdictor's appearance on d-scan might often be a target's first hint that a cloaked scout is calling in threats on them.

Use tools like [https://evemaps.dotlan.net/ DOTLAN] to understand the topography of the region, as well as the [https://zkillboard.com/ Killboard] of the corporate or specific members of the fleet to chart their most plausible path of escape. Ideally you should begin to collect and organization this information as soon as potential targets are identified, not at the end of an engagement as the ships are fleeing.

For systems that you plan on dropping catch and drop bubbles frequently, it's best to add [[Bookmarking|bookmarks]] for those specific locations where you want to deploy the probes. Keep in mind that the probes must be deployed prior to the ship entering warp to be caught in the bubble, so catch and drag bubbles should be deployed the moment the target is in system. In addition to the primary bookmarks for bubble deployment location, you should also add bookmarks for the edge of the bubble where your targets would potentially be landing. This enables you to reliably get to the location where the target will be, and you should reposition yourself the moment you deploy the probe. When you see your target appear on D-Scan, you can deploy a second probe, and since the ship is already (presumably) in warp, they will not get caught in this bubble but be at the center of it. This tactic will limit the ability for the ship to turn around and escape the bubble quickly.