The Way of the Tackler: Difference between revisions

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==== Afterburner (AB) or microwarpdrive (MWD)? ====

At first glance you might think that ~~a tackler needs to be as fast as possible~~ and ~~thus should fit a MWD. While this is true for some tacklers~~, ~~it's not true for all of them. A~~ MWD ~~is useful if you need to approach a target as fast as possible or if~~ your ~~target is running away from you/your fleet at high~~ speed ~~and you need to catch up~~ in ~~order to tackle~~ it.

At first glance you might think that both of these modules perform the same function - both ABs and MWDs increase your speed, and since the MWD increases your speed more it must be the better choice. Like many things in Eve, it isn't quite that simple.

~~However a~~ MWD has a couple of serious drawbacks. The most important one is that while the MWD is activated it will increase your signature radius by up to 500%; this will make you much easier to hit and you will take a lot more damage from cruiser sized and bigger weapons. This will massively increase your chances of dying. Also, the MWD uses a lot of capacitor and you will most likely not be able to run it for an extended period of time. '''~~The~~ MWD is used only to ~~approach~~ your target and should be turned off once you are in range to tackle your target'''. Once that has happened you will only be able to orbit your target at the regular speed of your ship. Also keep in mind that you will not be able to use the MWD at all when someone is using a warp scrambler (not a warp disruptor) against you.

A MWD has a couple of serious drawbacks. The most important one is that while the MWD is activated it will increase your signature radius by up to 500%; this will make you much easier to hit and you will take a lot more damage from cruiser sized and bigger weapons. This will massively increase your chances of dying. Also, the MWD uses a lot of capacitor and you will most likely not be able to run it for an extended period of time. For these reasons, '''an MWD is used only to get into range of your target and should be turned off once you are in range to tackle your target'''. Once that has happened you will only be able to orbit your target at the regular speed of your ship. Also keep in mind that you will not be able to use the MWD at all when someone is using a warp scrambler (not a warp disruptor) against you, since these disable MWDs.

~~With an~~ AB on the other hand ~~you wont be quite as fast, but the AB will~~ not increase your signature radius at all and it needs far less capacitor, so you can keep it activated even while you're orbiting your target. ~~This~~ will ~~increase your angular velocity and~~ decrease the chances for your enemy's turrets to hit you as well as reducing the amount of damage you receive from missiles. ~~The drawback of~~ an AB is ~~that~~ it ~~takes longer to approach a target~~.

An AB on the other hand does not increase your signature radius at all and it needs far less capacitor, meaning you can keep it activated even while you're orbiting your target. Since you're able to travel more quickly without increasing your signature radius, an AB will decrease the chances for your enemy's turrets to hit you as well as reducing the amount of damage you receive from missiles. While an AB is not as useful for chasing targets or getting into range, it does help you survive once you get there.

So the MWD is ~~used~~ for ~~fast approaches and~~ the AB is ~~used~~ to ~~increase your survivability. In theory you could~~ fit both an AB and a MWD to your ship, if you have enough midslots as well as CPU and PG - this is popular on some T2 and faction ships, but ~~on a T1 frigate this~~ is ~~very~~ difficult to ~~fit~~ and not recommended for new players.

To summarise, an MWD will let you get into range quickly, but you will be more at risk once you get there. With an AB you will take longer to get into range, but will take less damage once you do.

~~New players should start with AB fitted ships~~ and ~~maybe move on~~ to MWDs ~~once~~ they ~~gained some experience~~, ~~but both modules are absolutely viable and ideally you want some tacklers with a MWD and some with an AB~~ in a ~~fleet~~.

In most cases, it is recommended that tackler frigates fit an MWD in order to close range more quickly and to help them catch up with fast moving targets. However, flying with an MWD is less forgiving than using an AB since things will happen more quickly - you will need to be more aware of the range to your target and whether your MWD is currently turned on or off. If you're trying PVP for the first time, an AB might be an easier choice.

It is possible to fit both an AB and a MWD to your ship (known as 'dual propulsion' or 'dual prop') if you have enough midslots as well as the CPU and PG to do so - this is popular on some T2 and faction ships, but is difficult to do on most T1 frigates and is not recommended for new players.

'''Note:''' T2 interceptors (and to a lesser extent t2 assault frigates) receive bonuses to MWDs which reduce the signature radius penalty which they provide. As a result, they take much less damage then running MWDs during combat. Long-ranged 'fleet' interceptors in particular will often keep their MWDs on for the whole duration of a fight.

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 ==== Afterburner (AB) or microwarpdrive (MWD)? ====
-At first glance you might think that a tackler needs to be as fast as possible and thus should fit a MWD. While this is true for some tacklers, it's not true for all of them. A MWD is useful if you need to approach a target as fast as possible or if your target is running away from you/your fleet at high speed and you need to catch up in order to tackle it.
+At first glance you might think that both of these modules perform the same function - both ABs and MWDs increase your speed, and since the MWD increases your speed more it must be the better choice. Like many things in Eve, it isn't quite that simple.
-However a MWD has a couple of serious drawbacks. The most important one is that while the MWD is activated it will increase your signature radius by up to 500%; this will make you much easier to hit and you will take a lot more damage from cruiser sized and bigger weapons. This will massively increase your chances of dying. Also, the MWD uses a lot of capacitor and you will most likely not be able to run it for an extended period of time. '''The MWD is used only to approach your target and should be turned off once you are in range to tackle your target'''. Once that has happened you will only be able to orbit your target at the regular speed of your ship. Also keep in mind that you will not be able to use the MWD at all when someone is using a warp scrambler (not a warp disruptor) against you.
+A MWD has a couple of serious drawbacks. The most important one is that while the MWD is activated it will increase your signature radius by up to 500%; this will make you much easier to hit and you will take a lot more damage from cruiser sized and bigger weapons. This will massively increase your chances of dying. Also, the MWD uses a lot of capacitor and you will most likely not be able to run it for an extended period of time. For these reasons, '''an MWD is used only to get into range of your target and should be turned off once you are in range to tackle your target'''. Once that has happened you will only be able to orbit your target at the regular speed of your ship. Also keep in mind that you will not be able to use the MWD at all when someone is using a warp scrambler (not a warp disruptor) against you, since these disable MWDs.
-With an AB on the other hand you wont be quite as fast, but the AB will not increase your signature radius at all and it needs far less capacitor, so you can keep it activated even while you're orbiting your target. This will increase your angular velocity and decrease the chances for your enemy's turrets to hit you as well as reducing the amount of damage you receive from missiles. The drawback of an AB is that it takes longer to approach a target.
+An AB on the other hand does not increase your signature radius at all and it needs far less capacitor, meaning you can keep it activated even while you're orbiting your target. Since you're able to travel more quickly without increasing your signature radius, an AB will decrease the chances for your enemy's turrets to hit you as well as reducing the amount of damage you receive from missiles. While an AB is not as useful for chasing targets or getting into range, it does help you survive once you get there.
-So the MWD is used for fast approaches and the AB is used to increase your survivability. In theory you could fit both an AB and a MWD to your ship, if you have enough midslots as well as CPU and PG - this is popular on some T2 and faction ships, but on a T1 frigate this is very difficult to fit and not recommended for new players.
+To summarise, an MWD will let you get into range quickly, but you will be more at risk once you get there. With an AB you will take longer to get into range, but will take less damage once you do.
-New players should start with AB fitted ships and maybe move on to MWDs once they gained some experience, but both modules are absolutely viable and ideally you want some tacklers with a MWD and some with an AB in a fleet.
+In most cases, it is recommended that tackler frigates fit an MWD in order to close range more quickly and to help them catch up with fast moving targets. However, flying with an MWD is less forgiving than using an AB since things will happen more quickly - you will need to be more aware of the range to your target and whether your MWD is currently turned on or off. If you're trying PVP for the first time, an AB might be an easier choice.
+It is possible to fit both an AB and a MWD to your ship (known as 'dual propulsion' or 'dual prop') if you have enough midslots as well as the CPU and PG to do so - this is popular on some T2 and faction ships, but is difficult to do on most T1 frigates and is not recommended for new players.
+'''Note:''' T2 interceptors (and to a lesser extent t2 assault frigates) receive bonuses to MWDs which reduce the signature radius penalty which they provide. As a result, they take much less damage then running MWDs during combat. Long-ranged 'fleet' interceptors in particular will often keep their MWDs on for the whole duration of a fight.
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