Battlecruisers

Battlecruisers are larger, slower and have more slots than cruisers, but they're smaller than battleships and fit the same medium-sized weapons that cruisers use. They occupy a position between cruisers and battleships analogous to destroyers' position between frigates and cruisers, although battlecruisers are much more versatile and widely-used than destroyers.

T1 Battlecruisers

Combat Battlecruisers

In PvP combat battlecruisers represent a good balance between DPS, tanking, agility, speed and cost (they cost much less to lose than a battleship). Battlecruisers can be fitted for long or short range PvP combat. In large-scale alliance battles in nullsec they are often part of each side's 'support fleet', defending the main battleship fleet from attack.

In PvE battlecruisers are the standard tool for completing Level 3 combat missions. Several battlecruisers can mount passive shield tanks ideal for PvE combat; the Caldari Drake can mount an absolutely exceptional passive shield tank.

Combat battlecruisers also have the ability to fit a single Command Burst, which can give extra bonuses to your fleet.

• Prophecy: Can tank better than some battleships. Usually bait. Low DPS.
• Harbinger: High DPS, can tank well. Can be fast when it isn't loaded down with armor plates. Very cap-dependant, since it uses lasers.
• Ferox: Hybrid turret gunboat. Not very popular.
• Drake: Amazing passive shield tank for PvE combat (with low DPS). Alternatively, good PvP DPS when fitted with Heavy Assault Missiles. Drakes are often bait in PvP.
• Brutix: Blaster gunboat, high point-blank DPS, usually not well tanked. Sometimes mounts a PvP shield buffer tank for speed and to clear lowslots for damage mods.
• Myrmidon: Versatile drone boat. Usually mounts an active armor tank. Can also mount a passive shield tank.
• Cyclone: Respectable DPS, bonuses for active shield tanking.
• Hurricane: High DPS and high speed. Can mount an active armor tank, buffer armor or shield tanks, or even a passive shield tank.

Attack Battlecruisers

Each empire has one battlecruiser capable of mounting battleship-sized (i.e. large) weapons (as opposed to the medium-sized weapons normally mounted by battlecruisers). These ships can therefore deal almost as much damage as a battleship, but with a much weaker tank, and are often referred to as "tier 3" battlecruisers (not to be confused with Tech 3 Strategic Cruisers; the "tier" nomenclature is a relic of the way ships were designed before the tiericide).

• Oracle: Able to fit Battleship-sized lasers. Most often used as snipers fit for amazing alpha. A bit slower compared to the other Tier 3's.
• Naga: Battleship-sized hybrid turret platform, favoring railguns, forgoing the normally impressive tank of its brethren. Easiest battlecruiser to fit for sniper combat.
• Talos: Blasterboat toting Battleship-grade guns. Next to no tank, making it very risky to fly into close quarters combat that blasters normally favor.
• Tornado: Minmatar's Battleship gun toter. Fastest of the Tier 3's, usually fit with high alpha artillery racks.

T2 Battlecruisers

Command Ships

Command ships are battlecruisers with exceptional tank, stronger DPS, and a significant bonus to the effectiveness of Command Burst modules. They can fit 2 Command Burst modules simultaneously, more than any sub-capital ship. Each race's bonus applies to two of the burst types.

• Absolution: Bonuses to Armor and Information command bursts
• Damnation: Bonuses to Armor and Information command bursts
• Nighthawk: Bonuses to Information and Shield command bursts
• Vulture: Bonuses to Information and Shield command bursts
• Astarte: Bonuses to Armor and Skirmish command bursts
• Eos: Bonuses to Armor and Skirmish command bursts
• Claymore: Bonuses to Shield and Skirmish command bursts
• Sleipnir: Bonuses to Shield and Skirmish command bursts

The effects of the links are only passed on to fleet members.

Faction Battlecruisers

Certain NPC factions sell special battlecruisers through their LP stores.

Empire Faction Battlecruisers

• Harbinger Navy Issue
• Drake Navy Issue
• Brutix Navy Issue
• Hurricane Fleet Issue

Rare and Unique Battlecruisers

• Gnosis: A Jove battlecruiser given to all subscribed players on Eve's 10th anniversary. It has no skill requirements, and so can be flown by a brand new pilot. It has very broad bonuses, meaning it can be fitted with any weapon system and can fill a wide variety of roles.