Minmatar Basic Ship and Skill Overview

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The Minmatar Basic Ship and Skill Guide is intended to give fitting and skill recommendations for Tech 1 Minmatar ships for Player vs. Environment (PvE) and Player vs. Player (PvP) encounters.

This is a work in progress, and the guide's Discussion Thread is on the Eve University forum. Please direct comments, suggestions, and corrections to that thread.

The fits listed here are suggestions. You can and should build on them rather than treating them as gospel. These fits -- especially the ones for ships smaller than battlecruisers -- tend to use T1 meta 0 modules for ease of reference, but upgrading them to named or T2 modules is in many cases a good idea if you can afford it.

Rookie Ship

The rookie ship is the first ship you start with. If you are Minmatar, it will be a Reaper. A new rookie ship is given whenever you dock at a station where you do not have any ships.

Frigate

Frigates are the smallest of the ship classes in EVE. They are used mostly for level 1 missions or for tackling and electronic warfare roles in PvP.

Vigil

The Vigil is the Tech 1 Electronic Warfare ship of the Minmatar Republic. This ship is the fastest T1 frigate, and makes a decent first-strike tackler. The bonus to target painters isn't that useful, as target painters are only useful in a narrow range of situations and work reasonably well on hulls without bonuses to them.

Minmatar Frigate Skill Bonus

5% ship velocity and Target Painter effectiveness per skill level.

Breacher

A "missile boat" Tech 1 frigate. This frigate is rarely seen, it's effectiveness is overshadowed by the more common and durable Rifter.

Minmatar Frigate Skill Bonus

10% bonus to Explosive missile damage and 5% bonus to EM, Kinetic and Thermal missile damage per level.

Rifter

The Rifter is the top of the line T1 combat frigate of the Minmatar Republic. It receives bonuses to projectile turret damage and projectile tracking. A balanced 4/3/3 layout gives the Rifter the ability to either shield or armor tank, making it an unpredictable opponent.

Minmatar Frigate Skill Bonus

5% bonus to Small Projectile Turret damage and 7.5% bonus to tracking per level.

Probe

The Probe is the Minmatar exploration frigate. This ship is best used as a probing boat but if you have the skills to deal with it's small capacitor it can be a speedy and cheap delivery ship due to its comparatively large cargo bay.

Minmatar Frigate Skill Bonus

5% bonus cargo capacity per skill level

5% bonus to scan strength of probes per skill level

5% bonus to survey probe flight time per level

Destroyer

Destroyers are slightly larger and have more highslots than frigates but fit the same small-sized weapons. They're designed to slaughter frigates but be vulnerable to most other ships. They are often used in PvE for Level 1 missions, and as salvage ships.

Thrasher

The Thrasher can be an effective anti-frigate platform in PvE (L1 missions) or PvP. It is rarely seen in fleet combat, but its cheap cost makes it popular with suicide gankers.

Destroyer Skill Bonus

10% bonus to Small Projectile Turret tracking speed

5% bonus to Small Projectile Turret damage per level

Role Bonuses

Penalty: -25% Rate Of Fire for all turrets

Bonus: 50% bonus to optimal range for small projectile turrets

Cruiser

Scythe

The Scythe is the Minmatar logistics and mining cruiser.

Bellicose

The Bellicose is the Minmatar EWAR cruiser, with bonuses to target painting and projectile turret rate of fire. It is a rare and unloved ship. Target painting is only vital in a few very specific situations (like a missile-ship-only fleet), and it can be done from unbonused midslots on normal combat ships. The Bellicose doesn't tank very well, has tight CPU and powergrid and a comparatively small capacitor. And, to top it all off, it only has three turret hardpoints, which limits the benefit of the rate of fire bonus.

However, its reputation means that the Bellicose is rarely primary target and it can be a useful fleet support ship. It's not much use in PvE.

Stabber

The Stabber's key feature is its hull bonus to speed. It's the fastest T1 cruiser. Unfortunately it also has limited grid and CPU, limited slots and a tiny dronebay: it's best to think of it as a 'heavy frigate' or a 'light cruiser' rather than a cruiser proper.

If you plan on moving into ships that utilize speed tanking or avoidance tactics this is a good ship to practice with. It can be fit as a tackle ship or an anti-frigate platform. Unfortunately it lacks the grid and CPU to fit the artillery or the combination of autocannon and tracking enhancers that would make it a viable kiting ship.

Rupture

The heavy duty combat cruiser of the Minmatar Republic, this ship looks like a chunk of brick.

The Rupture is the favored mission cruiser for the Minmatar. It can mount a good active armour tank or regenerating passive shield tank (as below) and use artillery and drones to destroy mission rats from range.

The Rupture is also a strong PvP ship. A number of fittings work well; in E-Uni fleets the commonest approach is to fit an armour buffer tank (as below) and provide extra DPS and some sticky secondary tackle.

Strong fitting skills and access to T2 autocannon (for kiting with Barrage ammo) open up some fast-moving shield-tanked PvP fits, which, oddly, work rather better in that role than the Stabber.

Battlecruisers

When you begin to fly Minmatar battlecruisers it is a good idea to be training towards a Shield or Armor Full T2 Tank. (You will need a full T2 tank to fly battlecruisers in wartime PvP, if you're a uni pilot; whether or not you're in the uni, a T2 tank is helpful in PvE.) It is also wise to have basic Gunnery Support skills sorted out, and to be training towards T2 light and medium drones.

Cyclone

The Hurricane surpasses the Cyclone in most situations, but the Cyclone has a few niche uses. With an oversized shield booster, capacitor booster support, and possibly bonuses from expensive implants and combat drugs, the Cyclone can mount a very impressive active tank. Such a fit can work well as bait or as an unconventional solo PvP ride.

Generally, however, the more expensive Hurricane is a wiser choice.

Hurricane

The Hurricane has a long history of positive PvP and PvE performance. It can deal impressive DPS, and can be shield or armour tanked. Most Minmatar pilots choose a Hurricane as their Level 3 mission ship, fitting either a passive shield tank or an active armour tank.

In PvP the 'cane can be fitted as a simple, armour-buffered short-range bruiser, or as a fast, kiting, shield-tanked 'nanocane', or as a shield-tanked, medium-range high-alpha artillery platform.

Battleships

When you step into a battleship it's important to have solid support skills. A T2 tank is extremely helpful (and required to fly BSs in wartime Uni PvP fleets), while access to T2 light and medium drones will be useful, as they will be your main defence against targets too small for your large weapons.

Typhoon

The Typhoon's position as the cheapest of the Minmatar battleships is a little misleading, as it's not a very good ship for new pilots. With seven low slots, a useful rate of fire bonus and the bandwidth to field a full flight of heavy or sentry drones, it has a lot of potential. But it takes considerable skillpoint investment to bring that potential out, and the rate of fire bonus is split between two different weapon systems.

The Typhoon is consequently not a common sight, but when it is used it's usually fitted with missiles, often with torpedoes and either neuts or armor RR for close combat. There are also viable L4 mission-running fits which use cruise missile launchers and sentry drones.

However, new Minmatar battleship pilots will probably be more effective in one of the other two options.

Tempest

The Tempest is quite similar in role to the Hurricane battlecruiser. Both have similar slot layouts (the Tempest has one extra mid slot). The Tempest, in theory, could use an extra missile launcher, but it would not be applying its bonuses to projectiles.

Tempests tend to be armor tanked, utilizing the high number of low slots, though they are sometimes shield tanked as well. For PVP, the Tempest can fit a armor buffer tank, or go for an all-out gankfit, which is commonly used for suicide ganking (1400mm guns in the highs and gyrostabs in the lows).

Maelstrom

On the same skill path as the Cyclone, the Maelstrom has a powerful active shield tank. Unlike the Cyclone it can also deal lots of damage.

The Maelstrom is the usual choice for running Level 4 missions, which it does quite well (ships like the Vargur and Machariel outperform it, but cost much more, both in ISK and in skill training time). PvE Maelstroms usually fit an X-large shield booster for a powerful pulsed shield tank, and artillery for long-range DPS -- though against the Angel Cartel, whose battleships like to engage at close range, some pilots like to fit large autocannon instead.

Industrial

Wreathe

The introductory Minmatar industrial ship, the Wreathe is similar in nature to all the entry industrials. It is a little faster than some of the other races' industrials but has a little less cargo space.

Mammoth

After the Iteron Mark V, the Mammoth is often considered the next best industrial in existence. It has the most cargo capacity of the other two races' industrials, and the highest number of low slots for cargohold expanders.

Ammunition, Range, and Kiting

You can read a detailed description of projectile turret ammunition here. Minmatar ships have the ability to control the type of damage they deal and therefore target their enemy's weaknesses. In PvE you can look up the damage type your enemy is weak to here and select the appropriate ammunition.

By default, close range (EMP, Fusion or Phased Plasma) ammo should be used for the best DPS. There is no close-range projectile ammo which does primarily kinetic damage, but the higher DPS of the short-ranged projectile ammunition types may compensate for this if you target their second-weakest resist. If you are taking too much damage at close range, switch to medium range (Titanium Sabot or Depleted Uranium) or long (Proton, Nuclear or Carbonized Lead) range ammo and fire from further away. See the dedicated Projectile Ammunition page for more advice.

Guns can suffer from tracking issues, so I would recommend using the 'keep at range' option instead of the 'orbit' option. With the amount of enemies in missions, orbiting is less likely to mitigate the total incoming damage from rats.

Projectile turrets are unusual in having very long falloff. This means that keeping within optimal range is not as essential for you as it is for pilots using lasers and hybrids. Autocannon have such short optimal ranges that you are more or less condemned to fight in falloff with them; with artillery you should probably aim to be at the edge of your optimal range. There's no need to be closer than that, and the more range you can keep at the less trouble your guns will have tracking the enemy.

To find out your optimal and falloff ranges with ammo, load ammo in your guns, then right click and show info. The optimal displayed in the attributes will be adjusted for ammo and skills.

Tech and Meta Levels

These fittings were made mostly using Tech 1 Meta 0 modules for frigates and cruisers, and meta 4 and Tech 2 for larger ships. In PvP, frigates and cruisers are often not worth fitting expensive modules on for low skill point or inexperienced pilots. Tech 1 Meta 0 modules are provided freely by the university. Once pilots have the skill points, a certain amount of combat experience, and enough ISK to replace bigger ships, they should consider moving to a battlecruiser wit T2 fittings.

Pilots without T2 guns fitting a BC for PvP should probably avoid the overpriced meta 3 and 4 guns. Some of the meta 3 and 4 medium guns are reasonably priced, but many are not, and will only make your ship into a loot Piñata for the enemy when it is destroyed, for very little increase in effective dps. It is strongly recommended to get T2 guns before getting into BC, BS, or any T2 damage dealing ships.

Higher Meta items up to meta 4 will often be easier to fit. Tech 2 is Meta 5, and usually harder to fit. Meta 3 and 4 are expensive, often more expensive than Tech 2. Meta 1 and 2 modules will often be less expensive than Meta 0, due to low demand and high supply on the market.

Drones

Small drones should be used against frigate and destroyer sized enemies, medium drones should be used against cruiser and battlecruiser sized enemies, and heavy drones should be used against battleship sized enemies.

Avoid Amarr drones: due to their low damage multiplier, they are useless even against enemies who's lowest resistance is EM damage. Gallente drones have the highest damage multiplier, and thermal damage is the best or second best damage to deal against most rat types. For level 1 to 3 missions, Gallente drones are fine to use exclusively, although switching drones will make more efficient runs. In level 4 missions, it is strongly recommended to always fit the best drone types to match rat weaknesses.

See Drones and Using Drones for more advice on drone selection and deployment.

Tank & Gank

Different rat (NPC pirates) factions have different damage type resistances, and deal different damage types.

Drones and hardeners should be switched around based on rat types.

Damage type resistance and dealt by rats can be found in the NPC Damage Types article.

Mission-specific damage profiles can be found on Eve Survival.

All EHP in this guide is from EFT calculations, not in-game EHP.

Salvaging After Missions

Salvaging boats, most commonly destroyers, are usually used to clean up rooms after missions are complete. To do so, make sure you bookmark one wreck for each room in the mission, since the acceleration gates will disappear after the mission has be turned in at the agent. Once the mission is turned in, the MWD can be used to propel the salvaging boat within tractor range faster.

For Level 4 missions, many players switch from a destroyer to a battlecruiser because they have lots of high slots, like destroyers, but bigger cargo holds. The Hurricane is a popular L4 salvaging ship because it is fast and agile (for a BC), has eight high slots for salvagers and tractor beams and six low slots for expanded cargohold modules (which aren't subject to stacking penalties).

Related Links

Eve University Forum

The Eve University ship loadout forums should be the first place for new players to look for fits and ask for advice. The Uni forum is restricted to Eve University members and alumni.

• PvP Ship Loadouts

• PvE Ship Loadouts

UniWiki

• Support Skills Training support skills is the first step in flying a ship well. Read up on support skills here.

• Fitting Guidelines Some general guidelines for fitting ships.

• Fitting Modules and Rigs Guide A list of rigs and module types with short descriptions.

• Full T2 Tank Having a full T2 tank is a requirement for many ships during wartime in the Uni. If you fly anything other than a T1 frigate, destroyer, or cruiser, make sure you have the required skills and recommended support skills for the type of tank you use.

• Creating an Alt Hauler Having an alt hauler can be essential to be able to make shopping trips during wartime.

• For information on Tech 2 ships, for all races, follow the Ships link in the Categories list below

UniWiki - Racial Fitting Guides

These are all works in progress, some are further along than others.

• Amarr Basic Ship and Skill Guide

• Caldari Basic Ship and Skill Guide

• Gallente Basic Ship and Skill Guide

• Minmatar Basic Ship and Skill Guide

Other Web Sites

• Scrapheap Challenge This site has both PvP and PvE forums. Some threads are quite old and the discussions can be outdated in the earlier posts. Scrapheap is often a very good place for experienced pilots to find fittings, and many threads will also have tactic discussions on how to use them.