- Main article: Basic Learning for Aspiring Pilots
Talwars
Doctrine Q&A
| What are key strengths of this doctrine? Why should I use it?
|
| “
|
 Raido Kudonen
Talwars are mobile, have excellent damage projection, and extremely cheap. There is no better doctrine for new FCs, as Talwars in sufficient numbers can fight against almost any kind of subcaps and are easily replaceable if the FC makes a mistake.
Aside from being very newbie-friendly, Talwars are also excellent for raiding fleets generally because of their fairly high alpha, fast warp speed, and mobility. Talwar fleets have often traded well against QRFs after decimating ratters and miners in null pockets, which results in fun fights and great kills.
|
”
|
|
| What areas of space is this doctrine best suited to?
|
| “
|
Raido Kudonen
Talwars are best in nullsec, where you can easily warp the fleet at range to targets so that you begin the fight at your preferred engagement range and can just begin volleying targets.
|
”
|
|
| How should the fleet be positioned when using this doctrine?
|
| “
|
Raido Kudonen
Talwars should engage at a range of 50-60km. Anchor on the FC (or for a very new FC, the designated fleet anchor) and take countdowns to blap the broadcasted target. Talwars should get to this ideal range (if they don’t start there from a good warp-in) as soon as possible, then maximize transversal or align out depending on the threats on field.
|
”
|
|
| Are there any fleet comp aspects that are critical to the doctrine?
|
| “
|
Raido Kudonen
You should not undock without approximately 10 Talwars, as this doctrine depends on having enough damage ships to kill targets quickly. 10 Talwars only gives about 10k alpha, which is often enough to clear interceptors but is really not ideal. You really want 20-30 Talwars, which allows you to one-shot most T1 cruisers and two-shot almost all other T1 cruisers and most T2 cruisers. Even better, although not typically achieved in the Uni, is a fleet of 40-50 Talwars, which will one-shot most battlecruisers and T2 logi.
In any case, you should always have at least one interceptor and one interdictor for every 10 Talwars. If you have 15+ Talwars, it is worthwhile to bring at least one command destroyer (ideally a Bifrost with Skirmish: Rapid Deployment and either Skirmish: Interdiction Maneuvers or Shield: Shield Harmonizing links, depending on if you brought a Hyena/Keres or not). Speaking of the Hyena and Keres, you ought to bring one of each with 15+ Talwars because they respectively insulate your fleet from incoming tackle and can damp out enemy logi if you’re not one-shotting enemy ships.
|
”
|
|
| Are there any unusual high priority targets when flying this doctrine?
|
| “
|
Raido Kudonen
Your priority targets are always incoming tackle, such as ceptors and dictors. Command destroyers are also high priority targets. If you have a Hyena in fleet, you should web down and blap any nearby T3Ds because T3Ds eat Talwars for breakfast. Ships like the Garmur, Orthrus, and Caracal are high threat because they can project damage about as far as Talwars and apply it very well to your fleet members.
The Cerberus is a special case because it very nearly counts as a “weakness” or “run away immediately” ship. This is because the Cerberus outranges Talwars (by about 10km if the Cerb loads Fury Scourge, or by about 30km if the Cerb loads faction Scourge) and kills one Talwar every 4 volleys (5 Talwars per RLML clip). However, the Cerb typically has an explosive resist hole and less than 50k EHP against your Nova missiles, so if a Cerberus pilot is stupid enough to warp into your missile damage envelope and not immediately kite out, you can two-shot him with 20+ Talwars and trade very well on the ISK.
|
”
|
|
| What are weaknesses of this doctrine? What situations is it not suited to?
|
| “
|
Raido Kudonen
Avoid all engagements inside acceleration gates (unless your captor pilot somehow caught a sleeping DED site runner, in which case murder him and GTFO), because acceleration gates force you to engage at the enemy’s preferred range. (If you set up inside an acceleration gate, nobody will ever take a fight against Talwars.)
Similarly, be extremely careful of engaging enemies who have Huginn/Rapier support, as they can web past your missile range and therefore make it very difficult for you to maneuver. Finally, Talwars are utterly unsuited for “small gang” warfare; if you can’t get your gang of fewer than 10 pilots into something better than kitey, low-DPS destroyers, you should just take frigates or Thrashers and bait inside FW plexes.
|
”
|
|
| How does tackle work for this kind of high range doctrine?
|
| “
|
Raido Kudonen
On tackle, it's pretty simple. Dictor pilots who aren't terrible can keep most large, slow targets (the Mackinaws or Orcas or Rattlesnakes that your ceptors catch) bubbled for as long as is necessary. Ceptor pilots should be able to land scrams on any such targets that try to MJD out. So if you're raiding in nullsec or something like that, tackle isn't a really big deal (often QRF elements will warp directly into the bubble to try to save their friends, if you're fighting Horde or Brave, so you just haze the QRF and then go back to shooting the bears).
The problem that I'm seeing a lot with people complaining about tackle involves Unistas taking on kitey (or MJDing, in the case of battleships) small-gang pilots in similar numbers with grossly inferior ships, then whining about how they don't have the ability to tackle the bad guys and therefore just end up feeding. Well, no shit. If you're fighting Orthri or 100mn kitey Tengus or whatever and you can't put a Rapier on grid and keep it repped as part of your QRF, you're feeding. Stop feeding.
(And conversely, if your campus *can* put those ships on grid but the pilots with high SP are shitlords who can't be bothered to undock for PvP, shame them until they stop being shitlords, the Uni absolutely depends on having people who are capable actually show up to help.)
What's absolutely indefensible is suiciding badly-fit T1 ships into an enemy gang in hopes of holding them on grid long enough for the rest of the fleet to accomplish something, especially if the badly-fit T1 ships are also less mobile/warp slower than the rest of the fleet.
|
”
|
|
Fittings
[Talwar, E-UNI BLAP Talwar]
Arbalest Compact Light Missile Launcher
Arbalest Compact Light Missile Launcher
Arbalest Compact Light Missile Launcher
Arbalest Compact Light Missile Launcher
Arbalest Compact Light Missile Launcher
Arbalest Compact Light Missile Launcher
Arbalest Compact Light Missile Launcher
F-90 Compact Sensor Booster
Medium Azeotropic Restrained Shield Extender
5MN Y-T8 Compact Microwarpdrive
Ballistic Control System I
Mark I Compact Power Diagnostic System
Micro Auxiliary Power Core I
Small Rocket Fuel Cache Partition I
Small Ancillary Current Router I
Small Hydraulic Bay Thrusters I
Inferno Light Missile x560
Mjolnir Light Missile x560
Caldari Navy Nova Light Missile x140
Caldari Navy Scourge Light Missile x140
Caldari Navy Inferno Light Missile x140
Caldari Navy Mjolnir Light Missile x140
Targeting Range Script x1
Scourge Light Missile x560
Nova Light Missile x560
[Talwar, E-UNI BLAP Talwar T2]
Arbalest Compact Light Missile Launcher
Arbalest Compact Light Missile Launcher
Arbalest Compact Light Missile Launcher
Arbalest Compact Light Missile Launcher
Arbalest Compact Light Missile Launcher
Arbalest Compact Light Missile Launcher
Arbalest Compact Light Missile Launcher
Medium Shield Extender II
F-90 Compact Sensor Booster
5MN Y-T8 Compact Microwarpdrive
Ballistic Control System II
Crosslink Compact Ballistic Control System
Micro Auxiliary Power Core I
Small Ancillary Current Router I
Small Rocket Fuel Cache Partition I
Small Hydraulic Bay Thrusters I
Targeting Range Script x1
Caldari Navy Mjolnir Light Missile x140
Caldari Navy Inferno Light Missile x140
Scourge Light Missile x560
Inferno Light Missile x560
Mjolnir Light Missile x560
Caldari Navy Nova Light Missile x140
Caldari Navy Scourge Light Missile x140
Nova Light Missile x560
Caracals
Doctrine Q&A
| What are key strengths of this doctrine? Why should I use it?
|
| “
|
Raido Kudonen
Caracals' greatest strengths are their very high burst damage out to a solid range (~40km with BLAP Caracals; your T2 pilots should typically use Fury ammo) and their high mobility (~1800m/s with prop mod). These combine for a hit-and-fade tactical style where you get as much damage as you can with the fleet's RLML clips, then pull range or warp out.
|
”
|
| “
|
 White 0rchid
Caracals are currently one of the strongest kiting T1 cruisers. With all Vs they can reach as far out as 65km with rapid lights (a very powerful weapons system). It's much easier for an FC to concentrate on the fight than worrying about weapon tracking or targets getting 'under your guns', as for the most part, you only need worry about range with RLMLs. They also sport a fairly decent tank at ~30k EHP. That coupled with their speed under MWD (up to 1900m/s) makes them fantastic ships at kiting and outranging most other T1 cruisers.
|
”
|
|
| What areas of space is this doctrine best suited to?
|
| “
|
Raido Kudonen
Don't use Caracals in Wspace. Otherwise they are excellent, subject to the limitations above (i.e. don't slide a FW plex into brawling cruisers; if you can go in first for a gank and then reposition, plex fights against cruisers are still fine).
|
”
|
| “
|
White 0rchid
You could technically fly this doctrine in any part of space, so long as your intention is not to brawl with it, of course. This means taking a fight inside a plex with a brawling vexor fleet already setup inside, is a bad idea. You also want to try and avoid being caught in bubbles on gates if you're in null.
|
”
|
|
| How should the fleet be positioned when using this doctrine?
|
| “
|
White 0rchid
Sit at almost the edge of your missile range (it's a good idea to check if you have many people with low missile skills beforehand and if there are only a few try and get them to refit to guidance enhancer) and pulse your props if needed. Try not to perma run them. Have your logi anchor behind you (so you will be between them and the enemy). Shred off things like dictors and intys quickly because they will go down super fast. If you can, time your RLML reload appropriately (in other words make sure you're not taking heavy losses as you hit reload, you want to get out if that's the case).
|
”
|
| “
|
Raido Kudonen
As a fleet doctrine, Caracals engage by anchoring and pulling range to the edge of RLML range, where they project full damage and most turret cruisers either can't engage or project a small proportion of their potential damage. The anchor should spiral out to maximize transversal if the fight begins at close range.
NB: If hostiles chase you while you're kiting, you can project damage beyond your normal maximum missile range because the hostiles are flying towards your missiles.
|
”
|
|
| Are there any fleet comp aspects that are critical to the doctrine?
|
| “
|
Raido Kudonen
Caracals are effective in solo (although you need a warp disruptor in place of one of your hardeners), micro and small gang, and fleets up to 80-100 pilots. You should not, however, engage enemies if your fleet can't eliminate at least one or two enemy ships per RLML clip (for a BLAP Caracal with alpha skills, approximately 13k damage per clip per Caracal).
In general, you need an interceptor for every 5-8 Caracals (minimum 1), plus an interdictor for every 10-15 Caracals in nullsec. You should also have an Osprey for every 3-4 Caracals, starting at 3 Ospreys for a fleet of 8-9 Caracals (before that, you should bring either 2 Ospreys or 0 Ospreys).
Whenever possible, you should bring at least one Bifrost (double links fit, Skirmish: Rapid Deployment, Shield: Harmonizing). Fleets of 10 or more Caracals should also bring a Hyena and, if possible, a Keres. Additional command destroyers (Interdiction Maneuvers, Shield Extension, etc) are also highly desirable.
|
”
|
| “
|
White 0rchid
As with any fleet, try and keep a good ratio of caracals to logi. 3:1 isn't bad. I would always try and bring along a few intys with you. Don't focus on too many support roles though. You don't really need webbers or painters. You really just need numbers. RLMLs have very good damage with great application so you want to take them by surprise with that.
|
”
|
|
| Are there any unusual high priority targets when flying this doctrine?
|
| “
|
Raido Kudonen
Since Caracals can control range against nearly all T1 cruiser doctrines and even pirate cruisers must engage with caution if outnumbered, your highest priority is always to clear tackle so that you can avoid the worst case scenario for a Caracal fleet (being stuck on grid in an enemy's damage envelope when your RLMLs are on reload). Since Caracals apply very well to light ships, or perfectly if you have a Hyena on grid, you should be able to clear all or nearly all tackle ships on grid before you warp out.
As your fleet size increases, it becomes relatively more important to clear enemy logi. Typically, you should prioritize enemy logi with fleets of 15 or more Caracals, as you should be able to eliminate T1 cruiser logi with 4-5 volleys in fleets of that size.
|
”
|
| “
|
White 0rchid
Not particularly, no more so than other doctrines anyway. You probably want to haze fast tackle asap though. Both those and gallente/minmatar recons will be annoying as they'll shut down your ability to kite.
|
”
|
|
{{Template:CollapseBox|What are weaknesses of this doctrine? What situations is it not suited to?|
| “
|
White 0rchid
The tank is decent, but not amazing, so be careful of that. You need semi-competent anchors who know how to kite. There's nothing wrong with the FC and anchor being two different people as well. Don't try and brawl people with these unless you are 100% certain you can melt them.
|
”
|
| “
|
Raido Kudonen
Caracals' greatest weakness is their relatively low sustained DPS (factoring in reloads). You should avoid engaging targets that can tank through your clip or make you waste too many shots compared to other targets. Therefore, unless you hugely outnumber them, avoid engaging powerful self-rep ships (Deimos, Hyperion, marauders) or gangs with T2 logi. If you have Hyena and Griffin support, you can stay on grid with a carrier and rack up fighter killmails (and clear smaller ships on grid), but you have no realistic chance of actually killing the carrier or any other capital ships.
|
”
|
Fittings
[Caracal, E-UNI BLAP Caracal]
Experimental SV-2000 Rapid Light Missile Launcher
Experimental SV-2000 Rapid Light Missile Launcher
Experimental SV-2000 Rapid Light Missile Launcher
Experimental SV-2000 Rapid Light Missile Launcher
Experimental SV-2000 Rapid Light Missile Launcher
Limited Adaptive Invulnerability Field I
50MN Quad LiF Restrained Microwarpdrive
Large Azeotropic Restrained Shield Extender
Limited 'Anointed' EM Ward Field
Large Azeotropic Restrained Shield Extender
Mark I Compact Power Diagnostic System
Damage Control I
Ballistic Control System I
Ballistic Control System I
Medium Anti-Thermal Screen Reinforcer I
Medium Anti-Kinetic Screen Reinforcer I
Medium Anti-Thermal Screen Reinforcer I
Warrior I x2
Caldari Navy Mjolnir Light Missile x475
Caldari Navy Inferno Light Missile x960
Caldari Navy Scourge Light Missile x475
Scourge Light Missile x1920
Inferno Light Missile x1920
Mjolnir Light Missile x1920
Caldari Navy Nova Light Missile x475
Nova Light Missile x1920
Nanite Repair Paste x40
[Caracal, E-UNI BLAP Caracal T2]
Rapid Light Missile Launcher II
Rapid Light Missile Launcher II
Rapid Light Missile Launcher II
Rapid Light Missile Launcher II
Rapid Light Missile Launcher II
Adaptive Invulnerability Field II
Large Shield Extender II
50MN Quad LiF Restrained Microwarpdrive
Large Shield Extender II
EM Ward Field II
Ballistic Control System II
Ballistic Control System II
Ballistic Control System II
Damage Control II
Medium Anti-Thermal Screen Reinforcer I
Medium Anti-Kinetic Screen Reinforcer I
Medium Anti-Thermal Screen Reinforcer I
Warrior II x2
Inferno Fury Light Missile x1920
Mjolnir Fury Light Missile x1920
Nova Fury Light Missile x1920
Scourge Fury Light Missile x1920
Nanite Repair Paste x40
[Osprey, E-UNI BLAP Osprey]
Medium Murky Compact Remote Shield Booster
Medium Murky Compact Remote Shield Booster
Medium 'Regard' Remote Capacitor Transmitter
Medium 'Regard' Remote Capacitor Transmitter
Medium Murky Compact Remote Shield Booster
Limited Adaptive Invulnerability Field I
Alumel-Wired Enduring Sensor Booster
50MN Y-T8 Compact Microwarpdrive
Limited Adaptive Invulnerability Field I
Large Azeotropic Restrained Shield Extender
Damage Control I
F-89 Compact Signal Amplifier
F-89 Compact Signal Amplifier
Medium Anti-EM Screen Reinforcer I
Medium Anti-Thermal Screen Reinforcer I
Medium Anti-EM Screen Reinforcer I
Warrior I x1
Light Shield Maintenance Bot I x3
Targeting Range Script x1
Scan Resolution Script x1
ECCM Script x1
Nanite Repair Paste x40
- If only training the base BLAP Logistics plan, Drones may not be usable.
- If both BLAP plans have been trained, Repair Drone Operation should be a minimal training investment.
[Osprey, E-UNI BLAP Osprey T2]
Medium S95a Scoped Remote Shield Booster
Medium 'Regard' Remote Capacitor Transmitter
Medium S95a Scoped Remote Shield Booster
Medium 'Regard' Remote Capacitor Transmitter
Medium S95a Scoped Remote Shield Booster
Large Shield Extender II
50MN Y-T8 Compact Microwarpdrive
Sensor Booster II
Adaptive Invulnerability Field II
Adaptive Invulnerability Field II
Signal Amplifier II
Signal Amplifier II
Damage Control II
Medium Anti-EM Screen Reinforcer I
Medium Anti-EM Screen Reinforcer I
Medium Anti-Thermal Screen Reinforcer I
Light Shield Maintenance Bot I x3
Warrior II x1
Targeting Range Script x1
Scan Resolution Script x1
Nanite Repair Paste x40
ECCM Script x1
Vexors
Doctrine Q&A
Fittings
[Vexor, E-UNI BLAP Vexor]
Dual 150mm Compressed Coil Gun I
Dual 150mm Compressed Coil Gun I
Dual 150mm Compressed Coil Gun I
Dual 150mm Compressed Coil Gun I
10MN Monopropellant Enduring Afterburner
Kapteyn Compact Sensor Dampener
Faint Scoped Warp Disruptor
Drone Navigation Computer I
Damage Control I
'Refuge' Adaptive Nano Plating I
'Refuge' Adaptive Nano Plating I
Prototype Energized Explosive Membrane I
1600mm Crystalline Carbonide Restrained Plates
Medium Trimark Armor Pump I
Medium Trimark Armor Pump I
Medium Trimark Armor Pump I
Hobgoblin I x1
Ogre I x2
Hammerhead I x2
Hobgoblin I x4
Hammerhead I x3
Caldari Navy Antimatter Charge M x1280
Caldari Navy Thorium Charge M x1280
Caldari Navy Iron Charge M x1280
X5 Enduring Stasis Webifier x1
F-23 Compact Remote Sensor Booster x1
Kapteyn Compact Sensor Dampener x1
Initiated Compact Warp Scrambler x1
F-90 Compact Sensor Booster x1
Nanite Repair Paste x40
Targeting Range Dampening Script x2
[Vexor, E-UNI BLAP Vexor T2]
Dual 150mm Railgun II
Dual 150mm Railgun II
Dual 150mm Railgun II
Dual 150mm Railgun II
Warp Disruptor II
Drone Navigation Computer I
Phased Muon Scoped Sensor Dampener
10MN Y-S8 Compact Afterburner
Coreli A-Type Explosive Plating
Energized Adaptive Nano Membrane II
Energized Adaptive Nano Membrane II
Damage Control II
1600mm Steel Plates II
Medium Trimark Armor Pump I
Medium Trimark Armor Pump I
Medium Trimark Armor Pump I
Hobgoblin II x4
Hammerhead II x2
Hobgoblin II x1
Hammerhead II x3
Ogre II x2
Spike M x2560
Caldari Navy Thorium Charge M x1920
Javelin M x2560
Scan Resolution Dampening Script x2
Targeting Range Dampening Script x2
Stasis Webifier II x1
Linked Enduring Remote Sensor Booster x1
Scan Resolution Script x1
Targeting Range Script x1
ECCM Script x1
[Augoror, E-UNI BLAP Augoror]
Medium Solace Scoped Remote Armor Repairer
Medium Solace Scoped Remote Armor Repairer
Medium 'Regard' Remote Capacitor Transmitter
Medium 'Regard' Remote Capacitor Transmitter
Medium Solace Scoped Remote Armor Repairer
F-90 Compact Sensor Booster
10MN Monopropellant Enduring Afterburner
F-90 Compact Sensor Booster
Prototype Armor Explosive Hardener I
Prototype Armor Kinetic Hardener I
Damage Control I
800mm Crystalline Carbonide Restrained Plates
Prototype Armor Thermal Hardener I
Medium Trimark Armor Pump I
Medium Trimark Armor Pump I
Medium Anti-EM Pump I
Nanite Repair Paste x40
ECCM Script x2
Targeting Range Script x2
Scan Resolution Script x2
[Augoror, E-UNI BLAP Augoror T2]
Medium 'Regard' Remote Capacitor Transmitter
Medium Solace Scoped Remote Armor Repairer
Medium Solace Scoped Remote Armor Repairer
Medium 'Regard' Remote Capacitor Transmitter
Medium Solace Scoped Remote Armor Repairer
Sensor Booster II
Sensor Booster II
10MN Y-S8 Compact Afterburner
Armor Explosive Hardener II
Damage Control II
Armor Kinetic Hardener II
800mm Steel Plates II
Armor Thermal Hardener II
Medium Anti-EM Pump I
Medium Trimark Armor Pump I
Medium Trimark Armor Pump I
Targeting Range Script x2
Nanite Repair Paste x40
ECCM Script x2
Scan Resolution Script x2
