Turrets

From EVE University Wiki
Revision as of 23:15, 22 June 2023 by Vorkan Dosja (talk | contribs) (Removed Joke for conciseness and professional quality.)
Jump to: navigation, search
Weapon Systems
Icon gunnery turret.pngTurrets
Icon missiles.pngMissiles
Icon drones.pngDrones
Other Weapon Systems
Other Mechanics
This article details different types of turrets. For information about turret mechanics, including damage and hit chance, see Turret mechanics.

Turrets are the most common weapon system in EVE. They apply damage instantly, use ammunition or charges, and their effectiveness is partially determined by the traversal speed of the firing ship and its target. This page explains the five variations of turret and their ammunition available in EVE.

Overview

There are five kinds of turret in EVE:

  • hybrid turrets
  • projectile turrets
  • energy turrets (lasers)
  • precursor weapons (entropic disintegrators)
  • vorton projectors

Each of the first three types can be further broken down into a set of long-ranged turrets which, broadly, deal high damage-per-shot ('volley', 'alpha') but low damage-per-second (DPS) and poor tracking, and a set of short-ranged turrets with lower alpha but high DPS and superior tracking. Hybrid turrets, for example, are either railguns (long-ranged, low DPS) or blasters (short-ranged, high DPS).

Tech 2 turrets, particularly large and medium ones, require considerable training time. The long-ranged and short-ranged varieties of Tech 2 turrets require separate skills -- returning to hybrid turrets, for example, you need Small Blaster Specialization to use small Tech 2 blasters but Small Railgun Specialization to use small Tech 2 railguns.

Each of the five kinds of turret comes in three sizes:

Hybrid, projectile, energy, and precursor turrets also come in a fourth size:

Ammunition/charges

Each of the four kinds of turret has a selection of types of ammunition (using 'ammunition' loosely -- energy turrets load crystals). Ammunition comes in four sizes matching the four sizes of turret (S, M, L and XL).

Faction ammo is also available (for example, Republic Fleet Fusion S instead of normal Fusion S). Faction ammo is expensive but gives you more damage. Generally speaking it is useful in PvP but rarely cost-effective in PvE. There are 3 levels of faction ammo. In order of power, they are pirate, which deals 10% more damage, navy, which deals 15%, and elite pirate, which deals 20% more. Pirate and elite pirate ammo drop from rare spawns at dead space complexes, and navy ammo is available from various LP stores. Generally navy ammo is the cheapest, due to its ease of acquisition.

Tech 2, Faction, and Officer turrets can use Tech 2 ammo. Hybrid, Projectile, and Laser turrets each have four associated kinds of T2 ammo, two varieties of T2 ammo for T2 short-ranged turrets and two for Tech 2 long-ranged turrets. Using hybrid turrets as an example once again, T2 blasters can load:

  • normal hybrid ammo
  • faction hybrid ammo
  • or two types of T2 blaster ammo (Void and Null)

While T2 railguns can load:

  • normal hybrid ammo
  • faction hybrid ammo
  • or two types of T2 railgun ammo (Spike and Javelin)

T2 ammo is designed to be give you extra tactical options or to be useful in specific situations -- it is not always better than T1 or faction ammo.

Hybrid turrets

Icon turret blaster large.png

Hybrid turrets fire charged projectiles at the enemy using magnetic fields -- using energy, like lasers, but firing solid projectiles, like projectile guns, hence "hybrids".

In practice this means that they use capacitor when they fire (like lasers, though they are less cap-hungry than lasers). Pilots who use hybrid turrets will want to have good capacitor skills and to train Controlled Bursts to support their guns' requirements. Hybrid turrets also have to be regularly reloaded with fresh ammunition (like projectile guns).

Hybrid turrets can only do kinetic and thermal damage.

The two kinds of hybrid turret are:

  • Blasters, which have (very) short ranges and deal (very) high DPS; and
  • Railguns, which have (very) long-ranges and deal less DPS.

Many Gallente ships and some Caldari ships use hybrid turrets as their primary weapon. The Gallente ships tend to be more suited to blasters and the Caldari ships more suited to railguns, but this is not a hard-and-fast rule, as any pilot who flies a sniping Hecate or a blaster Rokh will tell you.

The low slot Magnetic Field Stabilizer module increases hybrid turrets' damage and rate of fire.

Hybrid ammo

There are eight kinds of standard Tech 1 hybrid ammo. They all do a mixture of kinetic and thermal damage (the proportion varies).

Each ammunition type has a different range modifier, does a different amount of damage and uses a different amount of your capacitor when fired. The better the range, the lower base damage the ammo deals, creating a sliding scale from short-ranged, high-damage Antimatter to long-ranged, low-damage Iron.

Name Modifier to optimal rangeOptimal Cap. need Total damage Kinetic damage Thermal damage Small Medium Large
Antimatter -50% 0% (+) 12 7 5 N I
Plutonium -37.5% -5% 11 6 5 I I I
Uranium -25% -8% 10 6 4
Thorium -12.5% -40% (++) 9 5 4 N
Lead 0% -50% (++) 8 5 3 I
Iridium 20% -24% (-) 7 4 3 I
Tungsten 40% -27% (-) 6 4 2 IN
Iron 60% -30% (--) 5 3 2 I I
Click on the column headers to sort the table; mouse over them for a more detailed explanation.
Damage is the raw figures for the 'Small' ammo size;
Medium is 2x greater, Large is 4x greater, and Extra Large is 8x greater.

The + and - symbols in the Capacitor column indicate the relative damage:capacitor efficiency. Within each group, extreme resistance differences can alter the order of precedence, although no situation will cause groups to alter.

The last 3 columns indicate which non-highsec material is required to build them. an I indicates Isogen and N, nocxium. Blank indicates only the Highsec minerals of Tritanium, Mexallon and Pyerite are required. This may effect the ammo choices of hybrid users who also craft their own ammunition, especially if they mine the materials as well. Capital is not included as if you are flying one of these, you likely have easy access to these materials anyway.

As hybrid turrets are used by both the Gallente and Caldari, both Federation Navy and Caldari Navy faction charges exist. The two variations have the same statistics, and differ only in where they are obtained.

Tech 2 Blaster Ammo

The two Tech 2 ammunition types for blasters are Null and Void. Void charges turn blasters into the true uncontested highest-DPS weapons in the game, at the cost of even further reducing their already short range and making it difficult to hit targets which are not either larger or effectively stationary. Null charges allow good damage to be projected to a longer range, and are usable by pilots who either cannot keep themselves close to their targets or are forced to extend out to avoid being tackled or the like. The effects of these ammo types on range, tracking speed, and capacitor need is given in the following table:

Name Modifier to optimal rangeOptimal Modifier to falloff rangeFalloff Modifier to tracking speedTracking Cap. need Total damage Kinetic damage Thermal damage
Null +40% +40% -25% 0% 11 5 6
Void -25% -50% -25% +25% 17.8 8.9 8.9

Under all resistance circumstances, Void ammunition is more capacitor efficient than null despite the 25% penalty.

Tech 2 Railgun Ammo

The two Tech 2 ammo types for railguns are Spike and Javelin. Javelin lets railguns pretend to be blasters: it has a much shorter range, higher damage, and a tracking bonus. Spike is an extra-long range ammo, with an 80% range bonus but very large penalties to tracking speed. Javelin ammunition is not extremely common, as the range penalty is generally not worth the marginal damage gained over Navy Antimatter. Spike, meanwhile, is the be-all end-all in sniping ammunition, extending railguns' already ridiculous range to the point where even other turrets a full size larger can find it difficult to retaliate.

Name Modifier to optimal rangeOptimal Modifier to falloff rangeFalloff Modifier to tracking speedTracking Cap. need Total damage Kinetic damage Thermal damage
Spike +80% 0% -75% 0% 8 4 4
Javelin -75% 0% 25% 0% 14 6 8

Projectile turrets

Icon turret autocannon large.png

Projectile turrets are EVE's most low-tech weapons (and the ones which can be most accurately called guns). They work like real-life guns. Projectile turrets don't use up any capacitor when they fire (like missile launchers), but they must be regularly reloaded with fresh ammunition. Unlike the other two kinds of turrets, projectile turrets can do all four different kinds of damage depending on the ammunition they are loaded with (however they will always deal some kinetic, and tend to prefer dealing explosive).

Most Minmatar ships use projectile turrets as their main weapon. The low slot Gyrostabilizer module increases projectile turrets' damage and rate of fire.

The two kinds of projectile turret are:

  • Autocannon, which have short ranges, good tracking, and deal high DPS; and
  • Artillery, which have long ranges, very poor tracking, and deal less DPS.

Of all the kinds of long-ranged turret in the game, artillery turrets tend to have the best alpha strike, giving artillery-fit ships and fleets very realistic chances outright killing opponents in a single shot, with no retaliation. Autocannons, and to a lesser extent artillery, have very long falloff ranges and short optimal ranges, and it's more viable to use projectile turrets in their first falloff range than it is to use lasers or hybrids in their falloff.

Projectile ammo

Main article: Projectile ammunition

There are eight kinds of standard Tech 1 projectile ammo. The picture here is more complicated than with hybrid ammo: projectile ammo does a wider range of damage types and does not present a gradual exchange of damage for range.

Projectile ammo can be split into three tiers, short-ranged (EMP, Fusion and Phased Plasma), medium-ranged (Titanium Sabot and Depleted Uranium) and long-ranged (Proton, Nuclear and Carbonized Lead). All ammo within each tier has the same range and tracking modifiers, but the different types offer different kinds of damage. The medium-ranged tier (Titanium Sabot and Depleted Uranium) has a significant tracking speed bonus.

Name Modifier to optimal rangeOptimal Modifier to tracking speedTracking Total damage EM damage Thermal damage Kinetic damage Explosive damage Small Medium Large
EMP -50% 12 9 1 2 N I
Phased Plasma -50% 12 10 2 I I I
Fusion -50% 12 2 10 I
Titanium Sabot +20% 8 6 2
Depleted Uranium +20% 8 3 2 3 I I
Proton +60% +5% 5 3 2 I
Nuclear +60% +5% 5 1 4 IN
Carbonized Lead +60% +5% 5 4 1 I I
Click on the column headers to sort the table; mouse over them for a more detailed explanation.
Damage is the raw figures for the 'Small' ammo size;
Medium is 2x greater, Large is 4x greater, and Extra Large is 8x greater.

The last 3 columns indicate which non-highsec material is required to build them. an I indicates Isogen and N, nocxium. Blank indicates only the Highsec minerals of Tritanium, Mexallon and Pyerite are required. This may effect the ammo choices of hybrid users who also craft their own ammunition, especially if they mine the materials as well. Capital is not included as if you are flying one of these, you likely have easy access to these materials anyway.

Note that the range bonuses or penalties applied by these ammo types only apply to optimal range. If you're using autocannon, which have tiny optimal ranges anyway, your ammo's range modifier doesn't matter very much. It's more important if you're using artillery. This means that autocannon should always be fitted with the most damaging ammo possible, and if a ship has a falloff bonus, it's probably meant to use autocannon.

Tech 2 Autocannon Ammo

The two Tech 2 ammunition types for autocannon are Barrage and Hail. Barrage has a tracking penalty but a 40% falloff increase, and is popular with ships like the Vagabond which like to skirmish in falloff range. Hail has a penalty to falloff range and a large penalty to optimal range, and to tracking, but it deals very high damage. In practice the range and tracking speed drawbacks mean that Hail rarely offers more DPS, although it can be effective against big, stationary ships or POSs. Barrage does roughly equal amounts of explosive and kinetic damage, while Hail does a lot of explosive damage and a little kinetic on the side.

Name Modifier to optimal rangeOptimal Modifier to falloff rangeFalloff Modifier to tracking speedTracking Total damage EM damage Thermal damage Kinetic damage Explosive damage
Barrage 0% +50% -25% 11 5 6
Hail -50% -25% -25% 17.7 3.8 13.9

Tech 2 Artillery Ammo

The two Tech 2 ammunition types for artillery are Quake and Tremor. Quake, much like Javelin for hybrids, lets artillery pretend to be autocannons, with high damage but much-reduced range. (However, because projectile turret falloff is so long, the Quake optimal range penalty is less of a problem to artillery than Gleam or Javelin's penalty is to railguns or beam lasers.) Tremor has a dramatic 80% range bonus, but a very significant penalty to tracking. Both do a mixture of explosive and kinetic damage.

Name Modifier to optimal rangeOptimal Modifier to tracking speedTracking Total damage EM damage Thermal damage Kinetic damage Explosive damage
Quake -75% +25% 14 5 9
Tremor +80% -75% 8 3 5

Energy turrets

Icon turret beam large.png

Energy turrets -- lasers -- fire beams of light to damage the enemy.

While they don't need normal ammunition, lasers use up a lot of capacitor when they fire, more than hybrid turrets. Lasers are usually fitted on Amarr ships, which have large capacitors and often bonuses which reduce lasers' capacitor requirements, but training in capacitor skills and Controlled Bursts is still an absolute necessity for Amarr pilots.

Lasers can only do electromagnetic and thermal damage. These are usually the weakest natural resists of shields but the highest natural resists of armor.

The two kinds of laser are:

  • Pulse lasers, which have short ranges and deal high DPS; and
  • Beam lasers, which have long ranges and lower DPS.

Pulse lasers are the longest-range short-range turrets, while beam lasers are the shortest-range long-range turrets. This, combined with their ammunition mechanics (discussed below), make them more 'jack of all trades' than other types of turrets.

Most Amarr ships use lasers as their primary weapon. The low slot Heat Sink module increases lasers' damage and rate of fire.

Frequency crystals

Although they don't require normal ammunition, lasers must still be loaded with crystals. Tech 1 crystals are never used up and never break down, so lasers never have to be reloaded. Unlike projectile or hybrid ammunition, crystals can be swapped instantaneously while the weapon isn't firing, letting pilots alter their guns' range very quickly. This is an advantage that should be capitalized on, as most beam lasers have very small falloff ranges and are thus ineffective against any targets not within their optimal range.

There are eight kinds of standard Tech 1 crystal. They all do a mixture of electromagnetic and thermal damage (the proportion varies), apart from Radio crystals which only deal electromagnetic damage.

Each crystal has a different range modifier, does a different amount of damage and has a different modifier to lasers' capacitor use. The better the range, the lower base damage the ammo deals, creating a sliding scale from short-ranged, high-damage Multifrequency to long-ranged, low-damage Radio.

Name Modifier to optimal rangeOptimal Cap. need Total damage EM damage Thermal damage
Multifrequency -50% 0% (+) 12 7 5
Gamma -37.5% -15% (++) 11 7 4
X-Ray -25% -25% (++) 10 6 4
Ultraviolet -12.5% -35% (++) 9 6 3
Standard 0% -45% (++) 8 5 3
Infrared +20% -35% (-) 7 5 2
Microwave +40% -25% (--) 6 4 2
Radio +60% -15% (--) 5 5
Click on the column headers to sort the table; mouse over them for a more detailed explanation.
Damage is the raw figures for the 'Small' ammo size;
Medium is 2x greater, Large is 4x greater, and Extra Large is 8x greater.

The + and - in the capacitor column indicates the relative damage to capacitor efficiency. Changes in the target's resistances will alter the order within the group given. For an omniresist, 'Standard' is highest, with efficiency dropping off either side of this.

The advanced crystals for lasers gradually degrade over time and will finally disintegrate. Tech 2 crystals have a chance to decay for each cycle, and last around 1000 shots, while faction crystals will last exactly 4000 shots.

Tech 2 Pulse Laser Crystals

The Tech 2 crystals for pulse lasers are Conflagration and Scorch. Conflagration does the most damage of any crystal, at the cost of a 30% tracking speed penalty and a 25% greater capacitor usage. Scorch has a damage only slightly lower than Imperial Navy Multifrequency, but grants 40% increased optimal range, at the cost of 25% tracking. The damage and projection of these crystals is so good that they render tech 1 pulse laser crystals largely obsolete; Conflagration's damage blows Multifrequency out of the water, while Scorch provides good damage at stunningly long ranges, especially at the battleship scale.

Name Modifier to optimal rangeOptimal Modifier to tracking speedTracking Cap. need Total damage EM damage Thermal damage
Scorch +40% -25% 0% 11 9 2
Conflagration -50% -30% +25% 17.8 8.9 8.9

For all resistance profiles, Conflagration crystals give greater damage to capacitor efficiency.

Tech 2 Beam Laser Crystals

The Tech 2 crystals for beam lasers are Aurora and Gleam. Gleam deals good damage and receives a tracking bonus, but has a much shorter range. Aurora comes with a massive 80% range bonus but low damage and a heavy penalty to tracking speed. Similar to the performance of pulse laser crystals, Gleam is not commonly used as it deals only marginally more damage than the ever-popular Imperial Navy Multifrequency, while Aurora is taken full advantage of in longer-ranged engagements.

Name Modifier to optimal rangeOptimal Modifier to tracking speedTracking Total damage EM damage Thermal damage
Aurora +80% -75% 8 5 3
Gleam -75% +25% 14 7 7

Precursor turrets

See also: Triglavian Collective
Icon turret entropic disintegrator large.png

Precursor Turrets are a turret type introduced with the Into The Abyss expansion in May 2018.

Unlike traditional kinds of turrets, there is only one type of turret for both short and long range, the Entropic Disintegrator. They use exotic plasma charges to fire a particle beam, which deals Thermal and Explosive damage. They also feature a unique damage spooling mechanic, where shots will deal more damage the longer the gun has been running. Normally, this is a +5% damage bonus to each consecutive shot, capping at +150% damage per shot after 30 shots. However, the maximum damage bonus can be affected by certain ship bonuses, and both the maximum bonus and bonus per shot can be modified with the Mimesis Implant set. Entropic Disintegrator turrets have the high tracking and ammo consumption of blasters, and the optimal range, capacitor use, and instant reloads of lasers, but also have zero falloff range. The turrets will deactivate if their target leaves optimal range. If a disintegrator deactivates for any reason, its damage bonus is reset to 0. Entropic Disintegrators can only be used on Triglavian ships, and only one turret can be fitted to each ship.

Exotic plasma

Exotic plasma ammo deals much higher damage than regular ammo types, due to Triglavian ships only having one turret slot and the turrets having a low damage multiplier. Each size of disintegrator subsitutes for a different number of regular turrets, meaning that the ammo damage scaling with increasing size is not smooth like with the other ammunition types. Unlike hybrid charges and frequency crystals, no exotic plasma charge reduces the capacitor need of an Entropic Disintegrator. The presence of only a single turret, and the high damage per shot, mean Entropic Disintegrators have very good ammunition economy.

There are three types of Tech 1 exotic plasma, offering various range options.

Name Modifier to optimal rangeOptimal Total damage Thermal damage Explosive damage
Tetryon -30% 105 72 33
Baryon +10% 99 57 42
Meson +80% 78 45 33
Damage is the raw figures for the 'Small' ammo size;
Medium is 3.07-3.17x greater, Large is 7.90-8.20x greater, and Extra Large is 39.47-41.32x greater, depending on ammo type.
Damage type ratio varies, with a higher Thermal to Explosive ratio for larger sizes.

Tech 2 Exotic Plasma

Tech 2 Exotic Plasma can only be used with Tech 2, Faction, and Officer Entropic Disintegrators. Mystic offers the damage of Baryon with better range but with a hefty 50% tracking speed penalty, while Occult offers a closer range option with more damage compared to Tetryon but with a 25% tracking speed penalty. Tech 2 Disintegrator ammo is currently unavailable in Extra Large size.

Name Modifier to optimal rangeOptimal Modifier to tracking speedTracking Total damage Thermal damage Explosive damage
Mystic +50% -50% 96 63 33
Occult -40% -25% 135 72 63
Damage is the raw figures for the 'Small' ammo size;
Medium is 3.03-3.19x greater, and Large is 7.84-7.99x greater, depending on ammo type.
Damage type ratio varies, with a higher Thermal to Explosive ratio for larger sizes.

Vorton Projectors

See also: EDENCOM
Icon turret vorton projector large.png

Vorton Projectors are a new turret type introduced with the Lightning Strikes update in June 2020. These are ship-based miniaturized versions of the Standup Arcing Vorton Projector, previously seen as the 'Doomsday Weapon' of Keepstar Citadels.

Vorton Projectors are unlike any other turret, in that they fire chain lightning which strikes the ship which is targeted, and arcs across up to nine additional random ships (or drones) within 10km of the first. Vorton Projectors consume Condenser Packs as ammunition, and deal EM and Kinetic damage. They deal very low single target DPS compared to other turrets, owing to a low rate of fire (in between beam lasers and artillery) and low turret damage multiplier (without the damage spooling bonus that disintegrators get). However, the projectors have excellent optimal range, exceeding that of beam lasers, and can deal high total damage spread across the ten ships which are hit.

Following the trend started by Entropic Disintegrators, Vorton Projectors are further detached from traditional turret mechanics. Much like disintegrators, the projectors have no falloff, are only fittable to specific ships (EDENCOM ships), and said ships only have one turret slot. However, unlike any other turret in the game, Vorton Projectors use Missile damage mechanics rather than Tracking or Falloff range. Even core gunnery skills do not affect Vorton Projectors, with this set of weapons instead having its own equivalents for Icon skillbook2.png Gunnery (-cycle time), Icon skillbook2.png Sharpshooter (+optimal range), Icon skillbook2.png Surgical Strike (+damage), and a skill combining Icon skillbook2.png Target Navigation Prediction (+explosion velocity) with Icon skillbook2.png Guided Missile Precision (-explosion radius). Lastly, modules and boosters that improve optimal range, explosion radius, or explosion velocity have no effect, and Wormhole system effects also do not apply to these weapons' damage or application.

In areas of space where crimewatch is in effect, the projectors will respect safety settings, and with full safeties enabled will only bounce to legal targets. As a consequence, however, bounces from this weapon can initiate Limited Engagements with suspects and outlaws, even if they were not targeted.

Condenser packs

Condenser packs, similar to exotic plasma, deal more damage per charge, since each ship only has one turret and with projectors having a low damage multiplier. For the same reason, damage scaling with increasing size is not smooth, due to number of turrets the projector effectively substitutes for.

There are four types of Tech 1 condenser packs, offering two range options and an EM or Kinetic slanted ammo type for each.

Name Modifier to optimal rangeOptimal Total damage EM damage Kinetic damage
BlastShot -25% 133 17 116
GalvaSurge -25% 133 116 17
SlamBolt +50% 66 13 53
MesmerFlux +50% 66 53 13
Click on the column headers to sort the table; mouse over them for a more detailed explanation.
Damage is the raw figures for the 'Small' ammo size;
Medium is 4.89-4.95x greater, and Large is 7.42-7.48x greater, depending on ammo type.
Damage type ratio varies, with a more balanced ratio for larger sizes.

Tech 2 condenser packs

Marketed under the Ultra brand, T2 condenser packs can only be used with Tech 2 and Faction Vorton Projectors. ElectroPunch Ultra is a higher damage, shorter range ammo compared to BlastShot & GalvaSurge, while SnipeStrike exceeds MesmerFlux and SlamBolt in range and damage. Both types of ultra condenser packs increase capacitor need by 25% and reduce explosion velocity by 25%.

Name Modifier to optimal rangeOptimal Modifier to explosion velocityExplosion Velocity Cap. need Total damage EM damage Kinetic damage
ElectroPunch Ultra -50% -25% +25% 160 80 80
SnipeStrike Ultra +80% -25% +25% 90 49 41
Damage is the raw figures for the 'Small' ammo size;
Medium is 4.78-4.88x greater, and Large is 7.18-7.41x greater, depending on ammo type.
Damage type ratio varies, with a generally more balanced ratio for larger sizes.

Capital Ship Turrets

Capital ship turrets have fewer variations than subcapital turrets, however the distinction between their variations is much more significant. Extra-large guns have one size of long ranged turrets, and have two sizes of short ranged turrets. The two short ranged turrets are further classified as 'capital' and 'high-angle'.

  • 'Capital' guns are extremely large short-ranged weapons capable of the highest damage output of any ship-mounted turrets, however their size makes them unable to effectively hit any targets smaller than hostile dreadnoughts. They cannot be used effectively against subcapital ships without significant support.
  • 'High-Angle Weapons' or HAWs are visibly (and by name) comprised of multiple battleship-sized guns mounted as a single turret. HAW gun turrets deal only a fraction of the damage of capital guns, however their tracking is high enough that they can reliably hit hostile subcapital ships even without significant support. HAW gun turrets can only be used by Dreadnoughts, and cannot be used at all by Titans.

Capital long ranged turrets only exist in anticapital sizes, and are not designed for use against subcapital ships.

There is only one capital ship-sized Entropic Disintegrator. It is an anticapital weapon, and like other disintegrators it operates somewhere between the traditional definitions of short and long-ranged.

Polarized Weapons

Certain short-ranged turrets (and missile launchers) have an additional special variant: 'Polarized'. Polarized turrets require T2 skills to use, and can use T2 ammunition, but have the following stat differences from T2 turrets:

  • -20% Cycle Time (therefore +25% fire rate and +25% DPS)
  • -30% Capacitor cost
  • -20% Optimal and Falloff range
  • +200% ammunition capacity
  • CPU and PWG usage equivalent to, or better than, Tech 1 turret variants
  • When fit, reduces all ship damage resistances to 0%

Polarized weapons allow for extremely high damage output, at the cost of removing almost all of a ship's defenses. As such, there are a very small number of either high-risk high-reward (high-risk PVP, Whaling, and some Burner Missions), or low-risk but slow (structure bashes), use-cases for these weapons. Additionally, as a result of the rarity of blueprints for Polarized weapons, they are somewhat more expensive than normal T2 turrets.

Gunnery Skills

Besides the skills which let you use guns themselves (Small Energy Turret, Medium Projectile Turret, Large Hybrid Turret &c &c -- these skills also give you 5% more damage per level with their related turrets) EVE has a panoply of skills which make your guns more effective. These support skills taken together make a big difference to your DPS, range, tracking and so on; anyone serious about using guns should plan to train most of them to at least level IV, and some of them to level V.

  • Gunnery: Lets you fire your guns 2% faster per level (and -2% to cycle time is better than +2% to firepower). Gunnery V is required for Large and Extra Large turrets.
  • Controlled Bursts: Reduces capacitor needs of hybrids and lasers by 5%/level. Vital, unless you only use projectile turrets -- in which case, it's useless.
  • Motion Prediction: 5% faster gun tracking speed per level.
  • Rapid Firing: 4% faster firing per level. This is important because -4% to firing cycle is a 5% increase to DPS. (But also a higher cap demand for hybrids and lasers.)
  • Sharpshooter: 5% to optimal range per level. Important for everyone, but especially snipers.
  • Surgical Strike: Adds 3% to turret damage/level. This is a rank 4 skill, taking longer to train, so focus on other skills first.
  • Trajectory Analysis: Requires Gunnery IV. Improves falloff of your guns, 5%/level. Important for everyone, but especially snipers and Minmatar pilots. (And especially especially Minmatar snipers!).
  • Weapon Upgrades: 5% less CPU required to fit turrets and launchers per level. Vital fitting skill.
  • Advanced Weapon Upgrades: Requires Weapon Upgrades IV. Decreases turret and launcher powergrid requirements by 2%/level. Also a vital fitting skill.

Vorton Projector Skills

With the exception of Advanced/Weapons Upgrades, Vorton Projectors do not benefit from any of the traditional gunnery skills listed above. Instead, it has its own set of skills. Most are analogues to normal gunnery skills.

Other Skills

Skills which, while not filed under Gunnery on the character sheet, are particularly significant include:

Related modules summary

Besides turrets themselves there are a number of related modules which you can fit to improve their performance.

Remember that stacking penalties mean that it's usually not worth fitting more than three modules which have the same effect.

Icon gyrostablizer.png
Icon vorton tuning system.png 		Each turret type has its own 'damage module'. These passive low slot modules increase rate of fire and damage per volley.
  • Magnetic Field Stabilizers for hybrid turrets.
  • Gyrostabilizers for projectile turrets.
  • Heat Sinks for energy turrets.
  • Entropic Radiation Sinks for entropic disintegrators.
  • Vorton Tuning Systems for vorton projectors.
Icon tracking enhancer.png Tracking Enhancer is another passive low slot module. This module improves turret tracking, optimal range and falloff. The same module applies to all turrets except Vorton Projectors.
Icon tracking computer i.png Tracking Computer is an active mid slot module. It uses a small amount of capacitor and has to be activated, but can offer a more substantial tracking bonuses as well as small bonuses to optimal and falloff range. It can be loaded with either the Tracking Speed script, which doubles the tracking speed bonus but removes the range bonuses entirely, or the Optimal Range script, which removes the tracking speed bonus but doubles the range bonuses (it doubles both the falloff and optimal bonus despite its name).
Icon tracking computer i.png Remote Tracking Computer is an active mid slot module. It has the same bonuses as the tracking computer. But instead of applying these bonuses on the ship it is fitted on, the module applies the bonuses to a ship that the owner targets. When combined with the hull bonus of a ship like a Scimitar this module can be very strong but quite situational.
Icon projectile rig.png Turret rigs improve one aspect at a time. All the rigs will also increase PG requirements of all fitted turrets. Not available for entropic disintegrators or vorton projectors.
  • Ambit Extension increases falloff range.
  • Locus Coordination increases optimal range.
  • Metastasis Adjuster improves tracking.
  • Burst Aerator improves rate of fire.
  • Collision Accelerator improves damage.
  • Discharge Elutriation reduces capacitor usage. Only available for hybrid and laser turrets.
  • Algid Hybrid Administrations reduces turret CPU usage. Only available for hybrid and laser turrets.
Icon drop.png There are multiple turret related medical boosters that will help your weapons apply better.
  • Drop improves turret tracking.
  • Sooth Sayer improves turret falloff range.
  • Frentix improves optimal range.
  • Agency 'Pyrolancea' improves damage.

Vorton Projectors also have a group of boosters that apply only to them:

  • EDENCOM Vorton Booster DA improves damage.
  • EDENCOM Vorton Booster GU improves explosion radius and explosion velocity.
  • EDENCOM Vorton Booster RA improves optimal range.

As of 15 June 2020, all three EDENCOM vorton boosters have an expiry date of 8 September 2020.

Icon implant hardwiring.png Practically every turret stat has an implant that improves that aspect. See the table of hardwiring implants for full list of turret implants.

Names reference

Category Faction Type Range Small Medium Large Extra Large
Frigates, Destroyers Cruisers, Battlecruisers Battleships, Attack BCs Dreadnoughts, Titans
Projectile Minmatar Autocannon Short 125mm Gatling Dual 180mm Dual 425mm Quad 800mm Repeating Cannon
150mm Light 220mm Vulcan Dual 650mm Repeating Cannon Hexa 2500mm
200mm 425mm 800mm
Artillery Long 250mm Light 650mm 1200mm Quad 3500mm Siege
280mm Howitzer 720mm Howitzer 1400mm Howitzer
Hybrid Gallente/Caldari Blaster Short Light Electron Heavy Electron Electron Blaster Cannon Triple Neutron Blaster Cannon
Ion Ion Ion Ion Siege
Neutron Neutron Neutron
Railgun Long 75mm Dual 150mm Dual 250mm Dual 1000mm
125mm 200mm 350mm
150mm 250mm 425mm
Energy Amarr Pulse Short Gatling Focused Medium Dual Heavy Quad Mega
Dual Light Heavy Mega Dual Giga
Small Focused
Beam Long Dual Light Quad Light Dual Heavy Dual Giga
Small Focused Focused Medium Mega
Heavy Tachyon
Precursor Triglavian Entropic
Disintegrator 		All Light Heavy Supratidal Ultratidal
Vorton Projector EDENCOM Vorton
Projector 		All Small Medium Large N/A

Turret Comparison

Note: Presently does not include Vorton Projectors.

Tech 1 Frigate/Destroyer Turret Comparison

All Frigate and Destroyer turrets are categorized as "Small".

  • +60% Optimal Tech 1 charges do 5 damage per shot...
  • +0% Optimal Tech 1 charges do 8 damage per shot...
  • -50% Optimal Tech 1 charges do 12 damage per shot...

...multiplied by the damage modifier of the turret.

Tech 1 Cruiser/Battlecruiser Turret Comparison

All Cruiser and Battlecruiser turrets are categorized as "Medium".

  • +60% Optimal Tech 1 charges do 10 damage per shot...
  • +0% Optimal Tech 1 charges do 16 damage per shot...
  • -50% Optimal Tech 1 charges do 24 damage per shot...

...multiplied by the damage modifier of the turret.

Tech 1 Battleship Turret Comparison

All Battleship turrets are categorized as "Large".

  • +60% Optimal Tech 1 charges do 20 damage per shot...
  • +0% Optimal Tech 1 charges do 32 damage per shot...
  • -50% Optimal Tech 1 charges do 48 damage per shot...

...multiplied by the damage modifier of the turret.

Tech 1 Dreadnought/Titan Turret Comparison

All Dreadnought and Titan turrets are categorized as "Extra Large".

  • +60% Optimal Tech 1 charges do 40 damage per shot...
  • +0% Optimal Tech 1 charges do 64 damage per shot...
  • -50% Optimal Tech 1 charges do 96 damage per shot...

...multiplied by the damage modifier of the turret.

Note that many Extra Large turrets have extremely low damage multipliers. These low values are compensated for by extremely high multipliers from ship skills, modules, and role bonuses.

See also

  • Turret mechanics for details on how turrets hit and apply their damage.
  • Missile Launchers and Drones for EVE's other main weapon systems.
  • NPC Damage Types for more information about the different kinds of damage (this is still relevant to PvP even though it's directed at NPC damage dealing).

External links

Retrieved from "https://wiki.eveuniversity.org/index.php?title=Turrets&oldid=205241"