Hydra Principle
Frigates & Hydra Principle
Draft Syllabus and Class Notes. Under review & development.
Introduction
One of the most important aspect of EVE is your success depend mostly on your tactics and strategies rather than you skills and how expensive is your ships. For almost every special situation and case you can create almost infinite numbers of possible tactics and strategies. Even there are no perfect strategies at all, there are some concepts, if executed properly, work for many situation. One of these few tactics is Frigate Fleets with Hydra Principle. One of the most effective executors of this tactic, Agony Unleash, is using this approach for many of its fleet with numerous successes. It’s is being observed that even with the sufficient numbers you can engage capitals with Hydra Frigate Fleets.
Concept of Hydra Principle
Strength of Many ... Power of one is where the Hydra principle Lays. Hydra name came from the mystical beast of ancient times. The Hydra Beast was assumed to be reptilian creature with multiple heads with different properties. Also, legends says that if you can chop one of its head of than two heads will replace its place, which means cutting one offensive part , rather than limiting its offensive power, increases it. Hydra Frigate fleets depend on the number of ships and their offensive capabilities and speed to overcome their engagements. Although this principle is legit for other ship type, usage of frigates is one of the most effective ways to execute it.
Assessment of Frigates in PVP & Hydra Principle
A frigate, especially Tech 1 frigates are extremely cost effective, easily to fit with low skill levels and extremely effected is used in a proper organization and structure. There are very strong properties with that many weaknesses come with the frigates. Hydra principle is used to utilize their collective power while overcoming their weakness.
Strengths of Frigates
Frigates; - Are fast an agile - Are cheap - Are easy to fly and fit with low skills - Have small signature radius - Have short lock time - Could fit multiple E-war modules easily
Their offensive strength ratios to their price and skill requirements with support of e-war is much better than lots of ship type in eve.
Weakness of Frigates
Frigates; - Have almost no armor - Are weak against smart bombs - Have limited amount of DPS
Beside their offensive strengths, they are extremely low on defense and could not stand chance alone in extended fights against other bigger ship types.
Utilizing Frigate for execution of Hydra Principle
The concept is to use number to increase total offensive power while supporting the defense with speed, agility, low signature radius and e-war support even from the combat boats. Speed and agility keeps you mobile and makes various maneuvers easier. Fast moving fleets are not so easy to be ambushed while on a gate or another tactical location. Additional fast frigates can utilize their speed to tank the incoming fire. E-war support even from the combat DPS boats will create the edge to avoid enemy fire. Reduction of optimal range or disruption of tracking will make many enemy pilots to go crazy on their helpless situation. Number both makes it possible to deal with multiple targets and distribute the chance of being targeted by enemy. In hydra fleet, if you are being targeted and getting serious damage, it is expected that you can dis-engage and bounce to combat field. Be advised that, you low signature radius and heavy e-war support including your 10-12 Km range, after the initial encounter following the maintaining the control of the engagement, will reduce the risk to minimum, even almost zero. The one of the most important weakness, DPS will be solved with the number of ships and focus fire. Assuming average frigates dps is around 50 times 20 frigates equals’ 1000 dps is almost sufficient to take most of the average sub-cap ships. When the number goes up, the offensive and defensive power will increase exponentially. Although the method seems like blobing but indifferently, the whole group is consist or well organized and fitted frigates. The self-awareness of each pilot and proper execution of their role and the tactic in structure will result tremendous results.
How to fit your frigates for Hydra Fleets
Fits for Hydra fleets depends on some basic rules and fleet structure. There are some absolute things that you shouldn’t fit and you should fit such as; Avoid fitting;
Armor tanks because they will slow you down and will only keep you alive for few more second but you lose the most important think; you speed Shield tanks because their protection will only keep you alive for few more second but if you use e-war module rather than shield tank modules, you collective fleet e-war strength will paralyze almost all of your enemies. Utilizing e-war in mid slots provide a fleet wide defense and your collective e-way power is much more above then you personnel shield tanks
Microwarp drive (unless you fit warp scrambler) because frigate are fast enough with their own speed and after burners can provide necessary boost while keeping your signature radius same and cap stable. Microwarp drives will increase your signature rate results that enemy could lock you faster and can put more damage as a result of the sig-radius increase. The only exception is for interceptors and fast close range tacklers with Warp scrambler.
Sensor boosters, because your locking duration is already sufficient enough to lock enemy first. Considering the fact that most of the target will be ships with bigger size and signature radius, utilization of sensor booster are not requires. Additionally, sensor boosters boost levels are much smaller then Remote sensor booster. If sensor boosting is required, remote sensor boosters are almost three times more effective then local boosters.
While avoid using above mentioned modules, you fit should be in accordance with the rules written below;
Long range weapons are required for Hydra Frigates fleets because; Smart bombs effect is for close range so you may keep attacking while avoiding smart bomb risk. Defense properties of e-war support will reduce and cripple your targets optimal, tracking speed and targeting range. As a result of this, the risk of receiving damage reduces substantially.
E-war modules user in almost all frigates because; Activating multiple Tracking disruptors and Sensor dampeners will cripple your enemy’s sensory systems and make its offensive power useless. As an example;
Average drakes targeting range is around 75 km. If you activate 6 Sensor Dampeners with scripts on them (tech 1 – meta 0) you can disable the drakes offensive power while you are at your own effective range. The new targeting range of the drake will be 13 km with the cumulative effects
As another example; if you activate three TD on a Hurricane, you make it impossible for the Hurricane to track you with its guns. Consider the same situation with optimal scripts on an Amarr or Gallente gun boat. Only 3 Tracking Distruptor will reduce the tracking speed down to its 27% of the original amount.
After burners should be used as speed boosting modules. Frigates are already fast enough and if additional boost is requires Afterburners are sufficient and more cap friendly.
Damage control units are your best friend in Hydra fleet. That chunk of additional structural HP and resistance ensure that, you survive a bomb run or a single smart bomb from close range. Also provides you an edge to disengage and bounce when targeted.
Internal Nano structure is a perfect module for your low slots which both increase your speed and agility while taking no power or CPU grids. Also reactor control units and co-Processors make is possible for your to support your high and mid slots.
Generally all Hydra Fleet members have additional modules for e-war in case it is required to chance for adapting a situation and balancing the fleet structure.
Structure of the Hydra Fleet
Hydra principle requires well structuring for proper execution. E-war should be distributed evenly with multiple execution groups. Each group will be assigned to another target during engagement and each member should act quickly to engage its given target. Because the offensive power depends of the unity of the fist, each pilot should be aware of his position, target and total fleet condition. These are the most important points of a Hydra fleet separating it from a standard Blob. Excluding short range tacklers (warp scramblers with webifiers), all fleet members should fit one E-war module and kept other in its cargo hold. During the fleet assembly, e-war strength, dps and tackle is assessed by the FC and members structure into sub groups to act on specific targets. The proper structure will increase the offensive power and optimize the defensive strength to cover more targets during engagements. Different groups may engage different ships with their e-war modules but usually all fleet DPS focus on one target. While holding other target by e-war, one by one, fleet takes down the enemy. There could be losses but numbers keep the effectiveness on tract during the engagements. Beside the frigates losses with little cost, many expensive targets could be eliminated with such as simple force.
Conclusion
Execution of Hydra tactics with frigates requires specific preparation and high level self-awareness. The top levels of these fleets are executed with Assault ships and interceptors but even the tech 1 frigates with sufficient numbers are sufficient enough to get solid results. Hydra principle indifferently giving single orders for fleet uni-body, defines objectives for group of fleet members and expect them to properly execute its power for that objective. That is why pushes members to think as an collective group but act impartially during engagements. Considering these points, Hydra principle requires advance PVP experience and creates personal challenges to each member more frequently than standard fleets.
