Warp disruption
Warp Disruption
Ship is considered warp disrupted/scrambled when it is unable to use its warp drive*, and therefore being unable to avoid or escape from an engagement. Warp disruption can be caused/achieved through the use of several modules/pieces of specialized equipment. It is essential to have good understanding of their function, their advantages and limitations. You are very likely to encounter the use of such modules/equipment in PvP as well as PvE.
Unless specified otherwise warp disruption:
DOES
- Prevent you ship from using your warp drive
DOES NOT
- Prevent you from jumping through a gate, docking or using your propulsion modules (AB, MWD) and has no effect on the velocity of your ship.
Note.
Difference between Warp drive (an inherent ability of each ship to warp long distances e.g. from gate to gate) vs. Micro warp drive (mid-slot propulsion module known as “MWD” increasing the velocity of your ship.)
Standard
The most common way of warp disruption by far is through the use of two different mid-slot modules (and their respective meta variations). These are:
Warp disruptor
Is referred to as “point” (especially during fleet communication) and has the warp strength of “1”. It has unaffected range of 20km (24km for tech II module).
Warp scrambler
Is referred to as “scram” (especially during fleet communication) and has the warp strength of “2”. It has unaffected range of 7.5km (9km for tech II module). The use of Warp scrambler also shuts down the MWD module of target ship (slowing it down as a side-effect).
Note.
These two modules share several very important characteristics.
- They cause warp disruption of target ship only if their strength (or combined strength of all modules used against target ship) is greater than the ships warp strength. With the exception of few ships the base warp strength of all ships is “0” and can be increased through the use of low-slot modules called Warp Core Stabilizers (“Stabs”).
- Use of these modules is considered aggression and will trigger all actions/timers associated with it.
- Their range can be significantly increased by overheating, fleet boosting or when used on specialized ships. These ships are fleet interceptors of any race and gallente recon cruisers.
Specialized
Interdictors
Are tech II destroyers which have the capability to fit specialized module called “Interdiction sphere launcher” and therefore have the capability to launch warp disrupt probes. Such probes create interdiction bubbles/spheres having 20km in diameter and sharing the same characteristic as “bubbles” (described below). They however are different in two key aspects:
- cannot be targeted
- last 120sec after which they disappear
Heavy Interdictors
Are tech II cruisers which have the capability to fit specialized module called “Warp Disruption Field Generator”. This module (while having several adverse effects on the ship that it is used on - please consult the in-game description of this module) creates a warp disruption sphere having 16km in diameter and centred upon the ship for its entire duration. As it is a ships module, not an individual object it cannot be targeted. This field shares characteristic with “bubbles” (described below).
Note.
This module can also be loaded with “Focused Warp Disruption” script considerably changing its characteristics. When loaded this module no longer creates a sphere, but works like a “standard” warp disruptor module in that it can be used only on one target. This script also allows function of this module in Empire space. It also ignores any attribute of target ship making it otherwise immune to warp disruption – known as “infinity point”. These two distinctions make the use of it crucial in anti-capital warfare in Empire space.
Warp disruption field
Because of its appearance simply referred to as "bubble". Warp disruption fields are deploy-able objects of several sizes and variants, differentiating from one another in diameter/ amount of HP and anchoring delay. When carried to a site and anchored they create a warp disruption sphere preventing warping within its area. As it is an object in space it can be targeted and destroyed. All kinds of “bubbles” share common characteristic features:
- cannot be used in Empire space. Their use is therefore limited to 0.0 and WH space.
- prevent initiating warp within its area of effect and stop capital ships from using their jump drives.
- “drag” ships out of warp. Imagine a line along which you travel to your destination and project that line beyond your destination. If such line intersects with a bubble anywhere less than 100km from your final destination you will be either stopped or dragged to the edge of such bubble. (Yes! Dragged beyond your destination! Bubbles situated in this way are commonly referred to as drag bubbles.) Looking at the diagram below you can see what trajectories make you susceptible to being dragged by a bubble – as long as your final destination is less than 100km from the intersection of your trajectory with a bubble (otherwise you will fly right through a bubble as if it wasn’t there).
Note.
- As bubbles don’t have targeting times bubble on HIC with cloak can be effectively used as a surprise bubble.
- Bubble will influence you only if it was online when you entered warp. This means that if a bubble is placed at your destination after you entered warp you can land right in the middle of it rather than landing on the edge.