Signature radius
The signature radius of your ship represents how large the electronic footprint of your ship is. While the signature radius does not describe how big the ship appears visually, most other aspects are governed by the signature size of the ship.
General Information
The signature radius is, all intents and purposes how "big" on somebody else sensors. While ship size and signature radius general correspond (a frigate is smaller and has a smaller signature radius then a battleship), this is not necessarily true for all situations. In particular Tech II ships can have a very different signature size, even if they use the same hull size as their Tech I counterpart.
Example: Tech I, Osprey, size: 348m, signature radius: 125 Tech II, Basilisk, size: 348m, signature radius 90
Important effects of the signature radius are:
- How fast your ship can be targeted
- How much damage is taken from most weapons.
- How easily your ship can be detected with combat probes.
Targeting Time
One of the effects of signature radius is how long it takes to target a ship. This is easy to remember once you consider the signature radius is the size your ship has on the sensors.
Targeting Time Equation
Here are the terms in the equation:
| X | Effective scan resolution of your ship | Note: The bigger the faster |
| Y | Signature radius of the target | Note: The bigger the faster |
Modifying the Base Scan resolution
The scan resolution of the targeting ship is affected by various aspects.
The ship has a base scan resolution, which can be altered by skills, modules and rigs.
Modules and Rigs
- Cloaking devices
Fitting a cloaking device in high slot of your ship will reduce the scan resolution even when the module is offline (Prototype Cloak, -50% scan resolution). The covert ops cloak, which can only be fit on specific ships (specifically, Blockade Runners, Covert Ops frigates, Stealth Bombers, Force Recon cruisers, and T3 cruisers with the Covert Reconfiguration subsystem), does not have this penalty.
- Sensor Booster
This medium module, often called a "SeBo", increases the scan resolution and the targeting range of the fitted ship (Sensor Booster I, 25%). The module can be loaded with a script that disables one of the effects to double the other.
- Sensor Damper
This mid-slot targeted module, often simply called a "damp", will significantly reduce the scan resolution (and targeting range) of the ship it is applied to. Like the Sensor Booster, it can be loaded with a script that doubles the potency of one of the effects while disabling the other.
- Warp Core Stabilizer
This low slot module decreases the scan resolution (as well as targeting range) significantly (Warp Core Stabilizer I, -50% scan resolution)
- Signal Amplifier
This low slot module increases your scan resolution (as well as targeting range) by a little (Signal Amplifier I, 10 % scan resolution)
- Targeting System Subcontroller I
This rig increases scan resolution by 20%.
Skills and Implants
- Signature Analysis
This skill will increase scan resolution by 5% per level.
- Leadership
This skill will increase the targeting speed directly by 2% per level. The skill requires a fleet to work. You can find more information in the article about Fleet Leadership
- Slot 7: Hardwiring - Zainou 'Gypsy' KNB-25 (also available as KNB-50 and KNB-75)
This implant for slot 7 increases your scan resolution by 1% (respectively KNB-50, 3%, KNB-75, 5%)
Signature radius effect on Weapon Damage
A smaller signature radius can help to reduce incoming damage from turrets, missiles and bombs.
You can find more information about this effect and the equations in the dedicated articles about Turret Damage, Missile Damage and Bombs
The only weapon system that is not affected by signature size is the smartbomb.
Modifying the the Base Signature radius
Modules and Rigs
There are no skills that alter the signature radius of your ship. However, there are several modules that will increase either your or your opponent's signature radius:
- Microwarpdrives: These propulsion modules increase your signature radius by 500% while active (less for faction modules) in exchange for a 500% increase in speed. This means that while you have this active, all turret-based ships have a much greater chance to hit you. This can be offset by your increased speed, as long as you do not fly directly at the target. Against missiles, the increase in signature radius has no real effect on incoming damage, as the increase in velocity counters it.
- Target Painters: These EWAR modules increase the target's signature radius by 25-30%. This increase in signature radius can greatly boost damage if the target is smaller than the missile/turret type used against it, or if it's moving too quickly for the explosion radius of the missile/tracking of the turret. If your turrets hit often or the missile's explosion velocity is much larger than the target's velocity, target painters will have very little effect.
- Shield Extenders: The small, medium, large, and x-large shield extenders add a flat 1, 2, 7, and 25 m to the ship's signature radius, respectively.
- Shield Rigs: Each increases the ship's signature radius by 10%. Note this penalty can be reduced to 5% with the shield rigging skill.
- Inertial Stabilizers: These increase your signature radius by 10-11%.
Skills and Implants
Halo implants, Skirmish Warfare Link - Evasive Maneuvers, and X-Instinct Boosters can all reduce the signature radius of your ship.
Signature Radii of Ships, by Hull Type
Sortable table of all ships avalible to the player in EVE and their signature size (as of of Inferno 1.2)
