Difference between revisions of "Battlecruisers"

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{{ShipTypes}}
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'''Battlecruisers''' are larger, slower and have more slots than [[Cruiser|cruisers]], but they're smaller than [[Battleship|battleships]] and fit the same medium-sized weapons that cruisers use. They occupy a position between cruisers and battleships analogous to [[Destroyer|destroyers]]' position between [[Frigate|frigates]] and [[Cruiser|cruisers]], although battlecruisers are much more versatile and widely-used than destroyers.
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== T1 Battlecruisers ==
 
== T1 Battlecruisers ==
Battlecruisers are larger, slower and have more slots than [[Cruiser|cruisers]], but they're smaller than [[Battleship|battleships]] and fit the same medium-sized weapons that cruisers use. They occupy a position between cruisers and battleships analogous to [[Destroyer|destroyers]]' position between [[Frigate|frigates]] and cruisers, although battlecruisers are much more versatile and widely-used than destroyers.
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=== Combat Battlecruisers ===
 
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In PvP combat battlecruisers represent a good balance between DPS, tanking, agility, speed and cost (they cost much less to lose than a battleship). Battlecruisers can be fitted for long or short range PvP combat. In large-scale alliance battles in [[nullsec]] they are often part of each side's 'support fleet', defending the main battleship fleet from attack.
In pvp Tech 1 battlecruisers represent a good balance between dps, tanking, agility, speed and cost (they cost much less to lose than a battleship). Battlecruisers can be fitted for long or short range pvp combat. In large-scale alliance battles in nullsec they are often part of each side's 'support fleet', defending the main battleship fleet from attack.
 
 
 
In pve battlecruisers are the standard tool for completing Level 3 combat missions. Several battlecruisers can mount [[Shield tanking#Shield Tanking Styles|passive shield tanks]] ideal for pve combat; the Caldari Drake can mount an absolutely exceptional passive shield tank. Battlecruisers are also suitable salvage ships for the large amount of loot produced by Level 4 missions.
 
  
Battlecruisers also have the ability to fit a single warfare link, which can give extra bonuses to your gang. Warfare links will be described more closely in the section below on command ships.
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In PvE battlecruisers are the standard tool for completing Level 3 combat [[missions]]. Several battlecruisers can mount [[Shield tanking#Shield Tanking Styles|passive shield tanks]] ideal for PvE combat; the Caldari Drake can mount an absolutely exceptional passive shield tank.  
  
=== Amarr ===
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Combat battlecruisers also have the ability to fit a single [[Command Bursts|Command Burst]], which can give extra bonuses to your fleet.
  
*[http://wiki.eveonline.com/wiki/Prophecy Prophecy]: Can tank better then some BSs. Usually bait. Low DPS.
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* {{icon|isis amarr|22px}}[[Prophecy]]: Can tank better than some battleships. Usually bait. Low DPS.
*[http://wiki.eveonline.com/wiki/Harbinger Harbinger]: High DPS, can tank well. Can be fast when it isn't loaded down with armor plates. Very cap-dependant, since it uses lasers.
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* {{icon|isis amarr|22px}}[[Harbinger]]: High DPS, can tank well. Can be fast when it isn't loaded down with armor plates. Very cap-dependant, since it uses lasers.
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* {{icon|isis caldari|22px}}[[Ferox]]: Hybrid turret gunboat. Very long range with railguns. Popular for larger fleets because it offers a lot of DPS and Tank for its price.
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* {{icon|isis caldari|22px}}[[Drake]]: Amazing passive shield tank for PvE combat, however low DPS with Heavy missiles. Alternatively, good PvP DPS when fitted with Heavy Assault Missiles. Often bait in PvP.
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* {{icon|isis gallente|22px}}[[Brutix]]: Blaster gunboat, high point-blank DPS, usually not well tanked. Sometimes mounts a PvP shield buffer tank for speed and to clear lowslots for damage mods.
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* {{icon|isis gallente|22px}}[[Myrmidon]]: Versatile drone boat. Usually mounts an active armor tank. Can also mount a passive shield tank.
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* {{icon|isis minmatar|22px}}[[Cyclone]]: Respectable missile DPS, bonuses for active shield tanking.
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* {{icon|isis minmatar|22px}}[[Hurricane]]: High projectile DPS and high speed. Viable with autocannons, popular with artillery. Can mount an active armor tank, buffer armor or shield tanks, or even a passive shield tank.
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* {{icon|isis triglavian|22}}[[Drekavac]]: Heavily armored, and if given time can ramp up to exceed battleships in DPS. Three utility high slots for neutralizers, nosferatus, [[Smartbombs]], or even remote armor repairers.
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* {{sh|Gnosis}}: A "Limited Edition" Jovian / SOCT ship, given for free to pilots on every year's anniversary of the game's launch. Requires no skills to fly, has bonuses to all forms of weapons, aligns quickly, fields a very large cargo bay, and can be equally well Shielded or Armored. Very much a jack of all trades. However, it has fewer turrets than other battlecruisers, and does not benefit from any ship skill training, meaning that while it is an excellent ship for newer pilots, it will be out-performed by other ships with better training.
  
=== Caldari ===
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=== Attack Battlecruisers ===
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Each empire has one battlecruiser designed for mounting battleship-sized (i.e. large) weapons (as opposed to the medium-sized weapons normally mounted by battlecruisers). With damage bonuses and full racks of 8 guns, these ships can potentially deal even ''more'' damage than some battleships, at the cost of having weaker defenses than most cruisers. As a result of an old naming convention, these ships are sometimes referred to as "tier 3 battlecruisers" (not to be confused with [[Tech 3]] Destroyers and Cruisers).
  
*[http://wiki.eveonline.com/wiki/Ferox Ferox]: Hybrid turret gunboat. Not very popular.
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* {{icon|isis amarr|22px}}[[Oracle]]: Battleship-sized laser platform. Commonly used as either a sniper, or a structure bashing ship. Slower than other attack BCs, but ironically also the best in nanogang combat.
*[http://wiki.eveonline.com/wiki/Drake Drake]: Amazing passive shield tank for pve combat (with low DPS). Alternatively, good pvp DPS when fitted with Heavy Assault Missiles. Drakes are often bait in pvp.
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* {{icon|isis caldari|22px}}[[Naga]]: Ultra-long-range railgun platform. Generally sacrifices all conventional defenses to potentially reach 300km range. Easiest battlecruiser to fit for sniper combat.
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* {{icon|isis gallente|22px}}[[Talos]]: Battleship-grade blasters on cruiser-grade armor. Risky to use in close range, but extremely high damage.
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* {{icon|isis minmatar|22px}}[[Tornado]]: Despite its bonuses promoting the use of autocannons, almost exclusively used with 1400mm artillery. Extremely popular suicide ganking ship due to extremely high alpha damage at a relatively low price.
  
=== Gallente ===
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== Empire Faction Battlecruisers ==
 
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Each empire has one faction battlecruiser based on a combat battlecruiser. Empire faction battlecruisers can be obtained through LP stores. Their base HP is 50% more than their corresponding T1 hull. Many other values (like speed and fitting space) are usually also increase. All of these variants sacrifice one of the original hull's bonuses, to gain a new bonus to damage application.
*[http://wiki.eveonline.com/wiki/Brutix Brutix]: Blaster gunboat, high point-blank dps, usually not well tanked. Sometimes mounts a pvp shield buffer tank for speed and to clear lowslots for damage mods.
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* {{icon|isis amarr|22}}[[Harbinger Navy Issue]] - Even more cap-dependent than the regular Harbinger, but with improved tracking and an extra Mid slot to compensate.
*[http://wiki.eveonline.com/wiki/Myrmidon Myrmidon]: Versatile drone boat. Usually mounts an active armor tank. Can also mount a passive shield tank.
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* {{icon|isis caldari|22}}[[Drake Navy Issue]] - Much more offensive variant to the Drake. Sacrifices shield resistance for greatly improved damage and application. Weaker in PVE but popular in wormhole brawling.
 
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* {{icon|isis gallente|22}}[[Brutix Navy Issue]] - Loses the bonus to local armor repairers but becomes much more capable of fitting a solid buffer. Very commonly ''hull'' tanked, and used as extremely durable and high-DPS bait.
=== Minmatar ===
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* {{icon|isis minmatar|22}}[[Hurricane Fleet Issue]] - The original Hurricane, before being reclassified after CONCORD declared it to be far too effective. Improved fitting, tracking, and alpha damage cement its place as a fast-moving heavy artillery platform.
 
 
*[http://wiki.eveonline.com/wiki/Cyclone Cyclone]: Respectable DPS, bonuses for active shield tanking.
 
*[http://wiki.eveonline.com/wiki/Hurricane Hurricane]: High DPS and high speed. Can mount an active armor tank, buffer armor or shield tanks, or even a passive shield tank.
 
  
 
== T2 Battlecruisers ==
 
== T2 Battlecruisers ==
=== Command Ships ===  
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=== Command Ships ===
These come in two classes, field command ships, which are basically just a stronger version of the original Tech 1 battlecruiser hull with a bit more DPS, more tank, and better resists; and fleet command ships. Fleet command ships get a bonus to their racial warfare links, and in general have extremely good tanks with great resists. The racial links are: Armor for Amarr, Shield for Caldari, Skirmish for Minmatar and Information for Gallente, and there are three types of links in each class. If the command ship is in a leadership position in the fleet, everyone below him in the command chain (including normal members) get bonuses, assuming the command chain is complete.
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Command ships are battlecruisers with exceptional tank, stronger DPS, and a significant bonus to the effectiveness of [[Command Bursts|Command Burst]] modules. They are very SP-intensive ships, requiring Fleet Support skills, but are functionally very simple ships, mostly acting as direct upgrades to their tech I variants. Their durability and simplicity lends them to being flown by the fleet commanders of small fleets. They can operate 2 Command Burst modules simultaneously, can be rigged to operate up to 4 bursts, and provide the most powerful command bursts of any ships (outside of mining). Each command ship's strength bonus applies to two, racially determined, burst types.
 
 
Armor/Shield links:
 
# Armor/shield resist bonus (stacking penalized with resist mods on the ship)
 
# Armor/shield repper (both local and remote) cycle time reduction
 
# Armor/shield repper (both local and remote) cap use reduction (combine 2 and 3 to get RRs with lower cycle time, but same cap use/second as before)
 
  
Skirmish:
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==== Attack Command Ships ====
# Increase speed mod of afterburners and MWDs, so you go faster with them activated.
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Attack command ships are specialized towards high damage and strong command bursts. They lose the innate 50% command burst range bonus from T1 Battlecruisers, but in exchange feature a 4%/level strength bonus. They also have two ship bonuses that improve DPS.
# Increase the range of warp disruptors/scramblers and webs. HIC points do not receive this bonus.
 
# Lower signature radius of all ships in gang, making them harder to hit and lock.
 
  
Information:
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* {{icon|isis amarr|22px}}[[Absolution]]: Very high DPS, and omni-resistant armor. Armor and Information Command.
# Boost the strength of EW mods, like ecm and damps
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* {{icon|isis caldari|22px}}[[Nighthawk]]: Powerful kinetic heavy and heavy assault missiles, and also very durable thanks to a shield resistance bonus. Shield and Information.
# Increase range of EW mods
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* {{icon|isis gallente|22px}}[[Astarte]]: A Brutix but with actual armor. Superior blaster damage, and can survive on the front lines. Armor and Skirmish.
# Increase sensor strength (possibly stacking penalized with ECCM)
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* {{icon|isis minmatar|22px}}[[Sleipnir]]: The final word in medium artillery platforms. High speed, omni-resistant shields, and high alpha. Shield and Skirmish.
  
The warfare links themselves only give a 2% or 3% boost, but that can be increased '''a lot''' by training relevant skills, fitting the links on a fleet command ship (or a Tech 3 [[Strategic Cruiser|strategic cruiser]] with the proper subsystems), and by using the racial mind link implant. With all that taken into account, a 2% bonus is increased to 26%, and a 3% bonus become a 39% bonus. Fleet command ships can therefore have a huge impact on the outcome of a battle, despite doing very low DPS.
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==== Fleet Command Ships ====
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Fleet command ships are specialized towards survivability and powerful long range bursts. They feature a 100% command burst range bonus, and 3%/level strength bonus. They all have a resistance bonus that improves survivability, and the Damnnation and Vulture further have a bonus that increases their armor and shield HP, respectively.
  
* [http://wiki.eveonline.com/wiki/Absolution Absolution] (Amarr)
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* {{icon|isis amarr|22px}}[[Damnation]]: The most durable subcapital ship in the game, however still suffers from low damage. Armor and Information.
* [http://wiki.eveonline.com/wiki/Damnation Damnation] (Amarr)
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* {{icon|isis caldari|22px}}[[Vulture]]: Ideal command ship for railgun-based battles due to range and natural resistance, and the most durable shield subcapital. Shield and Information.
* [http://wiki.eveonline.com/wiki/Nighthawk Nighthawk] (Caldari)
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* {{icon|isis gallente|22px}}[[Eos]]: Sentry drone carrier. Commonly used as an FC ship in PVE fleets. Armor and Skirmish.
* [http://wiki.eveonline.com/wiki/Vulture Vulture] (Caldari)
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* {{icon|isis minmatar|22px}}[[Claymore]]: Less durable than the Vulture, but useful in missile fleets or where Skirmish links are needed. Extremely high rate-of-fire. Shield and Skirmish.
* [http://wiki.eveonline.com/wiki/Astarte Astarte] (Gallente)
 
* [http://wiki.eveonline.com/wiki/Eos Eos] (Gallente)
 
* [http://wiki.eveonline.com/wiki/Claymore Claymore] (Minmatar)
 
* [http://wiki.eveonline.com/wiki/Sleipnir Sleipnir] (Minmatar)
 
  
  
[[category:ships]]
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[[Category:Ships]]

Revision as of 08:40, 24 August 2020

Battlecruisers are larger, slower and have more slots than cruisers, but they're smaller than battleships and fit the same medium-sized weapons that cruisers use. They occupy a position between cruisers and battleships analogous to destroyers' position between frigates and cruisers, although battlecruisers are much more versatile and widely-used than destroyers.

T1 Battlecruisers

Combat Battlecruisers

In PvP combat battlecruisers represent a good balance between DPS, tanking, agility, speed and cost (they cost much less to lose than a battleship). Battlecruisers can be fitted for long or short range PvP combat. In large-scale alliance battles in nullsec they are often part of each side's 'support fleet', defending the main battleship fleet from attack.

In PvE battlecruisers are the standard tool for completing Level 3 combat missions. Several battlecruisers can mount passive shield tanks ideal for PvE combat; the Caldari Drake can mount an absolutely exceptional passive shield tank.

Combat battlecruisers also have the ability to fit a single Command Burst, which can give extra bonuses to your fleet.

  • Isis amarr.pngProphecy: Can tank better than some battleships. Usually bait. Low DPS.
  • Isis amarr.pngHarbinger: High DPS, can tank well. Can be fast when it isn't loaded down with armor plates. Very cap-dependant, since it uses lasers.
  • Isis caldari.pngFerox: Hybrid turret gunboat. Very long range with railguns. Popular for larger fleets because it offers a lot of DPS and Tank for its price.
  • Isis caldari.pngDrake: Amazing passive shield tank for PvE combat, however low DPS with Heavy missiles. Alternatively, good PvP DPS when fitted with Heavy Assault Missiles. Often bait in PvP.
  • Isis gallente.pngBrutix: Blaster gunboat, high point-blank DPS, usually not well tanked. Sometimes mounts a PvP shield buffer tank for speed and to clear lowslots for damage mods.
  • Isis gallente.pngMyrmidon: Versatile drone boat. Usually mounts an active armor tank. Can also mount a passive shield tank.
  • Isis minmatar.pngCyclone: Respectable missile DPS, bonuses for active shield tanking.
  • Isis minmatar.pngHurricane: High projectile DPS and high speed. Viable with autocannons, popular with artillery. Can mount an active armor tank, buffer armor or shield tanks, or even a passive shield tank.
  • Isis triglavian.pngDrekavac: Heavily armored, and if given time can ramp up to exceed battleships in DPS. Three utility high slots for neutralizers, nosferatus, Smartbombs, or even remote armor repairers.
  • Society of Conscious ThoughtGnosis: A "Limited Edition" Jovian / SOCT ship, given for free to pilots on every year's anniversary of the game's launch. Requires no skills to fly, has bonuses to all forms of weapons, aligns quickly, fields a very large cargo bay, and can be equally well Shielded or Armored. Very much a jack of all trades. However, it has fewer turrets than other battlecruisers, and does not benefit from any ship skill training, meaning that while it is an excellent ship for newer pilots, it will be out-performed by other ships with better training.

Attack Battlecruisers

Each empire has one battlecruiser designed for mounting battleship-sized (i.e. large) weapons (as opposed to the medium-sized weapons normally mounted by battlecruisers). With damage bonuses and full racks of 8 guns, these ships can potentially deal even more damage than some battleships, at the cost of having weaker defenses than most cruisers. As a result of an old naming convention, these ships are sometimes referred to as "tier 3 battlecruisers" (not to be confused with Tech 3 Destroyers and Cruisers).

  • Isis amarr.pngOracle: Battleship-sized laser platform. Commonly used as either a sniper, or a structure bashing ship. Slower than other attack BCs, but ironically also the best in nanogang combat.
  • Isis caldari.pngNaga: Ultra-long-range railgun platform. Generally sacrifices all conventional defenses to potentially reach 300km range. Easiest battlecruiser to fit for sniper combat.
  • Isis gallente.pngTalos: Battleship-grade blasters on cruiser-grade armor. Risky to use in close range, but extremely high damage.
  • Isis minmatar.pngTornado: Despite its bonuses promoting the use of autocannons, almost exclusively used with 1400mm artillery. Extremely popular suicide ganking ship due to extremely high alpha damage at a relatively low price.

Empire Faction Battlecruisers

Each empire has one faction battlecruiser based on a combat battlecruiser. Empire faction battlecruisers can be obtained through LP stores. Their base HP is 50% more than their corresponding T1 hull. Many other values (like speed and fitting space) are usually also increase. All of these variants sacrifice one of the original hull's bonuses, to gain a new bonus to damage application.

  • Isis amarr.pngHarbinger Navy Issue - Even more cap-dependent than the regular Harbinger, but with improved tracking and an extra Mid slot to compensate.
  • Isis caldari.pngDrake Navy Issue - Much more offensive variant to the Drake. Sacrifices shield resistance for greatly improved damage and application. Weaker in PVE but popular in wormhole brawling.
  • Isis gallente.pngBrutix Navy Issue - Loses the bonus to local armor repairers but becomes much more capable of fitting a solid buffer. Very commonly hull tanked, and used as extremely durable and high-DPS bait.
  • Isis minmatar.pngHurricane Fleet Issue - The original Hurricane, before being reclassified after CONCORD declared it to be far too effective. Improved fitting, tracking, and alpha damage cement its place as a fast-moving heavy artillery platform.

T2 Battlecruisers

Command Ships

Command ships are battlecruisers with exceptional tank, stronger DPS, and a significant bonus to the effectiveness of Command Burst modules. They are very SP-intensive ships, requiring Fleet Support skills, but are functionally very simple ships, mostly acting as direct upgrades to their tech I variants. Their durability and simplicity lends them to being flown by the fleet commanders of small fleets. They can operate 2 Command Burst modules simultaneously, can be rigged to operate up to 4 bursts, and provide the most powerful command bursts of any ships (outside of mining). Each command ship's strength bonus applies to two, racially determined, burst types.

Attack Command Ships

Attack command ships are specialized towards high damage and strong command bursts. They lose the innate 50% command burst range bonus from T1 Battlecruisers, but in exchange feature a 4%/level strength bonus. They also have two ship bonuses that improve DPS.

  • Isis amarr.pngAbsolution: Very high DPS, and omni-resistant armor. Armor and Information Command.
  • Isis caldari.pngNighthawk: Powerful kinetic heavy and heavy assault missiles, and also very durable thanks to a shield resistance bonus. Shield and Information.
  • Isis gallente.pngAstarte: A Brutix but with actual armor. Superior blaster damage, and can survive on the front lines. Armor and Skirmish.
  • Isis minmatar.pngSleipnir: The final word in medium artillery platforms. High speed, omni-resistant shields, and high alpha. Shield and Skirmish.

Fleet Command Ships

Fleet command ships are specialized towards survivability and powerful long range bursts. They feature a 100% command burst range bonus, and 3%/level strength bonus. They all have a resistance bonus that improves survivability, and the Damnnation and Vulture further have a bonus that increases their armor and shield HP, respectively.

  • Isis amarr.pngDamnation: The most durable subcapital ship in the game, however still suffers from low damage. Armor and Information.
  • Isis caldari.pngVulture: Ideal command ship for railgun-based battles due to range and natural resistance, and the most durable shield subcapital. Shield and Information.
  • Isis gallente.pngEos: Sentry drone carrier. Commonly used as an FC ship in PVE fleets. Armor and Skirmish.
  • Isis minmatar.pngClaymore: Less durable than the Vulture, but useful in missile fleets or where Skirmish links are needed. Extremely high rate-of-fire. Shield and Skirmish.