User:Antei thantonne/Logistics Guide

Introduction is complete and transferred.

Logistics Modules and Mechanics

Complete, and transferred.

I won't be making any more modifications to this section here; all future changes will be made directly to the Logistics Guide page itself.

Logistics Ships

Racial Specializations

Race	Armor or Shield?	Cap-Chain or Solo?
	Armor	Cap-Chain
	Shield	Cap-Chain
	Armor	Solo
	Shield	Solo

Each of the four player races specializes in the type of logistics that their ships are naturally tanked for. Caldari and Minmatar ships are ordinarily shield-tanked, and so these two races specialize in shield logistics; and Amarr and Gallente ships are typically armor-tanked, so these two races specialize in armor logistics. In addition, each race either specializes in cap-chain logistics, or not, as shown by the chart at right. It is important to note that capacitor chaining only works for cruisers and force auxiliaries; all frigate logistics ships, of all races, are "solo" logistics ships.

This Guide focuses on logistics ships of most interest to young Unista pilots—on logistics frigates and cruisers. The Guide also discusses, more briefly, battleship and capital logistics. More information on these topics is available on the individual ship articles for ships in this class.

Tech I Logistics Frigates

Each of the four empire factions has a Tech I frigate dedicated to logistics, and these frigates are good starting ships for Unistas looking to begin training into the logistics role. The bonuses for the two Tech I shield logistics frigates—the Bantam and the Burst—are identical, as are the bonuses for the two Tech I armor logistics frigates, the Inquisitor and the Navitas. The most common fits for the four ships are also very similar. In general, the Burst and Inquisitor are slightly favored over the other two because of advantages in speed (in the case of the Burst) and tank (Inquisitor).

Logistics frigates have the least repping power and shortest optimal range out of all the logistics ships, but they do have the advantage of being very inexpensive and difficult to hit (like any other Tech I frigate). The charts below illustrate statistics for Tech I shield and armor logistics frigates (using fits that can be shown by mousing over the corresponding table headers) piloted by a typical, low-skill Unista*:

File:Bantam 128.png	File:Burst 128.png	Caldari/Minmatar Frigate bonuses (per skill level): 10% bonus to Remote Shield Booster amount 10% reduction in Remote Shield Booster activation cost Role bonuses: (applies regardless of skill level) 300% bonus to Remote Shield Booster falloff
Bantam	Burst

Burst (mouseover for sample fit)Template:GuideFittings
Shield Boost Rate	Optimal Range	Falloff	eHP
73 HP/sec	4 km	29 km	4000

∗ Calculated using UniWiki minimum recommended skillplan, plus Shield Emissions Systems III.

File:Inquisitor 128.png	File:Navitas 128.png	Amarr/Gallente Frigate bonuses (per skill level): 10% bonus to Remote Armor Repairer amount 10% reduction in Remote Armor Repairer activation cost Role bonuses: 50% bonus to Remote Armor Repairer optimal range 600% bonus to Remote Armor Repairer falloff
Inquisitor	Navitas

Inquisitor (mouseover for sample fit)Template:GuideFittings
Armor Repair Rate	Optimal Range	Falloff	eHP
73 HP/sec	12 km	19 km	6800

∗ Calculated using UniWiki minimum recommended skillplan, plus Remote Armor Repair Systems III.

As these tables show, a Tech I logistics frigate can repair the damage caused by one or two opponents at most, at short range. (These tables shows HP repaired, rather than eHP repaired. HP can be converted to eHP by dividing by the resist remainder; so, if your Burst was boosting the shields of a fleetmate Svipul that had 75% resists across the board, you would be providing [73 / 0.25] = 292 eHP/sec. That means that the repair rate numbers shown above are deceptively low, but they still aren't great.) Shield logistics frigates have very short optimal ranges, so they can almost never apply their full repair capacity. Pilots with poor capacitor skills, or low skills in the appropriate racial frigate skill or in Shield Emissions Systems or Remote Armor Repair Systems, will have trouble with capacitor even if they use all "Enduring" meta versions of all active modules. For a freshman Unista, as a result, Tech I logistics frigates demand higher skills than analogous Tech I EWAR or tackle frigates.

Still, there are a few roles that Tech I logistics frigates fill uniquely well. Logistics frigates are better than logistics cruisers in gangs of frigate and destroyer damage dealers, because they have the speed to keep up, particularly when fitted with microwarpdrives. And the Inquisitor (along with the Tech II Deacon, described in the next section) is the preferred logistics hull for small-ship wormhole PvE. In general, however, logistics pilots fly cruisers much more often than frigates.

Tech II Logistics Frigates

In the Frostline patch of Dec 2015, CCP introduced a new ship class: the Tech II logistics frigate. Tech II logistics frigates were designed to improve on their Tech I counterparts in a number of ways. They have considerably more CPU and powergrid, and one more fitting slot, relative to the Tech I frigates above. Tech II logistics frigates also have some unique bonuses relative to Tech I frigates. Flying a Tech II logistics frigate requires a dedicated skill, Logistics Frigates. Because this skill contributes significantly to bonuses in this ship class, pilots are encouraged to train it to IV or V before flying a Tech II logistics frigate. The charts below show data on Tech II shield and armor logistics frigates (and, specifically, the Kirin and Deacon, fit in distinctly different ways) piloted by a high-skill logistics pilot*:

File:Kirin 128.png	File:Scalpel 128.png	Caldari/Minmatar Frigate bonuses (per skill level): 10% bonus to Remote Shield Booster amount 10% reduction in Remote Shield Booster activation cost Logistics Frigates bonuses (per skill level): 5% reduction in Remote Shield Booster duration and activation cost For Kirin: 7.5% bonus to shield hitpoints For Scalpel: 4% reduction in signature radius Role bonuses: 300% bonus to Remote Shield Booster falloff
Kirin	Scalpel

Kirin (mouseover for sample fit)Template:GuideFittings
Shield Boost Rate	Optimal Range	Falloff	eHP
123 HP/sec	5 km	31 km	9700

∗ Calculated usng UniWiki advanced recommended skillplan +1 at each skill, plus Logistics Frigates IV, Shield Emission Systems V.

File:Deacon 128.png	File:Thalia 128.png	Amarr/Gallente Frigate bonuses (per skill level): 10% bonus to Remote Armor Repairer amount 10% reduction in Remote Armor Repairer activation cost Logistics Frigates bonuses (per skill level): 5% reduction in Remote Armor Repairer duration and activation cost For Deacon: 7.5% bonus to armor hitpoints For Thalia: 4% reduction in signature radius Role bonuses: 50% bonus to Remote Armor Repairer optimal range 600% bonus to Remote Armor Repairer falloff
Deacon	Thalia

Deacon (mouseover for sample fit)Template:GuideFittings
Armor Repair Rate	Optimal Range	Falloff	eHP
136 HP/sec	14 km	24 km	17600

∗ Calculated usng UniWiki advanced recommended skillplan +1 at each skill, plus Logistics Frigates IV, Remote Armor Repair Systems V.

The repair bonuses, repair range and base velocity of Tech II logistics frigates aren't dramatically better than those of their Tech I relatives. When CCP introduced Tech II logistics frigates, developers argued that the signature radius bonus of the Scalpel and Thalia might be useful for "signature tanking", by which ships can evade damage. Signature tanking works poorly against opponents with light drones, though, and so this strategy has not been widely successful.

Increased CPU and powergrid do mean that Tech II logistics frigates can fit better repair modules than Tech I ships. Tech II modules increase the repair rate of Tech II logistics frigates, and deadspace repair modules increase it further still, as shown in the charts above. Nevertheless, even fit with rare modules, a Tech II logistics frigate repairs no faster than a Tech I logistics cruiser, with shorter range and higher cost. These frigates—and particularly the Deacon, the most popular of the four—are still used in small-ship gangs and in wormhole PvE. But Tech I logistics cruisers are used far more often for logistics than Tech I or Tech II frigates.

Tech I Logistics Cruisers

Tech I logistics cruisers are powerful platforms for remote repair. They receive better range bonuses than any other logistics ship (including Tech II cruisers), and considerable bonuses to repair amount. They are also inexpensive, and relatively easy to skill into. Unistas interested in flying logistics ships are advised to focus their initial training on this ship class. As shown in a chart at the beginning of this Ships section, logistics cruisers can either be "solo" or cap-chain ships; this Guide will deal with these subtypes separately.

"Solo" Logistics Cruisers

The Scythe and the Exequror are the two Tech I logistics cruisers that are not bonused for remote capacitor transfer. New logistics pilots often begin flying one of these first, because they are simpler to pilot than the cap-chain cruisers. But the performance of all of the logistics cruisers is sensitive to pilot skill, and pilots with different skill levels sometimes have to fly even these simpler hulls differently. The charts below illustrate statistics for the Scythe and Exequror piloted by Unistas with different skill levels:

File:Scythe 128.png	Minmatar Cruiser bonuses (per skill level): 12.5% bonus to Remote Shield Booster amount 5% reduction in Remote Shield Booster activation cost Role bonuses: 430% bonus to Remote Shield Booster optimal range and falloff 100% bonus to Logistic Drone transfer amount
Scythe

Scythe (mouseover for sample fit)Template:GuideFittings
Pilot Skill Level	Shield Boost Rate (3 Boosters, plus Drones)	Optimal Range	Falloff	Capacitor Duration, 3 Boosters Active (other mods off)	Capacitor Duration, 2 Boosters Active (other mods on)	eHP
Low*	155 HP/sec	27 km	40 km	1m 14sec	2m 54sec	30,500
Intermediate**	219 HP/sec	27 km	40 km	2m 47sec	stable (48%)	31,900
High***	235 HP/sec	27 km	40 km	stable (50%)	stable (62%)	32,900

∗ Low Skill: UniWiki minimum recommended skillplan, plus Minmatar Cruiser III, Shield Emissions Systems III. Logistics drones cannot be used at this skill level, and an all-Tech-I fit is still 12 MW short on powergrid.
∗∗ Intermediate Skill: UniWiki advanced recommended skillplan, plus Minmatar Cruiser IV, Shield Emissions Systems IV.
∗∗∗ High Skill: UniWiki advanced recommended skillplan +1 at each skill, plus Minmatar Cruiser V, Shield Emissions Systems V.

File:Exequror 128.png	Gallente Cruiser bonuses (per skill level): 12.5% bonus to Remote Armor Repairer amount 5% reduction in Remote Armor Repairer activation cost Role bonuses: 430% bonus to Remote Armor Repairer optimal range and falloff 100% bonus to Logistic Drone transfer amount
Exequror

Exequror (mouseover for sample fit)Template:GuideFittings
Pilot Skill Level	Shield Boost Rate (3 Boosters, plus Drones)	Optimal Range	Falloff	Capacitor Duration, all modules active	eHP
Low*	154 HP/sec	51 km	15 km	6m 56sec	24,400
Intermediate**	223 HP/sec	51 km	15 km	stable (60%)	25,700
High***	240 HP/sec	51 km	15 km	stable (79%)	26,200

∗ Low Skill: UniWiki minimum recommended skillplan, plus Gallente Cruiser III, Remote Armor Repair Systems III. Logistics drones cannot be used at this skill level.
∗∗ Intermediate Skill: UniWiki advanced recommended skillplan, plus Gallente Cruiser IV, Remote Armor Repair Systems IV.
∗∗∗ High Skill: UniWiki advanced recommended skillplan +1 at each skill, plus Gallente Cruiser V, Remote Armor Repair Systems V.

The Scythe and Exequror are very similar, with roughly the same ship bonuses and repair capacity. As is true for all logistics ships, the shield-boosting Scythe has a shorter optimal range and a longer falloff, whereas the armor-repairing Exequror has a much longer optimal range, but shorter falloff. The role bonuses that logistics cruisers receive to repairer range makes both of these cruisers excellent at repairing from a distance, and the bonuses do not depend on pilot skill level. Repair rate, on the other hand, is very sensitive to pilot skill. Unista logistics pilots are encouraged to target the "Intermediate" skill level above before flying Tech I logistics cruisers.

Tech I logistics cruisers offer more flexibility in fitting than logistics frigates. As a result, pilots with different skill levels may find that they need to fit their ships differently. (You should expect to modify any campus re-ship logistics cruiser you purchase on corp contracts; the pre-made fit you buy may not be appropriate for your skill level.) The fits and data in the charts above illustrate some of the relationships between tank, capacitor, repair capability and pilot skill for solo logistics ships. The Scythe fit sacrifices some capacitor for tank, by filling its mid slots with shield modules. This results in a ship that has greater eHP, but is chronically short on capacitor, especially for low-skill pilots. A low-skill Unista flying this Scythe might need to constantly cycle modules on and off, choosing what to activate and what not to activate at any given moment, depending on circumstances. In this way, a Tech I logistics cruiser can be more challenging to fly than a damage-dealing ship.

The Exequror fit appears to address this problem, by using both a capacitor booster and a capacitor battery in its mid slots. (Capacitor boosters provide more cap, in general, but capacitor batteries offer inherent resistance to enemy neutralizers and Nosferatus.) Sure enough, the Exequror fit shown above is cap stable even with all modules active, and would probably be easier to fly than the Scythe. But this Exequror has a different problem: it has significantly less tank than the Scythe fit. This is particularly bad for logistics ships, because they are typically the initial primary target of enemy fleets. This comparison illustrates the uncomfortable choice that low-skill logistics pilots often have to make between capacitor and tank, and that choice affects how easy it is to fly the ship. Higher-skill logistics pilots, on the other hand, often get the best of both worlds. They have the luxury of fitting plenty of tank, and still having enough capacitor to activate all modules simultaneously.

Unista logistics pilots are encouraged to use out-of-game fitting programs, like EFT or Pyfa, to explore the logistics fits that work best for them.

Cap-Chain Logistics Cruisers

Three Augorors organized into a capacitor chain. Each arrow corresponds to remote capacitor transfer from one Augoror to a neighbor. Each Augoror donates capacitor to and receives capacitor from the same two neighbors.

The Osprey and the Augoror are the two Tech I logistics cruisers that are bonused for remote capacitor transfer. As described above in the Modules section, these bonuses allow the Osprey and Augoror to activate their remote capacitor transfer modules, transfer more capacitor than they spend, and thus effectively create capacitor from nothing. In order a logistics pilot to benefit from this, the pilot must simultaneously give capacitor to and receive capacitor from one or more logistics partners. In principle, the minimum number of partnered logistics pilots is two, but cap-chain logistics is less vulnerable to enemy interference when larger groups of pilots are matched up. So, Osprey and Augoror pilots are typically organized into a capacitor chain (illustrated at right), in which each pilot gives and receives capacitor with two neighboring partners in the chain. More information on how to organize cap chains is given in the Tactics section of this Guide.

Cap chaining solves the capacitor challenges discussed above for solo logistics cruisers. The charts below show bonuses for both the Osprey and Augoror, and then illustrates the advantage of cap-chained cruisers by comparing an intermediate-skill* fit for the Augoror with the solo Exequror:

File:Osprey 128.png	Caldari Cruiser bonuses (per skill level): 12.5% bonus to Remote Shield Booster amount 5% reduction in Remote Shield Booster activation cost Role bonuses: 1,000% bonus to Remote Capacitor Transmitter range 200% bonus to Remote Capacitor Transmitter transfer amount 430% bonus to Remote Shield Booster optimal range and falloff
Osprey

File:Augoror 128.png	Amarr Cruiser bonuses (per skill level): 12.5% bonus to Remote Armor Repairer amount 5% reduction in Remote Armor Repairer activation cost Role bonuses: 1,000% bonus to Remote Capacitor Transmitter range 200% bonus to Remote Capacitor Transmitter transfer amount 430% bonus to Remote Armor Repairer optimal range and falloff
Augoror

Ship	Capacitor Consumption	Capacitor Peak Recharge	Capacitor Duration (all modules active)
Augoror (mouseover for sample fit)Template:GuideFittings	-97.8 GJ/sec	+148.4 GJ/sec**	stable (100%)
Exequror (mouseover for sample fit)Template:GuideFittings	-55.7 GJ/sec	+60.5 GJ/sec	stable (55%)

∗ Calculated using UniWiki advanced recommended skillplan, plus Gallente/Amarr Cruiser IV, Shield Emissions Systems IV.
∗∗ Assuming Augoror is part of a cap chain, partnered with two other Augorors.

The Augoror fit used to generate the chart above has mostly active modules that consume capacitor, including active armor resist modules. Nevertheless, when cap-chained, the Augoror has more than enough capacitor to run all active modules simultaneously, and can even periodically break the chain in order to transfer capacitor to damage-dealing fleetmates pressured by capacitor warfare. Even low-skill pilots receive this benefit, because the role bonuses to remote capacitor transfer do not depend on skill level. The Osprey has the same advantages as the Augoror; it can fit more active resist modules and still retain a considerable capacitor advantage over the Scythe.

But in order for cap-chain logistics cruisers to be cap-stable, they must be partnered, and this represents a vulnerability for these ships. Enemy fleets can break the cap chain, either by isolating chain members using electronic warfare, or by splitting them up using command destroyers and micro jump field generators. Cap-chain logistics ships are often specially fit to counter some of these strategies. For example, the Augoror above has sensor boosters to counter EWAR, but one of these can be replaced with a warp scrambler to counter micro jump fields. In any case, cap-chain logistics pilots are dependent on their fleetmates, and this makes them challenging to fly.

Unistas interested in flying cap-chain logistics ships are advised to attend Logistics 102 before flying an Osprey or Augoror in an E-UNI fleet. This class covers how to fly these cruisers in fleets, and how to respond to changes in circumstances.