Ships & Modules

Hi,

atm I'm trying some solo kiting tactics using Gallente cruisers. Mostly it ends in a fireball on my side ^^

Kiting with Gallente frigs works nice since I can use rails without having a problem with anything smaller and faster compared to my ship. At BC level we have the blaster Talos, works nice. I think even after the TE nerf. BS kiting is something I never really hear much about. But considering what was announced about BS tiericide, the Mega will become a fast attack BS...so maybe it can kite to some degree. After all, large blasters are able to reach anything inside long point range when using Null ammo.

So left out are cruisers. A very rewarding platform for kiting imho. But I fail to make it work when using Gallente t1 cruisers. My goal is ~250 DPS @17km. A neutron Thorax can do this atm. Not that much after the TE change I guess. More important: it's very thin because of the fitting requirements of neutrons. So rails. Now I have tracking issues. Even with the tracking bonus of the Thorax. I had great success with a rail Atron but I fail to make it work one class above.

Vexor: drones don't work well at kiting range because when I'm solo everyone just shoots my drones - simply because they cannot reach me.

I'd prefer rails because I like the option to reach targets at 50km as well. In PvP videos I see people "kiting" with low tier blasters - they just separate targets and get close in the right moment to deal a lot of damage. Looks nice in videos but as soon as you're facing a somewhat disciplined or experienced target they stick together. That's why I like the option to stay at 50km while beeing annoying at least. That way it's much easier to separate targets as well.

Did someone here have success with Gallente T1 kiting cruisers? If so: what am I doing wrong? I hope I just need some more practice - lack of RL skills would be ok for me. But I fear I'm just trying the ultra hard mode.

Any hint?
Thanks!

Medium rails are crap right now. Stick with blasters or use rupture/caracal.

I'd probably look at kiting, with a twist, on the Vigilant.

Web bonus, good fitting and slottage and a falloff-bonus.

Get an FN web and fringe-kite within point-range, use the web as a disengagement tool and frigate-killer.

Some 420 dps @ 24 /w Null (half falloff) and H-II's (35k @ 60% buffer or the option to run active tank if you don't DP).

The obvious difference to a common Minmatar kiter, of course, being that you focus on using the web to place yourself on different sides of hostile points rather than using speed and point similarily. The same goes for the tracking, your typical oldschool Vaga used the transversal void and W-II's to deal with Frigates, you use the web to create the void and should be able to make even H-II's connect fairly decent under that.

It's less forgiving against multiple targets since you are more dependent on your tackle than sheer speed, but it's not impossible to cycle through small tackle and killing them quick. Wether you want to DP with an AB or use a booster in those scenarios is pretty much up to you. Your base speed is some 230, meaning you can web 2.3km/s ships down to your void if they scram you, whereas you should be able to void virtually any ship with a DP-AB but much more sensitive cap ofc.

Finally, dealing with other kiters mean you need to surprise them with your wits and web (18km w/o Loki, 27km /w Loki), as most ~30km kiters will be out of your reach if they use Faction points and/or Lokis. There is very little wiggle-room for them though, and if you play your cards right you should be able to snag a surprising catch and end the bout quickly.

If you are looking for LR-kiting (mobile sniping), specificly on Gallente Cruiser hulls in slightly larger (fully supported) gangs i'd probably look at Sentries before i looked at Rails. The one redeeming factor of Rails in the old ammo-balance was that it had superior tracking at equal ranges (eg., Thorium-setups), but since the Projectile changes that isn't much of an argument anymore since Minmatar got MR ammo with tracking bonuses.

The way you laid out the OP with all those restrictions you might as well say "How do i make a Rails Thorax useful?", so i took the liberty to extrapolate a bit while still keeping it sensibly within topic.

It doesn't have the web-bonus though, which is significant given the situation of "kiting" (ie., being able to beat down fast tackle quick enough to enable kiting against multiple non Recon-push hostiles).

The bonused web is basicly what enables it, a standard web won't have the snap-kill necessary to pull it off alone or very small gang.

You can pretty much use 'Keep at range' with a 90% web on a Vigilant. This means 0 transversal, which means rails work. against larger targets you can use rails anyway.

Rail Vigilant with loki links kthnx.

He said solo, not dickwad off grid booster duo.

That being said Gal isn't really all that great for kiting. As everyone knows rails are pretty craptastic at the moment, and blasters are not very viable for trying to kite.

Your best bet is to cross train into Minmatar or Amarr. Arties, and lasers with scorch are pretty good at the whole kiting thing.

I've had some success with pretending to kite in a heavy buffer vexor. Engage at range with drones. They know you're not fast enough to kite and try to jam right into web range. I use a dual web set up so once they get in it turns into an inescapable brawl.

I guess that doesn't really answer your question but it is an alternative

Oh god don't try to kite in an Afterburning ship you will get run down by a Ferox.

Kiting at 800 m/s is a Bad Idea.

This is not the point. OP wants a kiting fit for the Thorax which uses railguns. The numbers he has given were 250 DPS at 17km with no tracking issues. If you want to discuss this then come with a fitting, which is on topic. Do not just give your opinion and lecture us on how BCs are better like it was a secret or something.

Here is a fit with an MWD for example:

[Thorax, Kiter]

Damage Control II
Medium Ancillary Armor Repairer, Nanite Repair Paste
Reactive Armor Hardener
Tracking Enhancer II
Tracking Enhancer II

Experimental 10MN Microwarpdrive I
Tracking Computer II, Tracking Speed Script
Medium Capacitor Booster II, Navy Cap Booster 400
Warp Disruptor II

Dual 150mm Railgun II, Federation Navy Uranium Charge M
Dual 150mm Railgun II, Federation Navy Uranium Charge M
Dual 150mm Railgun II, Federation Navy Uranium Charge M
Dual 150mm Railgun II, Federation Navy Uranium Charge M
Dual 150mm Railgun II, Federation Navy Uranium Charge M

Medium Anti-Thermic Pump I
Medium Anti-Kinetic Pump I
Medium Anti-Explosive Pump I

Hobgoblin II x5
Hornet EC-300 x5

A lot of extra tracking plus the rigs reduce the speed, because of their drawback. This gets the tracking about right and has got just about the required DPS. However, without web and scram can frigates get under the tracking and an MWD cruiser will also catch it. So do you rather run from a BC or do you prefer running from a frigate?! Whatever your preference is, it is not going to kill a BC either way.

I hope you realize how pointless your argument regarding a BC killing a cruiser is. You cannot win the game and the bigger ships will always be the nemesis of the smaller ones.