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EVE New Citizens Q&A

 
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Prefered class of ship for solo piracy?

Author
Chronos Kavees
Kite Co. Space Trucking
#1 - 2013-05-03 20:58:48 UTC  |  Edited by: Chronos Kavees
What are peoples preferred ship class for this kind of thing? At the moment I'm using a T1 frigate executioner, just a cheap and expendable thing cause...well because I'm going to die a lot and I'd like to not spend the rest of my time in eve as a space hobo.

The thing is an executioner is weak, and I think I might prefer something a bit more up close and personal which this can't really do. Even a few of the stronger kinds of NPC's I've met can deal some serious damage and I have to warp in and out chipping away. I'm thinking a shotgun rather than a carbine....or whatever a T1 frigate is. A pistol? It doesn't matter! My point is, what might be a class of ship beyond what I'm at right now should I set my sights on? A Maller? A destroyer class? I feel like this ship I have now will be ok for some things but will utterly and totally be creamed in others.
Andres Talas
Center for Advanced Studies
Gallente Federation
#2 - 2013-05-03 21:30:56 UTC
Chronos Kavees wrote:
I feel like this ship I have now will be ok for some things but will utterly and totally be creamed in others.


This is actually true for any ship you ever fly - this entire game is about 'this is the right tool for this job'.

For solo piracy, you will need a ship that can get the fights it wants, avoid the fights it doesnt, and keep the enemy from running away.

Look at any given ship, and ask how well it does these things :)'

As a word of warning, solo anything is extra-hard mode.
Ovv Topik
Sebiestor Tribe
Minmatar Republic
#3 - 2013-05-03 22:23:10 UTC
The 'Smartbombing Rokh' on a gate accounts for 9 out of 10 of pirate kills.

Seriously. It's not the most skilled profession.

If you mean non consensual 1v1 pvp, then the frigs are a s good a ship class as any. Factional Warfare novice plexes have 10 'Pirates' to every war target!

"Nicknack, I'm in a shoe in space, on my computer, in my house, with a cup of coffee, in't that something." - Fly Safe PopPaddi. o7

Ines Tegator
Serious Business Inc. Ltd. LLC. etc.
#4 - 2013-05-04 00:20:34 UTC
You need something that can catch what it can kill, run away from what can kill it, and is cheap enough that you can afford to lose it.

A variety of frigates and sometimes cruisers fit this role. Anything larger is too slow to disengage from the things that can kill you.
darmwand
Center for Advanced Studies
Gallente Federation
#5 - 2013-05-04 03:40:35 UTC
I agree, I'd focus on frigates. They are usually fast enough to avoid random people sitting on gates, can enter all FW plexes to pop AFK LP farmers and are versatile enough to fit your personal style. Whether you like brawlers, kiters, drone boats or missile ships, there are frigates for everything.

Plus they're cheap to replace if/when you lose them.

"The pen is mightier than the sword if the sword is very short, and the pen is very sharp."

Stonkeep
Osmanli Empire
#6 - 2013-05-04 04:58:30 UTC
If you are hunting frigs a dessy could be good option or AF tho they are more expensive.
Vaihto Ehto
#7 - 2013-05-04 09:08:01 UTC  |  Edited by: Vaihto Ehto
Frigates, destroyers and cruisers all work fine. The key to succesful PVP is knowing the strengths and weaknesses of whatever you are flying.

Of Amarr cruisers Maller is the least suitable for solo PVP. Arbitrator (my favourite) and Omen (stay away from neuts and tracking disruptors) are good choices for soloing. Both can be fit for both armour and shield tanks depending on your preferred fighting style.

Why would you not use an alt to post on the forums?

Maegor Stark
State War Academy
Caldari State
#8 - 2013-05-05 18:19:04 UTC
Andres Talas wrote:
Chronos Kavees wrote:
I feel like this ship I have now will be ok for some things but will utterly and totally be creamed in others.


This is actually true for any ship you ever fly - this entire game is about 'this is the right tool for this job'.

For solo piracy, you will need a ship that can get the fights it wants, avoid the fights it doesnt, and keep the enemy from running away.

Look at any given ship, and ask how well it does these things :)'



I used to think the same thing, then I saw this guy take down frigates, cruisers and pretty much anything, with only an Incursus.

Player skill seems to be even more important. By min-maxing your ship's attributes you can be relatively sure to have a fighting chance against every enemy that you encounter if you manage to play to your strengths. The incursus for example is really tough to beat in a brawling match, so if he manages to keep you close you'll lose. If you manage to gain enough range on him or out-last him by eating his cap with Neuts, then you can beat him.
Radius Prime
Tax Evading Ass.
#9 - 2013-05-05 22:06:35 UTC  |  Edited by: Radius Prime
The art of solo pvp depends more on the pilot then on the ship really. Making sure your support skill for the ship you fly are maxed helps a lot but it's a lot more important to know what you are doing. You will only get good by trying. Don't get demotivated because you lose a lot of ships at first, you'll get better as long as you learn from your mistakes.

How to approach, what distance to keep to opponent with the ship of your choice and how to keep the advantage are things you learn by experience. Furthermore a good solo pilot first of all needs a good eye in assessing a situation. Picking the right battles. Knowing when a ship is bait and knowing when to fly away or engage makes all the difference.

When you spot someone before you go in ask yourself:

1. Can I win this fight?
2. Does it look too easy or good to be true, when it does, more like then not, it is too good to be true;a trap
3. Check your opponent, corp, killboard, make an educated guess to assess whether or not you can win. F.E. When he flies the same ship/class as you, his toon is years older then you and is in a pvp corp, you might want to skip this one.
4. When pirating for a living, is this kill worth my time and worth my ship, reward vs risk, you don't want to lose your hundred million isk boat when potential reward/ransom is only 10 million.


In the end what ship you fly is also personal preference and tactics, some players will choose a missile boat cause they simply suck with guns, do you like sniping from a distance and killing your opponent in one alpha volley, do you prefer speed tanking to active or passive tanking, etc etc.. These are things you need to decide for yourself. All I can advice is just get in there, when you lose a lot, the trill of victory is thus more rewarding and one thing is for sure: You will get better and eventually feel what ship you prefer to fly without anyone telling you.

Cheers & Fly Hard

Reopen the EVE gate so we can invade Serenity. Goons can go first.

J'Poll
School of Applied Knowledge
Caldari State
#10 - 2013-05-05 22:14:02 UTC
See the above 2 posts....they are spot on.

Most battles are won or lost, not on what ship you fly, but on your personal knowledge about the game and on your personal decision making.

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Help channel: Help chat - Reloaded

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Garviel Tarrant
Beyond Divinity Inc
Shadow Cartel
#11 - 2013-05-06 02:31:52 UTC
People sure like to overcomplicate things

Get a frig, go to FW low sec, read up on how plexes work, join a pirate corp (Yes even if you want to solo), fly it and die over and over untill you start killing more than you die.

You never know how little you know about pvp until you really start doing it. You can read every guide there is and still be more or less clueless.

BYDI recruitment closed-ish

Fret Thiesant
The Scope
Gallente Federation
#12 - 2013-05-06 21:12:16 UTC
OP it sounds to me like you would enjoy an incursus.

It's a little brawler with a decent tank and I find it to be a lot of fun to fly.
Inxentas Ultramar
Ultramar Independent Contracting
#13 - 2013-05-08 10:00:55 UTC
I am going to get flamed soooo badly... but I prefer the BattleCruiser, yarr!

That is to say, I have the SP, ISK, and experience to fly a BC solo in lowsec. What you see often are new-ish players that have rushed for the BattleCruiser class and get horribly destroyed by those knowing how to exploit their weaknesses. The BC is slow compared to cruisers and frigates, but it will instawarp just like any other ship when aligned. You absolutely have to fly it well to make it worth it for piracy, and agression mechanic games on gates could cost you an expensive ship. Personally I love that I have to look for the right oppurtunity to strike, be selective in my targets, and that every Joe Pirate and his friends will try to kill my solo ratting BattleCruiser. Despite all those downsides, I get to fly a great wtfpwnboat that can engage a wide range of targets, and is exiting to fly due to it's considerable (but not insurmountable) cost.
darmwand
Center for Advanced Studies
Gallente Federation
#14 - 2013-05-08 10:59:19 UTC
Garviel Tarrant wrote:
People sure like to overcomplicate things

Get a frig, go to FW low sec, read up on how plexes work, join a pirate corp (Yes even if you want to solo), fly it and die over and over untill you start killing more than you die.

You never know how little you know about pvp until you really start doing it. You can read every guide there is and still be more or less clueless.


This

"The pen is mightier than the sword if the sword is very short, and the pen is very sharp."

Haedonism Bot
People for the Ethical Treatment of Rogue Drones
#15 - 2013-05-08 13:07:22 UTC  |  Edited by: Haedonism Bot
I'm surprised that all the previous posters haven't mentioned this, but it completely depends on what you mean by "piracy." Different ship classes excel at different functions. Most of the folks above me seem to think "piracy" is roaming around looking for solo PvP in faction warfare plexes. While this can be a lot of fun, it is in no way, shape, or form "piracy", because for one thing, by virtue of being in a FW area there is an implied consent to PvP on the part of your opponents and also they generally have nothing of significant value for you to ransom or steal. If you are going to do this sort of thing, your Executioner is fine. If you want to get more up close and personal, maybe try a Merlin or Incursus.

Now, if you intend to actually be a pirate, then that is different. I don't have time right now to lay out all the different ways you can do that and which ships to use, but I will leave you with a few thoughts. First, decide who you want to target. Hint- mission runners, incursion runners, and miners generally have the magic combination of really valuable ships plus being completely unprepared for PvP. Second, have a realistic plan of where and how you intend to catch them with their pants down, and how you want to execute your crime while allowing them little to no chance to retaliate. Hint- don't limit yourself to lowsec. Third, find a fit that works and fly it boldly. What ship, as I said, depends entirely on your plan of attack.

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Vote Sabriz Adoudel and Tora Bushido for CSMX. Keep the Evil in EVE!

J'Poll
School of Applied Knowledge
Caldari State
#16 - 2013-05-08 14:26:14 UTC  |  Edited by: J'Poll
Haedonism Bot wrote:
I'm surprised that all the previous posters haven't mentioned this, but it completely depends on what you mean by "piracy." Different ship classes excel at different functions. Most of the folks above me seem to think "piracy" is roaming around looking for solo PvP in faction warfare plexes. While this can be a lot of fun, it is in no way, shape, or form "piracy", because for one thing, by virtue of being in a FW area there is an implied consent to PvP on the part of your opponents and also they generally have nothing of significant value for you to ransom or steal. If you are going to do this sort of thing, your Executioner is fine. If you want to get more up close and personal, maybe try a Merlin or Incursus.

Now, if you intend to actually be a pirate, then that is different. I don't have time right now to lay out all the different ways you can do that and which ships to use, but I will leave you with a few thoughts. First, decide who you want to target. Hint- mission runners, incursion runners, and miners generally have the magic combination of really valuable ships plus being completely unprepared for PvP. Second, have a realistic plan of where and how you intend to catch them with their pants down, and how you want to execute your crime while allowing them little to no chance to retaliate. Hint- don't limit yourself to lowsec. Third, find a fit that works and fly it boldly. What ship, as I said, depends entirely on your plan of attack.


This...

What do you class as a pirate is the first question?

Is it being a lowsec pilot with low security status?
Is it being, what many refer to as an "hole in your butt", the guy who harasses miners/mission runners/other carebears and extort them with ransoming them?
.....

Personal channel: Crazy Dutch Guy

Help channel: Help chat - Reloaded

Public roams channels: RvB Ganked / Redemption Road / Spectre Fleet / Bombers bar / The Content Club

Sabriz Adoudel
Move along there is nothing here
#17 - 2013-05-09 00:16:47 UTC
Haedonism Bot wrote:
I'm surprised that all the previous posters haven't mentioned this, but it completely depends on what you mean by "piracy." Different ship classes excel at different functions. Most of the folks above me seem to think "piracy" is roaming around looking for solo PvP in faction warfare plexes. While this can be a lot of fun, it is in no way, shape, or form "piracy", because for one thing, by virtue of being in a FW area there is an implied consent to PvP on the part of your opponents and also they generally have nothing of significant value for you to ransom or steal. If you are going to do this sort of thing, your Executioner is fine. If you want to get more up close and personal, maybe try a Merlin or Incursus.

Now, if you intend to actually be a pirate, then that is different. I don't have time right now to lay out all the different ways you can do that and which ships to use, but I will leave you with a few thoughts. First, decide who you want to target. Hint- mission runners, incursion runners, and miners generally have the magic combination of really valuable ships plus being completely unprepared for PvP. Second, have a realistic plan of where and how you intend to catch them with their pants down, and how you want to execute your crime while allowing them little to no chance to retaliate. Hint- don't limit yourself to lowsec. Third, find a fit that works and fly it boldly. What ship, as I said, depends entirely on your plan of attack.



This.

For lowsec solo roaming, I use the Vexor with very good drone skills. It kills fast (a big part of solo lowsec piracy is killing people in larger ships before they can get friends to help them, a major weakness of frigates which struggle to break 400 DPS), can disengage from pretty much any fight other than against an interceptor with ECM drones, and is VERY underestimated. It gets the fights it wants (basically anything other than pirate battleships, interceptors, neut battleships and destroyers) and can disengage from fights against destroyers and most battleships or small gangs.

For highsec piracy the ship and fit needs to be tailored to the mark.

Want to AWOX ransom a mining op in the corp you just joined? An attack battlecruiser or a battleship is usually a good choice (many mid slots for multiple points, enough DPS to seriously threaten an Orca, enough HP buffer to make maximum use of your neutral logi support, etc).

Want to kill a blinged out Tengu on a gate through illegal aggression? The Talos is the ship for you, and you'll probably need help from other players in Taloses.

Want to extort ISK from miners? The Catalyst is the tool of choice for ganking them, and the Stabber Fleet Issue with an oversized MWD is the tool of choice for bumping.

I support the New Order and CODE. alliance. www.minerbumping.com

Surfin's PlunderBunny
Sebiestor Tribe
Minmatar Republic
#18 - 2013-05-09 17:01:02 UTC
I like ships that aren't wrecks yet.

Frigates, cruisers, industrials... (yes, you can totally pirate in an indy)

"Little ginger moron" ~David Hasselhoff 

Want to see what Surf is training or how little isk Surf has?  http://eveboard.com/pilot/Surfin%27s_PlunderBunny