EVE New Citizens Q&A

Hola!

I'm kind of new and since my friends did advise me that Orca pilot is worth in this game, so i do train for it. The only problem i see is that i might have to deal with high sec ganking scenarios while traveling. So i wonder what fit for my Orca would be more appropriate to succesfully run through those camps. As far as i know the main thing is that yhese folks lock their targets way too fast. So i could only counter them with faster align time and warp away. I think i'm correct in my thoughts ... LoL

It's probably a troll post, but it's in Newbie Q/A, so...

Fast aligning only works for ships that are fast/agile, which the Orca isn't. The Orca is a big lumbering ship, intended to be used to help a bunch of miners do their jobs better; it can also double up as a transport ship. It's not cheap, either.

The game has a locking mechanic where small ships can target-lock large ships very fast (you're just so big on the radar), but large ships take a while to lock small ships (they're so small). So basically a gatecamp will have no problem locking you; you'll have to actually defend the Orca (with shields / armor) and rely on the Concord police to come save you from the attackers.

Which it may not. Because this is an old game, we've been PVP'ing for 10+ years, and by now people know exactly how tough an Orca can be and what shields/armor it can be fitted with, so they'll bring enough firepower to take the Orca out before Concord can do anything.

So your "friends" have given you incomplete advice. You shouldn't listen to one-liner instructions without asking for the reasons why and a detailed explanation of how it would be fun.

My hunch is that a well-tanked Orca is not a good gank target, unless it's carrying valuable cargo.

Maybe a ganking expert can chime in and correct me if I'm wrong.

Sometimes gankers get bored and will just nuke the first unlucky soul to pass-by.

That being stated, the Orca, like most capitals, has more structure than shield or armor, so it is most beneficial to fit a structure tank, AND not do anything to reduce the structure like cargo expansion. However, there is limited ability to fit a structure tank, so a dual structure and shield tank is the best as one can achieve.

Then it is most helpful to have an assistant web the Orca into warp. Beware that the assistant either needs to be in the same corp with friendly-fire enabled, or have a prearranged duel setup to allow webbing, as it is considered an aggressive act.

Even without a dedicated fleet booster, a 2-man fleet can have a 10% armor and 10% shield bonus. Typically the Orca pilot will have these skills trained, and can even fit un-bonused shield resist and armor resist warfare links when traveling (swap with mining links - some of the stuff that should be carried at all times).

Solo, about the best one can do is to fit a microwarp drive, and activate it for only one cycle. When the cycle ends, the max velocity drops suddenly, which will cause the Orca to enter warp. This takes one cycle, so 10 seconds. Fitting a MWD however means sacrificing tank modules, as the MWD (mid-slot) requires a power grid enhancement module (low-slot) or ancillary current router rig.

First off - an orca is usually something that someone trains on an alt account, especially if you are going to use it for fleet boosting. As for using it for hauling - well depending upon what you are hauling you are probably better off with a dst. Of course orcas are extremely useful - they are my favorite ship in the game as they are like a swiss army knife, carrying everything you need around with you to go do whatever mayhem you want to do. If you want to move an orca safely - just tank it. Bulkheads in the lows help a lot. A mwd is also very useful.

Orca pilot here (on another character ;) )!

I generally run two fits;
- MWD-align fit that is described above. If I need to get somewhere relatively fast and/or I don't have anything terribly valuable in my hold I'll slap on a MWD and run the gates.

- Dual-tank fit that uses both hull and shields. While I do generally advise newbies not to dual-tank their ships, I also state that there are exceptions. This is one of them.
Anything valuable should be hauled in a tanky ship... tanky enough that the cost to gank the ship is less than the potential loot drop.
Even still, I'll sometimes ask a friend to be webbing support "just in case" (the trick to getting this kind of help is to either haul his stuff in addition to my stuff and/or not ask him for such a favor too often).


However... all this only applies in High-sec. If you go to low-sec then no amount of tank is going to save you. And the MWD-align trick is still too slow to get away in time.
You need ACTUAL combat and intel support when flying through Low-sec.

Would a Logistics and Combat escort help here? Just an odd thought.

Personally, if I had to move a ship as expensive as an Orca, I'd be moving it with some Mercenary Fleet escort that I've paid for. Otherwise, I'd be taking Ralph's advice and never leaving a system!

I think a solo Orca pilot is something of an oxymoron. Those are really large mining corp ships. Smaller corps would probably be jet-canning and using smaller ore haulers. A larger mining corp should be able to escort it's own Orca's with the tactics laid out above.

To a point.

Let us suppose that you have a a Tech 1 Logi cruiser with max skills. It is equipped with 3 remote repairs. It can repair about 552 hp every 8 seconds... or 207 hp every second.
That means it can negate about 3100 damage (or more realistically 1600 damage if you account for the rep cycle duration) over the course of 15 seconds (the max amount of time you have to perform a gank in optimal conditions in 0.5 space).

Now your typical Tech 1-fit suicide gank Catalyst (destroyer) can pump out about 6000 damage over the course of 15 seconds (again, under optimal conditions).

Now this might seem like the Logi is on the losing side (it is only neutralizing half (or less) of the incoming damage)... but remember that Logi only needs to keep its target alive for 15 seconds at most (CONCORD response in high-sec is faster in higher security areas). Even if your hauler is half-dead... it is still alive and the cargo is still safe.
This is why having enough raw HP and high enough resistances on your hauler is important. As long as there is enough Effective HP on a hauler, the Logi will have enough time to apply repairs and drastically increase survival odds.


When it comes to a combat escort... this is a bit tricky.

In low-sec, it is as simple as shooting or applying Electronic Warfare on the hostile target. Just be sure to have enough tank (or Logi support) to survive the gate guns (which do not distinguish between "bad guy" or "good guy"... only "who shot first").

In high-sec... combat support needs to take a page out the suicide ganker's playbook. Having the biggest, baddest combat ship will not work. Period.
You want to have fast locking, high volley strike ships to wipe out any threat that presents itself the moment it presents itself as a valid target. Moreover, you want people who have some sort of combat experience flying those ships (otherwise, they will freak out).


Don't fall victim to fear so easily. It is actually pretty easy to keep your lumbering assets safe. You simply need a bit of forethought, the right tactic, and maybe some help from other players.


Solo Orca Pilot here! *waves hand*

Granted... I don't leave high-sec without some kind of friendly support to ensure my safety... but in high-sec you can travel relatively unmolested with minimal support. Especially if all you are doing is moving rocks and minerals around. You simply have to make a judgement call.

However, I will say that using smaller ore haulers and even Deep Space Transports are a good idea if you do not wish to invest in a large support ship like the Orca.

Thx everyone for the input. I see that i need to train my shields for better tankong ability. And not really sure if i need to have two differently fitted Orcas. One for boosting mining fleet and second one for hauling.

Hmm, should i ask about Orca insurance?

Bulkheads. An orca without bulkheads is an orca fit wrong.