Ships & Modules

All,

I've been digging around trying to optimize carrier ratting but info is pretty far and few between. Not to mention sketchy at best some times, so I thought I'd try to compile what I've found/tested here and see what other people are willing to share as well.

Tips:

Nidhoggur or Thanatos for ratting carrier. The other two lack damage bonus to make them as effective. Thanatos is probably the best, because while you can slot for fighter speed, you should not for fighter hp.

Prolific use of the Orbit hotkey, for me it's "W". Just find out your fighter's orbit range, change your default orbit to that and use the w key to get your fighters onto their next target if your weapons are cycling. This helps keep fighters moving and alive.

Always align toward your safe spot. Change alignment to next anom on the second to last wave.

Don't bother scripting for tracking. Reason being? "You wouldn't fit for application on heavy missiles would you?" ~some guy on reddit.

The following are how I usually use my fighters.
3 guns/missiles on BSs
1 gun for BCs
3 guns for elite cruisers
1 gun for cruisers
3 guns for elite frigs
1 gun for frigs

Make use of the 15% warp speed implant, the 18% isn't nearly as cost effective. No other implant type can really affect your ticks as much as these. Ascendeny set if you really want to max our your ticks.

Ticks should be ~65m pretax with spikes over 70 with faction spawns.

Fits:

[Thanatos, Balanced Ratter]

Imperial Navy Drone Damage Amplifier
Imperial Navy Drone Damage Amplifier
Imperial Navy Drone Damage Amplifier
Drone Damage Amplifier II
Experimental Hyperspatial Accelerator
Damage Control II

Capital Shield Extender II
Capital Shield Extender II
Adaptive Invulnerability Field II
Adaptive Invulnerability Field II
Drone Navigation Computer II

Fighter Support Unit II
Fighter Support Unit II
Fighter Support Unit I
Networked Sensor Array
Cynosural Field Generator I

Capital Hyperspatial Velocity Optimizer I
Capital Hyperspatial Velocity Optimizer I
Capital Hyperspatial Velocity Optimizer I


The above fit is a generalist fit. Damage control is optional. Could be replaced by another warp speed low or a tracking enhancer. Warp speed low would help generate better ticks unless your fighter's optimal with gun is lower then it's orbit range.

Healthy shield buffer in case you get attacked and cyno if you have friendly caps to help.

[Thanatos, Ticks and nothing but the ticks]

Imperial Navy Drone Damage Amplifier
Imperial Navy Drone Damage Amplifier
Imperial Navy Drone Damage Amplifier
Drone Damage Amplifier II
Experimental Hyperspatial Accelerator
Experimental Hyperspatial Accelerator

Drone Navigation Computer II
Drone Navigation Computer II
Omnidirectional Tracking Link II, Optimal Range Script
Omnidirectional Tracking Link II, Optimal Range Script
Omnidirectional Tracking Link II, Optimal Range Script

Fighter Support Unit II
Fighter Support Unit II
Fighter Support Unit II
Fighter Support Unit I
Networked Sensor Array

Capital Hyperspatial Velocity Optimizer I
Capital Hyperspatial Velocity Optimizer I
Capital Hyperspatial Velocity Optimizer I

A fit purely made for max ticks. The 2 warp speed lows can be replaced with a RAH/Repper. Very squishy but has much better clear times. For use only in the safest of space. You'll have to dock once in awhile to charge your shields, if not using the repper, but with faster then cruiser warp speeds it won't take long.

[Nidhoggur, Balanced Ratter]

Imperial Navy Drone Damage Amplifier
Imperial Navy Drone Damage Amplifier
Imperial Navy Drone Damage Amplifier
Drone Damage Amplifier II
Damage Control II

Adaptive Invulnerability Field II
Capital Shield Extender II
Capital Shield Extender II
Adaptive Invulnerability Field II
Omnidirectional Tracking Link II, Optimal Range Script
Omnidirectional Tracking Link II, Optimal Range Script

Networked Sensor Array
Fighter Support Unit II
Fighter Support Unit II
Fighter Support Unit I
Cynosural Field Generator I

Capital Hyperspatial Velocity Optimizer I
Capital Hyperspatial Velocity Optimizer I
Capital Hyperspatial Velocity Optimizer I

Damage control can be switched out for warp speed low. Cyno can be switched out for another FSU II if you have no backup coming.

Let me know what you guys think or if you have other tips/fits you'd like to share.

Remote reps don't work on fighters anymore.

You should remove that cyno. The way jump-drives work is that someone lights a cyno and you jump there.

Just fit another drone control for more damage.

Moving your carrier is also bad since you fighters need much more time for flying back to you. Just stay close to your fighters, so you can recall them quickly.

If you want, I can hook you up with more tactics. I am sure my agent can find you and I make my way to you so we can talk all about it.

Aww, had to try.

About that tribute to me, you nullsec folks are really good at running like scared little bunnies when your isk per hour seems threatened.

At that point the only viable option is to field 32 soopers to remove threats to your wallet. And then make whine-threads in the forums about lacking content which you so kindly removed yourself.

[quote=Artsnis]may i have screenshot with 3-4 65m ticks in a row? and also that sweet 70m spike without commander? or maybe you keep ESS in mind?
because this is not possible after damage projection nerf.

http://i.imgur.com/FYnz49Q.png

Those ticks was with the fit below, medium system ~50 au/s across, Gurista rat chaining rock havens and no ESS. Also the 70m spike was with a faction spawn. The 33m tick and hour pause was me salvaging my sites for rat poop/doing something different to keep myself sane from too much ratting.

[Thanatos, Balanced Ratter]

Imperial Navy Drone Damage Amplifier
Imperial Navy Drone Damage Amplifier
Imperial Navy Drone Damage Amplifier
Drone Damage Amplifier II
Experimental Hyperspatial Accelerator
Damage Control II

Capital Shield Extender II
Capital Shield Extender II
Adaptive Invulnerability Field II
Adaptive Invulnerability Field II
Drone Navigation Computer II

Fighter Support Unit II
Fighter Support Unit II
Fighter Support Unit I
Networked Sensor Array
Cynosural Field Generator I

Capital Hyperspatial Velocity Optimizer I
Capital Hyperspatial Velocity Optimizer I
Capital Hyperspatial Velocity Optimizer I

15% Warp speed implant

http://i.imgur.com/yK7nH5f.png

Those ticks were with the fit below, large system ~120 au/s across, Gurista rat between haven and forsaken hub based off distance and no ESS. No faction spawn, had to stop early because rando calrissian neutrals. :
[Thanatos, Ticks and nothing but the ticks]

Imperial Navy Drone Damage Amplifier
Imperial Navy Drone Damage Amplifier
Imperial Navy Drone Damage Amplifier
Drone Damage Amplifier II
Experimental Hyperspatial Accelerator
Capital Armor Repair I

Drone Navigation Computer II
Drone Navigation Computer II
Omnidirectional Tracking Link II, Optimal Range Script
Omnidirectional Tracking Link II, Optimal Range Script
Omnidirectional Tracking Link II, Optimal Range Script

Fighter Support Unit II
Fighter Support Unit II
Fighter Support Unit II
Fighter Support Unit I
Networked Sensor Array

Capital Hyperspatial Velocity Optimizer I
Capital Hyperspatial Velocity Optimizer I
Capital Hyperspatial Velocity Optimizer I


also optimal range script. just lol. templar has optimal range of 14k with orbit of 6500, moves at 2200\s without prop, 3x optimal range increases opimal to about 18-19k that is actually pointless, on the other hand tracking speed scripts increase damage projection of missile salvo by large amount.

The point of the optimal range script is when you switch to the next target you have a higher chance of being in pure optimal instead of some damage reduction with falloff when your fighters use their guns. The tracking speed doesn't reduce the number of volleys with guns that often so is meh to me. However, I also don't use my missiles on non BS which their exp radius is more suited for. Tracking scripts would definitely increase application on smaller targets with missiles

no point of using 3 missiles per bs, as you have to kill from 4 to 8 last ones with guns only, 2 is more than enough

I'm lazy and just hit f3 for missiles. I normally just chuck missiles at the first BS I lock of a wave or to finish a wave early so I don't have to reactivate the NSA to save on cap with the buffer fit so I rat above jump cap. The only individual fighter control I do is for the guns.

You are correct though that 2 missiles is likely more then enough for the BS rat, because sometimes some of my fighters didn't even activate their guns for the second cycle on the BS. I appreciate that input because the point of this thread to share carrier ratting info.

Also, keep in mind that ticks are highly influenced by your system size/celestial placement. Smaller systems have the benefit of shorter distances to travel. How the celestials are placed also influence ticks because anomalies spawn around them. So if you have a system where all the celestials are close together, you end up with a lot less time in transit to your next site.

You can do well even in big systems if you run anomalies based on distance from you instead of just quality. I.E Instead of doing pure rock havens, you would do a forlorn/forsaken hub because the site is 5 AU from you instead of that Haven 20 AU from you. You get a little less money from the site but because you spent less time in transit you can start on an additional anomaly before the tick processes and have a higher tick then if you traveled that 20 au. I.E
30m rock haven + 28m forsaken hub + 5m for a started anomaly tick vs 2x 30m rock haven tick and in transit to your next anomaly when the tick processes.

@op Nid is better than Thanny because the speed bonus directly helps your ratting ticks unlike an hp bonus that only really helps if you're being a bad and nearly losing fighters.

Not gonna post a fit because its quite situational whether you want maximum isk/hr, the ability to stay at jump cap, the ability to fight smaller gangs off or to just go as economical as possible. 4 DDAs, an NSA and 3 FSUs seem almost mandatory though :)

Shield nid can fit 2 nav comps and has the hull bonus...

HP bonus does NOTHING to help your ticks, its a wasted bonus for this purpose. You have the same number of slots, so if you want to use 2 drone navs, you can put them on the nid too, it just becomes a case of swapping tracking comps for tracking enhancers depending on where you slot in your tank (assuming you're going to dedicate the same amount of tanking slots to each ship).

E: I dont fly pallys or snakes in nullsec, so no comment, but 15k rep/s with blue pill and heat on my current nid is certainly more than most blops gangs are expecting from a ratter...

i prefere not being caught. tastes differ.

the only pve ships i ever lost in nullsec were afktars. for obvious reasons.

i did triplebox carriers before rework, was okay. then they nerfed centries, and removed ability to afk with heavies either.

i login when i need isk, transfer it to main wallet and logout. i dont want to put any effort into it.
pve isn't my "life". i dont want to mess with scan, transfering blues or lp shop. i want isk, so i can buy another orthrus for reimburst snake, and continue my normal gameplay.
i used to run prenerf c6 wh at "raid" basis with my friends, we looged in with our capital alts, dragged in support mains, anchored TS pos, get 20-25 bil through weekend and logged off for another month, that was okay, but now wh is lifestyle. i dont need that.