Warfare & Tactics

So I had a question about bombs. Not smartbombs, but the bombs used on a stealth bomber.

I could not find any details searching, so here goes.

I assume since they are not targetted that they simply work via a proximity trigger? If so will they also take out cloaked ships? Like if you see someone coming through a gate and fire a bomb at said gate to catch them as their session timer expires would it explode even if they re-cloak before the bomb gets there?

Bomb goes at a certain velocity (I forget) for 30 seconds after being launched. It travels approximately 40km (I forget, it might be 30). Anything in the blast radius gets roflwtfdamage.

While you're under gate cloak, you're invulnerable for at least that 30 second session change timer. If you hold your cloak the bombs won't hit you. I've been bombed under those circumstances and not been scratched. However, they will hit cloaked ships just fine.

Normal sequence of events for small gang bomb run :

1) Approach/warp-in to 35-50km cloaked;

2) Align for target ensuring you are also aligned to a warp-out point (planet for example);

3) Set full speed and then at 25-35km - decloak, drop bomb, warp-out.

You need to be quick at stage 3 otherwise chances are an interceptor will grab you.

Bombs fly for 10 seconds at 3km/sec but as with all missiles they don't reach that speed instantly.

If you are still under gate cloak then bombs don't damage you. In all other cases if you are within the 15km radius of the bomb then you will take damage.

Bombs are area-effect weapons so it doesn't matter how fast the target is flying. Signature radius matters though - anything 400m or over takes full damage, below 400m and its proportional damage.

A single bomb will instapop (in most cases) :

a) a MWDing T1 frigate - needs MWD active though;
b) a MWDing destroyer (T1 or T2) and occasionally a gank fit dessie without MWD active;
c) T1 industrials.

That's about it for solo bombing. Obviously you can bomb first then hit it with torps if its a single target, but you'll find solo bombing very limiting. Edit - obviously you can also paint the target to increase sig radius.

HTH.

He's not confused and neither am I.

If you are within gate cloak timer and you don't move then bombs will NOT do any damage. We have both been bombed enough times in the last month to tell you that for sure. No ifs, buts or maybes. For sure.

This works with ANY session timer, not just gate cloaks and wormholes. Titan bridges, jump bridges, blops bridges, capital jumping, all give you the 30 second invulnerability timer. If you move or active a module, however, you gonn dye.

A bomb can tank up to roughly 7 of its own bombtype (technicaly I think if you calculate it out its more like 8 or 9 but as a simple rule 7 works).

So a Scorch bomb can tank 7 other Scorch bombs, but will be destroyed by one Electron for example.

So when bombers operate together they always need to be using same bombtype. Lots of theorycrafting CAN go into which bombtype is better in what situation but in practical terms above 4-5 bombers it doesnt realy matter so long as they are all the same.

I'm not 100% sure on that one. I think it's like the docking immunity, only lasting 30 seconds, but I don't think I've ever hung around that long.

From what ive read on the old forums, i think that if the GATE itself would take damage, it eats it all. So youd be safe. if the bomb would hit you and not the gate tho, damage.

that said, size and resists can keep you fine against single bombs.

sometimes.

Silas

There's no upper limit to the total amount of damage put out. Everything in the radius gets the damage. A gate can't tank it for you.