These forums have been archived and are now read-only.

The new forums are live and can be found at https://forums.eveonline.com/

EVE New Citizens Q&A

 
  • Topic is locked indefinitely.
 

Help me out with ammo?
Author
Previous Topic Next Topic
Sarpy Aranori
Sebiestor Tribe
Minmatar Republic
#1 - 2013-03-27 23:40:22 UTC
When it comes to pvp and using autocannons, could someone walk me through what I should be using?

Right now I'm just using Republic fleet EMP. When is a good time to switch to Hail or some other form of ammo?
Should I use hail when they get close?
Vilnius Zar
SDC Multi Ten
#2 - 2013-03-28 00:01:04 UTC  |  Edited by: Vilnius Zar
You have 4 ammo types you should care about, note that this is based on generic omni resist fitted pvp ships and can/will be different if you're dealing with PVE tanked ships.

EMP: against shield tanking ships that aren't T2/T3 Minmatar
phased plasma: against T2/T3 Amarr
Fusion: against armour tanking ships that aren't T2/T3 Amarr
Barrage: if you need range

Personally I'm not a fan of hail as I'd rather use the appropriate damage type (unless it matches then it's an option) and I don't like the tracking & range loss.
Marc Callan
Center for Advanced Studies
Gallente Federation
#3 - 2013-03-28 00:03:20 UTC
EMP ammo is usually used when you're confident you're up against someone who's shield tanking and doesn't have a good EM resist - but most people who use shields will also take steps to improve their EM resistance. Phased Plasma ammo has been recommended by some pilots who have made a career out of flying ships like the Rifter, as it does thermal damage, which is often the weak resist in PVP ships.

Hail isn't usually a good choice in combat because it screws up the tracking speed of autocannons, as well as having a shorter falloff. The more common specialty ammo used is Barrage, with a longer falloff that will give you extended range.

"We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be." - Kurt Vonnegurt
Sarpy Aranori
Sebiestor Tribe
Minmatar Republic
#4 - 2013-03-28 00:05:29 UTC
Vilnius Zar wrote:
You have 4 ammo types you should care about, note that this is based on generic omni resist fitted pvp ships and can/will be different if you're dealing with PVE tanked ships.

EMP: against shield tanking ships that aren't T2/T3 Minmatar
phased plasma: against T2/T3 Amarr
Fusion: against armour tanking ships that aren't T2/T3 Amarr
Barrage: if you need range

Personally I'm not a fan of hail as I'd rather use the appropriate damage type (unless it matches then it's an option) and I don't like the tracking & range loss.


Thank you c: what about in PVP?
Vilnius Zar
SDC Multi Ten
#5 - 2013-03-28 00:06:20 UTC
Sarpy Aranori wrote:
Vilnius Zar wrote:
You have 4 ammo types you should care about, note that this is based on generic omni resist fitted pvp ships and can/will be different if you're dealing with PVE tanked ships.

EMP: against shield tanking ships that aren't T2/T3 Minmatar
phased plasma: against T2/T3 Amarr
Fusion: against armour tanking ships that aren't T2/T3 Amarr
Barrage: if you need range

Personally I'm not a fan of hail as I'd rather use the appropriate damage type (unless it matches then it's an option) and I don't like the tracking & range loss.


Thank you c: what about in PVP?
Sarpy Aranori
Sebiestor Tribe
Minmatar Republic
#6 - 2013-03-28 00:07:09 UTC
Vilnius Zar wrote:
Sarpy Aranori wrote:
Vilnius Zar wrote:
You have 4 ammo types you should care about, note that this is based on generic omni resist fitted pvp ships and can/will be different if you're dealing with PVE tanked ships.

EMP: against shield tanking ships that aren't T2/T3 Minmatar
phased plasma: against T2/T3 Amarr
Fusion: against armour tanking ships that aren't T2/T3 Amarr
Barrage: if you need range

Personally I'm not a fan of hail as I'd rather use the appropriate damage type (unless it matches then it's an option) and I don't like the tracking & range loss.


Thank you c: what about in PVP?


Ahh sorry, I'm on my phone. Couldn't read it properly
Vilnius Zar
SDC Multi Ten
#7 - 2013-03-28 00:10:04 UTC
Np, depending on ship type and strategy you can expect most pvp ships to be omni tanked unless it's fleet doctrine fits or specific fits like ASB fits with EM rigs. Generally thermal (phased plasma) is a good damage type to fall back on against T1 ships if you don't know what to expect.
Daniel Plain
Doomheim
#8 - 2013-03-28 00:10:20 UTC
there are no simple answers to your questions. knowing which ammo to use is one of the many things that come with experience. i will try and give you some general hints though:
- if you expect the fight to be short and bloody, there is usually no point in switching ammo at all. 10 seconds of reload ime set you behind a few thousand EHP, so it will probably not pay off until either you or your opponent explodes
- you should get accustomed to the common fits for every ship you are flying against. for example, a standard thresher will have a shield tank with very low EM resistance, so shooting EMP is a good idea. armor tanked ships on the other hand often have relatively high EM resistances, Fusion or hail will do a better job.
- for general purpose, phased plasma is often a good choice. there are very few typical pvp ships with high base thermal resists and on the smaller hulls, there are no fitting slots left to plug the thermal resistance hole.

I should buy an Ishtar.