Crime & Punishment

A dual-rep Incursus can be a great ship for learning how to fly blaster fit frigates - if you can get fleet boosts even better. Of course have a DCII in there somewhere but try leaving one rep running full-time and pulse the second when needed ... not the tankiest ship but if you can keep ahead of your reppers it can work out nicely

I fit another Comet (with the right scram this time) and head out to look for either a Firetail or a Thrasher. And there’s a Thrasher in the plex in front of me when I undock. How nice.

I warp in and he is sitting at zero. I don’t want this fight so I warp out before he can tackle me. But I watch the plex and see a Punisher and Atron land. The Thrasher scarpers but I wouldn’t mind having a go. I warp in and they are sitting on the gate outside the plex. This smells fishy.

As I am quickly killing the Atron (http://eve.battleclinic.com/killboard/killmail.php?id=20837838) I notice a Slasher appear on short scan. I am hardly surprised. Sitting outside the plex often indicates that they want to be easily accessible to support. It is a good idea if rather transparent. But wow, that Punisher is doing some serious damage! Well, that’s what happens at low angular in optimal. As the Atron dies I move into an orbit on the Punisher and get through his shields fast. The armour is a different matter, however, and the neut makes me switch to the Slasher that has just landed and pull range on the Punisher.

The Slasher doesn’t keep up so I switch to Null but am still getting hit pretty hard on the way out under webs. A few volleys later and the Slasher is in low structure - just one more I think. And then I die.

http://eve.battleclinic.com/killboard/killmail.php?id=20837837

And THEN I realise I forgot to deploy my drones. In a bloody Comet. What a noob. I would easily have killed the Slasher if they were out, possibly the Punisher from a distance too.

Still, not being one to take ‘die’ for an answer I quickly reship into a Blasty Incursus and head straight back to the plex. The Punisher is there, basking in victory, so I start laying into him in a close orbit but with only web applied. This time I see that he actually has a vamp, not a neut (I always confuse them at a glance).

This is something I have learnt about cap management. You don’t need all the modules on, all of the time! If someone clearly wants the fight I will often turn my scram off after the initial tackle and only reapply it when it becomes clear that they might want to escape pretty soon. Having said that, um:

http://eve.battleclinic.com/killboard/killmail.php?id=20837836

I don’t know why he didn’t scarper under MWD. Probably thought he had it in the bag until it was too late and I had reapplied the scram. Or maybe he didn’t notice it wasn’t on any more.

Anyway, he goes down slowly but my cap is manageable with only the web, guns and AAR active even with the vampire applied. He dies and I catch his pod! I quickly check his board and see that he is a 2007 player.

“gf. 10m for the pod!”, I type quickly whilst watching d-scan. Nothing. “10 seconds”, I add. Oh well.

http://eve.battleclinic.com/killboard/killmail.php?id=20837835

My most expensive pod yet (but still only 60m). In convo I asked him why he didn’t just pay the 10m. “Because you would kill me after”. Fair enough. But I really wouldn’t have.

A pity the Slasher didn’t warp back in. I was expecting him.

Double post.

I'll look into it. They are all 1020p the whole way through but maybe I've ticked a wrong box somewhere.

I got bored with the videos anyway tbh. Too much hassle. I might add some in the future for very good fights or amusing whelps.

I am taken by a mad fit and hop out of frigates and into a Catalyst!

[Catalyst, Zappity’s Ions]
Damage Control II
Magnetic Field Stabilizer II
Tracking Enhancer II

Limited 1MN Microwarpdrive I
Initiated Harmonic Warp Scrambler I

Light Ion Blaster II, Caldari Navy Antimatter Charge S
Light Ion Blaster II, Caldari Navy Antimatter Charge S
Light Ion Blaster II, Caldari Navy Antimatter Charge S
Light Ion Blaster II, Caldari Navy Antimatter Charge S
Light Ion Blaster II, Caldari Navy Antimatter Charge S
Light Ion Blaster II, Caldari Navy Antimatter Charge S
Light Ion Blaster II, Caldari Navy Antimatter Charge S
Light Ion Blaster II, Caldari Navy Antimatter Charge S

Small Hybrid Locus Coordinator I
Small Hybrid Collision Accelerator I
Small Hybrid Ambit Extension I

I don't have a clue whether this is a good fit or not but I'll explain my thinking behind it. I tend not to pay too much attention to battleclinic etc - half the fun is coming up with something that actually works.

The DPS is good at about 380 with CNAM unheated (420 Void) but this is of dubious value if you can't actually apply it to your target. So the idea is to approach under overheated MWD, shut down their own MWD with the scram at about the same time they presumably do the same to me, and coast into a turret range that is somewhat extended by the TE and rigs. The rigs also mean that Null has fairly decent DPS (300) out to the edge of a T2 (but not faction or linked) scram.

Weaknesses? Many and varied. No web, no active tank. No passive tank for that matter aside from the DCII. Would easily be kitescrubbed to death by ANY frigate with a long point and some agility. No way to hit a faction/linked scram. The list goes on but let's have a go anyway.

There are only miserable T1 frigate farmers in this system so let's head north. In the next system I spot a Thrasher in a Medium plex with a Corax somewhere else on dscan. I don't think they are in the same corp, not that I would matter much for a test flight.

I warp in and go for the Thrasher who is sitting about 20 off the beacon. Probably arty fit. But before I get close enough he warps away. I think he was aligned and just waiting to get an ID on the intruder. Or just not paying as much attention as he should.

As I am wandering back towards the beacon I spot the Corax on short scan. Just as good! I wait on the beacon for the ship to come sailing in. He lands only a couple of kilometres away but I still give it the Catalyst a single MWD cycle to get underway. We scram each other simultaneously but my momentum is good enough to coast me on top of him. He gets me to low armour before my overheated CNAM breaks him apart:

http://eve.battleclinic.com/killboard/killmail.php?id=20848834

He didn't give a gf in local because I podded him. Which I suppose is a reasonable excuse.

http://eve.battleclinic.com/killboard/killmail.php?id=20848833

I don't know why such an old character didn't warp his pod out in time. Dessies don't exactly lock fast, not compared to frigates anyway. Maybe it was just lag but I didn't feel like chatting so he got the express. My turn will come ;)

I loot the wreck and bounce off my safe to soak up the weapons timer before docking. Repairs finished, I immediately undock and see the Thrasher back in the plex!

I warp in (of course) and use overheated MWD to eat up the 15 km that lie between us. I wait a couple of seconds before starting to lock him, a lesson I have learned from farmers. If they happen to be distracted then an early lock will pull their attention back just a little sooner than needed. With blaster DPS the extra second or two can make the difference, even with stabs fitted.

I coast into falloff before activating the guns and as I push into optimal he quickly melts. Yes, he was arty fit:

Thrasher: http://eve.battleclinic.com/killboard/killmail.php?id=20848832

And yes, apparently he was watching the other screen according to local. That'll teach him!

Downtime is coming up so I dock and consider the ship. The Catalyst is good for a bit of fun but I don't think it is a serious solo ship. It lacks the flexibility that the extra mid slot would provide. I think I’ll have a look at the Cormorant next.

Kestrel and Punisher, sitting in a plex. And here’s me in a little Incursus. I hope they are both close to zero so I can jump on the Kestrel whilst keeping out of the Punisher’s high DPS zone until I have more time to finish him.

Well, they granted half of my wish with the Punisher sitting on the beacon. Unfortunately, the Kestrel was very sensibly MWD fit and orbiting at 30 km, ready to pound me with light missiles. He pointed me before I could warp away so I decided to make the best of a bad job and kill the Punisher before I died.

I started orbiting him at 500, thinking that my Ions would probably track better than whatever he had and that I could limit at least some of his damage. It might have worked except for the tracking disruptor on the Kestrel. As soon as I noticed that I just approached the Punisher and hit da F1 butan.

http://eve.battleclinic.com/killboard/killmail.php?id=20897661

We died at EXACTLY the same time. I actually thought that they had beaten me but I saw his pod appear as my own entered warp. I had my pod-save overview open this time :)

Look, a pod sitting on a station! What on earth am I to do about it? Should I:

A) Leave it alone and fly away
or
B) Shoot it

I think I know the answer to this one. I approach, lock, align my Slasher and fire!

http://eve.battleclinic.com/killboard/killmail.php?id=20897657

Now the Slasher has less DPS and less tank than the other ships I am used to and the station guns pop me just as I pop him. Well, I guess there’s justice after all.

I should probably have warped out as soon as I had aggression and then warped back in to avoid the guns. But then he might have heard it and docked! Couldn’t have that.

Maybe I should send him a link to the lecture.

Keep up the good work Zappity.

Still need a blog link though

Also note the TD affects both Optimal and Falloff ranges not just optimal. But if that FT was loaded with barrage then he'd still have plenty of range to hit you orbiting at 5km+ you di right in swapping to tracking just get in closer next time

It'll be good to get your thoughts on the slasher when you've flown/killed more with them. And maybe try out a rifter for comparison purposes of course

...and I won when I went back a couple of minutes later in an Incursus! The same gang was at a safe near the sun but I spotted a Slicer, Kestrel and Rifter from another corp at a plex. I warped to their plex but didn’t enter. While sitting there I opened up a new plex to tempt them to split up. Bingo - the Rifter warped to it. This just HAS to be bait for one of the others to warp in straight after me for a 2v1.

Whatever. Let’s go.

Sure enough, the Rifter is sitting at zero on the beacon and tackles me. I don’t mind because that’s exactly where I want him. I orbit at 500 and kill him before he scratches my armour. (I wish they’d buff the Rifter just a bit.) The Kestrel lands just as I pop the Rifter and I dive for him, landing a tackle and getting into another close orbit. I have to rep my armour this time (how rude) but nothing serious.

GFs all round as I warp to my safe. Hehe, good stuff.

The Merlin from the gang that killed me earlier is still sitting at that safe near the sun. I bring my scanning alt into the system and warp to the Merlin. As soon as I land he warps away to be replaced by the cursed Executioner in the same moment! It’s a trap!

The Executioner points me immediately and I know I won’t be able to slingshot him in the Incursus. The Merlin immediately warps back in (why did he warp out?) so I jump on him, hoping to get at least one kill. At about half shields the Rifter also lands and I die to their combined firepower.

“gf, nice trap”, I write in local. Apparently it was NOT a trap - just very unhappy (from my perspective) timing. Come to think of it, the Executioner must have entered warp when I did to land at the same time. My safe was pretty close. “dammit!”, I reply, “oh well, gf anyway”. I nearly got through the Merlin’s shields. Maybe next time!

Zappity this thread is awesome thanks for all the posts and vids

+1