EVE New Citizens Q&A

It depends on a number of factors that really can't be explained in a single reply.


In simplest terms, the Magnate (an Amarr frigate) is a good frigate with 4x low slots because the Amarrians typically armor tank (which uses low slots). With four low slots, you have room for a DCU*, Armor Repper, and two resist modules (e.g. EANM*, specific hardeners, etc), or maybe a Heat Sink, or armor plating, etc.

Low slots are also used by "special" modules, like the Nanos, Overdrive Injectors, Reinforced Bulkheads, Scanning Mods, etc.

* Acronyms:

DCU - Damage Control (also sometimes called "suitcase"). It's pretty much a "must have", as it gives you some decent resists in armor and shields ... AND 60% across the boards in hull.

EANM - Energized Adaptive Nano Membrane -- A passive resist module, gives omni resists to your armor.

Magnate is good for explration because it has exploration bonuses. Not because of slots. Low slots are least usefull for exploration. In high sec you do not need to fight during exploration. But there are exploration moduyles, arrays, that are middle slots modules and there for for exploration ship it is better to have more middle slots, not high slots. Do not go into low sec or null if you are not looking for a fight. Exploration frigates are bad for solo fighting.

If you are in a scanning ship, you will want to fit modules that enhance scanning.

Modules that enhance scanning go in the mid-slots:
* Scan Acquisition Array
* Scan Pinpointing Array
* Scan Rangefinding Array
http://games.chruker.dk/eve_online/market.php?group_id=1709

Analysers also go in the mid-slots, so you want a lot of mid-slots:
http://games.chruker.dk/eve_online/market.php?group_id=1718


http://wiki.eveuniversity.org/Exploration

Tanking:
https://forums.eveonline.com/default.aspx?g=posts&m=3844723#post3844723
https://forums.eveonline.com/default.aspx?g=posts&m=4233022#post4233022

To elaborate on this a little...

Shield ships might be prefered when doing PVE because you can out all of your tank into the mids and use majority, if not all of your lows to fit damage mods or tracking enhancers.

Armor ships are prefered for PVP because their buffer tanks has a lot of raw HP to deal with, and while the armor does have to compete with damage mods for valuable low slots, the armor ships tend to have more low slots to begin with. They are then free to use their mids to fit vital afterburners or microwarpdrives that a PVPer would use to dictate his engagement range. Or fit warp scramblers and webs so that the target can't escape.

One thing to note is that every highslot is NOT a turret or missile slot. Sometimes you have a ship that has 7 highs with 5 missiles and 2 guns, or vice versa. Sometimes you have a ship with 6 highs, 5 guns, and no missiles. In this case the 6th highslot is called a "Utility High" and is where we fit things like cloaks, salvagers, tractor beams, probe launchers, and in PVP maybe fit a energy vampire or energy neutralizer.

It's also worth mentioning that all the fitting mods have low slot version if not are low slot only. Examples of low-only mods are reactor controls for increasing power grid and Co-processors for increasing CPU. There's capacitor and shield mods that can go in these slots too for major benefit. But they have mid slot variations too. In the case of shields these low slot mods only apply to passive tanks because they affect shield recharge and HP values. Keep mindful of using shield or capacitor relays. They have a great gain to their respective type, but cause significant penalties to each other.

For example the T2 capacitor power relay gives a big 24% boost to cap regen, but has a 11% shield booster penalty: https://wiki.eveonline.com/en/wiki/Capacitor_Power_Relay_II