Ships & Modules

I had originally intended to use this toon for scouting and ice mining, but I'd like to branch out a little and do something different....different for me anyway....so I'm thinking of getting my feet wet in a bit of WH exploration with a large side of indy hunting.


This is the Purifier fit that I set up rather quickly:

Highs:

Prototype 'Arbalest' Torp Launcher x 3
Covert Ops Cloak II
Core Probe Launcher

Med:

Phased Weapon Navigation Array x 2
Limited 1mn MWD

Low:

Ballistic Control System II x 2


Ammo:
Caldari Navy Inferno Torps
Sisters Scanner Probes

Rigs;

Not sure.



The fit is tight, but doable without implants. I still have 1 empty low slot, and I haven't put rigs on yet because I'm not sure what to use there. The tank is lacking, but I'm under the impression that's the nature of the bomber anyway. I'm currently training missile skills, but I'll start venturing into the unknown before I get T2 weapon systems.

Thoughts? Helpful comments?

Thanks

confirming that a set of light drones will chew up an untanked stealth bomber faster than you can read this sentence.

Wormhole fits by necessity are rather heavy on tank. They'll also eat a stealth bomber for breakfast a lot of the time. A stealth bomber is really useful for scouting, as compared to a T2 explorer frigate it can throw out a decent amount of dps once the real tacklers arrive.

But as far as solo hunting, a T3 is a better option, especially a Proteus.

This is very true. The lack of targeting delay on the bombers makes them great ships for getting initial point, and there's also a surprise factor involved when the target starts to panic after seeing a bomber uncloak.

T3 is also an option for you but there's nothing more annoying than having the first ship you've seen in a week get away because you couldn't lock him in time. There are ways around this, namely the uncloak-by-bumping method.

You need to weigh the benefits of skilling into a T3. Sure you get more capability but: 20-ish days for a bomber versus 60 + days for a T3. 40 mil to replace a bomber vs 300 + mil including a 4 day retrain on whatever sub that loses SP. If you're just looking for a little adventure on the side, a bomber is the way to go and you'll get way more bang for your buck. And time.

My recommendation for that purifier fit is to go with speed. If you're fast it will cause at least some tracking issues with their drones or missiles, extending your life somewhat. If you're not fast enough, it's only a matter of time before their drones or missiles chew through you and death is a certain thing.

There used to be a dude with a female toon that flew with BB for ages...Used to camp out wormholes, solo and **** face in his bombers. Used nano fits IIRC. Had a KB that could put H!tler to shame. Really wish I could remember his name but his most memorable piece of advice to me was "If you fly solo in a bomber, prepare to die. A lot." There's only so much even a good bomber pilot can do and sometime's death is more a matter of bad luck than anything else.

Edit:

Also, don't use T2 Torp launchers. It's been quite a while since I flew a purifier but I clearly remember the T2 launchers taking up so much fitting space that they make it impossible to fit other, very important mods. Use T1 named launchers instead for solo work. The advantages of T2 only really come into light when you're flying in a fleet anyway - Access to high dps and high range torps where you can pound away at a target from long range without having to be worried about getting primaried all the time - At the cost of higher sig radius and the inability to fit something like a MWD, making you much easier to kill.

If you're flying solo you'll be orbitting within 24 kms. You also want as small a sig radius as possible and need to be orbitting as fast as possible. 2 kms/sec or more. Javelin and Rage are pointless. Sure the MWD also increases your sig radius but it's a trade-off. One mod that increases it is acceptable for the speed you gain from it. 2 mods is not, and will get you killed.

In my experience, it is a very practical "practice" ship. Everything you do while hunting targets up until the time when you get that first target lock will be virtually the same; only the engagement itself will be different. I'm not gonna try comparing tactics between bomber piloting and proteus piloting, cause they're wayyyy different, but yes. It's possible to practice for a T3 while you wait, flying a bomber in the meantime.

#1 would only work if you can insta-pop their ship in 1 volley. Not likely to happen unless they're flying a T1 hauler with a bad tank. I used to try to squeeze off 2 volleys and then cloak up right after the second volley was out the barrels of the launchers. If they're close to you it works, but keep in mind that your torps disappear a few seconds after activating the cloak so if they haven't made it to the target by then you'll lose them mid-flight.

#2 is basically the same as #1. No point in cloaking back up again unless you've insta-popped the guy, and keep in mind that you cannot cloak if he's got you targeted.

#3 is your best option if you ever plan on actually killing anything with torps. It will take anywhere from a few volleys to a couple dozen volleys depending on what your target is and how well its piloted/defended. Chances are that if you can't kill it within say 5 volleys, you're a dead bomber. If it has drones or missiles, you need to be extremely careful.

#4 Leave. As a bomber pilot you have to be super paranoid and never underestimate your target. Do not be afraid to de-aggress and warp out if things aren't going exactly the way you want them to, or if they seem a little bit fishy. Though a bomber is easy to replace, you don't want to lose them for no good reason, and being uber aware of your surroundings as a bomber pilot will teach you good habits for when you start piloting your T3.

#5. The only other thing I might add to this list is a bombing run. If you're doing one of those, you warp to the location the target is at, get range and start from say 40kms away, align to him and when you get to like 32 kms (if he's staying still,) uncloak, drop bomb, warp off to the celestial that's directly behind him and hope your bomb kills him. Careful you don't bomb yourself. I could go on and on about bombing tactics all night but it would be better for you to do some research. Just know that this is an option as well.

It's possible that i'm forgetting some things here but it's 5 am, I'm tired and I gotta write up my report, finish work, and get home for some sleep. I'll include what I always include by saying that as a bomber/t3/cloaky pilot, you need to have ass-loads of patience. You may get lucky and find a mining op to pick on or you may not find any targets for a week straight. It's the game we play but in order to be successful you can't just get discouraged after roaming around for 4 hours with no results.