Ships & Modules

Upon Rhea's release, I wanted to go poke around in Thera. I needed something that would serve as a go-anywhere, find-anything solo scout, and I had a long list of requirements for a ship to do so, including (in no particular order):

1. Hard to catch.
2. Very fast (both subwarp and warp speeds).
3. Can cloak.
4. Can scan down sites.
5. Cheap.
6. Reasonably combat capable.


What I came up is what I'm calling The Infiltrator:

[Ares, The Infiltrator]

Overdrive Injector System II
Overdrive Injector System II
Local Hull Conversion Inertial Stabilizers
Local Hull Conversion Inertial Stabilizers

Limited 1MN Microwarpdrive I
Warp Disruptor II
Sensor Booster II

Light Missile Launcher II, Caldari Navy Inferno Light Missile
Core Probe Launcher II, Sisters Core Scanner Probe
Improved Cloaking Device II

Small Polycarbon Engine Housing I
[Small Gravity Capacitor Upgrade II

(Updates in italics)



The fitting requirements aren't tight, and you can downgrade from T2 to best named where appropriate.

With the Interdiction Nullification granted by the hull and a sub-2-second align time, this ship is about as hard to catch as you can get, although obviously smartbomb camps will kill it dead. (I'm lookin' at you RnK....)

With it's high warp speed and quick align times, it's great for making long warps across Thera.

Although it can't warp cloaked, it can sit cloaked on-grid to observe...whatever, and so long as you're not targeting something right after decloaking it's still got a good scan resolution.

It can scan down sites, although with only one rig providing bonuses it may wake a while.

'Ceptors are pretty cheap, usually running 25mil or less for the hull, and I skipped any expensive faction modules (although I briefly considered a Sisters scan probe launcher).

And with it's high sub-warp speed (just over 5kps) and long range point and very low signature radius (30km and 88m, respectively, with Interceptors V before heat), it is more than capable of holding down a target until bigger guns arrive to kill it. Don't expect to actually kill anything with it except pods and rookie ships though.

I considered fitting a salvager or something else instead of the missile launcher, but the last thing I want is any encouragement to be sitting still very close to a warpable object. Baaaad mojo.

I think this is pretty much the best fit I could come up with to suit my needs. Other 'ceptors aren't fast or agile enough (I tried them all), I feel that T3s are too expensive for this role, and other ships don't really provide enough benefit to justify a lack of interdiction nullification for the intended role of advanced solo scout. I had hoped to come up with something that could probe ships down, but combat scanners are just too hard to fit on non-bonused hulls, so I consider a core scanner a good compromise. Likewise, I had hoped for something that could warp cloaked, but stealth was a secondary concern to mobility in my eyes.

Thoughts? Anything I missed that could make this a better fit, or a different ship that would fill the role?


EDIT: Updated fit with feedback from thread.

#noshitsherlock

He asked how you would do it better.

I prefer the ability to warp cloaked to the interdiction immunity/speed but as you mentioned you prefer the opposite I can't do it better.

CovOps frigates and Stealth Bombers were my other two primary choices. What turned me off to them wasn't necessarily the lack of interdiction immunity so much as it was the lack of flexibility in tackling potential targets. CovOps are great scan ships and Bombers are great for applying DPS, but neither one are particularly good at tackling ships while maintaining GTFO ability. Unlike a 'ceptor with an overheated MWD, either of this will absolutely die right quick to a flight of light drones with no real way to avoid them.

In the end, for me at least, flexibility won. The interdiction nullification was just gravy.

But, as you said it's a matter personal preference. With different priorities, I easily may have chosen one of these two instead.

Side note: I absolutely plan on keeping a bomber on standby to apply DPS to tackled targets as I have in the past. I just don't plan to use it as the lead ship.

Align time was secondary to speed. My current fit shows an align time of 1.92 seconds (MWD off of course) to evade instalocks. Speed is my method of survival should I choose to tackle something, but align time keeps me alive to be able to tackle something in the first place.

I hadn't considered the Sisters Probes or the GCU II. Neither of them seem too terribly expensive so I'll have to snag those. Thanks!

I noticed a targeting range script in your optimized fit. I keep one handy, but not loaded by default. I want the unscripted SB's bonus to my scan resolution to help offset the penalty from the cloak.

As for the missile launcher, I wanted something that would be useful without getting me killed which, in my mind, ruled out short-range weapons. Yes, the DPS is pitiful, but it DPS applied very well at 30km and 5km/s. I'm open to suggestions to alternatives.

Also...I may have to have a second look at the Taranis....

Thanks for the input!

3 and 4 conflict with 6, the only reasonable choice for all three of those options would be the Astero but then you end up conflicting with requirement 2. Ares is a decent choice if you want to go hard on 1, 2, 5 and 6 but the low tracking of rails will limit your ability to hit things while avoiding drones (you can't very well speed tank drones while killing something in a blaster ship).

If you're just looking to tackle heavy targets so you can gank them with an SB then my top pick would be the Dramiel. It's very fast subwarp, has a warp speed bonus making it fairly fast in warp too, and you can shoehorn on a lot of defensive options while also leaving open the option of either a probe launcher or cloak.

Check this out:

[Dramiel, Fast Boy]

Co-Processor II
Internal Force Field Array I
Nanofiber Internal Structure II

Limited 1MN Microwarpdrive I
Warp Disruptor II
X5 Prototype Engine Enervator
Medium F-S9 Regolith Shield Induction

125mm Gatling AutoCannon II, Republic Fleet Fusion S
Core Probe Launcher II, Sisters Core Scanner Probe
125mm Gatling AutoCannon II, Republic Fleet Fusion S

Small Hyperspatial Velocity Optimizer II
Small Hyperspatial Velocity Optimizer II
Small Hyperspatial Velocity Optimizer II

Hobgoblin II x3

160 DPS, 5k EHP, 6.7kmps with MWD overheated, 13 AU/s warp speed (I think this number may be off but it'll be fast anyway), fits without implants and you don't even need to run from drones just web them and destroy them in seconds and then they won't pose a problem for your stealth bomber when you bring that on field.