Ships & Modules

What are the advantages that active tank has over passive? I know that it isn't used in pvp or incursions because it's useless when neuted, and it is used because it takes more dps. So, if passive tank doesn't require cap and tanks more damage, what does active tank have that passive doesn't, and why is active more popular for missions, plexes etc?

/me breaks out old lecture on tanking....

There are actually three or more "tank types" at work here, not just active and passive. Active tanks require the use of either a shield booster or an armor repper. Both require cap to use and restore some portion of either shields or armor respectively.

Buffer tanks are pretty much the exact opposite: you're looking for as much EHP as possible through the use of resist mods, shield extenders, or armor plates. These are usually preferred in PvP because the buffer you can get will allow you to take more damage over the span of an engagement than an active module could possibly repair.

Passive tanks are those that require little to no cap and rely on increasing your passive shield recharge rate to overcome incoming damage. These are distinguished from shield buffer tanks by the use of shield power relays, shield rechargers, and core defense field purgers. However, increasing shield buffer also increases passive tank, so there are at least some similarities.

Another class of tanking deserves a mention: resist tanking, which basically relies on increasing the resists on your ship, which makes incoming remote reppers more valuable.

Then there's hull tanking, but that's easy: slap a damage control in your lows and pray.

Each tanking approach is situational. PvE fits need some sort of way to recoup lost hp, so generally fall into active or passive (that is, not buffer). Armor tanks go in low slots, limiting the number of damage mods you can fit, but opening mids to utility mods. Shield tanks go in mids, limiting utility but maximizing damage (and speed). Passive tanks often use mids, lows, and rigs, which limits them to just tanking really hard.

Pure passive tanking is nice in that it makes you immune to neuts, but requires the use of shield amplifiers (and recall, there is no passive omni shield resist mod). This mostly limits it to very specific PvE fits, where incoming damage types are well-known.

So yeah, there's no right way to do things. But those are some considerations.

fleet level you will be buffer/passive tank. Make a difference from active....not really. 40 people primary you you go boom either way. Or bored titan pilots want to one shot a bs lol.



Skirmish and solo active tank can have its place. If no nearby stations (0.0 with locked alliance ones for example) buffer armour with little or no logi means your next target gets you all warmed up from the last guy. If in the same fight like say 4 on 4....means even less rep time (if a logi there at all) for buffer. Same goes for shields really. passive tank only works on a few shield tankers (drake, rattler). But its not omfg dual sb fast shield regen. the other ships like say rokh.....once the buffer is gone its a looooong road back to 100%. the resists bonus...helps but a fortress ot does not make of the rokh.


PVE, shield active is preferred unless in drake or rattler as well. fat sig radius ='s easier to hit you. An active tengu not full speed ahead 100% of the time will still speed tank to offset missile damage. rat torps hit for why bother damage. Drake/rattler/nh.....that sig radius gives the missile rats more bite. Gun rats active lets you try to sig tank (ship depending). May not always work but again a pve tengu or any low sig radius ship like loki is good for throwing off rat tracking for misses. So is the mach. Why its liked as shield tank. A)more damage mods. B) not weighted down with plates in its designed armour config. Which can armour buffer quite nicely, but then its like buying a $80,000 sports car to haul bags of cement around in.