This is the second part to my two part series on Combat Cov-Ops ships and how to fly them. In this post I will be dealing with the rocket fitted cov-ops, the Buzzard and the Anathema. They share most of the same traits as the turret cov-ops minus the obvious difference of weapon type. Due to this they also generally use the same tactics during a fight. Namely keeping to the edge of you scram range and using your webs and tracking disruptor to your advantage.
Buzzard
Firstly the Fit
[Buzzard, Combat]
Low Slots
Micro Auxiliary Power Core I
Damage Control II
Mid Slots
1MN Afterburner II
Warp Scrambler II
Stasis Webifier II
Stasis Webifier II
Tracking Disruptor II, Optimal Range Disruption
Hi Slots
Covert Ops Cloaking Device II
Rocket Launcher II, Caldari Navy Thorn Rocket
Rocket Launcher II, Caldari Navy Thorn Rocket
Rig Slots
Small Bay Loading Accelerator I
Small Warhead Calefaction Catalyst I
Like with the previous Combat Ships mention in part 1, this fit can be done with meta items instead which improves the cap life greatly, however it is less useful as with good skills the above fit is cap stable. Now you may be asking why its relevant about these fits being cap stable, the reason it becomes important is because the e-war is your life, once they switch off you lose your advantage.
Out of all the Cov-Ops, this is the most similar to the Helios when it comes to fighting, the five mid slots again giving it brilliant range dictation. The largest problems with this when comparing it too the Helios however is the much lower hull hp which means this has the smallest ehp tank of all the combat cov-ops when fitted in this configuration. It can mean that fighting in a battle buzzard can get rather hairy sometimes if you make a mistake early on, for example overshooting and getting to close to your opponent taking some large hits then not having enough time to get back to your ideal range again.
There are some great benefits to this fit however the obvious one being that it can fit a cloak and therefore can make its way around whatever area of space you want fairly undetected. The other benefit, in my opinion, is that it has rockets fit. Now not everyone will agree with me here but since the 'buff' rockets have been fantastic and at 8km-10km very few other close range frigate weapons match them for consistent dps on target. What do I mean by consistent dps on target you say, well with the dual webs and orbit you still hit for near full dps whereas your opponent will have vastly reduced dps thanks to losses in tracking and fall off, even if they load barrage (projectile long range ammo) for example.
Secondly the Strategy
Although the tactics are fairly similar to the previous fits mention in part 1 the relative cap independence of the weapons and cloak allow you to engage in more circumstances and escape from others that wouldn't have been possible in the Helios. If you haven't part 1 the general tactics for flying against turret frigates/destroyer/interdictors is orbit close to the edge of scram range and use the tracking disruptor to minimize the incoming dps whilst slowly wearing them down with your rail guns and drone damage.
Now I will introduce the paragraph/section by saying I personally have never flown the Anathema in anger. This isn't anything against the ship itself, it has a lovely hull, but is purely down to the fact that I already had Caldari Frigate V by the time I had trained Amarr Frigate V and seeing as the Buzzard (at least combat wise) is essentially the Anathema with an extra mid I never saw the point.
Do not be put off by that less than glowing endorsement, it can still be an effective Combat frigate (basically a rocket firing Cheetah) so it can still work fight.
The Fit
[Anathema, Combat Covops]
Low Slots
Damage Control II
Ballistic Control System II
Ballistic Control System II
Mid Slots
Cold-Gas I Arcjet Thrusters
Warp Scrambler II
Stasis Webifier II
Tracking Disruptor II, Optimal Range Disruption
Hi Slots
Rocket Launcher II, Caldari Navy Gremlin Rocket
Rocket Launcher II, Caldari Navy Gremlin Rocket
Covert Ops Cloaking Device II
Rig Slots
Small Warhead Calefaction Catalyst I
Small Polycarbon Engine Housing I
As you can see it is basically the Cheetah fit, roughly the same ehp/speed and dps at your preferred range (8km).
Secondly the Strategy
Although once again the strategy is similar to those already mentioned, this fit as it is the slowest requires you to overheat alot more, it also has fairly low dps. So if you are wanting to fly the Anathema get your Thermodynamics skill as high as possible first as it will help keep your ship alive a lot longer.
The other thing I will mention is that the Anathema is the only fit I could get to work without the micro auxillary power core fitted, this gave it an extra low slot for the second damage mod. This improves your low dps to 72 now (yaye!!).
Proof of Concept
Unfortunately as mentioned I haven't flown an Anathema in combat but there is evidence in video form on youtube which I will link at the end that contains footage of the Anathema in acton.
Buzzard
[Buzzard, Combat]
Low Slots
Micro Auxiliary Power Core I
Damage Control II
Mid Slots
1MN Afterburner II
Warp Scrambler II
Stasis Webifier II
Stasis Webifier II
Tracking Disruptor II, Optimal Range Disruption
Hi Slots
Covert Ops Cloaking Device II
Rocket Launcher II, Caldari Navy Thorn Rocket
Rocket Launcher II, Caldari Navy Thorn Rocket
Rig Slots
Small Bay Loading Accelerator I
Small Warhead Calefaction Catalyst I
Like with the previous Combat Ships mention in part 1, this fit can be done with meta items instead which improves the cap life greatly, however it is less useful as with good skills the above fit is cap stable. Now you may be asking why its relevant about these fits being cap stable, the reason it becomes important is because the e-war is your life, once they switch off you lose your advantage.
Out of all the Cov-Ops, this is the most similar to the Helios when it comes to fighting, the five mid slots again giving it brilliant range dictation. The largest problems with this when comparing it too the Helios however is the much lower hull hp which means this has the smallest ehp tank of all the combat cov-ops when fitted in this configuration. It can mean that fighting in a battle buzzard can get rather hairy sometimes if you make a mistake early on, for example overshooting and getting to close to your opponent taking some large hits then not having enough time to get back to your ideal range again.
There are some great benefits to this fit however the obvious one being that it can fit a cloak and therefore can make its way around whatever area of space you want fairly undetected. The other benefit, in my opinion, is that it has rockets fit. Now not everyone will agree with me here but since the 'buff' rockets have been fantastic and at 8km-10km very few other close range frigate weapons match them for consistent dps on target. What do I mean by consistent dps on target you say, well with the dual webs and orbit you still hit for near full dps whereas your opponent will have vastly reduced dps thanks to losses in tracking and fall off, even if they load barrage (projectile long range ammo) for example.
Secondly the Strategy
Although the tactics are fairly similar to the previous fits mention in part 1 the relative cap independence of the weapons and cloak allow you to engage in more circumstances and escape from others that wouldn't have been possible in the Helios. If you haven't part 1 the general tactics for flying against turret frigates/destroyer/interdictors is orbit close to the edge of scram range and use the tracking disruptor to minimize the incoming dps whilst slowly wearing them down with your rail guns and drone damage.
There are some exceptions to this rule, laser frigates can be problematic due to their high base range and in the likely event that they have scorch loaded, its sometimes better to use a tracking speed disruption module and script and get close. This is due to lasers having poor tracking up close. This can cause problem with your own tracking as well (rails being 'crap' and all).
The most dangerous frigate types I find whilst flying this ship is rocket frigates and kiting frigates. Rocket frigates as the tracking disruptor has no effect, it becomes a tank/gank race, which generally doesn’t work out in the Helios favour.
Anathema
The most dangerous frigate types I find whilst flying this ship is rocket frigates and kiting frigates. Rocket frigates as the tracking disruptor has no effect, it becomes a tank/gank race, which generally doesn’t work out in the Helios favour.
Kiting frigates because they can stay outside of tackle range and wear you down, although turret kiting frigates can be tracking disrupted to a point where they inflict little damage to your ship which may force them close enough to tackle.
Proof of Concept
Buzzard vs. Thrasher
Buzzard vs. Rifter
Buzzard vs. Punisher
Buzzard vs. Rifter
Buzzard vs. Punisher
Anathema
Now I will introduce the paragraph/section by saying I personally have never flown the Anathema in anger. This isn't anything against the ship itself, it has a lovely hull, but is purely down to the fact that I already had Caldari Frigate V by the time I had trained Amarr Frigate V and seeing as the Buzzard (at least combat wise) is essentially the Anathema with an extra mid I never saw the point.
Do not be put off by that less than glowing endorsement, it can still be an effective Combat frigate (basically a rocket firing Cheetah) so it can still work fight.
The Fit
[Anathema, Combat Covops]
Low Slots
Damage Control II
Ballistic Control System II
Ballistic Control System II
Mid Slots
Cold-Gas I Arcjet Thrusters
Warp Scrambler II
Stasis Webifier II
Tracking Disruptor II, Optimal Range Disruption
Hi Slots
Rocket Launcher II, Caldari Navy Gremlin Rocket
Rocket Launcher II, Caldari Navy Gremlin Rocket
Covert Ops Cloaking Device II
Rig Slots
Small Warhead Calefaction Catalyst I
Small Polycarbon Engine Housing I
As you can see it is basically the Cheetah fit, roughly the same ehp/speed and dps at your preferred range (8km).
Secondly the Strategy
Although once again the strategy is similar to those already mentioned, this fit as it is the slowest requires you to overheat alot more, it also has fairly low dps. So if you are wanting to fly the Anathema get your Thermodynamics skill as high as possible first as it will help keep your ship alive a lot longer.
The other thing I will mention is that the Anathema is the only fit I could get to work without the micro auxillary power core fitted, this gave it an extra low slot for the second damage mod. This improves your low dps to 72 now (yaye!!).
Proof of Concept
Unfortunately as mentioned I haven't flown an Anathema in combat but there is evidence in video form on youtube which I will link at the end that contains footage of the Anathema in acton.
The Difference and Details
There are some obvious difference and some not so obvious between the Buzzard and the Anathema. The standout difference is the lack of a 5th mid on the Anathema, like I have already mentioned this lowers your ability to control the range of the fight quite alot which means overheating for as long as possible on your prop mod.
There are some obvious difference and some not so obvious between the Buzzard and the Anathema. The standout difference is the lack of a 5th mid on the Anathema, like I have already mentioned this lowers your ability to control the range of the fight quite alot which means overheating for as long as possible on your prop mod.
The EHP tanks of the two frigates differ as well, due to the Amarr frigates larger HP it gets a larger benefit out of the damage control than the Buzzard which I have already mentioned as having the lowest EHP tank of any Cov-Ops in this type of fitting.
Although the Anathema has a larger cap/better recharge than the Buzzard, the benefit is largely irrelevant due to both still being stable. The Anathema does get a larger powergrid which gives it greater flexibility in fitting, for example a change for the above fit could be adding another resist mod instead of the second damage mod, this would increase your EHP to nearer the helios level but greatly lowers the DPS.
The last difference is the DPS itself in the above 'Ganky' fits they both have similar EFT dps the Buzzard has the second web meaning it can use the Thorn Rage ammo if it needs to against other frigates, this would give it an advantage in raw damage. Another less obvious difference between the two ships, is damage mitigation. Although both have similar dps the Buzzard can hold its target at range for longer/permanently giving it the edge over the Anathema in fights as it lowers the incoming dps as well as making it easier to run when needed.
Although the Anathema has a larger cap/better recharge than the Buzzard, the benefit is largely irrelevant due to both still being stable. The Anathema does get a larger powergrid which gives it greater flexibility in fitting, for example a change for the above fit could be adding another resist mod instead of the second damage mod, this would increase your EHP to nearer the helios level but greatly lowers the DPS.
The last difference is the DPS itself in the above 'Ganky' fits they both have similar EFT dps the Buzzard has the second web meaning it can use the Thorn Rage ammo if it needs to against other frigates, this would give it an advantage in raw damage. Another less obvious difference between the two ships, is damage mitigation. Although both have similar dps the Buzzard can hold its target at range for longer/permanently giving it the edge over the Anathema in fights as it lowers the incoming dps as well as making it easier to run when needed.
And thus concludes part 2. Hope anyone who has read this far has enjoyed it or at least gotten some interesting fits they now want to go try out and have fun in.
Korg
p.s. Please message any feedback or questions to me either here on the comments or feel free to message me in game if you want any more 'pointers'.
p.p.s I am finally getting around to making a pvp video, it has mostly been frigate combat but I will get that up on YouTube soon....
Combat Cov-Ops
p.s. Please message any feedback or questions to me either here on the comments or feel free to message me in game if you want any more 'pointers'.
p.p.s I am finally getting around to making a pvp video, it has mostly been frigate combat but I will get that up on YouTube soon....
Combat Cov-Ops
Realised I actually linked vids for a different post and the above was the one that was meant to be on here.
How do you feel about the stealthbombers using turrets? I know the Hound has a few turret slots and would still have space for a cloak, a probe launcher, maybe a torp launcher as well
ReplyDeleteI haven't got much experience with them tbh, I wouldn't like to comment atm. Might give them a go at some point though for a laugh.
ReplyDeleteI gotta try this....
ReplyDelete