Shad und die unendlichen Weiten von Eve: How-To: Fit a Caldari Ship (english)

So, lets start from the beginning, but look at one thing first. I try to show you a path how you can fly a Caldari ship armed with rockets and armored with shields. Why these combination? I think why a shieldtank is obviously, the armor of the Caldari ships is...not so good and they don't have many low slots, but a good amount of med slots. Sure, it is possible to tank some Caldari ship on armor, but therefor u need good or excellent skills and and what u get is a tank most times less good as a shieldtank (but good enough for running missions). Another reason is that is start at the really beginning, so there is a real lack of skills.

Second question: Why rockets? For this decision exist also a simple reason, many Caldari ships have bonuses to rockets and a lot of launcher slots (like Kestrel, Cara, Drake, Raven/Scorpion, Nighthawk, Golem). At the same time is the kill speed of gunboats (e. g. Rokh) most times worse compared to the kill speed of rocket ships. Next point is i have a lack of experience with guns and you have to keep you're target in you're optimal range to do the full damage. The point is the common mission runner (I count me as one of 'em) is a "bit" lazy, that means he flies into a mission, stop his ship or orbit a object, get stageaggro (if skills, experience and fitting allows it) and let everything fly to him, so he can create a "Highway to Hell". The best is, rockets hit at every distance in her range with the full damage and have no tracking problems. In addition it's somehow really cool when a net of rockets make her way to you and between 'em the light bolts from gunshots, when you orbit you're target, then these effect looks less cool...

Before I forget it, if I make somewhere a mistake (content or language), please note it! I'm not perfect, my English has some...bad sites and some times I simply forget to remind something.

But now, lets begin:

0. Basics:

Never mix passive and active shieldtank! That means neither shield booster and shield extender nor shield recharger and shield boost amplifier! Why? I guarantee that the performance is in the end worse then with a active or passive only shieldtank. In doubt ask EFT or listen to me.
The same does apply for rockets, never mix short- and long range weapons (the some with guns). Reason: You want to fight one target, only one target. You want to kill the NPC in sequence, ship by ship. You can fit different meta types of one kind of launcher (e. g. meta 4 and meta 3 Heavy Missile Launcher) in your ship, mainly because you can not pay a complete meta 4-set. You will have then different reload times, but also a few dps more, but this should be a interim solution. (of course, you want the maximum possible damage) a other fine thing about missiles is, that they hit everything in range with her maximal possible damage (less signature radius, heading and velocity), if u want to press big rockets in the asses of you enemies in close combat use only close range missiles and fit an ab (afterburner), if you prefer a solid standpoint for doing this, forget the ab, improve you're tank and choose long range missiles.
If you want to know with what you have to deal in a specific mission, take a look into the missionreports.
When you fit active Items (like shield booster, shield hardener etc.), then never forget to activate 'em! If u forget it, then you will feel like my blogcomrade Soraja (German) and loose maybe a very expensive ship. (she lost a 800m Tengu)
Check if you're ships have bonuses to a kind of rocket damage (like the Caracal, which has a bonus for kinetic missiles), most time this bonus is big enough to make the use of other kind of rocket damages needless.
Never(!) shoot the Ninja, he wants you to shoot on him and in the end you will not only loose you're salvage, but also you're ship or a good amount of money due ransom.
If you pay ransom, be warned, you have no guarantee that the Ninja give you free, the opposite happens often. (e. g. Schmetterflug takes ransom and kills you're ship afterwards)
Damage Control (DC) is something for pvpler, we (mission runner aka pveler) rocket Caldaris should use better Ballistic Control Units (BCU), Shield Power Relays (SPR) or Capacitor Flux Coils (CFC) in our low slots.

I. Frigates I (T1):

Very good for mission runner are Condor, Kestrel and Merlin. Merlin? Yeah, Merlin!

At first Condor. This ship is a small, tiny can...you can do what you want, it will no grow and get really stronger, but you use it for a few hours, so don't worry. The good point is, she is for you're first Level 1 Mission usable, thats what you want. Fit 2 Standard Missile Launcher I, 2 Small Shield Extender I and a Shield Power Relay I (needs less CPU as a Ballistic Control Unit I) and you have for nearly no skill time a nice start. But really, please(!), really warp one time more then less out! This tiny can is really fragile...

By reaching Caldari Frigates Level 3, you will get 2 new Options: Merlin and Kestrel. Both are possible. Of course a gun fitted Merlin is better then a missile fitted Merlin (look at the ship bonus), but with missiles she can also perform well. The difference between both is: Kestrel has the better offense, Merlin the better defense.

For the Kestrel I would suggest:

[Kestrel, Newb]

Reactor Control Unit I

Co-Processor I

Small Shield Extender I

EM Ward Amplifier I

Light Missile Launcher I, Scourge Light Missile

[empty rig slot]

Kestrel @ Work

So you will get a nice punch and the tank of a Condor.

Needed skills for this fit:

Caldari Frigate I

Caldari Frigate II

Caldari Frigate III

Energy Grid Upgrades I

Energy Grid Upgrades II

Electronics Upgrades I

Shield Upgrades I

Missile Launcher Operation I

Missile Launcher Operation II

Standard Missiles I

Total time: 12 hours, 4 minutes, 48 seconds (based on start attributes)

Cost: 343.000 ISK N.B. Skill costs are based on CCP's database and are indicative only

(provided by EVEMon)

Merlin:

[Merlin, Newb]

Reactor Control Unit I

Shield Power Relay I

Shield Recharger I

Medium Shield Extender I

EM Ward Amplifier I

Light Missile Launcher I, Scourge Light Missile

[empty high slot]

[empty rig slot]

Merlin incoming!

Needed skills:

Caldari Frigate I

Caldari Frigate II

Caldari Frigate III

Energy Grid Upgrades I

Energy Grid Upgrades II

Shield Upgrades I

Shield Upgrades II

Shield Upgrades III

Missile Launcher Operation I

Missile Launcher Operation II

Standard Missiles I

Total time: 20 hours, 24 minutes, 48 seconds (based on start attributes)

Cost: 243.000 ISK N.B. Skill costs are based on CCP's database and are indicative only

(provided by EVEMon)

So you get a three times better tank as a Condor has with the damage output of a Condor.

More or less a question what you like more. The nice point with these fittings is, you can use em, when you have the skills which the items require and these requirements needs not much skill time. Apart from Caldari Frigs Lvl 3 you need only lvl 1 skills, the Merlin needs also Shield Upgrades Lvl 3 for fitting the Medium Shield Extender.

I would advise to use the Kestrel, she is faster and has a bigger cargo bay (in the beginning you often loot with you're combat ship) then the Merlin, the minimal enhanced signature radius is not relevant.

The other T1-Frigates are not better as mission ships as the three above. The Bantam is a mining ship, The Heron can fit one shield extender more then the Condor, the Griffon can fit 2 more, but both are slower as the Condor and the def improvement due the extenders is not more worth then the speed loss. Also you don't need so many extender for the Merlin/Kestrel, so you invest ISK in items you have soon no need for, so I recommend to use the Condor.

I.1 Cormorant and Heron

Even if the Cormorant is not usable for a rocket caldari in pve (player versus environment), so she has another important use for us: Salvage&Loot. Destroyer(s) (DD(s)) are, as long as you don't use guns, the ultimate salvager for low level player (newly exists the Noctis which is a way better salvaging- and looting ship, but about her I write later). The fit is easy:

[Cormorant, liitle noctis]

Expanded Cargohold I

1MN Afterburner I

Cap Recharger I

Salvager I

Small Tractor Beam I

[empty rig slot]

Low/Med Slots can be filled with caprecharger/fluxcoils and a micro Warp drive/afterburner, until the usage of MWD/AB or tractor and salvager is more or less capstable (energy provided by your ship = energy consumed by modules). Energy Management and Energy Systems Operations at lvl 3 will help a lot and only need a bit skill time. To be honest, only the 3 tractor beams run permanently, everything else is only active if needed (exception: the ab, but he uses less cap as the MWD). The Salvage is this invest worth, because in l3-missions the Salvage is already 1m+ worth, in l4 more (depends of course from mission, enemies and your personal luck). Next point is, that with a salvage ship 2 other fields of activities are available.

At first the job as salvager, many l4-mission pilots are lazy, if you ask in mission hubs (=systems with l4-agents and more or less big (100 or more) user population in the local chat), then you will find from time to time pilots, which will be happy if you salvage and loot for a cut of what you get, and this cut is a lot worth (depends on how much do you get).

The other way you can go is the task of a ninjasalvager, but therefor you will need also a scan ship (best choice: Heron). Equipped with a expanded probe launcher (t1 oder Sisters) and 4 or 5 combat probes (please take care that you can use at least 4 probes at once, that means you need astrometics lvl 4) you are able to detect other mission runners in their pockets, but better look only for battleships (BBs) and battlecruiser (BCs), because you want high profit l4-missions sites. More informations you can get here for scanning and here for ninjasalvaging.

To scan with a Heron has 2 advantages: You can find really lucrative Complexes, some filled with NPCs, which may drop a item worth 100m or more, other filled with asteroids, which can contain low sec ore. For mining these ores, fit the Cormorant with 5 Dual Diode Mining Laser I and a Co Processor I. When you're cargo bay is full throw it in a cargo can and empty the can with a hauler, but remember that cans in space disappear after 2 hours.

II. Cruiser

Let us go on to the world of the Cruisers (CAs), which are a bit bigger then FFs. Unfortunately is this world really small, because as a rocket Caldari you have only one option, the Caracal. All other T1-cruiser are inferior in DPS-amount and DEF-strength (Moa is a gun cruiser, Osprey a mining ship, Blackbird a EW (Electronic Warfare) -Cruiser). The two faction cruiser (CN Osprey and CN Caracal) are not mentioned here, because you have to pay 100m for each of 'em. Who has the money for one of 'em and no plan how to fit, may ask me in game.

The Caracalfit:

[Caracal, newb]
Ballistic Control System I
Ballistic Control System I
Ballistic Control System I
Shield Power Relay I

Large Shield Extender I
Large Shield Extender I
Adaptive Invulnerability Field I
EM Ward Amplifier I
Shield Recharger I

Rapid Light Missile Launcher I, Scourge Light Missile
Rapid Light Missile Launcher I, Scourge Light Missile
Rapid Light Missile Launcher I, Scourge Light Missile
Rapid Light Missile Launcher I, Scourge Light Missile
Rapid Light Missile Launcher I, Scourge Light Missile

Medium Core Defense Field Purger I
Medium Core Defense Field Purger I
Medium Core Defense Field Purger I

Hobgoblin I x2

Caracal

Needed skills (compared with the Kestrelfit):

Caldari Frigate IV

Caldari Cruiser I

Caldari Cruiser II

Weapon Upgrades I

Tactical Shield Manipulation I

Shield Upgrades II

Shield Upgrades III

Mechanic III

Jury Rigging I

Jury Rigging II

Jury Rigging III

Shield Rigging I

Drones I

Drones II

Scout Drone Operation I

Total time: 2 days, 20 hours, 8 minutes, 54 seconds (based on start attributes)

Cost: 1.134.000 ISK N.B. Skill costs are based on CCP's database and are indicative only

(provided by EVEMon)

Of course, you can, if you have the money, replace the meta 1 stuff with better meta level, because so you can save CPU and energy grid and you will get more DPS and DEF, but meta 3 and meta 4 items cost a lot more. (all meta 4 will cost you around 85m, but then you can also fit Arbalest Heavy Missile Launchers, but with 'em you have to pay around 150m for fit and ship...also you do not need heavy launcher before you do lvl3-missions, where you have to fight against BCs)

The point is, with a Caracal with the fit above you can fly l2-missions without any problems and also l3 are possible.

Before I forget it, as from now drone skills are important, take care that you have Drones Lvl4 or better Lvl 5 before you step forward to the next chapter!

III. Battlecruiser

The Tile

So, for the first time in your pilot career it gets interesting in economic means. With your entry in the row of the battlecruiser pilots you reach the region of ship types, which are able to fly lvl 4 missions. At least theoretically. Fact is, the Caldari have three battlecruisers (BCs), once the Ferox, a gunship, which is difficult to fit, the Drake, current a very popular PvP-BC and the PvE-rocket battlecruiser for Caldari and then the Naga, mostly a PvP-ship. The reasons is simple, the Drake is able to master lvl 3 missions already with more or less bad skills and with very good skills she is also able to finish lvl 4 Missions solo. If you have a lack of good skills, then you can go and find a DMG-dealer (like a battleship) and fly with him together missions. The Drake will act primary as tank (so you have to skill you're shield skills first), while the BB is killing the enemies. The real problem of the Drake is her bad punch aka lack of DPS and this problem will also stay with really good skills and her limited range (Missile Projection Lvl 3 is a must have or you will have some enemy BBs, which fly at you're maximum range. Also a Drone Link Augmentor I is a must have, because you will need against BBs every DPS you have and the drone range skill has a low priority.), so be careful!

Newbie fitting:

[Drake, newb]

Ballistic Control System I

Shield Power Relay I

Large Shield Extender I

Adaptive Invulnerability Field II

EM Ward Amplifier I

Thermic Dissipation Amplifier I

Shield Recharger I

'Arbalest' Heavy Missile Launcher, Scourge Heavy Missile

Drone Link Augmentor I

Medium Core Defense Field Purger I

Hobgoblin I x5

Broadside launched, Sir!

Needed skills: (in addition to the Caracalskills)

Caldari Cruiser III

Spaceship Command IV

Battlecruisers I

Battlecruisers II

Missile Launcher Operation III

Standard Missiles II

Standard Missiles III

Heavy Missiles I

Drones II

Drones III

Drones IV

Drones V

Combat Drone Operation I

Combat Drone Operation II

Combat Drone Operation III

Total time: 8 days, 11 hours, 3 minutes, 28 seconds (based on start attributes)

Cost: 1.710.000 ISK N.B. Skill costs are based on CCP's database and are indicative only

(provided by EVEMon)

With this fitting you should be able to do lvl 3 missions (you need in fact only the skills, which you need for fitting the items to fit this Drakefit), but be careful, some lvl 3 mission have amounts of enemies, which do DMG comparable to some lvl 4 missions, so look for the triggers and warp better one time more then needed out!

Also this is a low end-low cost-fit. Yeah, meta 4-items cost a lot of money, but it will afford you with some extra DPS and DEF and when you want to go for level 4 missions, then you should switch you're tank items at least to TII and skilled the affecting shield skills to lvl 4 and other skills which are used by you're items at least to level 3. Then you can fly level 4 with patience and carefulness (I don't talk about Angel Extravaganza Bonus Stage!), with exception of Worlds Collide. You're first target are frigates, because they can web/scramble you, what means either they slow you down so you get more damage or prevent you from warping away. Last point is of course more deadly. After this you're target list contains in this order: BCs, CAs and then BBs. You're drones should have already killed the FFs. (You shoot only at webbing/scrambling FFs! Let the drones do the rest) But don't forget, be careful, it is better to warp out one time more then needed and mainly help from another player is nothing bad. Better complete together a mission fast as needing years alone. (and stay away from Worlds Collide until you're skills are really good (that means all items, except weapons and rigs, are TII and you have according to Evefit 400+ def and 300+ off) and also when you have this skills a fleet member will be really helpful, because alone you need a lot of patience and flair!) One more time, be careful! You do not fly a ship which is able to do lvl 4 missions blindfold. Until you can fly such a ship you have to go some more way.

If you have really good Skills and if you live in the Guristas/Serpentis 0.0 Space, I have an option for using the Naga in PvE. But be aware, this Fitting is very difficult. You have the defense like tin, but with a really big Dmgoutput. If you use it, stick with John Fisher, 1. Baron Fisher "Speed is the best protection".

[Naga, PvE NagAno Guristas]

Magnetic Field Stabilizer II

Tracking Computer II, Optimal Range

Invulnerability Field II

Caldari Navy Large Shield Extender

Caldari Navy Ballistic Deflection Field

Caldari Navy Heat Dissipation Amplifier

425mm Railgun II, Antimatter Charge L

Medium Hybrid Collision Accelerator II

Medium Ancillary Current Router I

Cost: 380m

Everything faster then you should die in your Gunfire before it reaches you, everything else will never be able to get you in range. But this fitting only works in anos, because you have to warp in at 70km, acceleration gates could be a bit problematic...or deadly.

I repeat it again: Use this fitting only with really good skills!

IV. Intermezzo

Fine, you feel ready for the next step in the ship chain? You want a battleship? A commandship? A strategic cruiser? Yeah? Fine, but now please take a deep breath, because you have to be patient now. The next step in developing your char in Eve has nothing to do with getting new ships. At the moment you fly the Drake more bad as fine. Thats okay, because the Drake forgives this, but neither a BB or a strategic cruiser or a commandship does that. Also this ships costs a lot more money, so losing 'em is...painful.

So get comfort in your Drake and train your skills for the next weeks. Before you can step on, make sure you have the following skills trained:

General::

Engineering 4 - expands the energy grid

Electronics 4 - raises the max. CPU

Energy Management 5 - expands the capacitor

Energy Systems Operation 5 - improves the capacitor regeneration rate

Energy Grid Upgrades 4 - reduce the CPU-consume of energymoduls

Mechanic 3 - gives you more armor strength (=more failsafe buffer)

Shield Management 5 - raises the max. shield strength (=more protection, very important!)

Shield:

EM/Therm/Exp/Kin Shield Compensation 3(4) - improves the effect of shield resistance amplifier 3 is good, 4 is better

Shield Operation 5 - reduce the passive shield recharge rate

Tactical Shield Manipulation 4 - prevents from getting armor damage if your shield gets low and needed for advanced resistance amplifier

Shield Compensation 5 - reduces the capacitor consumption by shield booster

Rockets:

Heavy Missiles 4(5) - more damage, who wants Tengu/Nighthawk (NH) can train to lvl 5

Cruise Missiles 4(5) - more damage, only tho battleship pilots

Guided Missile Precision 5 - raises your missile damage against small targets

Missile Bombardment 3 - raises your missile range

Missile Launcher Operation 5 - improves the rate of fire of your launcher = more damage

Missile Projection 3 - raises your missile range

Rapid Launch 5 - let you shoot faster = more damage

Target Navigation Prediction - raises your missile damage against faster targets

Warhead Upgrades 5 - more damage

Drones:

Drones 5 - gives you the ability to control 5 drones at once

Drone Durability 3(5) - raises the defense of your drones

Drone Interfacing 5 - raises your drone damage

Drone Navigation 3(5) - gives your drones "legs" (so they can move faster)

Drone Sharpshooting 3(5) - improves your drone controlrange

Gallente Drone Specialization 3(5) - improves the damage of Gallente drones (like Hobgoblin, Hammerhead and Ogre)

Miscellaneous:

Target Painting 4(5) - reduces the energy consumption of target painters and allows the usage of better target painters. a must have for BB, Tengu should have 'em also.

People with more patience can go for the numbers in the brackets and they can also train Cruise Missile/Heavy Missiles Specialization until lvl 3 for using TII-launcher.

Who has even more patience (or no time to play), can also train everything to lvl 5, but be warned that will take a lot of time (ask Evemon if you don't believe me!).

But take your time, if you get to early into the next class of ships, you will lose a lot of money, because you will die more then once...

A good point on this skill marathon is, nearly every skill of the skills above will improve your drake. In the end you will have good chances in lvl 4 missions.

The other good site is, you will do a lot of money. Money for improving your Drake with items, which you can also use on ships you will get later, like:

2 Caldari Navy/Dread Guristas Ballistic Control Unit (more damage)

1 Caldari Navy/Dread Guristas Invulnerability Field (better resistance) (really expensive! only if you have really to much money)

But look at first what you next ship needs before you buy a item, because faction items are not cheap. So don't buy 4 CN/DGBCUs, when your BB only needs 3 of 'em. (use EFT!)

Also if you want a battleship maybe buy a third BCU or better save the money for a faction BB.

If you want a Nighthawk, then buy Caldari Navy Heavy Missile Launcher. (better then TII-launcher)

If you want a Tengu, then you need a lot of money for the ship (700m +-), so better don't buy a faction invul field. When you want to invest additional money in a Tengu, then in Caldari Navy Heavy Missile Launcher.

Given that you want to tank the following ships active (better performance) i would suggest to buy in any case the following items:

1 Caldari Navy/Dread Guristas Large Shield Booster

2 Caldari Navy/Dread Guristas Shield Boost Amplifier

You have to pay for all together less then for a faction invul field and they will give you a nice defense boost. (especially the faction booster is much better then the TII-booster)

While your train you skills and gather the money for the next ship, you have to choice what ship do you want next? There are 3 fundamental options:

a) battleship: Raven --> Caldari Navy Raven/Scorpion --> Golem

b) strategic cruiser: Tengu

c) commandship: Nighthawk

There is no "ideal choice". Which you choice is your choice, I will sketch shortly the pros and contras of every way. I will take a closer view in the following chapters.

a) battleships:

Pros:

- style of flying a battleship

- moderate growing price curve (a Raven costs 70m, a navy BB ~ 400m, a Golem ~ 650m), so you don't have to save a bigger amount of money in the beginning

- good speed in L4 (Golem with torpedo has more or less the fastest kill speed)

- If you have a Golem, you will have a all-in-one-ship, killing, looting, salvaging without the need of moving.

- You have the first half of the prerequisite of the Rattlesnake (the other half is Gallente Battleship Level 5), a battleship capable of flying in level 5 mission in 0.0 space.

Contras:

- really long skill time (Golem needs e. g. Caldari Battleship V, that means more then 30 days of skilling)

- many new skills (Cruise Missiles and skills for active shieldtank and rocket support skills), a Torpgolem needs also many skills at level 5 for reaching her nice kill speed

- Raven and Golem looks ugly

b) strategic cruiser:

Pros:

- TIII-ship (posing!)

- really flexible deployable (missions, pvp, wormholes...), because of many fitting options

- good kill speed in l4s

- comparatively short skill time (you already have heavy missiles, subsystem skills are rank 1)

Contras:

- expensive(!), ship and subsystems costs around 700m, thats why you shouldn't try to lose a Tengu in you first mission like my blogcomrade eXeler0n (German) did it

- Gankdanger, everyone wants to have a TIII-ship kill on his killboard

c) commandship:

Pros:

- relative cheap (200m)

- is usable with the Drake fitting

- there are less NHs in space, so you will catch attention

- You skill much, which also improves your Drake (like battlecruiser to level 5)

Contras:

- long skill time (only a bit shorter as you need for skilling for a Golem)

- worst performance in l4

Thats it, now you have to choose what you want.

to be continued...

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How-To: Fit a Caldari Ship (english)