Archetypes of Eve Ships - Part 2

Continuing my discussion from last week about the archetypal ship types in Eve, this week we will look at three more of the main ones.

4. Sniper Battleship

Prior to Apocrypha and the probing changes that allowed fleets to pinpoint and enemy fleet and warp on them in less than a minute, Battleships were the kings of null sec warfare. They were capable of fighting at ranges beyond any other smaller ship class and the large distances involved meant that transversal velocity of the targets were small enough to be ignored. On top of that, when the Titan Doomsday weapons were area of effect monsters that cleared entire fleets off the grid in a blink, only well tanked battleships could hope to withstand the onslaught and try to continue the fight.

While they may not be the defacto champions of null sec anymore, they still have a place with their big tanks and big damage. The most current representative of this archetype is the fearsome Minmatar Maelstrom battleship equipped with 1400mm Howitzer Artillery IIs. It may not have the range of previous sniper battleship champions like the Megathron and Apocalypse, but it has devastating alpha strike to make up for it.




5. Armour HAC

Just as the Sniper Battleship only really works well in fleet warfare with many other sniper battleships, the Armour HAC (Heavy Assault Cruiser) also only works really well in a fleet of similar ships and backed up by a squadron of Guardian Logistics ships. The concept is simple: the Armour HACs use afterburners and low signature radius and high resistances to make them harder and tougher to hit, while the Guardians use their impressive repair abilities to protect any fleet member targeted. To counteract any hostile tackle, they use decently ranged high tracking and high damage cruiser weaponry to negate the most immediate threats. While not as long ranged as other fleet doctrines, it has the advantage of high survivability and mobilitiy while still packing a tremendous punch. Usually seen in mobile roaming fleets rather than in strategic operations.

There are various fittings for the 8 HACs to fit into the doctrine, but the one that I think of first and foremost is the Amarr Zealot with Heavy Pulse Laser IIs and Scorch ammunition. Almost 40 km range depending on skills and fit, 400 DPS, armour resistances over 75%, and only a 125 meter signature. I cross trained to Amarr specifically for this ship but never actually flew one. Time to go shopping I think!




6. Bling Boat / Hanger Ornament

As a pilot gains experience and ISK he reaches a point in his career where he has the liquid ISK to splurge on something nice for himself. A ship that actually turns other pilots' heads in his peer group. For a group of newer players it might be something as common as a battleship or a tech II frigate. For veterans, maybe a capital ship or a faction cruiser. But eventually pilots reach the ranks of the "more ISK than brains" and they spend money on a ship whose whole purpose is to just look impressive. The Bling Boat. The Hanger Ornament. For people looking to kill your ship, the Loot Pinata.

Typically the Bling Boat itself is expensive, but what really takes the cake is the faction/deadspace/officer mods on it. Sure, they give a better improvement in performance, but usually not worth the expense of the modules over Tech II or cheap faction mods. But the purpose is not efficiency but rather it is extravagance.

A Bling Boat can be a cruiser, a faction or pirate version of course, but usually its a battleship. The pirate battleships are favourites but the Tech II Marauders can also suffice if the Bling Boat is ostensibly used  for running level four missions in high sec.

As a representative of this Archetype, I'm going to go with my own personal Bling Boat I had a few years back until I sold it to fund my supercarrier, the Sansha Nightmare. I may not have had to all decked out, but I used faction modules and ran level fours a few times in high sec with it.