Fitting strategy

1. redirect Fitting_ships

It is generally best to decide on one or two jobs that the fitting has to be able to accomplish and to focus on those, rather than trying to do everything. When deciding whether to add a module, carefully examine what it will accomplish and what its drawbacks are and decide if it helps or hurts the setup overall. For instance, if you want to PvP offensively, typically you would not fit a warp core stabilizer (despite the added safety) because the large penalty to targeting speed will allow some ships to escape and will hinder your tactical options. However, some close range cruisers may opt to fit one, since the penalties would affect the less drastically.

Fitting Role

Ratting (PvE)

A ship fitted for ratting (destroying NPC pirate ships for bounty) is set up to efficiently destroy a particular type of rat. Typically ratting ships will have hardeners fitted to tank specific damage types and weapons fitted to do specific damage types at specific ranges. This sets them apart from PvP ships which usually have a greater spread of resistances and damage types.

• Favourites for ratting include the Raven, the Dominix and the Drake, though most ships can be adapted to rat. Ships with extra utility high slots (for tractor beams or salvagers) and a large drone bay tend to make a good ratting ship.
• Electronic warfare modules are typically not used, except for target painters which can improve damage when flying a Battleship.
• Afterburners are useful on larger ships or where long distances must be travelled in a mission or a complex. Microwarpdrives do not function in deadspace or complexes, and impact your ability to actively tank.
• Fittings range from high DPS setups with little tank to heavy tanks with just enough DPS to destroy the targets.

Tackler (PvP)

A tackler's job is to hold a target in place, allowing other gang members to kill the enemy. Almost all PVP requires a tackler of some variety, and they generally fly less expensive ships.

• Any ship can hold tackling capability. But frigates or interceptors are the most common choice for solo purpose use.
• The primary weapon of the tackler, a warp disruptor or warp scrambler is used to prevent ships from warping. Warp scramblers will also prevent targets from using Microwarpdrives, slowing them significantly.
• A Stasis Webifier will slow down the ship you are tackling, allowing your gang members to hit them more easily or prevent them from reaching a stargate, which they can jump through even if scrambled.
• Fitting an Afterburner or Microwarpdrive will help you get into warp disruption range, at the same time boosting your speed making it hard for weapons to hit you.
• Make use of Sensor Boosters or Signal Amplifiers to increase your scan resolution, lowering your locking time. This will allow you to tackle fast-warping ships.
• At higher levels, tacklers tend to be Interdictors or Heavy Interdictors, which deploy Warp Disruption Fields, preventing ships in the area from warping off.

DPS

A DPS focused ship is designed to kill or drive off all enemies by sheer firepower. While the best defense is often a good offense, a DPS ship can be overwhelmed by superior numbers. A DPS focused ship is best flown in a fleet or with support.

• Any ship with bonuses to weapon damage works well in this role, though it is best to use one with double weapon damage bonuses or lots of high and lots of low slots. Some good examples are the Megathron or Harbinger, or assault ships, able to deliver high DPS for a frigate.

• Lots of weapons.
• Typically will fit two or three Weapon Upgrades.
• Large buffer tanks, allowing them to survive until the enemy is dead.
• Ships with close-ranged weapons will need speed to close in on targets. Battleships and BattleCruisers fit this way should fit microwarpdrives
• Remember your ammunition has different ranges and can deal different types of damage. Some missile-based ships have specific damage bonuses (e.g. Caracal) and the range you intend to fight at.

Sniper

A sniper's job is to kill ships at a distance, usually preferably over 100 or 200km. These are best used in fleets as well.

• A ship capable of shooting long range weapons, and hopefully, with a skill bonus to long range. Examples would be a Megathron, Hound or even an Eagle.
• Either point weapons (hybrid, laser, or projectile weaponry) or missiles (cruise missiles usually). Point weaponry is usually preferred by fleet commanders as missile weapons take longer to reach their target. Missile boats generally shoot at secondary targets.
• Weapon upgrades for their weapon of choice.
• Sensor boosters with the script for long range, if they get damped.

Solo PvP ship

This ship type can be complicated for new players, but can result in some of the best loot for a PvPer. You are risking your fit everytime you go out, are facing large numbers of enemies at a time, but hopefully getting the helpless person out in the middle of nowhere alone, and taking their stuff.

• These ships tend to be the force recons or Heavy Assault Ships, but really any quick ship can function as a solo PVP ship.
• If flying solo in PvP, you should fit a Warp disruptor or Warp scrambler as you will have no other ships to rely on for tackling.
• Maximizing your damage output is a priority. Different ammunition are more effective against different targets.
• (optional) Using electronic warfare modules is helpful in many solo situations. Tracking Disruptors and Remote Sensor Dampeners can be used to great effect by one ship.
• These ships commonly use cloaking devices, especially that allow warping while cloaking, such as a Covert Ops Cloaking Device II. Having the element of surprise makes it easier to pick off the enemy, one by one.
• Several solo PvP ships rely on capacitor warfare, using Cap Boosters based setups to use Energy Neutralizers or heavily augmented tanks.

Gang support

Gang support can vary quite a bit, but always need a fleet to fly. These can provide things like extra speed to the entire fleet, remote repairs to nearby or far away ships, or even electronic warfare options, preventing the enemy fleet for targeting. If you have extra slots left over, these options are always welcome in a fleet battle.

• These are commonly battlecruisers or command ships with gang assist modules fitted. The assistance of a logistics ship is never to be underestimated, though they are often called primary. Alternately, these can be electronic warfare ships, like the Blackbird or Rook.
• Gang assist modules allow your fleet to boost the abilities of the entire fleet. battlecruisers can fit one while command ships can fit more. Running them boosts everyone in your system, so you usually travel in the thick of it. These types of setups usually have somewhat of a tank and some pretty heavy damage modules as well.
• Logistics ships provide remote assistance, in the form of extra shields, armor, energy, or target linking. However, these ships usually are heavily tanked.
• Electronic warfare ships lock enemies down through a variety of means. Sensor dampening prevents the enemy from reaching you, jamming prevents them from targeting anyone, tracking disruptors prevent them from shooting straight, and target painters makes them easier to hit.

Tanker

A tanker's job is to survive the onslaught of multiple ships at the same time, allowing your gang members to either get the drop on the enemy or drive them off.

• These are commonly ships with bonuses to shield or armor, such as a Drake or a Onyx. These are also commonly ships that have very high shield regeneration rates, eliminating the need for cap.
• You'll need to increase your effective hitpoints. i.e: Extenders, plates, extender rigs, trimark rigs, resistances, damage control, or Power Diagnostic Systems.
• These ships might use energy vampires to take energy from enemies, allowing them to run their tank longer.

Mission ship

These ships are the most specialized, and are best covered in other guides, such as the Missions Guide or Level 4 Mission Guides.

• Each successive mission level is harder.

1. For level 1 kill missions, a frigate or destroyer is recommended.
2. For level 2 missions, a destroyer, cruiser, or Assault ship is recommended.
3. For level 3 missions, a battlecruiser or heavy assault ship is recommended.
4. For level 4 missions, a battleship or specialized battlecruiser/heavy assault ship is recommended.

• Fit an armor repairing or shield boosting / passive shield regenerating tank while running missions. PVE encounters are often protracted engagements, so having a large effective hitpoints tank is not ideal.
• If you ask your agent for mission details, you will see what kind of NPCs you will fight. Fitting resistances against the damage type that these NPCs use will be very helpful. Most Tech 1 ships will need some hardening of their tank. In general, it is less taxing on your capacitor to harden against damage than to repair it.
• Consider using long range weapons in missions, for example artillery rather than autocannons and cruise missiles rather than torpedoes. You will save time by eliminating the need to approach the enemy, and many enemies in higher level missions will stay at large ranges. Consider light drones or a smartbomb in a utility slot for NPC frigates and destroyers.
• If you need extra speed in missions, use an afterburner, as a microwarpdrive will not work in a deadspace.

Filling up the rest

Once you fit your ship with one purpose in mind, you often yourself with some slots empty. If that happens, try to fit it with a secondary role. For example:

• PvP : Add some EWAR capability, some tackling gear, something to boost your Effective Hitpoints, or just boost your speed to get away easier.
• PvE : Increase your damage against the chosen rat target, or increase your tank against that rat type. Alternately, add some modules that will make your overall income increase, like a tractor beam or a Salvager I module.

Resource requirements

Early on, you won't have the skills to fit the best equipment on your ship. Here are some pointers on getting around this.

• Tech 2 gear is expensive and requires significant skill points to fit. You could try to use some lower cost tech 1 named gear instead of tech 2, just to try modules out. The lower level tech 1 gear tends to have lower requirements, use less CPU/PG, and cost less, though the best named module is usually two to three times as expensive as a tech 2 module.
• At first, always aim at what a ship is good at, rather than making it something it is not. For instance, armor tanking a Raven is usually a bad idea due to it's limited low slots, but shield tanking it is great due to it's great number of medium slots.
• If you find yourself short on CPU or Power Grid, you can fit a Co-Processor I, Reactor Control Unit I, Micro Auxiliary Power Core I (or MAPC), or a Power Diagnostic System I. There are some ships that need these items commonly, but on others, it's a sign of a bad fit.
• Increase the skills you use on almost every ship, as they will always reward you. Some examples are Engineering, Electronics, Weapon Upgrades, Navigation, and Spaceship Command. Of course, doing the Learning skills first always help as well.

Common Rookie Mistakes

"Dont's" for new players

• DON'T fly what you can't afford to lose. You will lose ships.
• DON'T fly what you can't afford to lose. Seriously, it doesn't matter, you will lose ships regardless of your skill.
• DON'T try to do two redundant things at the same time because you usually do both things badly. Some common examples include:

• Using both a shield and an armor tank, which uses both a medium and a low slot. One or the other is fine.
• Mixing gun types - e.g. Railguns and Blasters, which makes you terrible at both close and long range combat! Optimize your weapon's range for a uniform engagement distance when possible.

• DON'T ignore the ship's initial bonuses and how to take advantage of them. Try to fit the right racial weapons, work with the ship's bonuses, and don't shoehorn on what doesn't fit. (e.g. Putting an extra frigate gun on a cruiser.)
• DON'T over-stack modules that are affected by the stacking penalty. (ie: Five Gyrostabilizers) After about three modules, you no longer gain much increase by adding additional modules.
• Ships with few of medium slots shouldn't shield tank, and ships with few low slots shouldn't armor tank. For Example: shield tanking an Abaddon.
• DON'T fly around in low sec or null sec if you don't know what you're doing. You will lose ships eventually. Stay in .5 or above systems until you feel comfortable going out there. If you do, ask a more experienced pilot for help or explore in an inexpensive ship and an up to date clone.

"Always" for new players

• ALWAYS read up on how to fit ships. If you rely on other people to make the mistakes, then you don't have to.
• ALWAYS be brave enough to try new setups. If you don't think something isn't working well, try something different. You can use EFT to try a new fitting virtually, or if you want to try it in person, get on the beta server, Singularity and fly it for real.
• ALWAYS have a skill training. Maybe consider using a program like EVEMon to remind you when skills are finishing, but if you're going to sleep for the night, set a longer term skill, like Learning V. If you're going to Ibiza for holiday, maybe set Battleship V.
• ALWAYS align towards a safe place if you are in immediate danger. Warp in, select a distant object, hit the align button, and THEN open up on the enemy. This goes for PVE or PVP adventures, align so you can quickly warp off if there is a problem.
• ALWAYS get as much information about your enemy as possible. Having good intel is a way to tell what they are going to do next. This can involve checking guides on how to do missions or having a shared security channel open at all times.
• ALWAYS take advantage of the Orbit at Range function and Keep at Range function to best suit your weapon range and tracking capabilities.
• ALWAYS warp in to an area at range, 30-100km, so you aren't immediately within warp interdiction range of enemies ( PVE or PVP ). At asteroid belts most enemies lurk within 20-30km. At gates PvP players tend to camp within 10-30km. You can set your default warp range on the overview to something aside from 0km.

Additional Reading

* Ship Fitting Guide
* Ship Fitting