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Lindsay Logan
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Posted - 2008.09.02 11:48:00 -
[1]
Me and some buds are going hunting in low sec soon. We are 4 players, and we are using 3 caracals and 1 scorpion.
I am using a caracal, but I am unsure about the fit, currently I have something as this:
4 x HML
1 x Assult Launcher
1 x MWD
1 x Scrambler (or maby Jammer?)
1 x Cap Recharger
2 x Inv Hardener
2 x BCS
Not the best fit, I want as much damage as possible, but how should I do the mid slots? |
Burn Mac
Minmatar
Burning Steel Inc.
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Posted - 2008.09.02 12:20:00 -
[2]
use Warp disruptor instead altough i know nothing of setting up a caracal i whould think that a shield extender and an invul field will yield more ehp than 2 x invul fields?
And say no to Cap rechargers on PvP ships. |
Lindsay Logan
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Posted - 2008.09.02 12:35:00 -
[3]
Edited by: Lindsay Logan on 02/09/2008 12:35:15
 Originally by: Burn Mac
use Warp disruptor instead altough i know nothing of setting up a caracal i whould think that a shield extender and an invul field will yield more ehp than 2 x invul fields?
And say no to Cap rechargers on PvP ships.
Good advice, its tight on the grids tho, and with a BS jammer in the gang tanking is not much of an issue, but living a few seconds longer could anablde me to kill the other guy off before me.
Maby add a webber instead of teh cap re.? |
August Guns
Minmatar
Infinite ISK
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Posted - 2008.09.02 12:44:00 -
[4]
As Caldari gang pvp ships go, the Caracal is very cost effective. Your DPS will not be stellar compared to other cruisers, but you can fill some specialized gang roles.
-Heavy Missiles from 100+km
-Anti-Nano with Assault Launchers (Precision Light Missiles)
I have found that the Caracal is too weak to tank well in a modern combat environment. When I shoot at a caracal, it survives no more than 4 seconds (the amount of time it takes to fire my 2nd volley).
When I fly Caracals, I usually dispense with conventional shield tanks. If I'm throwing heavy missiles, I stay at range and use sensor damps in my midslots (distance is my tank). If I'm flying with precision missiles then I fit a MWD, warp disruptor, 2x web, and a large shield extender (so drones don't instapop me). |
Derek Sigres
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Posted - 2008.09.02 13:03:00 -
[5]
The Caracal is perhaps the first truly clear perception of the Caldari lineup a player recieves. While most players by the time they fly Caracals are familiar with the bonus logic of damage bonus + range bonus, the humble Kestral does a rather poor job of showing the new player the realities of this form of philosophy (Four launchers do a surprising job of covering up the DPS disadvantage that Caldari pilots will face for most of their PVP career - most frigates field a mere 3 weapons).
The Caracal possesses an unfortunate number of attributes that lead to it's best roles. It's an incredibly flimsy ship, even among the cruisers, and the traditionally large Caldari signature and low top speed lead to a ship that may as well be called a free kill if not used inside fairly narrow operating paramaters. It's firepower output is low for a cruiser, and this is only compensated for by a fantastic reach. Topping off the cavalcade of misery that represents the downsides of the Caracal is tight fitting space, requiring huge sacrifices to wedge in a MWD, and if you feel especially lucky HAM's.
Because of it's frailty, the Caracal is generally best used at extreme distance where range and inconvence of attack provide it's first and best lines of defense. When utalizing Heavy Missiles, the range advantage the Caracal enjoys can be tremendous, granting you double if not triple the potential engagement range of other Cruisers. Sensor Dampners have been traditionally used to augment this range advantage, helping to ensure that the advantage in range is not usurped by other ships, and the inclusion of "aqequate" ewar along with at least measurable contributions of firepower can make you an asset in many gangs.
Unfortunately, missiles come with fairly grave downsides as well, and the Heavy Missile provides the single greatest combination of those factors. Absolute speed can deliver fantastic damage mitigation and the heavy missile's max 1km/s explosion velocity (1.5km/s for precision heavy missiles) mean that even a lighlty nano'd cruiser can reap substantial damage mitigation. In an environment where fast ships are common the Heavy Missile is only bested by the Torpedo in weapon systems that are LEAST useful for survival. Luckily the caldari armory does include a provision for the fast ships, and it comes in the form of the frigate grade standard missile and the upgraded precision light missile. While the precision light missile delivers inarguably lower "on paper" dps and a severely diminished range, the realities of many Eve battles mean that the Assault Launcher will often be the ONLY weapon system at your disposal that can make a significant DPS contribution. In an unrigged state the Caracal fitted with Assault misiles can expect to deliver damage to any T1 ship out there, thanks primarily to the simple fact that most are unwilling to expend the immense funds required to make a 4 million isk ship travel above the speed limit of a Caracal.
Both ideas of employment hinge on the Caracal maintaining some form of range advantage to win, and given the range advantage can be truly immense in some cases, it makes no sense to sacrifice the advantage by utalizing the ship as a tackler. The Caracal not only is made undeiniably WORSE when you try to close into tackle range, the sacrifice of a precious mid slot to the module compounds the error. Instead, it is often better to use a web in place of a point - ensuring that you maintain the 13km potential death zone. It's a fairly unexpected moudle on a Caracal in spite of it's usefulness thanks to the fact that Caldari ships are generally fit in the PVE style when a player first starts out. |
Malcanis
RuffRyders
Axiom Empire
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Posted - 2008.09.02 13:05:00 -
[6]
Originally by: Lindsay Logan
Me and some buds are going hunting in low sec soon. We are 4 players, and we are using 3 caracals and 1 scorpion.
I am using a caracal, but I am unsure about the fit, currently I have something as this:
4 x HML
1 x Assult Launcher
1 x MWD
1 x Scrambler (or maby Jammer?)
1 x Cap Recharger
2 x Inv Hardener
2 x BCS
Not the best fit, I want as much damage as possible, but how should I do the mid slots?
you've fitted your caracal for long range, but you have a warp scrambler. To use your point, you'll have to sacrifice your major defensive advantage: range. If you're going to tackle, use HAMs. Except don't because you'll get melted.
Caracal shines at providing long range DPS (better range DPS than any other T1 cruiser AFAIK).
This fits with AWU 4, Energy grid upgrades 4 and Shield Upgrades 4. 247 Kinetic DPS out to 125Km with Cruiser 5/Range skills at 5 and 7,576 EHP:
5x Heavy Missile Launcher II (Caldari Navy Scourge)
Y-T8 MWD, Sensor Booster II (range script), Small Electrochemical cap booster (cap 200 charge), Remote Sensor Dampener II (range script), V-M15 invuln.
2x Ballistic Control II
EM Screen reinforcer rig
Empty rig slot
Empty rig slot
Your role should be to warp in at 100km (or burn out to 100Km or so ASAP) and provide decent long range DPS for your gang while being aligned to warp out. If a hostile approaches you, hit him with the sensor damp. If several hostiles approach you, damp the fastest and warp out when they get to within 35Km or so - you'll still have done some good by pulling some of them out of the fight, and if you warp about a bit, you may well be able to re-enter the fight by warping in at a different angle and resume firing. Put a few EM FoFs in your hold as well, and you can be on anti-ECM duty.
PS your gang needs a tackler. I suggest a tanked Merlin. |
Dr Jamius
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Posted - 2008.09.02 15:15:00 -
[7]
Edited by: Dr Jamius on 02/09/2008 15:16:09
I'd suggest ditching the Scorp and sticking with a Blackbird. If you're roaming, then the Scorp will slow you down, and most likely get popped. A Blackbird along with three Caracals is a better choice.
Personally I'd fit the Caracals with a Remote Sensor Damper each, with a scan res script loaded initially. This way if your Blackbird misses a jam cycle, the target(s) scan resolution is significantly reduced, giving your Blackbird pilot time to re-jam.
The Caracal fit below assumes you will be using T1 launchers, is cheap, yet should do 150-200 dps and over 1100 volley damage. The overdrive gives you enough speed to keep you out of web range of most T1 cruisers/bc/bs also. The 5k+ shields will also buffer enough damage for you to escape should your ewar fail.
[Caracal, mix]
Ballistic Control System II
Overdrive Injector System II
10MN MicroWarpdrive I
Invulnerability Field II
Low Frequency Sensor Suppressor I, Scan Resolution Dampening
Large Shield Extender II
Warp Disruptor II
'Malkuth' Heavy Missile Launcher I, Caldari Navy Scourge Heavy Missile
'Malkuth' Heavy Missile Launcher I, Caldari Navy Scourge Heavy Missile
'Malkuth' Heavy Missile Launcher I, Caldari Navy Scourge Heavy Missile
'Arbalest' Assault Missile Launcher, Caldari Navy Bloodclaw Light Missile
'Arbalest' Assault Missile Launcher, Caldari Navy Bloodclaw Light Missile
[empty rig slot]
[empty rig slot]
[empty rig slot]
Hobgoblin II x2
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Number 17
Caldari
COLD-Wing
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Posted - 2008.09.02 17:43:00 -
[8]
If you have 3 caracals you might as well fit one of each version
HAML caracal
AM caracal
HM caracal
then you have the HAML put in the dps if needed, heavy missiles for range (in case you have to counter EW) and assault missiles with light or precision light to kill any frigs around.
midslots for a caracal are
propulsion (ab or mwd), Large shield extender, invul, web, disruptor. (you can switch takle for photon, heat or other hardeners if you want moar tank, but i suggest you stick to basics)
low are either ballistic controls, or power diags.
Another idea would be to armor tank one of them with a 1600 plate, and use it as takler and webber (with dual webs)
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