Lost Greybeard
Fenrir's Dogs of War
Union 0f Revolution
7
   |
Posted - 2012.04.10 22:38:00 -
[1] - Quote
Rifters became popular primarily due to their reliance on autocannons, which for a while were significantly more powerful than most other weapon systems since they can't be capped-drained out, had selectable damage types, and had some pretty awesome optimal/falloff/tracking balances. The hull itself isn't necessarily particularly great if it used a different weapon system.
The rifter is also, in many fits, something of a generalist, able to tank a bit, dps a bit, and maintain good speed all at once, whereas other racial frigates tend to be better at one or two on average but worse on the other. That gives you a lot of tactical flexibility, once you figure out your opponent's weak spot you can whack him pretty good by leveraging the area where you're superior.
That said, though, if you have a specific style of flying you prefer a more specialized tier3 frigate may be more effective in your hands. I've actually had a lot of fun with a Tristan used as a heavy dogfighter with a long point and rails/rockets. Likewise you might go Caldari to lay the smack down from range against short-range ships or pick on MWD boats, or the Amarr one to... actually I've never flown the tier3 Amarr frig. The Amarr speed frig is fun, though. Pew pew lasers indeed.
(Also worth noting that recent fixes to Hybrid turrets have made the Atron moderately scary in its own right for dogfighting and tackle, and even straight DPS.) |
Lost Greybeard
Fenrir's Dogs of War
Union 0f Revolution
7
|
Posted - 2012.04.10 22:43:00 -
[2] - Quote
Roime wrote:In fleets, you can get away with cheaper fits, but don't expect to come out as a winner from 1vs1s with less than perfect fits. In frigate fights with extremely tight margins, every damage and hitpoint counts.
Only really applies to "pistols at dawn" style 1v1 where you set it up in advance. There's a large element of "he who shoots first shoots last" in more spontaneous 1v1, I've gotten owned a number of times by someone in a much cheaper frig because I simply wasn't paying sufficient attention. |