ShipStudy: Drake, PvP

Starting Note: In all cases possible I am going to attempt to keep all of the fittings on ships posted here as Tech II for a number of reasons. First, they are easier to identify by sight, second they give you something easy to search for in EFT, and third it keeps me from having to make value assessments on Meta3-4 modules. A 3m warp disruptor is worth it for some, and definitely not worth it for others, depending on their financial state. As is, for the most part, I'll T2 it up, unless the T1 fit would look _seriously_ different (as will be the case on a few hulls that I can think of... but only a few)

If the name of the game for PvE was recharge, the name of the game for PvP is buffer. All the buffer you can fit.

That being said, for a standard issue PvP drake, you are going to be looking at a fit that is very similar indeed to the PvE fits in the last thread, with extender rigs replacing the purger rigs.

The other consideration is that an additional factor has to be placed on the tank vs. gank balance scale: tackle. My recommendation for a drake is a web and a long point, though you can put together any combination you like. The benefit of being in a drake is that the naturally heavy tank can carry you through losing 1-2 of your shield mods for the purpose of tackle.

Drakes also have the natural strength of high resists, which makes them rather effective in gangs with logistic support of some sort; any shield that is transported onto the drake will tank more damage (because of the higher resists) than onto a nearby Harbinger, for example. This is an important consideration for an FC coming up against drakes, but it is also important from the drake's perspective, as well. Shield Maintenance bots can be used in drake gangs to supplement your gang-mate's native recharge, to extend their lasting power. Because of the high resists that a drake has, these bots become very effective in relatively small numbers, and can soon boost your recharge beyond the opponent's ability to break your tank, in small-gang warfare.

While on the topic of recharge, because the name of the game is _mostly_ buffer, you don't get quite the flexibility of using Shield Recharger IIs, nor Shield Power Relay IIs, as these both only affect the recharge. Thus, we re-task your lows. Ballistic Control System IIs prove handy for gank, Nanofiber IIs prove handy for moving around, and Power Diagnostic System IIs help provide a little bit of shield buffer in the lows, as well as helping your capacitor.

This fact lends itself to mostly standardized PvP drake fits, that have been used by many.

[Standard Drake]

This can be done equally easy in an HML flavor (321 DPS, more range), or with T2 missiles (514 DPS). It all depends on the situation, In a gate engagement, 20km is close enough to catch everything jumping through, and you can hit pretty much anything you have tackled. Some other engagements the additional range is very nice. The ecm drones are a must for small fleet warfare, in my humble opinion. They work miracles when used in swarms, so if everyone packs them, good news happens. Obviously your FC's orders override mine, but I love the little things. Cheap as chips, as well, so you can afford to carry 40 in your hold and eat them like candy.

Another potential role for the drake is in a cohesive gang called the Drake Nano Gang... This works like so. Fit a drake out like this:

[Nano Drake]

Then get together with 5 of your best buddies who have done the same (possibly various drones), and warp to a distance from your target. Start shooting. If they run away, hope you chose your spot well enough that your long point reaches. If they close to engage, you're waiting for them with open arms and double webs, which slows them down really quick.

The "nano" part of it comes in when this gang starts to pull range from anyone who wants to stay an fight; those that chase are caught in the points and webs, and those that stay longer range are put at the risk of the drake-alpha and DPS, potentially without the ability to return fire. All in all a very interesting tactic that doesn't have an easy, obvious counter. Yes, there are counters, but those are for another time.

However, the drake doesn't _have_ to be used by this. Let me try a little exercise with you:

Call the primary:

Drake, Drake, Drake, Drake, Drake, Drake.

Which one has the lighter tank is purely a matter of luck.

Most FC's even faced with an enemy fleet built like:

Drake, Drake, Hurricane, Harbinger, Omen, Blackbird, Brutix

would end up choosing the drake as a likely _last_ primary, or at least not first. That Blackbird would suck to keep on the field, and that Omen looks pretty squishy. Even in an armor gang (where drakes are a bit more likely to get primaried, if there is logistics on the field) if the gangs are small enough, a weaker armor ship would be primaried over the drake's big buffer.

And this is a mentality we can take advantage of. Now, the next part is where you might go "naaaaah, this guy doesn't know what he's talking about"; and you might be right. But the point that I'm trying to get across is still somewhat valid: if you aren't getting shot at, you don't need to be tanking, do you?

But, without further ado, I give you the complete opposite end of Drake possibilities: The armor EWAR drake.

[Armor EWAR Drake]

As per "Won't the enemy fleet notice if you are doing all this Ewar??": possibly. They might. But people in PvP have a penchant for playing their overview, as opposed to the space part of things. This means that the only clues of ewar would be if you are using ewar on them, or if that gets reported across comms (which many FC's would protest).
If you mix types of ewar, someone might get a bit suspicious; that is, if you have a target painter, sensor dampener, and turret disruption all on the same cruiser, he knows you're using at least 3 slots on him.

If you use your duplicate types of EWAR on the same person (2TD on that Zealot, 2Damp on that Falcon), then they aren't so quick to notice your duplicated EWAR. the only thing that tips you off is that the timer resets at odd times, and even then they can only peg you for having 2, which might leave you with a decent tank. Hardly the sort of thing you bother the FC with when he's in the middle of things. Doubling up like this also prevents the people that actually _are_ looking at the pretty space-lights from seeing your little spiderweb quite so vividly; you might look like you have a few effects out, but that won't tip most people off. A shield drake can project a few EWAR effects onto their opponents without hurting their tank; many drake pilots take a sensor damp with them instead of so much tackle. This helps the potential of an armor drake, because people are more used to seeing these effects, and it isn't a "dead giveaway".

If you're feeling braver, of course, you get better bang for your buck if you fully hydra your EWAR and nab as many targets as possible with negative effects, and switch your damp targets all over the place (break locks). If you have sufficient logistic support to do this, more power to you.

It's not _all_ that crazy to put together an armor-tanked Drake, if it is either supported by logistics or figures a way to keep range from the rest of the engagment. Though not a "native" armor tanker, like the Harbinger or Brutix, it still gets a respectable 61k EHP, plus an EWAR tank.

It's also important to notice that the three highest resists that you have are the three highest likelihood to hit you. Along the same lines as "you don't need to tank if they aren't shooting", you don't need to tank explosive if they aren't shooting explosive.

Yes, a lot of people will put a variety of DPS into a fleet, but consider: Amarr will only shoot EM/Therm. Drones will be Therm. Drakes will shoot Kin. Minmatar tend to use EMP for legacy reasons. And everyone thinks you are shield tanked and have an EM hole (and your shield _did_ melt when they used EM, right?) Fortunately for you, if they shoot pure EM, then you're actually working at 69k EHP. Who shoots explosive at a ship that's _only_ ever shield tanked, anyway?

PS: Yes, I've given you permission to put EWAR on your drakes. No, that does not mean you can put ECM on your drakes. For various and multiple reasons, ECM is not recommended on non-bonused ships, and if you happen to land a jam, it calls a _lot_ of attention to your EWAR. Have fun with your TD and Damps, though, those are very attractive.

So the drake is not so much a one-trick pony, as much as some nullsec entities attempt to make them one. You can fit a reasonably standard one, or go entirely the opposite direction, and still get interesting results. Possibly the two best things about a drake in PvP: they have to shoot you first, to test your tank, and your drake is fully Platinum-level insurable. Insurance is of course, a matter for another time, but as long as the mechanic exists, there's no reason you personally shouldn't be benefiting from it, right?

One last note:

Drakes in large numbers start to take on a bit of a life of their own. They are no longer so much about the DPS, and become significantly more about the alpha. If the fleet of drakes as a whole can put out more damage in one volley than a hostile ship can stand, that's an instant pop. The fact that the drakes themselves are pretty hardy makes them harder to take down, and makes it an interesting strategy to need to break. I could speculate, but I'll leave that there for now.

Fighting Drakes:

To prepare you against a drake, first of all, assume that it has a single point and a web, and is carrying a flight of light damage drones, until you see otherwise. In general, in a 1-v-1 type setup, nothing smaller than a BC will be able to break a drake's tank (though stealth bomber is a pretty even fight). The key to fighting a drake is preparation, however.
If you fit a Kinetic resist mod to your tank, you reduce the drake's DPS by 20-25%, either through those resists, actively, or through making them switch missile types, depending on the decision they make. This can be a game-changer, and is a moderately unexpected one in most cases.

Fit to win.

Next Time:

I think that next time I'd like to cover Stealth Bomber ratting in Nullsec.
How to do it, why to do it, what to watch out for, and what might get in your way.
It is one of my personal favorite ways of breaking away from anything else I might be doing in EVE, and making some ISK while I do it ... and in a relatively safe fashion too!
Beyond that, I'm thinking that the next entry might be getting away from the shiptypes and combat side of EVE, and might be about some aspect of the market. That's a decision for later, however. Suggestions welcomed! K' out.

-K'