Monday 21 October 2013

Blockade Runners Revisited

I've totally loved Blockade Runners ever since getting My First Blockade Runner a few months back. Since then the more I get the more I like them. A month ago I had 6 Prowler pilots, in the 30 days since I've trained up another 7 for a grand total of 13 Blockade Runner pilots in Prowler Fleet now (they all fly Prowlers). Number 14 is a month away and after that I'll have more coming at a rate of about 1 every 2 weeks for (at least) several months yet.

The thing I like best about BRs is how incredibly safe they are to fly. For the most part high sec gankers seem to completely ignore BRs and even in low/null they're quick and agile enough I haven't had any trouble yet.

In the entire time I've been flying BRs (over 3 months now) I think someone tried to gank one of them in high sec once. I was AFK on auto-pilot at the time, but when I came back I noticed I had an aggression timer so someone must've taken a pot shot at me. I doubt he did much more than scratch me though (if that even) since shields, armor and hull were all at full.

I assume that means gankers really don't like attacking anything they can't cargo scan first, especially not if it's something they can't pop with a single volley from a cheap ship. In other words, yeah sure being immune to cargo scans sounds good, but the reality is it's even better (much better) than it sounds.



I do expect I'll eventually run into some crazy suicide ganker who just doesn't care and goes for it anyhow. Or I'll get caught in low/null eventually. It hasn't happened yet though. When it finally does I'll just consider it a cost of doing business. Even if he gets extremely lucky and nails me with a big load worth billions.

Another thing that's great about BRs is the Covert Ops Cloaking Device. The ability to warp while cloaked is huge especially when travelling in low and null.

I also really like BRs for the low alignment time, high warp speed (which is going to get even faster in the next patch) and decent tank (7k - 15k depending on skills and active hardeners). The warp speed greatly reduces travel time (especially when flown manually) while the alignment time and tank make you harder to kill.

The good sized cargo hold (4.06k m3) is nice too. That's more than enough to ensure I can almost always pickup everything in a region in a single run without having to drop anything off to make room for more. Once (and only once) I had a capital remote repper in cargo taking up 4k m3 all by itself, that's the only time I had to drop something off before I could finish doing pickups in a BR. I've since stopped buying capital remote reppers altogether (for several reasons but mainly for that one).


[Prowler fit - 4 second Align]

Nanofiber Internal Structure II
Nanofiber Internal Structure II

Experimental 10MN Microwarpdrive I
Adaptive Invulnerability Field II
Adaptive Invulnerability Field II

Covert Ops Cloaking Device II
Festival Launcher

Medium Polycarbon Engine Housing I
Medium Polycarbon Engine Housing I


That's the fit my Prowler pilots start out with. With mediocre IIIs and IVs in applicable tank, navigation and agility skills it's stats are:

Tank: around 10k with invulns on, 7k with invulns off
Alignment time: under 4 seconds with MWD off (under 6 seconds with MWD on)
Cargo capacity: 4.06 m3
speed: 2300 - 2400 m/s
warp speed: 9 AU

The nanos and polycarbons get alignment time under 4 seconds with mediocre agility skills. With Evasive Maneuvering V you can drop one of the Nanos for a DC-II increasing tank by nearly 50% while still keeping alignment time under 4 seconds. With both Evasive Maneuvering and Spaceship Command at V, you can drop one of the polycarbons for another rig too.

In that case I like replacing 1 Polycarbon with a Hyperspatial Velocity Optimizer (increases warp speed) but with the warp speed changes coming in the next patch a Warp Core Optimizer (reduces cap usage for initiating warp) might be better. That'll depend on just how much cap usage goes up due to the shorter warp times.

With all Vs in applicable tank, navigation and agility skills, replacing 1 nano with a DC-II and 1 Polycarbon with a Hyperspatial Velocity Optimizer, the stats are:

Tank: 14.7k with invulns and DC on, 7.58k with active tank mods off.
Alignment time: 3.99 seconds with MWD off (5.99 seconds with MWD on)
Cargo capacity: 4.06 m3
speed: 2319 m/s
warp speed: 10.8 AU

If you want more tank you could replace the Polycarbon with a Medium Core Defense Field Extender. And though I wouldn't recommend it, if you want/need even heavier tank you could always replace the MWD with a Large Shield Extender II and about double the tank (28.4k with all Vs in applicable skills and an LSE II but no MCDFE).

I intentionally left one high slot empty because I don't do anything with BRs besides transport stock between stations (on autopilot more often than not). Others might find a probe launcher, salvager or something else useful but for me even if I did put something there I wouldn't use it anyhow. The only thing I'd consider is a Covert Cyno and that only in a covert fleet with Bombers, Black Ops and Recon ships.

Edit: As suggested by Noizy I put a Festival Launcher in the empty high slot.

8 comments:

  1. If you'll be afk a lot then the invulns might not be the best choice. How about:

    [Prowler, afk]

    Power Diagnostic System II
    Power Diagnostic System II

    Large Shield Extender II
    Thermic Dissipation Amplifier II
    Kinetic Deflection Amplifier II

    [Empty High slot]
    [Empty High slot]

    Medium Core Defense Field Extender I
    Medium Core Defense Field Extender I

    23.7k effective hp with all 5s and no active modules.

    Gankers probably ship scan so this fit will get the "Procurer effect" that Gevlon has been writing about. If we say one catalyst does 3k damage your fit costs 3 catalysts to gank when you're afk and my fit costs 8 catalysts. More even as it has higher ehp against kinetic/thermal.

    But yes suicide ganks on BRs are really low. When they changed the cargo hold to unscannable I checked Eve Kill for Niarja for a few weeks and only one BR died, possibly to war targets.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have considered that. The thing is when I'm not AFK I really like the extra speed and lower alignment time the MWD and nanos give me. Especially in low/null where I never fly on auto.

      I thought about carrying an LSE-II in cargo to swap in and out with the MWD too. The problem with that is then I wouldn't have the MWD to pulse on approach when I'm running 2 or 3 clients at once tabbing back and forth between them.

      Delete
  2. Probe launcher give you the possibilty of a wh route around a few nasty gate camp. But then I live in wh, so feel slightly naked without one.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I just depend on speed and my trusty covert ops cloaking device II to crash the gate and be gone before the campers can do anything about it. But I'm just passing through low/null not hanging around, if I was hanging around a probe launcher would be handy.

      I lost one covert ops frigate a long time ago but that wasn't in a transport role, it was exploring wormholes in a buzzard with a sisters expanded probe launcher.

      I haven't lost a single BR yet. :)

      Delete
  3. If you're not going to fit a probe launcher, then you really should have a festival launcher in the empty high slot. It can be fun if you get bored.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Why did you pick the prowler instead of one of the other blockade runners?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It sounds silly but it came down to looks.

      I wanted shield tank which meant prowler or crane and there wasn't much difference between them. Prowler was a bit faster, crane a bit tankier and the crane is butt ugly so I chose prowler.

      Delete