The fit:
Arbalest Siege Missile Launcher x3
Covert Ops Cloaking Device II
Core Probe Launcher
Catalyzed Cold-Gas Arcjet Thrusters
Warp Disruptor II
Small Capacitor Booster II
Nonofibre Internal Structure II x2
Ballistic Control System II
Small Warhead Calefaction Catalyst I
Small Bay Loading Accelerator I
As the Purifer is a completely new ship type for me, I'm going to be recording more of my battles, even if not particularly eventful, as I need to learn a host of new player skills, as well as develop a fit that suits me. I've also returned to Punisher Plan numbering for the time being.
The hunt:
I spent several hours scanning down wormholes and exploring the systems within them. Sometimes the system was (or seemed) completely empty, while other systems contained POS, but no sign of an active player.
I discovered one very active class 6 wormhole with a serious W-space corp in residence, but their main ship seemed to be a Tengu, which I felt was too small for my bomber to properly engage.
Finally, I found a C1 wormhole with a Cyclone and Drake running a ladar site. Thinking it unlikely that I could take them both together, I arranged for a few corp mates to wait outside the wormhole for me to provide a warp-in.
As I maneuvered closer, however, another bomber uncloaked! He opened fire on the battle cruisers from well outside of point range, and they simply warped off. I continued to watch as the bomber then blew up the sleeper wrecks that had accumulated. He then activated his cloak and disappeared into the night.
Afterthoughts:
The attack run I had set up was a bust, but I still felt that I learned a lot.
First, I learned a great deal about operating in W-space, from scanning down wormholes to searching for targets. All stuff that I had read about, but putting it into practice was useful.
I also learned that much of W-space is (or seems) empty. Whether it would still seem that way if I dropped cloak, I don't know.
The other bomber's attack run was also illuminating. When I've attacked battlecruisers in the past, they have always been ready (and generally willing) to fight back against a smaller opponent. Despite having hull class and numbers on their side, neither of the battlecruisers in this instance tried to do so. Perhaps there is a different attitude in W-space, where anything could be a trap; you can't check local to make sure he's alone.
Of course, I had initially been puzzled by the bomber's method of attack, as he could not have hoped to keep either of his opponents locked down long enough to kill them. However, when I continued to explore the system, I saw the bomber again, but this time docked at a POS at the far reaches of the solar system. It dawned on me then that he had not been actually trying to destroy the interlopers, but rather warning them off his turf.
How interesting.
Nonofibre ;p
ReplyDeleteAlso; 'completely ship type for me' in the first paragraph.
No I don't have anything useful to say. I think the cyclone/drake gank would have gone better if there hadn't been a 30 odd hac/bc/logi/recon gang between us and the wormhole too...
If you are looking for isk gain as opposed to kills in wormholes you are probably best to wait for the salvager, and then wait for the salvager to be on the last wreck, then unclock and destroy that, steal the loot, run away
ReplyDeleteIt is an interesting play style though, very much the hunter game mode. Not sure i entirely have the patience for it, but I keep meaning to try it properly. Only problem is last time I went into a WH it took me 3 days to get out of it again as I kept getting distracted by D-Scan. :)
I've done the silent stalker thing but now mostly operate in smaller gangs in wspace. Spend enough time in there and that seemingly emptiness will cultivate a healthy dose of paranoia and if you're lucky a nervous twitch.
ReplyDeleteAlso, been a long time reader of the blog but never commented, keep up the good work!
I personally like to fit a bomb launcher as opposed to the third siege launcher. They blow up industrials quite easy, as well as frigates or destroyers with active MWDs. Cruisers and BCs with active MWDs will take a heavy beating as well (cruisers especially). Bombing is all about the right situation at the right time though, and it can be quite tricky to set up an engagement for it to work. Given that your profession is about the right situation at the right time though (I think), you should be able to pick up pretty quickly when you can and can't bomb someone.
ReplyDeleteFor pretty much any ship, if the MWD is active, they take full damage from the bomb. your racial bomb type can dish out a maximum of 8000 raw alpha. So if you find yourself using that EM bomb against shield tankers (probably a safe bet in pulsar w-space, or catclysmic variable), you're really going to turn the battle in your favor at the outset.
As for how exactly bombs works, I'll forward you a mail I wrote to someone else about how to do it, and keep in mind that bombs fly for 30km (regardless of your speed) in the direction you are pointing and explode, dealing the damage in a 15km radius sphere. It's up to you if you decide bombs are for you, but I think having the information would help you out if you don't already have it.
I remember my first experience in a gang that ran into a stealth bomber with a bomb launcher. We were running mostly in T1 cruisers and a handful of frigates, and as soon as the bomber decloaked, we were told to warp - and warned very strongly against turning our MWDs on when we scattered. The only person that did start to burn was pretty well insta-popped due to the combination of the MWD's sig bloom and the damage the bomb was able to put out. (His fit may have been questionable - I don't remember as it was about three years ago now - but I digress.) I know a number of pilots who have had decent luck sitting cloaked off a gate or jumpbridge in 0.0, decloaking and burning in to fire a bomb when a large group of ships approaches.
ReplyDeleteI'm slightly reluctant to give any advice on bomber PVP, as my own experiences in stealth bombers have largely been breathtakingly carebearish in nature (although if you ever find yourself inside a factional warfare plex while in one, I can certainly help!). That said, there's one thing I'd encourage you to consider: While bombers do have a bonus to damage, explosion velocity and flight time, torpedoes are still BS-scale weapons. Depending on how your cap life is without a booster (though I'm guessing it's not great if you're fitting a booster in the first place), you may want to consider looking into target painters.
I'll be interested to read about your experiences flying a bomber solo! The idea of holding point in a ship that pops if looked at the wrong way has always given me shivers (you can at least fit SOME sort of tank on most other frigate hulls), but if you find it to your liking, good on you!
Too bad you weren't close, you have maybe killed the SB.
ReplyDeleteStealth Bombers can be a lot of fun. For ideas you should definitely check out
ReplyDeletehttp://evestealthbomber.blogspot.com/
for a very good read as well as the blog that inspired him,
http://wormholekiller.blogspot.com/
Both of these blogs are quite entertaining. The psychological warfare aspect of bombers is a lot of fun.
Btw I'm a big fan of your blog. I came across it when I gave Eve a 2nd chance back in the spring and have been following it ever since. I have had the pleasure of fighting some of your corp mates, hopefully one of these days I'll get a chance to point my lasers at you. :-)