Hanging in corp the other day I was asked if I wanted to practice some PvP tactics. Being ever the eager nub, I agreed. Twenty minutes and a few frustrating warps to get modules later, I was in a Manticore, practicing bombing runs. The first attempt ended rather poorly, with my shields empty and my corpmate saying “See that red bar? That means I killed you.”
A few tries later I had the basic strategy down, no target lock from the enemy, but as I was one Manticore and he was in a Battlecruiser, and a passive regen stalemate ensued. Then my shields dropped by 50%. What the hell? Let’s just say I have a newfound respect for many of the lesser used items in Eve, and I learned a lot about trying to hunt down foes in a stealthy piece of aluminum.
Here are some takeaways for players new to the SB:
- Patience. Lots of it. They can’t see you until you decide to drop cloak, and that is hugely important.
- Understand the range of ALL your modules, and the modules your opponent is likely to fit. If you burn in like a nub, all the range dampening in the world won’t make a difference.
- Find some friends. Torpedos seem powerful, but your opponent may have more tank than one SB can handle. Without tackle, not much will stop your prey from leaving with some new intel.
- More patience. They don’t know you are there, and may warp off for some random reason right as you are getting ready to decloak and open the Tubes of Hell.
- The ship you are fighting may not be fit the way you would fit it. There are a tremendous number of mods in the game, and just because you don’t know or use something, your opponent may have a nasty trick or two hidden in that juicy hull you want to pop.