A few walls of text in, I realised - I could probably write about this for quite a while, and it might be useful to a wider audience than just the guy asking the question. And so, the blog was born!
There's a lot that can be said about solo pvp, and indeed pvp in general, but I'm going to start off by going through a fairly basic, but common tactic used when out pvping on your own. In Agony, we call this tactic 'Interceptor Fishing'.
Interceptor Fishing, or just 'fishing' as I'll refer to it from now on, is the subtle and magical art of baiting and killing interceptors, usually using a t1 frigate.
An interceptor is a great ship, and definitely one of my favourite ship classes. They have some great strengths, namely their unrivalled speed (ignoring the dramiel of course) and some very effective bonuses, in particular the warp disruption range bonus of the four 'fleet' interceptors (ares, stiletto, malediction and raptor), and the unique bonus to microwarpdrive signature radius penalty that allows the inty to survive withering fire while burning its microwarpdrive.
However, the interceptor has a few key weaknesses, and these are what we plan to exploit:
1. For all their speed and tackling ability, the toughness (aka 'tank) and damage output (aka 'gank') of an interceptor is actually not that much better than a t1 frigate. The 'combat' interceptors (taranis, claw, crusader and crow) fare better in this regard, but are still within an achievable distance.Very few interceptors fit a significant tank.
2. Due to their role, interceptors generally fit a microwarpdrive rather than an afterburner. This makes them rather vulnerable to warp scrambers. In addition to this the combat interceptors (other than the taranis) only have 2 mid slots, meaning they can't fit a web along with their fairly essential tackle and propulsion mods. The combination of these factors means that once scrambled and webbed, interceptors are usually unable to dictate the range of the engagement.
3. Interceptors are on the whole very survivable ships, and great at escaping from unfavourable situations. In practice this means that interceptor pilots (expecially combat interceptor pilots) are prone to overconfidence, and will often throw themselves into what they percieve to be an 'easy fight' without thinking too hard about their situation.
So how do we take advantage of this?
The Ship
Our ship is key to pulling this off successfully. Let's address each of the three points above in reverse.
- We need to choose a ship that your average interceptor pilot will think of as an easy target. T1 frigates are the obvious choice. T1 cruisers can also be effective, especially if you choose one which is usually underrated (for example the osprey, or the celestis). Leaving your ship with its default name also helps make you look like easy pickings, since many people take this as a sign of an inexperienced player.
- Fitting a warp scramber allows us to deactivate the interceptor's microwarpdrive. Combine this with a stasis webifier and an afterburner, and we will almost always be able to dictate range against our target. This prevent them from escaping, as well as neutralising the interceptor's advantage of high speed.
- Finally, our ship needs to be able to out-fight our target. This means our combination of gank and tank needs to be greater than that of your average interceptor. The easiest way to do this on a t1 frigate is by focusing on tank - a damage control and an armour plate (either 200mm or 400mm) is a good start, if you can fit all three this is ideal.
Here's the rifter setup I use (it's a fairly standard rifter fit). This doesn't require t2 fittings of course, a fit using t1 or named modules is still perfectly viable.
Alternatively, the merlin, tristan and incursus can all be very effective in this role (in some ways they are more effective, since rifters have a reputation for being a solo pvp ship, while the other frigates do not). Here are some example fits for the others:
[Rifter, 200mm Rep]
Damage Control II
Small Armor Repairer II
200mm Reinforced Rolled Tungsten Plates I
1MN Afterburner II
J5b Phased Prototype Warp Scrambler I
X5 Prototype I Engine Enervator
150mm Light AutoCannon II, Republic Fleet Phased Plasma S
150mm Light AutoCannon II, Republic Fleet Phased Plasma S
150mm Light AutoCannon II, Republic Fleet Phased Plasma S
Small Nosferatu II
Small Projectile Collision Accelerator I
Small Projectile Burst Aerator I
[empty rig slot]
[Merlin, Fishing]
Damage Control II
Micro Auxiliary Power Core I
1MN Afterburner II
J5b Phased Prototype Warp Scrambler I
X5 Prototype I Engine Enervator
Medium F-S9 Regolith Shield Induction
Light Ion Blaster II, Caldari Navy Antimatter Charge S
Light Ion Blaster II, Caldari Navy Antimatter Charge S
Rocket Launcher II, Caldari Navy Foxfire Rocket
Rocket Launcher II, Caldari Navy Foxfire Rocket
Small Core Defence Field Extender I
Small Core Defence Field Extender I
Small Core Defence Field Extender I
[Tristan, Fishing]
Damage Control II
Small 'Accommodation' Vestment Reconstructer I
200mm Reinforced Rolled Tungsten Plates I
Cold-Gas I Arcjet Thrusters
J5b Phased Prototype Warp Scrambler I
X5 Prototype I Engine Enervator
Light Electron Blaster II, Caldari Navy Antimatter Charge S
Light Electron Blaster II, Caldari Navy Antimatter Charge S
OE-5200 Rocket Launcher, Caldari Navy Foxfire Rocket
OE-5200 Rocket Launcher, Caldari Navy Foxfire Rocket
Small Hybrid Collision Accelerator I
Small Hybrid Burst Aerator I
[empty rig slot]
Hobgoblin II x1
[Incursus, Fishing]Finding a Target
Damage Control II
Small Armor Repairer II
1MN Afterburner II
J5b Phased Prototype Warp Scrambler I
X5 Prototype I Engine Enervator
Light Ion Blaster II, Caldari Navy Antimatter Charge S
Light Ion Blaster II, Caldari Navy Antimatter Charge S
Light Ion Blaster II, Caldari Navy Antimatter Charge S
Small Hybrid Burst Aerator I
Small Hybrid Collision Accelerator I
[empty rig slot]
Finding a target is probably the hardest part. There are two main ways of doing this:
1. Cruise around pipes in 0.0 (i.e. chains of systems connecting two areas of space which get travelled quite frequently). Here you have a good chance of encountering an interceptor pilot who is probably just travelling between two locations and may not even be looking for a fight. However, when they see your juicy frigate sitting along and vulnerable, their priorities are likely to change.
This is the safest option since there is less chance of your opponent having backup nearby, and they generally won't be fit with killing you in mind. However, it can also take quite some time before you find a target using this method - get used to which pipes see a lot of traffic, and make sure you get noticed by those who come through. Beware of interceptors scouting for a larger gang - these are still good targets, but make sure you have time to kill them before backup arrives!
2. Head to a well populated area, and start getting yourself noticed - sit on stargates or at bookmarks not doing anything, and occasionally move around the area as if you are just looking around. The chances are, someone will notice you and grab his trusty interceptor to come and chase you down for an easy kill.
This is by far the most reliable method - people can rarely resist such an easy target, and as long as there are people out and about, it usually won't be long before someone takes the bait. However, this method has risks. There is no guarantee that your target will bring an interceptor (although they are popular for the job), and they will probably be fit with killing your frigate in mind. There is also a good chance that they will have backup nearby, and they are likely to call for it once they realise they are going to lose, if not before.
The Tactic
Let's assume that by whatever method, you have managed to pique someone's interest. Our next step is to getting the pilot to engage you in a situation where you can beat them. Specifically, this means inside scram and web range, and away from potential reinforcements.
Doing this is fairly simple. There are a number of options, and I'm sure if you practice this you'll come up with a few I've never even seen before, however for now we're going to concentrate on the most common method.
If you've been acting newbie-ishly enough, your target is probably already making a move to try to tackle you. It's important not to let them engage on their own terms, so avoid letting them catch you for now. Once you know you have their interest, warp off to a fairly obvious location (ideally a stargate, and ideally a long distance away) at 0. If you've done your job right so far, the interceptor will follow shortly. If they're cautious, they may warp to a bookmark or warp in at range initially. If this happens, just sit on the gate until they come down to you, and then go through. Try not to let them attack you before going through, or they will be unable to follow due to an aggression timer. Once you see your target appear in local in the next system, wait a few seconds (to make sure they see where you go) and then repeat the process.
If you think your opponent has backup nearby, it's usually a good idea to do this at least a couple of times, even if they warp to 0 on the fist go.
Eventually (usually on the first or second try) your target will warp to 0 too to make sure you don't get away. When this happens, they should land right on top of you. If you're happy that you have enough distance between them and their backup, immediately lock them up and put your scram and web on them. This is an important moment, since they now have the option of simply going through the gate and avoiding the fight. It's a good idea to leave your guns (or at least most of your guns) off until you can see that your opponent has engaged you back - at this point they will be unable to go through the gate due to aggression, and the fight is on!
From here, you're on your own. What you do will depend on your ship, and your opponent. If you have better tracking than them, orbit close. If you know you can win a straight slug-fest, just approach to your optimal and try to keep your angular velocity low. If you're up against a blaster ship (especially the taranis), use your greater speed to get outside of their guns (obviously this only works if you can hit at longer range yourself!).
Remember, you're unlikely to win them all. However, if you lose, you lose a t1 frigate and they simply achieve the result they expected. If you win however, you kill something far more expensive, and leave a confused inty pilot wondering how he just lost his shiny ship to a newbie in a t1 frigate!
If anyone decides to give this a try, I'd be interested to hear about your experiences - let me know what you found worked, and what you found didn't (not to mention show me those juicy killmails!)
