Newbie Tackling Guide

With the release of the new t1 attack frigates, I thought it would make sense to write an article on tackling. I expect most of my regular readers are already pretty familiar with the topic, but given how often a new PVPer is told to grab a t1 frigate and start tackling things, I figure we all know someone who might benefit from the knowledge. So go ahead and link this guide anywhere you think it might be useful, and let's start some more newbies on the path to PVP greatness.

I should probably preface this article by stating that this is just my way of doing things, and it's naturally going to be biased towards the kind of PVP that I do. Most of the information in here should be applicable across the board, but particularly when it comes to fitting and module suggestions this doesn't necessarily represent the only way to do things, or even necessarily the best - just mine.

The Dark Art of Dictoring

There are many paths that you can take in Eve PVP, but few so esoteric as that of a dictor pilot. While most of us can jump in a dictor and pop bubbles on command, a good dictor pilot (along with an FC who knows how to utilise them effectively) can be hard to come by. Flown right, a dictor is a powerful tool for shaping the battlefield in nullsec - it can catch targets, delay the progress of an opposing force, or even split apart larger gangs in a way that allows you to engage and defeat them. Flown wrong, it can wipe out your entire fleet. Thus is the lot of the dictor pilot!

This following assumes that you have already read my article on Bubble Mechanics. If you haven't then I recommend reading that first.

Skirmish Interceptors Part 2 - Creating Kills

In any PVP situation, you'll find two kinds of people: kill participants and kill creators. If you want to know which you are, think of the last few kills you've been on and ask yourself whether those kills would still have happened if you hadn't been there. If the answer if no, then contratulations - you're a kill creator.

Skirmishing is absolutely a kill-creating position. There are very few other roles in the fleet where you're so directly responsible for the gang's success (the obvious one being the FC). What's more you're usually acting alone, so when you get the gang a kill, it's you and you alone who created that kill. That's a pretty great thing to be able to say, don't you think?

We talked last time about the kind of ship you'll want for a skirmishing role. If you haven't read that post already, I recommend you do so before reading on. What I'd like to talk about now, is how you actually go about getting those kills.

Skirmish Interceptors Part 1 - One Man and his Inty

With the first run of Agony's long awaited Skirmishing class coming up, I think it's probably worth a post on the topic. When I joined Agony I spent my first year or so flying this role almost exclusively, and I can absolutely recommend it to anyone who doesn't want to be just another gun.

First of all, I should probably explain what a Skirmisher is. In Agony, a Skirmisher is a pilot who operates independently from the main fleet whose main role is to locate and tackle targets. This may be in a +1 or -1 position (that is, one system ahead of or behind the main fleet) or it may be further afield. Skirmishers also double as scouts, providing early warning of hostile gangs in the area.