Shadow of Cerberus EVE Community Forum

FOTW: Supercap tackling Devoter

I'm surprised I haven't gotten around to this one yet, so let's get it out of the way:

[Devoter, Supercap tackle]
1600mm Reinforced Rolled Tungsten Plates I
1600mm Reinforced Rolled Tungsten Plates I
800mm Reinforced Rolled Tungsten Plates I
Energized Adaptive Nano Membrane II
Energized Adaptive Nano Membrane II
Shadow Serpentis Armor Thermic Hardener
Damage Control II

Experimental 10MN Microwarpdrive I
Conjunctive Radar ECCM Scanning Array I
Small Capacitor Booster II, Navy Cap Booster 200

Warp Disruption Field Generator II
Warp Disruption Field Generator II, Focused Warp Disruption Script
Cynosural Field Generator I
Gatling Pulse Laser II, Scorch S
Gatling Pulse Laser II, Scorch S
Gatling Pulse Laser II, Scorch S

Medium Trimark Armor Pump I
Medium Trimark Armor Pump I


This is a very specialized ship, the companion to the super-cap tackling Phobos that was a FOTW last year.(1)  Its role is nearly identical to that Phobos: attach itself to a super-cap and never let it go.  For that role, "double bubble" hictors are vital.  One bubble is run unscripted, which puts up a wide-range bubble that prevents all warp-offs and jump-outs.  The second bubble is run with a focused script which puts an "infinipoint" on the super-cap target.  This is how the hictor is used in null-sec, of course.  In low-sec, both points will have to be scripted to be used since bubbles cannot be used in low-sec.

For the role of tackling super-caps, the tactics are identical to those for the Phobos.  As I said last year:

Hictors typically operate in pairs or trios.  A hictor using its points cannot be repaired, so using hictors is a tricky balancing act.  One hictor will set up the initial tackle on the target and hold for as long as possible.  As the hictor takes critical damage, about half-way through the last 30-second bubble cycle, the hictor's fresh backup will take over.  The first hictor will then drop his bubble and point and receive reps and fresh capacitor from the large number of nearby Guardians and carriers supporting the cap-killing op (you do have those, right?).  This gives the enemy fleet a poor choice: do they switch DPS to the new hictor or try to finish off the old one?

It quickly comes down to a race, and the side with the better reflexes and instincts usually wins.  If a hictor pilot misjudges how much it can tank between cycles and can't drop the bubble in time, he dies.  If the tackling side relies too much on a predictable rotation, one of the hictors will die.  But if the bubbling side can coordinate their rotation of hictors (perhaps with a few light dictors), swapping damaged for fresh on an unpredictable cycle, there's often little a tackled super-cap can do except start looking at the self-destruct button...

As with all my specialized fits, this isn't a ship that you'll need very often.  You may never need it.  But if you ever think you may have call for a ship like this, have one available!  The worst thing in the world is to need a duo or trio of hictors for super-cap tackling and not have them...

All of this applies to the Devoter as well.

The advantage of the Devoter over the Phobos is the incredible tank: 166k EHP before boosts or links!  Unfortunately, a small amount of this tank is provided by a single active hardener, but it's hardening against a somewhat unlikely source of damage, and a cap booster is provided so the hictor pilot can keep its points and hardener running.  Only cycle the cap booster when you need it, as modules approach the end of cycle!  For this reason, your points should by cycled as close together as possible since it's likely you're going to be under neut pressure.

ECCM, a cyno to bring in your own capital or super-cap fleet, and a few self-defense guns make up the rest of the utility mods.  The guns are incidental and are primarily intended to allow the Devoter to attach itself to kill-mails and pop drones.  Don't waste cap on them unless you have cap to spare or are using this ship in a more traditional roam.  The rest of the fit is tank: tank tank tank, including "two and a half" plates.  Devoters are beloved for the amount of punishment that they can take; they're much more likely to survive under extreme duress than the relatively thinner Phobos.

All those plates have an impact, though: you will be very slow to align and warp off gates.  Your normal align and warp speed is 12 seconds.  To balance this, I strongly recommend that you learn how to use the "10 second warp" trick that's normally the province of battleships.  This trick works quite well with this Devoter fit and will allow you to keep up with most armor-based fleets.  Once you learn the trick and apply it habitually, Devoters make fine roaming ships!  This is particularly true in low-sec, where you can script both points, do a decent job of keeping two targets tackled while shrugging off gate gun damage.

I've indicated a faction hardener here, mostly to assist with CPU issues.  If you go without guns or fly with a CPU implant, you can use a standard T2 hardener or even a Energized Thermic Membrane II if you like.  That will make the ship cheaper and/or less cap-reliant.  Try not to overspend on a heavy interdictor.  Nine times out of ten, rather than trying to buff the tank of a single hictor, it's a better choice to bring another bubbler along instead...

Bubble up!


All Fits of the Week are intended as general guidelines only.  You   may not have the skills needed for this exact fit.  If you do not, feel   free to adjust the fit to suit to meet your skills, including using  meta  3 guns and "best named" defenses and e-war.  Ships can also be  adjusted  to use faction or dead-space modules depending on the budget  of the  pilot flying it.  Each FOTW is intended as a general guide to  introduce  you to concepts that will help you fit and to fly that  particular type  of ship more aggressively and well.



(1) By the way, for that fit replace the C-type ANP with a faction ANP.  Thanks to the nerf of 1/10s and 2/10s, C-type ANPs are now ridiculously expensive, particularly for a ship that's as likely to die as a heavy interdictor.
Source: FOTW: Supercap tackling Devoter