[Jester's Trek] Fit of the Week: Bloa
Fit of the Week: Bloa
It was tempting -- oh so tempting! -- to go with the HAM Caracal. But honestly, the fit is not all that different from the Bellicose that I posted a month ago. The DPS is about the same, the tank is almost exactly the same, and the overall capabilities are about the same. But I like the Bellicose better for the bigger drone bay and the higher speed. The only thing you pick up with the Caracal is another 10km of range. And that's nice, don't get me wrong, and I own a HAM Caracal for that reason. But my favorite of the new Caldari cruisers? No. That honor goes to...
[Moa, Bloa]
Damage Control II
Magnetic Field Stabilizer II
Magnetic Field Stabilizer II
Tracking Enhancer II
Experimental 10MN MicroWarpdrive I
Large Shield Extender II
Warp Disruptor II
Adaptive Invulnerability Field II
Large Shield Extender II
Heavy Neutron Blaster II, Null M
Heavy Neutron Blaster II, Null M
Heavy Neutron Blaster II, Null M
Heavy Neutron Blaster II, Null M
Heavy Neutron Blaster II, Null M
Medium Ancillary Current Router I
Medium Ancillary Current Router I
Medium Anti-EM Screen Reinforcer I
Hobgoblin II x3
Yes, I have a weakness for blasters. And with that in mind, the Moa upgrade with the additional mid and the increased grid has a lot going for it... particularly if you cheat a bit and fit dual Ancillary Current Router rigs. At that point, you have enough grid to fit maximum size weapons, a MWD, and two LSEs. That makes this boat a big tanky beast for a T1 cruiser. In that regard, it's just as good as last week's Omen: it gets close to 40k EHP, almost all of it in a thick resistant shield tank. But last week's Omen can't do 500+ DPS in a brawl and this Moa can. You can fit a Core Defence Field Extender rig instead of the Anti-EM rig to enhance it still more. But I like the EM rig. Not only is it a lot cheaper (particularly right now!) but it closes this ship's weakness to lasers very satisfactorily.
Overheat your MWD and your Invul as you close range; the biggest weakness of the Moa is that it is still sllllooooowww on the approach. Why CCP didn't fix this, I have no idea.(1) Null ammo loaded as you close range will let you put out very decent DPS to about 12-13km. That's why I've fitted a TE in the final low instead of a third MFS. If you routinely fly with a lot of speed implants though, you could go with the third MFS no problem. If you really find that speed is an issue, fit a Nanofiber (or even an Overdrive Injector) in the final low slot instead.
As you cross 11km, swap out Null for faction anti-matter -- taking only five seconds, thank you CCP -- and your DPS increases beyond 500. Remember to shut down the overheat on your MWD, but you can keep the overheat on the Invul running as you take damage. You'll also want to release your drones at about this range. I go with Gallente drones on brawling ships rather than the faster Minmatar drones for the increased DPS and the ability to take advantage of the thermal hole that most ships still have. If you're flying with a T1 shield fleet, you'll be flying alongside that Thorax fit from a few weeks ago. The advantage the Moa brings is its much stronger tank. Shield Thoraxes are fantastic initial heavy tackle and outspeed the Moa by almost a third. But once the Moas land, the target isn't going anywhere and the Moas are going to be a lot tougher to peel off.
All in all, this is a pretty easy ship to fly, has a lot of advantages in a brawl, and best of all does not require high-end fitting skills like the Caracal does. It's a ship that an EVE beginner can get into and be very effective in. It's tough and resilient and responds particularly well to reps. Fly a bunch of these with a few Scythes and a few Thoraxes for tackle, and you'll have a cheap shield fleet for your enemies to fear.
Good hunting!
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) Most likely, because they didn't realize that this is far and away the Moa hull's biggest weak point.
Source: Fit of the Week: Bloa