MMORPG.com EVE Online COrrespondent Andrew Wallace writes this overview of command ships in CCP's EVE Online.

Commanding a fleet can be challenging enough, even without having to worry about your own vessel taking a beating, and there are few ships up to the task. Interceptors can use their speed to avoid a lot of trouble, but there are times when you'll have to break away from the fight due to drones, energy neutralizers, or other anti-frigate ships. It's the same with Electronic Warfare ships; even if you are engaging from a distance the enemy will still make you a primary target. Battleships are good, but even better are the Command ships.

Read A Look at Command Ships

1st!

I just have to say that I really like the way you write Andrew. You are by far one of the best correspondents on MMORPG (IMO). Good on ya, m8. I have enjoyed reading your posts and they are spot on.

Good article but why is there a Nyx in the photos?

Thanks, Xan.

Maurauder: Due to a lack of isk I took those shots on the test server, and for some reason there were two Nyx outside having intercourse so I flew my Absolution by them for the screenshots.

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I'd tend to disagree with the Fleet commands being less hard, They have higher base resists and tend to be fitted with survivability second only to putting on the gang links. One only has to look at some of the fits for the damnation and Vulture to see the sometimes insane amount of damage that has to be dealt at these guys to take them out. My damnation alone has over 27k armor points with the lowest resists being in the low 80s and the higests being in the 90s.

 Always love seeing the new ships for Eve. Just wish I could get into it. Too many days of prep for too little pew pew. 

Why not touch on what's required to make these things great, Leadership skills!!

Without properly trained leadership skills these ships aren't nearly as powerful as portrayed.

By far my favorite ship class. I am fully matar speced so i only fly the claymore and sleipnir but i have been in fleets witht he others and they certainly help a ton. One roam i had abut a year ago had one of each of the fleet CSes and it was one of the most awesome roams ive had.

I think the only point the article missed was the fact that these were ships only long time veterans of Eve are going to fly.   You are probably looking at close to a year in Eve to fly one effectively.

Achura need not apply.   If you ever intend to fly on of these ships. avoid the races with low charisma as it is the leading attribute for leadership skils, that is why I always recommend people take races that have a more balanced approach on attributes.  Sure any race can fly them, but you are just looking at longer training times.

Sorry to disagree, but you got the shipclass' use wrong.

CS are quiet nice in small-med sized gangs, but once you hit fleet level (that's 50+ people) you take offgrid fleet CS for bonusses only and never get them on-grid.

That said, to actually command a fleet in battle against another fleet, you fly something that can cloak and is fast, a covert ops for example. That way you can ensure that you'll actually stay ongrid and are able to continue calling targets throughout the enegagement; A much more important addition to the fleet than the firepower (however nice) of another ship, be it a CS, BS or whatever else subcapital.

EDIT: as an added answer to the question if you want to primary a fleet CS or another ship: Most FCs are known by name to their enemies and if you call the ship (and afterwards pod) of the enemy FC primary, you're not targeting 'random ship #32' but the most vital asset of the enemy fleet.

Originally posted by Nicoli

I'd tend to disagree with the Fleet commands being less hard, They have higher base resists and tend to be fitted with survivability second only to putting on the gang links. One only has to look at some of the fits for the damnation and Vulture to see the sometimes insane amount of damage that has to be dealt at these guys to take them out. My damnation alone has over 27k armor points with the lowest resists being in the low 80s and the higests being in the 90s.

Commands are among the strongest tanks of the game in general, but Fleet Commands are the stronger tanks. The vulture in paticular can have the strongest sub-capital tank out of any ship in EVE, not to mention it's PASSIVE Shield.

The Nighthawk is also a kick ass lvl 4 mission runner. It can also be very decent against Battleships due to the BS taking full damage from the Heavy missles, and having a range around 70k/m. Nighthawk can be set for a passive shield that can tank ANY sub-capital ship in EVE (It can also tank many Capital ships).

The Astarte will OUTDAMAGE Battleships it is fighting because it has a smaller sig, faster speed and will in most cases not be taking even close to full potential damage from a Battleship ESPECIALLY since Quantum rise.

Afterburners mixed with the smaller (Then Battleship) sigs can almost be considered a silent BOOST to Command ships already rock solid tanks.

I have tanked multiple Battleships many times in both my Astarte and Nighthawk. Even tanked the 15 fighters from a carrier in my Nighthawk (never tried with the Astarte).

My advice for newer or aspiring Command Ship Pilots-

SKILLS. Command ships shine with skills maxd. The skill "Command Ship" needs to be 5. What's great is that skill is NOT racial, so it effects all races Command Ships.  Fittings are VERY tight in Command ships and skills like "Advanced Weapon Upgrades" and any cap/energy grid/cpu skill is critical to have trained to 5.

Fittings and Energy grid- Fittings are VERY TIGHT in Command Ships. Faction items are lighter fitting, and better preforming. Ofcourse your wallet dictates how far you go. Officer fittings are spectacular if your rich. In any case Command Ships, are the perfact ship to "Pimp out".

Resists- Get those resists up. Command Ships can have across the board 80% resists which saves a ton on cap for tanking. If in a repper fleet you can rep tank a Command ship so it can tank primary from MANY ships. I have tanked a fleet of 40ish mostly BS sized ships in a fleet repped Command (was in a nighthawk but any command can pull it off with good pilots)