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EVE Online: Electronic Warfare
MMORPG.com EVE Correspondent Joanie Spalletta writes this overview guide on Electronic Warfare in CCP's EVE Online.
Electronic Warfare is technology used to disable or weaken enemy ships that you would normally have a hard time doing without it. For example, if you are against a fast ship, you can use Electronic Warfare to slow them down. You can even prevent ships from warping away!
There are a number of modules, skills, and even ships that can help you with Electronic Warfare.
Modules
Every race in EVE has their own unique sensor strength. Caldari is Gravimetric. Minmatar is Ladar. Gallente is Magnetometric. And Amarr is Radar.
ECCM is Electronic Counter Counter Measures. ECCM modules are used to boost your sensor strength (Gravimetric, Radar, etc.). There is also a Multi-spectrum module that boosts all four types of sensor strengths.
ECM Bursts are modules that emit random electronic bursts intended to disrupt target locks, meaning it will be difficult to lock onto other ships. Electronic Counter Measures modules consist of five different jammers: Gravimetric Jammers, Ladar Jammers, Magnetometric Jammers, Radar Jammers, and Multi-spectrum Jammers. Again, each race has their own unique sensor strength. So, always keep in mind what race the enemy ship is. You can also use a Signal Distortion Amplifier to amplify the distortion signal generated by electronic counter measure systems.
Projected ECCM modules boost a target ship's sensor strength.
Sensor Backup Arrays boost sensor strength to resist target jamming.
Remote Sensor Dampers are modules that decrease targeting speed and targeting range of your target.
Stasis Webifiers reduce the maximum speed of a ship. Target Painters increase a ship's signature radius, allowing weapons to do more damage to the target.
Tracking Disruptors are modules that disrupt the turret range and tracking speed of the target.
Warp Disruption Field Generator is a module that generates a warp disruption field, preventing any ship in its range from going into warp. Note: Warp Disruption Field Generators may only be fitted by a Heavy Interdictor.
But, there are two modules that allow you warp jam someone. There is a Warp Scrambler and a Warp Disruptor. Warp Scramblers are for close range and gives more scramble strength. Warp Disruptors, on the other hand, are for long range and gives less scramble strength.
Energy Destabilizer is a module that neutralizes a portion of the energy in the target ship's capacitor. Energy Vampires drain energy from the target ship and adds it to your own.
Scripts are like ammo. Certain modules allow for a script to be loaded to calibrate that module's function.
Focused Warp Disruption is loaded into a warp disruption field generator to focus its effect upon a single ship, like a standard warp disruptor. It allows you to scramble ships of any size, including ships normally immune to all forms of Electronic Warfare.
Optimal Range Disruption and Tracking Speed Disruption can be loaded into a Tracking Disruptor. Optimal Range Disruption increases optimal range at expense of tracking speed. And Tracking Speed Disruption increases tracking speed at expense of optimal range.
Scan Resolution Dampening and Targeting Range Dampening can be loaded into a Remote Sensor Dampener. Scan Resolution Dampening increases targeting speed at expense of targeting range and Targeting Range Dampening increases targeting range at expense of targeting speed.
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Skills
Modules are far more effective with skills. There are many skills that will help you with Electronic Warfare.
Electronic Warfare allows you to operate ECM jamming modules and reduces capacitor need for ECM and ECM burst devices. Note: Does not affect capital class modules.
Electronic Upgrades installs electronic upgrades such as backup arrays, which boost sensor strength to resist target jamming. Also reduces sensor upgrades CPU needs.
Frequency Modulation is a skill of advanced knowledge of signal waves. It gives a bonus to falloff for ECM, Remote Sensor Dampeners, Tracking Disruptors and Target Painters.
Long Distance Jamming allows long range operation electronic warfare systems. It gives a bonus to optimal range of ECM, Remote Sensor Dampeners, Tracking Disruptors, and Target Painters.
Long Range Targeting is a skill at long range targeting. It gives a bonus to targeting range. Multitasking allows you to lock multiple targets.
Projected Electronic Counter Measures allows you to operate projected ECM jamming systems. Also with this skill, there will be less delay between module activation and ECM burst effect.
Propulsion Jamming allows the use of propulsion/warpdrive jammers. Also reduces warp scrambler and stasis webifier capacitor need.
Sensor Linking allows use of remote sensor booster/damper. Also with this skill you will need less capacitor need for sensor link.
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Signal Dispersion allows you to operate target jamming equipment and gives a bonus to strength of all ECM jammers. Signal Suppression allows to operate remote sensor dampers and gives a bonus to remote sensor dampers scan resolution and targeting range suppression.
Signature Analysis allows you to operate targeting systems and improves targeting speed. Signature Focusing is advanced understanding of target painting technology. It gives a bonus to target painter modules signature radius multiplier. Target Painting allows use of target painters. Also with this skill you will need less capacitor for target painters.
Targeting allows you to target multiple targets.
Turret Destabilization is advanced understanding of tracking disruption technology. It gives a bonus to tracking disruptor modules tracking speed, optimal range, and falloff disruption.
Weapon Disruption allows use of remote weapon disruptors and also with this skill you will need less capacitor for weapon disruptors.
Ships
Along with modules, scripts, and skills, certain ships give a bonus to Electronic Warfare as well. 10 different class ships can help with Electronic Warfare. Others more so than the rest.
Scorpion is a Caldari Battleship that gives a bonus to ECM Target Jammer strength and bonus to ECM Target Jammer optimal range.
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Widow is a Caldari Black ops that gives a bonus to ECM target jammer strength.
There is a group of cruiser-class ships that can be helpful:
Arbitrator gives a bonus to tracking disruptor effectiveness.
Blackbird gives bonus to ECM target jammer strength and optimal range.
Celestis gives bonus to remote sensor dampener effectiveness.
Bellicose gives bonus to target painter effectiveness.
Electronic Attack Frigates are a group of ships that are very good for Electronic Warfare:
Sentinel gives bonus to energy vampire and energy neutralizer transfer amount and range. Also, it gives a bonus to effectiveness of tracking disruptors.
Kitsune gives a bonus to ECM target jammer strength and optimal range. It also reduces the capacitor need for ECM target jammers.
Keres gives bonus to remote sensor dampener effectiveness and reduces capacitor need for remote sensor dampener. It also gives a bonus to warp disruptor range and reduces capacitor need for warp disruptors.
Hyena gives a bonus to stasis webifier range and bonus to effectiveness of target painters.
There is a group of frigate-class ships that can be effective for electronic warfare:
Crucifier gives a bonus to tracking disruptor effectiveness.
Griffin gives bonus to ECM target jammer strength and reduces ECM target jammer capacitor need.
Maulus gives a bonus to remote sensor dampener effectiveness.
Vigil gives a bonus to a target painter's effectiveness.
Heavy Interdictors are a special class ship that gives a bonus to the range of warp disruption field. The four ships are named: Devoter, Onyx, Phobos, and Broadsword.
Interdictors are much like Heavy Interdictors, only instead of a warp disruption field generator, they fit a warp disruption interdiction sphere. The four Interdictors are named: Heretic, Flycatcher, Eris, and Sabre.
Interceptors give a bonus to warp scrambler and warp disruption range. The four interceptor-class ships are: Malediction, Raptor, Ares, and Stiletto.
Marauder-class ships are battleship sized and 3 out of 4 are electronic warfare friendly. Paladin and Kronos give a bonus to the velocity factor of stasis webifiers and Golem gives a bonus to the effectiveness of target painters.
And finally, there is Recon-class ships. There are two kinds of Recon ships, force recon and combat recon. The difference is force recon ships reduce the CPU usage of cloaking devices and reduce liquid ozone consumption for cynosural field generation and cynosural field duration.
The combat recon-class ships are: Curse, Rook, Lachesis, and Huginn and the force recon-class ships are: Pilgrim, Falcon, Arazu, and Rapier.
Thanks for this guide, I'm just starting my Electronic Warfare career and was a little confused about the best fit to reach my goals. Thanks a lot!
EVE is where you set your destiny!
veery nice guide
but untill the devs quit being stupid and alienating a large portion of their possible player base the casual player!!!
EVE is very biased against the casual player AKA care bears you cant even have very large non-pvp corps because if the corp gets too big they get war declared!
war declared is where an enemy corperation can attack the non-pvp corp anywhere in the universe including miners and haulers this forces these players INTO STATIONS TO SIT FOR A WEEK AT A TIME! and thats if there not re war declared the next week.... obviously this doesnt take long for the people to leave the game and the corp to implode.
there are actually many things i like about eve but the constant harassment and destruction on millions of isk in unarmed ships will make for a quick exit for anyone that has a brain more evolved than a 10 year old.
oh and the reason there FIXING JITA(sp) is because so many players are crowded into empire space something like 92% of the server population is still crowded into 20% of the game space effectivly the noob space.
maby the devs dont realize this because the mijority of the players that have remained in EVE are the PVPers, pirates and griefers that prey on noobs within minutes of their arival (if they fall for certain scam traps)....
they also have not improved the content of eve since beta do while space LOOKs prety its also exceptionally boring , bland, and empty and definatly non interactive,, they need to work on this not some half baked walk around the station junk! like E&B
...
Seriously now. A huge wall of text with barely any formatting consisting of one-liners?
This seems apropriate for a draft of a guide, but for a real guide, or even overview, i'd expect a lot more.
As much as i don't agree with the tribune, they featured a few good articles, like this one or that one on the topic of ecm.
//edit:
So, considering they set a new pcu on sunday, the 92% carebears are all evil pvp people which equals to about 43430 users on peak, who are carebears who prey for newbies in highsec?
I don't really have to continue ripping your post into pices, do i?
I agree with Bato on this. It doesn't really fit into what is usually called a "guide" - but this is probably just a question of what people are used to..
Anyways,
I have linked to article to a few of my eWar-corp mates, and they found the information useful - yet there are many guides to eWar out there that are more throughout (such as one on the 'official' eve forums).
It is decent if you forgot what does what, but not really a guide, I'd say.
I added three dots where I removed text..
If your big carebear corp gets wardecced, you should have some mission-runners (who are also pve) who can do fair in pvp, if they change their tactics to add a human-opponent factor. Or you could hire protection. Or you could pay whatever the ones who declared the war wants you to pay. If you're a huge industrial corp (As in, noone have done combat) you should be making tons of isk each and every day, and thus, be able to afford whatever they demand.
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To the second part, all I want to say is: Don't fly what you can't afford to lose. Yes, your ship gets blown up once in a while - Eve is not designed for PvE. Sometimes you lose a ship, you get set back a few days or whatever. Hopefully it's the same in many other MMORPGS - when you die, you drop some (or all) of your loot/equipment, and that's just tough luck.
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I'm assuming 'mijority' means 'majority', and to this I have only a small comment.. Most of the pvpers are in low/null-sec, the people in highsec who grief on noobs are the chickens who don't want a challenge (same goes for industrial corp wardeccers). But hey, you have them in every game with pvp you play. As a new player, you are bound to fail sometimes, if you can't accept this, you shouldn't play the game. Too bad for you, as this is an awesome game.
Also:
What do you imagine space is like? Honestly? Is is full of interactivity and excitement? I, myself, lean more to the 'big, black, empty space of the universe'-theory.
honestly, if mmorpg.com had an editor and/or fact checkers, the articles would be a lot better. as is, it seems that once someone does whatever it is to become a "correspondent"; then all they have to do is submit an article and it gets posted.
EW is one of the more complex areas of Eve. Trying to write a short article on it pretty much gives you what our author wrote. You can criticize the article if you want, but you could easily write a small book trying to cover it in depth.
wouldn't that be the point?
i understand articles have X amount of word limit.
is there something that prevents an article's author from posting in the thread relating to said article and elaborating? per certain correspondents, that idea is just insane.
yet i've seen those same article authors post in the threads, so i know it's possible for them to post in the thread that is related to an article.
It's as important to list the things you can do as much as explaining them, so, this guide is still useful.
Some stuff was forgotten :
-Warp crambler disable microwarpdrives, it's now as important as a web to slow down targets.
-Force recon ships have a very important difference in fitting the covert ops cloaking device, they can warp cloaked. Combat recon ships get higher resistances and more slots for their bonused EW as well as another combat bonus (while force has the stealth bonus).
-Projected electronic counter mesures is a skill useful only for Motherships pilots. You should remove it from this guide, it's not called 'advanced super expensive with limited usability EW'...
Scramblers are almost more important, since you're disabling your target from warping as well.. They've become very useful against intys and such.
You might as well have your recon ships fit for combat and staying behind and send a cov op if you're going to warp while cloaked.. It's cheaper. -This is fleet/gang-wise thinking, ofc.
As for the last part, why shouldn't it be on the list? I mean, a mothership is as much, if not more, support as it is everything else.
Yea im with Bato.
I mean, I really dont envy anyone attempting to make a 'Guide' for EW, but this is more a list of things that has something to do with EW.
Maybe some words on what kinds of EW are most popular in Eve combat... and why would have made it more of a guide.
But there are some very basic things that you could add to the article to give advice to players wanting to use EW.
For examples:
Sensor boosters and sensor dampeners are used a lot more frequently than Target painters and ECCM. you could explain why and how best to use them.
Energy Vampires and Energy Neutralisers... well, there is quite a lot of meaty subject here.. The fact that Vampires DRAIN energy and GIVE energy make them powerfull indeed..
Warp disruption bubbles... The very critical component to gate camps..
The 'Guide' doesnt say anything about these examples . it merly lists what they do. Which anyone playing eve could easily read from the modules description.
If you want a game that is all huggy-feely nice, carebear, play WOW and the other 27,000 MMO's trying to be just like it.
EVE is a dark, dangerous place where sooner or later someone IS going to blow you up because "you were there".
PS to Jon Wood: I know that you feel that you now have to publish lots of articles about EVE now that we're behind only WOW in the US and Europe, but could you PLEASE get someone who has actually played the game for longer than a trial, and who has actually LEFT highsec to write them?
The article has left me with a feeling of being bombarded by facts, while all of the written material was correct (and in my opinion a big step forward from the tanking article previously posted by this correspondent), it was like getting an encyclopedia thrown at one. I wish there was a little more easy reading (say examples, stories, etc) to soften the hard fact package. As it stands I do not find the article more informative then reading the in game descriptions of skills and items.
... Did I mention that I find it _much_ better then the tanking article? :P
I have to say, as a relatively new player to EvE - that this article fits well with what I know about the EW system. It could do with a lot more depth, but since it's only an introduction, the only real thing it needs is some kind of linkage to a place with more in depth information on each of the parts of the article.
Overall, pretty good article.