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.
