With the launch of Inferno the Arbitrator got more interesting
The reason is: Drone damage modules were introduced.
Now the Arbi has ship bonuses to drone damage and TD effectiveness. With the added option of increasing drone damage output by using the drone damage mods will it become a viable solo ship?
I have always loved the Arbi and I have been in the past tried to find fits that I could use for solo work. But I never found one that really worked. I would ussualy fitted them like I would fit a Pilgrim with a armor tank, neuts and a TD. But had always to little damage output compared to the tank that it could fit. It was decent and could take on other cruisers 1v1 but in a real PvP environment I found it lacking. (ahem.. I have to say that my poor piloting might have something to do with it too, :) ).
So I gave up on it, at some point , as a possible solo ship. It only seamed to shine in fleets as a E-war support vessel.
So I gave up on it, at some point , as a possible solo ship. It only seamed to shine in fleets as a E-war support vessel.
With the changes that came with Inferno I wondered if the drone damage mods could tilt the fitting balance in favour of the Arbitrator because in theory it can be fit with more (drone) DPS. But would it also have a decent tank? It would have to be shield tanked.
The most I could get out of the Arbi before was about 330DPS with a 18k HP armour tank or a 12k HP armour tank with a medium rep. Both fits would have a TD, MWD and cap booster. The 18k version would be slowest ofcourse: 1260m/s or 1780m/s overheated.
So I started theory crafting and came up with this:
The most I could get out of the Arbi before was about 330DPS with a 18k HP armour tank or a 12k HP armour tank with a medium rep. Both fits would have a TD, MWD and cap booster. The 18k version would be slowest ofcourse: 1260m/s or 1780m/s overheated.
So I started theory crafting and came up with this:
[Arbitrator, DPS drone boat ]
Drone Damage Amplifier II
Drone Damage Amplifier II
Drone Damage Amplifier II
Damage Control II
Warp Disruptor II
Experimental 10MN MicroWarpdrive I
Large Shield Extender II
Large Shield Extender II
425mm AutoCannon II, Barrage M
425mm AutoCannon II, Barrage M
Small Energy Neutralizer II
Small Energy Neutralizer II
Medium Anti-EM Screen Reinforcer I
Medium Core Defense Field Extender I
Medium Core Defense Field Extender I
Hammerhead II x2
Hammerhead II x3
Hobgoblin II x5
Hobgoblin II x1
Valkyrie II x5
It has a 25k EHP tank and 420 DPS (with Barrage and HH II's) which is more tank and DPS than a shield Rupture!
Now it is slower and it has less cap than the ship I just compared it to.. but I must say it does look promising. One big difference though. Almost all dps comes from drones (365DPS) which has of course its advantages and disadvantages.
But compared to the best fit I could come up with before it is an improvement in DPS and EHP. What it lacks are the TD and cap. because it has about 1.44min of cap without using the neuts which is IMO to little.
If I ad a TD it will diminish the tank to about 18k EHP and the cap to 1.38min. The EHP would be about the same as the armour tank version but with more DPS and speed. The cap is still a problem I think.
So I am not sure what to make of it yet but I'll give a try on sisi in the next few weeks to see how it performs.
But compared to the best fit I could come up with before it is an improvement in DPS and EHP. What it lacks are the TD and cap. because it has about 1.44min of cap without using the neuts which is IMO to little.
If I ad a TD it will diminish the tank to about 18k EHP and the cap to 1.38min. The EHP would be about the same as the armour tank version but with more DPS and speed. The cap is still a problem I think.
So I am not sure what to make of it yet but I'll give a try on sisi in the next few weeks to see how it performs.
Let me know what you think.
P.S. sorry for all the font changes. I am still looking for my own style that I like.
P.S. sorry for all the font changes. I am still looking for my own style that I like.
I really dislike the arbitrator as a shield fit solely because it takes the ship away from it's TD bonus. I can see why you did this, you want it to be fast and maybe try to speed tank after catching target.
ReplyDeleteThe problem I see is this: the ship is now only maybe capable of taking out t1 cruisers and probably not great at dealing with frigates because they can speed tank drones. With an armor fit though, and at least 1 tracking disruptor, now the ship can chew through frigates, cruisers, some t2 cruisers, some battlecruisers, and most battleships.
By and large, the majority of ships out there are turret based. A scram, tight orbit, hefty armor tank, drones, and at least a TD will work wonders. Almost 1% of the ships I encounter in 0.0 active tank, so killing something off with drones isn't an issue at all. I'm debating fitting a web or a second TD though. I'm not sure which would be more useful.
Yo, it is shield tanked so I could fit the damage mods. Without them I get about 100DPS less so my idea was to max out DPS and have a decent tank for a T1 cruiser. Which it seems to have.
DeleteIf you are making an argument for adding a TD on it think you are right. I do enjoy TD's and it certainly misses 1. The tank will drop to about 17.8k if I pu 1 on and the cap will still be very critical.
It's all highly theoratical but worth a shot I think.
Thanx for the feedback.
Ah, ok, I get it about the damage mods now. It just bothered me that the engagement envelope was significantly reduced.
ReplyDelete