Cheetah pointless?

PvE Gameplay Center PvE Ships & Modules
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Currently playing around with some scanning fittings, and as a convinced Minmatar the Cheetah was obviously my fist choice. However it appears to be pretty much pointless for… well any task, other than randomly ganking defenseless frigates from cloak.

The main competitors are the Helios and the Astero. Astero is obviously better at everything, but then also three times the price. The Helios is the same price and effectively better at everything that matters. Technically the Cheetah is slightly faster, but since the only thing here is to warp out asap if anything bad happens, those extra 0.24 align time you save won’t matter much, especially since the Helios has at least 50% more EHP, which more than makes up for that. Then it is on top also better at scanning, and therefore effectively the Cheetah is no match at all.

Is there any reason to use the Cheetah for… well anything? Aside from the questionable ganking option.

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The Astero is it’s own category, I wouldn’t really compare that to the T2 explorers.

It’s much more capable in combat, has lower scan bonuses, less warp speed and cannot be nullified so it gets caught by bubbles.

It’s better to compare the Cheetah with the other T2 explorers, and there the Cheetah does have some strengths, even if it isn’t the most popular T2 explorer.

Personally I like the Helios, not only because I like flying Gallente ships whenever I can, but also because of a combination of factors. Like the Buzzard the Helios has 5 mids, which is pretty useful for exploring, but like the Anathema it also has plenty of powergrid so that it can fit a 5MN without problems, unlike the Cheetah and Buzzard.

The Buzzard too is a popular explorer because of the 5 mid slots and scan deviation bonus, as well as the high amount of CPU that makes fitting an expanded probe launcher easier.

The Anathema has a similar deviation bonus as the Buzzard, the benefit of lots of powergrid, but never really stood out to me.

The Cheetah has some niche advantages the others do not have:

  • it is by far the fastest cloaked ship in the game and can reach 824m/s with overdrives
  • it has the largest cargohold of the four, and 4 low slots to expand it

Although I have used the Cheetah for each of these purposes, it’s rare for these strengths to matter for regular exploration though.

For regular exploration I like this fit:

[Helios, Helios Explo]

Inertial Stabilizers II
Inertial Stabilizers II
Nanofiber Internal Structure II

5MN Quad LiF Restrained Microwarpdrive
Scan Acquisition Array II
Scan Rangefinding Array II
Relic Analyzer II
Data Analyzer II

Core Probe Launcher II, Sisters Core Scanner Probe
Covert Ops Cloaking Device II
Interdiction Nullifier I

Small Gravity Capacitor Upgrade II
Small Hyperspatial Velocity Optimizer II


Warrior II x1


Sisters Core Scanner Probe x16

… which as you say has more EHP than a Cheetah and has an extra mid slot for scanning bonuses.

However, this Helios would be a sitting duck if a bomber were to decloak next to it and scram it instantly.

While I haven’t been caught like that yet, I imagine a 10MN Cheetah could zoom out of range to safety with 2705m/s:

[Cheetah, Cheetah Explo]

Nanofiber Internal Structure II
Nanofiber Internal Structure II
Navy Micro Auxiliary Power Core
Navy Micro Auxiliary Power Core

10MN Y-S8 Compact Afterburner
Relic Analyzer II
Data Analyzer II
Scan Rangefinding Array II

Core Probe Launcher II, Sisters Core Scanner Probe
Interdiction Nullifier I
Covert Ops Cloaking Device II

Small Gravity Capacitor Upgrade II
Small Polycarbon Engine Housing I


Sisters Core Scanner Probe x16

… provided that the ship isn’t one-shot due to lack of EHP. With the highest base speed and plenty of low slots for an extra power core the Cheetah is the best pick of the four for an oversized AB. It does give up some things in order for that scram immunity though, but it might be fun to fly.

(Disclaimer: I’ve never flown this Cheetah fit yet, I’ve just had the idea for a while now, still have to try it myself.)

And bonuses aside, if you think you want to fly a Cheetah because it’s Minmatar, because of the name or because of it’s looks, just go for it! I’ve flown the Cheetah for the same reason. Differences between these ships are very minor, don’t let min-maxing get into your way of fun!

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There’s no way a covops can tank long enough for that to even come close to mattering. If you’re tackled, you die.

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For a pure scanning ship, the Buzzard and Helios are a cut above the Anathema and Cheetah. Five mids being the selling point.
If you want solid combat capability, imo the Astero is preferred.
If you want to pack Cloak, combat probes, nullifier AND a cov cyno, then the Pacifier is your best option.

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I know that the Helios and especially Astero are superior. The question is: what is the Cheetah good for? Or is it just a filler thing that requires some love to be viable?

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Did you read my post?

You asked the same question in your opening post and I wrote a big response to answer that question.

Also the Cheetah is perfectly viable for exploration. If you’re min-maxing the stats some other ships may have a better slot layout or stats for one particular task, but the Cheetah too has it’s strengths.

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I read your post, but at 2705 m/s the Cheetah is still way slower than the Astero at 3616 m/s. Therefore the 50-AB idea is not only complicated when using it to travel between scan points, but also does not solve the issue of getting tackled and killed.

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It wasn’t meant to escape an Astero like that, but a bomber. Bombers are a lot slower, but can target instantly after decloaking, making them one of the few dangers to an aware explorer.

You shouldn’t get caught by an Astero while exploring if you pay attention. It takes them like 6 seconds before they can lock you.

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Also, some exploration fitting tips:

Two gravity rig I’s and rangefinding array is less probe strength than one gravity rig II and rangefinding array, because of diminishing returns. This also frees up an extra rig slot! I like a hyperspatial in that slot, you warp a lot as explorer.

I find a warp core stabilizer to be overrated for the T2 explorers. Any explorer-hunter worth their salt will use a faction scram, so you’re losing a low slot, target speed and target range with very little benefits. Instead I recommend using those low slots to get align time below 3 seconds to give you extra time to warp away once someone like an Astero decloaks on you.

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On my last kill I got locked after exactly 6 seconds. :wink:
Problem was that the Astero appeared the very moment I opened my data interface, and at that point you get a brief moment where the client does not react. 4 seconds align time as the AB was still one, and before that the Shadow Serpentis Warp Scrambler said my Warp Core Stab doesn’t count and I am going to drop loot now.

I think the extra low slot made slightly more sense when you could actually put 2 WCS on your ship, but now the Cheetah appears to just be in need of a slight update.

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I think the Cheetah is fine. It may not be the best T2 explorer for regular exploration fits, but you cannot have 4 ships all be the best one. And the Cheetah is still very viable for exploration, so if you like it’s name or aesthetics go for it. The Cheetah has it’s own strengths which can make it the best choice in some scenarios.

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Best is always relative. I think every ship should have a role they are good at. It’s ok if Helios is the best at scanning, and the Cheetah could be the best at running away. That way players have choices. But currently the bonus the Cheetah gets is so miniscule that no one really cares.

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The bonus the Helios gets also is minor, you could just as well be flying a Buzzard, Anathema or Cheetah in my opinion.

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The additional mid slot is the selling point, and the major reason not to use the Cheetah.

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If you value an extra mid slot that high, then yes, feel free to not use the Cheetah.

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I use my Cheetah to run High Sec Hacking sites during Events… Course I’m maxed out on skills and fit so my Cheetah is really quick to scan down and warp to sites as well as approach and hack cans…

Quite a few times I’ve ended up racing other players to the cans and most of the time I’m successful in getting to them first…

And that’s pretty much the only time I use my Cheetah… Any other time I’ll just use my T3 Cruiser…

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Another mid slot is another scan upgrade. With Cheetah I can skip 1 scan resolution (going from 8 to 2) with Helios I can skip 2 (8->1) drastically cutting on scan time.

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That’s a good point. If you value that more than the extra low slot and superior speed of the Cheetah for your use-case, feel free to use a Helios instead!

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