Hey,
I recently started ganking explorers with a stealth bomber and I’m looking for some advice to get better at it (I’m a noob so I suck at all kind of PVE and PVP. :P)
About my fitting:
Manticore with 2x Blaster 1x Rocket, 2x Warp Scampler and Anciallry Armor Repair.
I tried ganking an Astero with about that fitting:
The Astero was 1/4 in structure and I died.
I recorded the fight and uploaded it to youtube:
Has anyone some advice for a noob what I could do better to win this? Would it better to focus the drones with the blasters and continue shooting on the Astero with the rockets? Should I try fitting 3x Rocket instead of 1x Rocket and 2x Blasters?
[Nemesis, Nemesis PVP Surprise]
Ballistic Control System II
Ballistic Control System II
Medium Shield Extender II
Warp Scrambler II
Warp Scrambler II
1MN Afterburner II
Covert Ops Cloaking Device II
200mm AutoCannon II
Rocket Launcher II
Rocket Launcher II
Rocket Launcher II
Small Ancillary Current Router I
Small Bay Loading Accelerator I
Republic Fleet Fusion S x120
Scourge Rage Rocket x150
I prefer this. Although the fight against an Astero in a Rocket bomber has always been rather tricky. I had to call in help from other people to gank them reliably without dying myself.
Iin all honesty I think you need to change the ships your in. 1: stealth bombers have no tank anyway 2: the weapon systems your using is not bonused for the hull, altogether a bad choice IMO,
I saw some videos from Wingspan TT and although he is in WH space he (used to at least) gank mining ships etc in a stealth bomber, but asteros drones are goiing to decimate you. You’re better of hunting them in an Astero of your own.
I agree with this, stealth bomber is suboptimal for ganking asteros, maybe other t1 exploration ships but Astero gets good drone bonuses so is not defenseless at all.
The idea is that stealth bombers are one of the two ship classes that can lock right away after decloaking, and small weapons do more damage to smaller targets. On paper rocket SBs are the most optimal ships for hunting exploration frigates and can be fit to hold their own against other combat frigates, relying on the surprise effect to get kills.
I used to hunt explorers in a similarly fit stealth bomber. It works perfectly fine against newbies in t1 exploration ships. Against astero I’d win about 50% of the time, it’s surprising how many people fly astero without any (or just T1) drone skills. But any decently fit astero will absolutely slaughter you.
Since then I’ve switched to an astero to hunt. If you fit a sensor booster and bump your target while decloaking you’ll be able to lock just as well as with an SB, the only people that get away are align fit astero.
I’ve done about 100 sites and not once has anyone tried to gank me. i have gone in and tried to gank a few, its hard to point them before they warp off, anyone have any recommendations?
75% of Asteros use hobgoblins for drone DPS, which shoots thermal. I came up with this fit awhile ago. It costs 46m, deals 118 dps, but most importantly, can indefinitely tank 154 thermal dps. An Astero with 2 DDAs and hob IIs can deal 141dps.
edit: I know it has no prop mod, but almost all Asteros fly with MWDs. The scram negates it.
[Manticore, anti-astero]
Shield Power Relay II
Shield Power Relay II
J5b Enduring Warp Scrambler
Medium Shield Extender II
Small Shield Extender II
Thermal Dissipation Field II
200mm AutoCannon II, Hail S
Rocket Launcher II, Nova Rage Rocket
Rocket Launcher II, Nova Rage Rocket
Covert Ops Cloaking Device II
200mm AutoCannon II, Hail S
Small Core Defense Field Purger I
Small Core Defense Field Purger I
That’s an interesting fit for dedicated explorer hunting in a bomber. However, I’d argue that you need a second scram against a dedicated exploration Astero (because they usually run at least 2 stabs and sometimes as many as 4) and you need an afterburner against a combat fit Astero (because they’re almost always AB fit). Plus, many covops will run afterburners as well since they know they’ll get scrammed. Switching those 2 slots would probably destroy the ability to tank Hobs.
Most importantly however, a combat fit Astero with active tank can commonly tank 500 DPS. I run a cap stable version that can do 250 indefinitely and over 500 when I pulse my SAAR. Your fit won’t break that.
I honestly don’t think there is a bomber fit that will allow you to take down a combat fit Astero. My advice to anybody hunting explorers is to check zKillboard and simply stay away from combat Asteros in a bomber. Rig for explorers, since they represent 95% of what you’ll find. If you stumble into a combat fit Astero - oh well…bombers are cheap.
One tip I find interesting is to do as you are… treat each engagement as an excercise. Afterwards, make a report. during the fight, record it, after, refelct on it and take notes. ASK QUESTIONS>… and there is a youtuber who makes, I THINK, awesome pvp videos for new players or folks learning pvp… PVP PRO GUIDES … youtube or google him up. He has some really interesting information out there. He is doing as you are here, record a fight, do your best, then reflect on that fight, and adapt, prepare, plan, and ask questions… then try again.
LEARN SHIP FITTING… get your whore on by downloading a fitting tool of some kind, either it be EFT or EVE HQ … or PYFA… there is a browser fitting tool as well, I had forgot the name. Its like trade craft, so fit fit fit till it comes to you, and you actually KNOW you understand how rigging works, should you rig before or after your fit design, always keeping in mind, SPECIFIC environment and USE of ship… or intention/goal.
was a close fight, Bombers are pretty cool ships. Use a longbow version, for example, … try a polarized bomber fit with dampeners… have you tried the other bombers, like the hound? Three lows is nice imo, for dps fits I can squeeze three bcs in there… lol… but it lacks range and tank… these are specific fits for specific uses. you can design your own, also… use the killboards and searh by ship to see how people fit them. note the ones that die a lot… dont fit it like that. etc… common sense stuff. fly safe mate!
Good points. I haven’t field-tested that fit. But the good thing about an SB is that you can gather intelligence on your target while cloaked e.g. is he flying with an AB or MWD? What does his killboard say about his usual fit? Does he fill his drone bay with hobs? etc If you think your rock and beat his scissor, then you can decloak and engage. But if you think he’s combat-fitted or deals damage you can’t tank, you can avoid him.
Agree. I tend to carry multiple fits in my cargo. There’ve been numerous occasions when I’ve looked somebody up on zKillbard and, based on the information, warped off to a safe out of D-scan range, dropped a mobile depot, refitted to hard counter and warped back in to engage him.
Fit two remote sensor damps to your nemesis to bring their target range down to 14-16 km, along with long point and a prop mod. Attack from ~22-23 km: explosive (Nova) missiles should work best.
If you damp them before they get their drones out then the drones won’t attack (even if set to aggressive). All you then need to do is worry about staying at range and breaking the somewhat strong active tank (if fitted).
You won’t catch stabbed frigates this way, but its worth it for the tears that damps provide. Personally when hunting explorers I would go with another Astero: bomber damage vs frigates is always going to be low.
