Guide to the Solo-Bomber by Valadeya

Valadeya uthanaras

GK inc.

Edited by: Valadeya uthanaras on 21/03/2010 05:30:12

To celebrate the sexy 69th battleship solokill using a bomber class vessel, I decided to post this massive guide to use bomber for soloing. Edit: (It passed the 100th mark recently - Win)

This fit and Theses tactics have been used, tested, and judged by myself over the 6 last month since the apocrypha patch. For sake of rules, I will not post link to killboard, but just say you can sell all of those kill on battleclinic (among the countless other kills).

Introduction

In the beginning of the apocrypha, CCP Chronotris went on a quest to boost the dead horse that was the bomber. They used cruise missiles, were slow, couldn’t warp cloaked, and were made of toilet-paper. The only way to use them properly was to fit them with long range cruise missile and launch them from very far away doing little to no damage, except to frigate class ship, because of a well know hidden bonus.

CCP Chronotris in his great benevolence modified the bomber in 4 important aspects:

1. he gave them a covert op cloak, allowing them to warp cloaked and remain unseen until they strike

2. he gave them torpedoes launcher and remove the hidden bonus, changing the preferred target size to battlecruiser and bigger, but also significantly increased the damage output

3. he gave them the ability to fit 3 missile launchers along with a bomb launcher

4. he reduced bomb cost significantly, making it possible to see bomb at decent cost

These change completely changed the way the bomber worked, but still little amount of people realize the full extent of those change, I am sure at least 1 person, even after reading this post, will post the obligatory “Bomber Cannot Solo”.

The Fit

Before explaining tactic, strategy and module choice, let me put thee preferred fit I used for the last few month:

Hound:

3 Arbalest Siege Missile Launcher – Caldari navy Bane Torpedoes

1 Bomb launcher – Electron Bomb

1 Covert Ops Cloaking Device II

1 1MN Coreli C-Type Microwarpdrive

1 Small Capacitor Booster II – Cap charge 75

1 Warp Disruptor II

1 Ballistic Control System II

2 Nanofiber Internal Structure II

1 Small Polycarbon Engine housing (large auxiliary thrusters before rig patch)

1 Small Bay Loading Accelerator (large size before rig patch)

Valadeya uthanaras

GK inc.

The Modules

Let me give you a short explanation on the fit choice, and alternative choice that can be made:

1. Arbalest Siege Missile Launcher – racial Torpedoes

When you fly a bomber with bomb launcher, you will quickly realise that massive CPU issues can arise. Arbalest launcher give the best ratio between damage/CPU.

Why not T2: Even if they allow the use of T2 Torpedoes, they do so at the expense of the CPU cost of 1 Ballistic Control Unit.

Therefore to use rage Torpedoes, you are bound to have a Target Painter, and even then you will have similar damage at best to faction torpedoes.

Javelin torpedoes, while giving you incredible delivery range, are next to useless while soloing, your engagement zone being around 20 to 30km from the target.

2. Bomb Launcher – Non-Racial bomb

With bomb cost being in an acceptable zone, bomb launcher is an incredible tool

for all bomber pilots. They can be used for several purposes that will be explained in next sections.

Why non-racial bomb: Racial bomb are basically the worse type of bomb you can use while soloing, simply because your ship itself is stuck to the racial torpedoes in every and all engagement. By using a non-racial bomb, you unlock the damage barrier of your ship by being able to deal effectively 2 damage types.

3. Covert ops Cloaking device

Self explanatory – if you use anything else you are doing it wrong

4. 1MN Coreli C-Type Microwarpdrive

The Microwarpdrive is one of the best tools for any solo-pvper. On this setup, I will allow you to outrun large and most medium drones during an engagement. It’s also extremely useful to move to target quickly when needed, and also to be able to escape most bubble camp.

Why Coreli C-type: The coreli C-type microwarpdrive is the most cost effective microwarpdrive you can fit on your bomber, or any other T2 frig for several reason.

First of all, the capacitor penalty for a microwarpdrive drop from 15-18% to under 10%, this effectively mean more capacitor recharge and more capacitor full capacity. It’s better to have 1 of these fitted than having a T2 with 2 CCC in term of capacitor.

Second, the signature radius penalty when using the MWD is dropped from 500% to 433%, just to put you in perspective, you will have a similar radius while mwd using it compared to a T2 with a full set of High grade Halo. You might also want to use a few LG halo and some synth booster for amazing radius

Finally, it’s extremely cheap; you can find one for 8 mil at low price and at 10 mil regular prices easily

5. Small Capacitor Booster II – Cap booster 75

This item is probably one of the most useful while soloing for multiple reasons. It allow you to be capacitor stable for extremely long period and under extreme stress. Even while under neutralizer, with the rest of the module, a 75 charge will put you back from 0% to the magic 33% range for maximal recharge allowing you to permarun, even while neuted (careful timing needed) for as long as 10 minutes.

In a combat situation, this effectively means something with a neutralizer, kill its own capacitor while you remain unaffected.

Why Cap 75 charge: It allow the most flexibility in between cap/sec from charge + cap/sec from ship, and a T2 booster will hold 5 charge giving you lot of opportunity for in-between reload.

6. Warp disruptor II

While soloing, you don’t have a choice but to pack some kind of warp disruption,

With overheat it will reach 28.8km and the capacitor booster will allow for permarun for a really long time.

7. Ballistic control Unit II

It use lots of CPU just to fit 1 of those but they are well worth it, sadly more than 1 will not fit with rest of setup. The bay loading accelerator is possible to squeeze in for maximal DPS

8. Nanofiber internal structure II + polycarbon

2 thing: to move at great speed, this setup with some base speed implant + zor hyper will go at 2700m/s, and have great agility

Valadeya uthanaras

GK inc.

Alternative module/ship

Target Painter

Probably the most misunderstood module in the game It important to realize it will only boost a damage output if done to a target with smaller signature radius than torpedoes. This mean they have small to no effect on mwd target, small effect on most battleship (about 50% + of the battleship will already have a huge radius because of shield extender and rigs) This module, will in fact, only boost your damage output toward target you never want to solo in a bomber anyway. So never use on a hound or purifier for solo purpose.

Afterburner/shield extender

A great and legitimate variation of the fit is to switch the microwarpdrive and capacitor booster to a afterburner and shield extender setup. This will allow you to tank small drone for longer, and also, give you the ability to tank most missile easily. It also have big drawback: vulnerability to medium and I can stress out enough, to large drone, as well as vulnerability to neutralizer. Its also reduce speed control of range.

Sensor Dampener

Probably one of the least usefull module for soloing, and arguably decent for fleet, the dampener will rarely reduce range enough to put you out of harm unless you are in a dampener bonused ship … Bomber are not dampener bonused ship so drop them.

Sensor booster

Targeting speed on a bomber is already good, because the covert cloak does not reduce the sensor of a ship, unlike other type of cloak. This is a misconception dating from pre-apocrypha where sensor booster where needed to compensate the cloaking device, and to maximise locking speed. They can arguably be used on javelin Torpedoes setup for high delivery range, but these are niche setup and not good in any ways for soloing.

Other bomber

Purifier fit can be done to be almost identical to the hound, except it’s recommended to use a Gisti B-type 1MN Microwarpdrive and a dread guristas warp disruptor (also really cheap). Depending on skill you main need CPU implant

Nemesis and Manticore are extremely difficult to use solo for 2 main reason: the damage type output, and slot layout. It will be possible to solo using them (using the 4th mid slot for painter or shield extender) but it will never be as effective as the other 2

Soloing in a Bomber, its possible?

It is indeed possible to solo in a bomber; it took me a lot of out-of-the-box thinking to come with what was probably the first solo setup after apocrypha to make its appearance on EVE.

The setup base itself on 2 main principles- basically 2 saying of Sun Tzu:

1. He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight.

2. He will win who, prepared himself, waits to take the enemy unprepared.

This is basically achieved because of 2 things:

1. With your covert op cloaking device, with good directionally skill, and with knowledge of the area, you can quickly determine if a potential target is worth it. There is also knowledge acquired during the fight that might make you bail out.

2. Taking an unprepared enemy is also one of the other important point while using a bomber, the covert cloak help , but its mainly because your target will underestimate you and your ship that you will be able to take them unprepared.

(A decent number of my target convoed me, and bassicly said, they knew I was there, they knew what I was flying, but continued their business because they tough their ship could easily tank me and drive me off)

Bassicly in eve any ship can solo, but this ship will be able to do it quite well because of its covert cloak, high dps output, and its speed/evasiveness

Valadeya uthanaras

GK inc.

General Tactic, to KITE it and to BOMB it

Kitting a target

A tactic mostly done against battleship, (see next section on how to choose target), kitting main point is to kill your target quickly, while its impossible for it to respond effectively to aggression.

Done step by step

Get at around 25 to 30km from target

Align toward target

Uncloak

Launch bomb

Set orbit to 20km

Launch torpedoes,

After bomb explode

Start mwding

Keep shooting until target is dead

When do you need to warp out:

The target launch small drone (warrior II will hurt you, A LOT)

Target launch Garde II (even worse)

The target use some weird setup with frigate/cruiser weaponry that hit you for a lot of damage

The damage from its battleship weaponry hurt you for too much damage (you can “tank” up to like 10 cruise missile volley against most raven for exemple)

A lot of people show up (IT’S A TRAP)

Bombing a target

A tactic mainly used to instapop unsuspecting mwding frigate size and destroyer size ship

There is mainly 2 way to do it, but the principle stay the same

Done step by step – a orbiting target

Your objective is to find a good position with the following

Once you launch a bomb, the point where the bomb will explode intersect with the target orbit

In the same precise direction as the launch of the bomb , there is a celestial to “align to”

Depending on your target speed and orbit size, count the amount of time for it to do a full radius.

Then find the location the target will be 11-13 second before its intersect with your bomb launch direction and then find the location he will be 16 seconds before he intersect with your bomb

At the 16 sec mark start aligning full speed toward the celestial

At the 11-13 mark and in a really short time (should take under 0.3 sec):

uncloak

launch bomb

warp out

Done step by step – a non-moving target

The strategy is bassicly to use yourself as the bait for the trap. Its mainly done the following way

Find a spot about 70km from your target in such a way that when you are align to your target, you are also aligning a celestial behind it

When ready, align full speed toward target,

Uncloak

Once the target react and start to burn for you at full speed with bloodshooted eyes.

Wait until it hit around 65 to 60

Launch bomb

Warp out

The target inertia will most probably make it drive with mwd in the blast radius of the bomb and instapop it

What is and what isn’t a good target

Deciding “what is and what isn’t a good target” can be one of the most crucial part in the use of a bomber.

Its something that is not only decided before engaging but also during the engagement.

Its also depend on what kind of engagement you are planning and how well you are positioned.

It take a lot of experience to maximise kill vs. loss and it’s a process that will make you a better bomber pilot and allow you to get out of thought situation.

But here a start list to give you an idea, in 3 zone, the good, grey and bad zone:

Good target:

Rare are the target that you can right of the bat say that you will win, but with good Intel:

Battleship without extra drone bay using full large or medium drone

Mwding frigate and destroyer size target you want to bomb

Hauler and other industrial ship *(be careful with hulk and small drone)

Grey zone target:

All battleship basically enter this area (except maybe dominix), before you know what kind of drone they use, if any, they are all good target. It’s also noted that some setup can tank you for long time and its always good to have an escape plan before hand

Battlecruiser / cruiser also enter this zone (except for harbinger and drake and some amarr cruiser) where depending on their drone and weaponry they can be good target

Valadeya uthanaras

GK inc.

Bad Target

Most Drake and if not all drake land in this category (some might go into grey zone…. But better not even try at beginning)

Most frigates with Afterburner

Most HAC and RECONS but sometime, you can come across a easy recon or HAC kill (extremely rare)

Command ship (they will tank you ….. easily)

Harbinger (heavy pulse laser of the instapop bomber)

Dominix (cause they have 5km3 of drone bay …. If you really want to go for it , make sure it doesn’t have garde drone or small drone beforehand … or if you cannot, that you are always align to warp out during the whole engagement)

FAQ:

Does bomb require the target to be lock?

No, bombs are launch without targeting, directly in direction in which your ship is facing. They will travel 30km then explode

Does bomb can kill a regular frigate without mwd on?

Possible but highly unlikely, the main factor in damage calculation being the signature radius

What about POS and jump bridge?

It is possible to engage certain kind of target depending on the pos gear, to do so , the main part is to be able to blink your cloak each 15 sec for a few seconds so the locking timer reinitialize. A POS best weaponry will at best lock you in 25 seconds (vary depending on implant and fitting) but it will do so only if you don’t microwarpdrive. Bomb will not work against ships and people inside a force field but it will be possible to deploy them on stuff outside force field for damage dealing.

What about gang work, is this fit possible to use in gang?

It’s possible to use this fit for gang work, especially if you plan on a bomber heavy gang, because this fit provide points and speed to tackle, as well as damage.

What about the MSE/MWD combo?

Its a possble combo that need fitting mods to fit in, while i didnt tested it myself, I heard quite a few people use it, the only problem you will run in is :

you will lack capacitor quite quickly

and the mwd+sig radius boost from the extender will mean you will have a bid radius

but i will defenatly test it someday

HAVE FUN

Valadeya : in a hound near your home