Rifter Reputation

What a reputation as a fine starting ship. The Rifter. A small ship with a huge reputation as a killing machine when used properly on well chosen targets. There are endless posts about this little beast.

Well, I got my first Rifter today. Damn, this little fragile looking thing can kill? Well only time will tell. I have been pouring over posts on how to fit and fly this small beast. I have discussed this ship with some fine pirates, including Mynxee, a sweet pirate with a killer instinct. She has a blog that is well worth every minute to read and enjoy.

After all this background work, I have boiled the setup of this ship down to three basic alternatives:

1. Armor tank with autocannons
2. Shield tank
3. Armor tank with light artillery

Hmm maybe I will get three of these babies and try all three. Oh, wait a minute, what about skills for all these setups. Let's look at the setups and then I'll see what skills I will need.

First the Armor tank option:

High:

3 - 150mm Autocannons (EMP)

1 - Rocket Launcher (Malkuth) with Gremlins and Phalanx

Mid:

1 - 1mn Afterburner

1 - Stasis Webifier

1 - Warp Scrambler

Low:

1 - Small Armor repairer

1 - Damage Control Unit

1 - 200 Rolled Tungsten Plate

This is a good standard fit that is considered a basic starting point to start fighting

Of course there are options to this fit, primarily involving the low slots. Maybe replace the DCU with a Gyrostabilizer. Tech 2 guns would be a great step up for this setup to add precious DPS to you attack. Any other tech 2 modules add cost but increase effectiveness (use at your discretion)

Shield Tank Option:

High:

3 - 200mm Autocannon (EMP)

Mid:

1 - 1mn Afterburner

1 - Shield Induction

1 - Warp Disruptor

Low:

2 - Shield Power Relay

1 - Overdrive Injector System

Armor Tank with Artillery option:

This setup in an armor tanked-option but instead of autocannons fit 250mm Light Artillery and a named 20K Scrambler. This setup gives you an alternative to close up in-your-face fighting of the autocannon setup. With artillery, your range is increased to keep out of your opponents web range, So you can deal effective damage in a range that limits you opponent the ability to web you and hit you with frigate-sized guns.

Well, I could go on and on about the merits of each fit but only time will tell for me which one I find most comfortable and reliable for my style of fighting. To any new pilot I can only recommend read the forums, blogs, and talk to lots of pilots to learn setups that are worth looking into.