I am a primarily Amarr pilot, being able to fly up to Amarr Battleships with full T2 fit. However, I did not start off this way!
I started piracy roughly a year ago, using a trusty Punisher. The ship is great for new pirates to get into as it is fairly simple to use and you do not have to worry about capacitor for the most part due to the base capacitor of the Punisher. It is very sturdy, being tied IMO for highest tank (Merlin is the other contender) which means you can fit a fairly hefty tank onto it, allowing you to focus your efforts into maintaining range, drones etc. Plus, it looks tons better than a run of the mill Rifter!
Fittings:
At the time, I used this fit:
[Punisher, Lasers]
Damage Control II
Heat Sink II
Small Armor Repairer II
Adaptive Nano Plating II
Cold-Gas I Arcjet Thrusters
J5b Phased Prototype Warp Scrambler I
Dual Light Pulse Laser II, Imperial Navy Multifrequency S
Dual Light Pulse Laser II, Imperial Navy Multifrequency S
Dual Light Pulse Laser II, Imperial Navy Multifrequency S
Small 'Knave' I Energy Drain
Small Trimark Armor Pump I
Small Trimark Armor Pump I
Small Trimark Armor Pump I
After a few engagements with Rifters etc., I was able to tank them fairly well, but they would eventually kill me since I had a hard time tracking them. After a few trials and error, I managed to improve upon this fit and came up with:
[Punisher, Lasers MkII]
Damage Control II
200mm Reinforced Rolled Tungsten Plates I
Small Armor Repairer II
Adaptive Nano Plating II
Cold-Gas I Arcjet Thrusters
J5b Phased Prototype Warp Scrambler I
Gatling Pulse Laser II, Imperial Navy Multifrequency S
Gatling Pulse Laser II, Imperial Navy Multifrequency S
Gatling Pulse Laser II, Imperial Navy Multifrequency S
Small 'Knave' I Energy Drain
Small Trimark Armor Pump I
Small Trimark Armor Pump I
Small Trimark Armor Pump I
By downgrading the guns to the smallest pulse lasers and getting rid of the heat sink, my EFT DPS decreased from 99 to 78, but in reality my actual DPS increased in a frigate fight! The reason - the increased tracking from the Gatlings allowed me to apply more of my DPS to drones and other frigates. The tank has also been increased, with a 50% increase in my Buffer, allowing more time for my Armor Repairer to cycle.
With this fit, I was forced to move in close and use Multifrequency, as I had no way to keep an opponent at range. Regardless, it was significantly more effective than my previous Punisher.
For the Alliance Tournament I trained Small Autocannons (previously I was a pure Amarr pilot) and I have been playing around with an Autocannon Vengeance, which is remarkably effective. I recommended the ship to a corpmate, Jaxley who blogged about his findings here. Therefore, applying the same weapon system to a Punisher should be interesting, no?
[Punisher, Brick A/B]
Small Armor Repairer II
Damage Control II
400mm Reinforced Rolled Tungsten Plates I
Energized Adaptive Nano Membrane II
J5b Phased Prototype Warp Scrambler I
Cold-Gas I Arcjet Thrusters
125mm Gatling AutoCannon II, Republic Fleet EMP S
125mm Gatling AutoCannon II, Republic Fleet EMP S
125mm Gatling AutoCannon II, Republic Fleet EMP S
[empty high slot]
Small Trimark Armor Pump I
Small Trimark Armor Pump I
Small Trimark Armor Pump I
Equivalent DPS to my Laser Punisher up close (75 with ACs vs 78 with Lasers), however the tracking is greatly improved (0.521 rads/s vs 0.038516 rads/s), as well as the Buffer which has again been increased by 50%. This is the standard "Bleeder Punisher" setup, designed to get under a larger ship's guns and whittle away until he is dead. The Armor Repairer effectively gives you more buffer, as you should turn it on as soon as you start taking armor damage.
The main problem with this setup is the lack of speed: it only moves 727m/s which is slow compared to Incursii and Rifters. You can replace the armor repairer with a small energy neutraliser in order to remedy this problem against other frigates: by neutralising their capacitor they will be unable to turn on your propulsion mods allowing you to outrun them!
[Punisher, 400mm/Neut]
400mm Reinforced Rolled Tungsten Plates I
Damage Control II
Adaptive Nano Plating II
Energized Adaptive Nano Membrane II
Cold-Gas I Arcjet Thrusters
J5b Phased Prototype Warp Scrambler I
125mm Gatling AutoCannon II, Republic Fleet Phased Plasma S
125mm Gatling AutoCannon II, Republic Fleet Phased Plasma S
125mm Gatling AutoCannon II, Republic Fleet Phased Plasma S
Small Unstable Power Fluctuator I
Small Trimark Armor Pump I
Small Trimark Armor Pump I
Small Trimark Armor Pump I
Conclusions:
The Punisher is a very tough frigate. It is able to compete with all other Tier 1 Frigates, but it needs a way to keep them in range as it lacks a 3rd Midslot for a Web. One of the solutions is a Energy Neutraliser, allowing you to disable enemy propulsion mods. Both Autocannons and Lasers are viable on a Punisher, but they have their disadvantages and advantages.
Laser Advantages:
- Better range when using Scorch (9km optimal with Gatlings)
- Ability to instantly swap from short range crystals (Imperial Navy Multifrequency) to longer range crystals (Scorch) depending on the situation.
Autocannon Advantages:
- Does not require capacitor to fire, allowing more capacitor to go towards your armor repairer or neutralizer.
- Easier to fit.
- 125mms have better tracking then Gatlings
- Ability to change the damage composition of your ammunition depending on the enemy.
- Easier to fit, therefore allowing for a greater tank.
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