Eve Online Guide to the Rifter

Eve Online Guide to the Rifter
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Eve Online

Eve is an in depth and complex sci-fi MMO set in a gigantic fully functioning universe with a bustling economy and plenty of warfare. There are loads of options in terms of the ship you choose and as with all MMO games it is important to build your character up and develop useful skills. In order to get a decent ship you’ll also need to build up some cash and choose your set up carefully depending on whether your principal aim is combat or trade.

The Rifter

The Minmatar Rifter is one of the toughest frigates in Eve and it is one of the best choices for PvP, giving rookies a fighting chance as they learn to play. It is fast and extremely powerful with a decent range of slots making it a flexible craft. Now even after the recent patch, which has rebalanced a number of factors in the game and seriously reduced the effectiveness of the Rifter, it is still a good choice of ship. The frigate class are light and fast so they are best for scouting or attacking weaker ships but you can fit them out for any purpose.

Rifter Slots

The Rifter has four high-powered slots, three mid-powered slots and three low-powered slots. This makes it an offensive craft because generally speaking high-powered slots are for offensive weapons, mid-powered slots are for propulsion, sensor, shield affecting and electronic items and low-powered slots are for armor and assistance modules.

Defense

When you fit out your ship there are loads of different options. Starting with defence you’ll want to purchase some kind of armour. The choice is between fitting a large armour plate which will require no further action and hopefully give you the time you need to blast your opponent into oblivion. However it will weigh you down and slow your top speed. Alternatively you fit a normal armour plate and bolster it with an armour repairer and a resistance module, this is known as an active tank. This means you will have to use your capacitor to repair damage as you fight but it also means your craft will remain light and fast. Of course you will need repair skills for this set up to work well so you may be best starting out with fixed armour, usually called a passive tank.

Propulsion

Next up you’ll need some kind of propulsion or you won’t be going anywhere. Your choice is between a micro warp drive and afterburners. The micro warp drive lets you cover greater distances faster but it gives off a signature which makes you easy to target and it can be disabled by a warp scrambler. The afterburner might be a better way to go. You can also fit out your ship with a warp scrambler or disrupter to stop prey from escaping.

Weaponry and Combat

Now we get onto the fun part, the weaponry. You’ll probably want a rocket launcher along with three cannons. As for what size of cannons you go for it depends on what you intend to do in your Rifter. There are various sizes to choose from and a mixture can work well depending on your motion prediction skill, use 125mm if it is low and 200mm if it is high.

With your Rifter fitted out you’ll want to head straight into the action but you have to select your targets carefully. You can go up against most other frigates, mining barges and some cruisers but there are ships out there that will chew you up so take advantage of your speed if you get attacked by anything too big to handle.

Tactics and Skills

The best way to attack is to get within range as fast as possible without being hit and then choose an orbit and speed round the target emptying your firepower into them. You’ll be able to hit targets at a decent range with projectile weapons so you can avoid laser fire by keeping your distance. You should also take advantage of your speed to stay out of the firing line.

You’ll need lots of basic skills to pilot the Rifter and you should aim to improve your navigation, rocket and gunnery skills to get the most out of it. You should also work on your capacitor skills if you go for the active tank system.

The Rifter is a versatile wee craft and fairly cheap compared to other ships so feel free to experiment and you should be racking up the kills in no time.