Item Database:Ships:Frigates
Hull Classification Overview
Physical Features
Frigates are small, multifunctional craft measuring anywhere from 60 to 80 meters on the longest axis. Sensor absorption techniques help reduce the electronic footprint on most frigates to 40 meters or less, giving this ship class a 50% stealthing effectiveness. The signature masking abilities of frigates make it extremely hard to for enemy weapons systems to acquire a target lock and (combined with a high navigational velocity) also make it difficult to calculate an accurate firing solution.
Frigates are the smallest combat-capable craft that is able to accept pod technology, easily reducing conventional crew requirements of up to 40 personnel by anywhere from 50% to essentially unmanned, save for the capsuleer. While frigate hulls are typically designed to fulfill a specific combat role, many frigates are capable of serving effectively in a wide range of tactical situations.
Despite the advantages mentioned above, frigate crew survival rates are abysmally low at a mere five percent. For most frigates, destruction is both catastrophic and sudden, leaving no opportunity in light of current survival technology for crew members to evacuate using any escape pods that may be present. Personnel can expect little luck in escaping a doomed frigate.
Appeal
The frigate's small size factors well into its similarly low cost, construction time, and ease of operation. This makes the frigate an excellent craft in which to train the basics of starship command and fleet role fulfillment. As they are cheap to replace and fit and relatively easy for inexperienced pilots to learn how to operate, they are also popular in terms of their disposability in situations that may require low-survival tactics, such as scouting, interception, or baiting and decoying. Moreover, when in the hands of seasoned captains and present in numbers, frigates can prove lethal to opponents many times their size.
Roles
Frigates are cost effective platforms capable of fulfilling a variety of roles such as: Attack, Decoy, Escort, Electronic Fire Control, Electronic Interference, Fighter, Interception, Manned Combat Probe, Mining, Scout, Test Platform and many more functions.
Strengths
Their diminutive size offers frigates excellent protection from larger weapon platforms like battleships, as larger vessels' oversized weapons and sluggish targeting systems have a difficult time maintaining sufficient accuracy against the small and nimble frigate. In addition, the various modules often equipped to these vessels are just as cheap as the ships themselves, which makes the loss of a frigate almost negligible to most capsuleers. In large numbers, frigates can be particularly dangerous to a larger ship, as they can easily overwhelm a larger ship’s defenses by 'getting under its guns' and overloading its electronic defense systems on variety of fronts. In short, no single ship by itself can hope to defend against a determined swarm of well-piloted frigates.
Their extreme agility and light mass also give frigates an improved opportunity to disengage from fights that are not in their favor. Superior speed and maneuverability allow for faster warp alignment and enable frigates to more quickly escape enemy navigational hampering systems.
Weaknesses
Frigates are most vulnerable to other small weapons platforms, such as other frigates, anti-frigate small drones, destroyers, and self defense systems such as smart bombs. Larger ships at long range can also easily destroy a frigate, as the target's reduced angular velocity makes weapon tracking speeds much less crucial at distance. Furthermore, large vessels can take advantage of the frigate's extremely limited effective range by locking the target early while it is still a distance away, often using assistance from friendly electronic fire control ships to do so.
Similar Ships
Frigates have an extended family tree, which includes advanced frigates and their heavier cousin the destroyer. These lighter vessels share similar traits but vary in terms of their specific roles and functions. Frigates' other siblings include: Interceptors, Assault Frigates, Electronic Attack Ships, Covert Ops, and Stealth Bombers.
There are also special versions of frigates, commonly known as Faction Frigates, that are built by corporate, criminal, and state entities and incorporate specialized technologies intended to give them a unique edge over standard frigates. Some of these frigates are special issues for commemorative events, such as alliance tournament prizes or awards to recognize special individuals.
Types of Frigates
Amarr
Tech 1
- Crucifier: Electronic Warfare Frigate; Bonus to Tracking Disruptor effectiveness and optimal range.
- Executioner: Attack Frigate; Bonus to Small Energy Turret capacitor use and damage.
- Inquisitor: Support Frigate; Bonus to Remote Armor Repair amount, capacitor use and range.
- Magnate: Exploration frigate; Bonus to scan probe strength.
- Punisher: Combat Frigate; Bonus to Small Energy Turret damage and armor resistances.
- Tormentor: Combat Frigate; Bonus to Small Energy Turret capacitor use and damage.
Tech 2
- Retribution: Assault Ship (Turrets); Bonus to small energy damage, optimal range, and capacitor.
- Vengeance: Assault Ship (Launchers/Turrets); Bonus to rocket damage, armor resistance, and capacitor recharge.
- Crusader: Interceptor (Turrets); Bonus to Small Energy Turret damage, capacitor, tracking, reduction in Micro Warp Drive signature, and :Propulsion Jamming activation jamming.
- Malediction: Interceptor (Launchers/Turrets); Bonus to rocket damage, armor resistance reduction in Micro Warp Drive signature radius, Warp :Scrambler and Disruptor range, and reduction in Propulsion Jamming activation cost.
- Sentinel: Electronic Attack Ship (Energy Vampire/Neutralizer/Tracking Disruptor); Bonus to Energy Vampire and Neutralizer transfer amount, :range, Tracking Disruptor effectiveness, capacitor recharge.
- Anathema: Covert Ops Ship; Bonus to rocket damage, capacitor damage, scan strength, probe flight time, and reduction in cloak CPU.
- Purifier: Stealth Bomber; Bonus to torpedo flight time, velocity, explosion velocity, torpedo EM damage, bomb EM damage, reduction in Siege :Missile Launcher power grid, cloak CPU, and targeting delay after uncloaked.
Caldari
Tech 1
- Bantam: Logistics Frigate; Bonus to Remote Shield Booster amount, activation cost, and range.
- Condor: Tech 1 Interceptor (Launchers/Turret); Bonus to missile damage and velocity.
- Griffin: Tech 1 Electronic Warfare (ECM); Bonus to jamming strength and capacitor.
- Heron: Scout/Probe; Bonus to missile damage, scan strength, and probe flight time.
- Kestrel: Combat Frigate (Launchers); Bonus to missile damage.
- Merlin: Combat Frigate (Launchers/Turrets); Bonus to Small Hybrid Turret optimal range and shield resistances.
Tech 2
- Harpy: Assault Ship (Launcher/Turrets); Bonus to Small Hybrid Turret optimal range and damage.
- Hawk: Assault Ship (Launchers/Turrets); Bonus to missile kinetic damage, velocity, and shield booster amount.
- Crow: Interceptor (Launchers/Turrets); Bonus to kinetic missile damage, velocity, reduction in Micro Warp Drive signature, and Propulsion Jamming activation cost.
- Raptor: Interceptor (Launchers/Turrets); Bonus to Small Hybrid Turret damage, optimal range, reduction in Micro Warp Drive signature radius, Warp Scrambler and Disruptor range, and reduction in Propulsion Jamming activation cost.
- Kitsune: Electronic Attack Ship (ECM); Bonus to jamming strength, capacitor, optimal range, and capacitor capacity.
- Buzzard: Covert Ops Ship: Bonus to missile kinetic damage, rate of fire, scan strength, probe flight time, and reduction in cloak CPU.
- Manticore: Stealth Bomber; Bonus to torpedo flight time, velocity, explosion velocity, torpedo kinetic damage, bomb kinetic damage, reduction in Siege Missile Launcher power grid, cloak CPU, and targeting delay after uncloaking.
Gallente
Tech 1
- Atron: Tech 1 Interceptor (Turrets); Bonus to Small Hybrid Turret falloff and damage.
- Imicus: Scout/Probe; Bonus to drone range , scan strength, and probe flight time.
- Incursus: Combat Frigate (Turrets); Bonus to Small Hybrid Turret falloff and damage.
- Maulus: Tech 1 Electronic Warfare (Sensor Dampening); Bonus to Small Hybrid Turret damage and Sensor Dampener effectiveness.
- Navitas: Logistics Frigate; Bonus to Remote Armor Repair amount, activation cost, and range.
- Tristan: Combat Frigate (Launchers/Turrets); Bonus to Small Hybrid Turret tracking and damage.
Tech 2
- Enyo: Assault Ship (Launcher/Turrets): Bonus to Small Hybrid Turret damage, optimal range, and tracking.
- Ishkur: Assault Ship (Turrets/Drones): Bonus to Small Hybrid Turret damage, optimal and Drone Bay capacity.
- Ares: Interceptor (Launcher/Turrets); Bonus to Small Hybrid Turret damage, tracking speed, reduction in Micro Warp Drive signature radius, Warp Scrambler and Disruptor range, and reduction in Propulsion Jamming activation cost.
- Taranis: Interceptor (Turrets); Bonus to Small Hybrid Turret damage, tracking speed, reduction in Micro Warp Drive signature radius, and reduction in Propulsion Jamming activation cost.
- Keres: Electronic Attack Ship (Sensor Dampening); Bonus to remote sensor dampener effectiveness, capacitor, Warp Disruptor range, and capacitor.
- Helios: Covert Ops Ship; Bonus to Small Hybrid Turret damage, Scout Drone Thermal damage, scan strength, probe flight time, and reduction in cloak CPU.
- Nemesis: Stealth Bomber; Bonus to torpedo flight time, velocity, explosion velocity, torpedo thermal damage, bomb thermal damage, reduction in Siege Missile Launcher power grid, cloak CPU, and targeting delay after uncloaking.
Minmatar
Tech 1
- Breacher: Combat Frigate (Launchers/Turret); Bonus to missile damage.
- Burst: Logistics Frigate; Bonus to Remote Shield Booster amount, activation cost, and range.
- Probe: Scout/Probe; Bonus to cargo capacity , scan strength, and probe flight time.
- Rifter: Combat Frigate (Launchers/Turrets); Bonus to Small Projectile Turret damage and falloff range.
- Slasher: Tech 1 Interceptor (Launcher/Turrets); Bonus to Small Projectile Turret damage and tracking.
- Vigil: Tech 1 Electronic Warfare (Target Painting); Bonus to ship velocity and target painter effectiveness.
Tech 2
- Jaguar: Assault Ship (Launcher/Turrets); Bonus to Small Projectile Turret damage and optimal range.
- Wolf: Assault Ship (Launcher/Turrets); Bonus to Small Projectile Turret damage and falloff.
- Claw: Interceptor (Launchers/Turrets); Bonus to Small Projectile Turret damage, tracking, reduction in Micro Warp Drive signature radius, and reduction in Propulsion Jamming activation cost.
- Stiletto: Interceptor (Launcher/Turrets); Bonus to Small Projectile Turret damage, tracking, reduction in Micro Warp Drive signature radius, Warp Scrambler and Disruptor range, and reduction in Propulsion Jamming activation cost.
- Hyena: Electronic Attack Ship (Target Painters/Stasis Webifier); Bonus to Micro Warp Drive capacitor, effectiveness of Target Painters, stasis webifier range, and reduction to signature radius.
- Cheetah: Covert Ops Ship; Bonus to Small Projectile Turret damage, optimal range, scan strength, probe flight time, and reduction in cloak CPU.
- Hound: Stealth Bomber; Bonus to torpedo flight time, velocity, explosion velocity, torpedo explosive damage, bomb explosive damage, reduction in Siege Missile Launcher power grid, cloak CPU, and targeting delay after uncloaking.