MicroWarpdrive
A Microwarpdrive, or MWD, is a speed enhancing module. Like the Afterburner, it fits into a ship's mid slot, and only one MWD (or Afterburner) may be active at any time. The game allows both an MWD and Afterburner to be fit on the same ship (each one using a mid slot), but only one of these modules may be activated at any given time.
While a Microwarpdrive will significantly increase the speed of a ship, the extra speed comes with some significant penalties: First, the MWD will increase the ship's signature radius, making it easier to target and hit; Second, the MWD will reduce the ship's maximum capacitor capacity.
NOTE: Since the release of Quantum Rise, all MWDs now give a velocity bonus of 500%. At Meta Level 1, the MWD will give a 500% bonus to signature radius and a -25% bonus to capacitor capacity. As the Meta Level of the MWD increases, however, the signature radius penalty and capacitor penalty decrease significantly. For the highest Meta Level items (Officer and Deadspace), the signature radius and capacitor penalties decrease from 500% to under 420%, and -25% to under -3%, respectively. The Meta Level for specific MWDs is listed in the Item Database under the entry for that item.
Contents
Thrust Factor & Size Classes
The interactions between ship size and MWD size are the same as with Afterburners. MWDs have a thrust factor associated with them, a different multiple of 15 for each size class:
- 1,500,000 newtons for 1MN (Frigate)
- 15,000,000 newtons for 10MN (Cruiser)
- 150,000,000 newtons for 100MN (Battleship)
Different classes of ship generally have an associated mass:
- 1,000,000-1,500,000 kg for Frigates and Destroyers
- 10,000,000-15,000,000 kg for Cruisers and Battlecruisers
- 100,000,000-150,000,000 kg for Battleships
The Thrust Factor of the MWD will adjust its speed bonus, depending upon the weight of the ship. If the ship weighs less than the Thrust Factor, you will gain additional speed. If it weighs more, you lose speed.
Mass Gain
You must take into account that MWDs increase the mass of the ship when active. Each class of MWD will give a different mass gain appropriate to the class:
- 500,000 for 1MN
- 5,000,000 for 10MN
- 50,000,000 for 100MN
The mass increase will offset the fact that you are provided with a roughly equal amount of additional thrust (i.e. 1,500,000 instead of 1,000,000) that the lightest ship would have enjoyed. It also makes the ship turn slower.
Overfitting
If you can somehow fit a Cruiser class MWD onto a Frigate, the speed increase is enhanced by the Thrust Factor/Mass ratio, giving you much more than the intended 500% increase in speed (even after the Mass Gain). The reverse is also true - if you fit a module that is too small for your weight, you will not gain much of anything.
In any case, unlike Afterburners you'll be hard pressed to fit a larger MWD on a smaller ship. Even if you did succeed, your ship would likely not be able to fit anything else.
The new sleeper tech based Tech III, can fit battleship propulsion drives, likely due to the back story of the interdiction drives. The interdiction drive seem to work similar to how a rocket escapes earth's gravity. Note to get a battleship MWD on the ship you need to have a significant amount of skills trained. I joking wrote up fictional account a couple years ago trying to get a job at white wolf when they were working on world of darkness but I have no idea why they decided to go this route but the logistic ships seem to be based on the packet ship concept. You wrap as tough a shell around a huge reactor and drive and it simple uses thrust to get through blockades and to out run bandits. Mostly they were used for getting commanders to their ships in sail days and in fiction to get someone to the other side of the universe in hurry. The fiction is why I tried to see if it would fit... needless to say I was so busy laughing when it worked that I fell out of my chair.
So Tech III 1250 MW to 1800 MW for 500 NM battleship drive. With an interdiction drive designed to apply so much thrust that the fields applying what seems to be gravity simply has more local force than their field effect can over come. You can fit a Tech III with lasers or blasters and a lower power cost drive. Pretty 1400 NM is going to be pushing it unless you have so much money that you can afford to use the dead space Reactor and Diagnostic System, or better if you already have them. This means depending on your skills it pushes a Logistic Cruiser or courier ship up to interceptor speeds in system but mass seems to still have an effect on warp speed so that the Logistic Cruiser still only goes around 3 AU per second, while an interceptor breaks 8 AU a second.
The difference between a reactor and engine/drive is a reactor creates energy and engine/drive spends it. It's really cool how eve tends to use the science terms the way you can look them up in a science book.
Microwarpdrive Limits & Disruption
Given that the module supposedly puts your ship into a state of "Microwarp", MWDs follow similar rules to warping in regards to things that can prevent it. However, the rules are not identical.
MWDs will not work in Deadspace locations, excepting those of Factional Warfare locations.
Interdictor and Heavy Interdictor bubbles do not inhibit MWDs.
The Warp Scrambler will deactivate and prevent MWDs from functioning, and even reset the speed of the ship almost instantly to normal velocity. However, Anchorable/Interdictor Bubbles and Warp Disruptors will have no such effect.
Variations
Frigate Class
| Name | Meta Level | Max Velocity Bonus | Activation Cost | Powergrid Usage | CPU Usage | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tech I | 1MN MicroWarpdrive I | n/a | 500 % | 45 Energy | 15 mw | 25 tf |
| Phased Monopropellant I Hydrazine Boosters | 1 | 512.5 % | 45 Energy | 15 mw | 25 tf | |
| Catalyzed Cold-Gas I Arcjet Thrusters | 2 | 525 % | 45 Energy | 15 mw | 23 tf | |
| Tech II | 1MN MicroWarpdrive II | 5 | 550 % | 50 Energy | 17 mw | 30 tf |
| Storyline | ||||||
| Faction | ||||||
| Deadspace | ||||||
| Officer |
Cruiser Class
| Name | Meta Level | Max Velocity Bonus | Activation Cost | Powergrid Usage | CPU Usage | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tech I | 10MN MicroWarpdrive I | n/a | 500 % | 180 Energy | 150 mw | 50 tf |
| Y-T8 Overcharged Hydrocarbon I Microwarpdrive | 3 | 525 % | 180 Energy | 150 mw | 50 tf | |
| Tech II | 10MN MicroWarpdrive II | 5 | 550 % | 198 Energy | 165 mw | 50 tf |
| Storyline | ||||||
| Faction | ||||||
| Deadspace | ||||||
| Officer |
Battleship Class
| Name | Meta Level | Max Velocity Bonus | Activation Cost | Powergrid Usage | CPU Usage | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tech I | 100MN MicroWarpdrive I | n/a | 500 % | 720 Energy | 1250 mw | 75 tf |
| Quad LiF Fueled I Booster Rockets | 4 | 525 % | 720 Energy | 1250 mw | 75 tf | |
| Tech II | 100MN MicroWarpdrive II | 5 | 550 % | 792 Energy | 1375 mw | 75 tf |
| Storyline | ||||||
| Faction | ||||||
| Deadspace | ||||||
| Officer |
Common Statistics amongst all MWDs
| Activation Signature Penalty | Capacitor Size Penalty | Thrust Factor | Activation Weight Penalty | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1MN | 500 % | 25 % | 1,500,000 | 500,000 | 10 sec |
| 10MN | 500 % | 25 % | 15,000,000 | 500,000 | 10 sec |
| 100MN | 500 % | 25 % | 150,000,000 | 500,000 | 10 sec |
Ship Bonuses
- All Interceptors have had their Signature Radius reduction bonus changed. It is now a reduction to the activation penalty of MWDs, reducing the Signature Radius penalty by 15% per ship level.
- The Thorax, Deimos, and Vindicator all receive a 5% reduction per ship level to the Capacitor penalty of fitting a MWD. This means that once the appropriate ship skill is trained to level 5 fitting a Microwarp Drive will actually improve capacitor capacity.
Skills, Implants, and Boosters
- The Acceleration Control skill will boost the effectiveness of a MWD or Afterburner by 5% per level.
- The Navigation skill provides 5% more base velocity per level.
- The Snake Implants (slot 1-6) enhance base speed (they now stack with speed modules).
- The Halo Implants (slot 1-6) reduce Signature Radius
- The Slot 6 Rogue AC- series of Hardwirings enhance the speed increase of Afterburners or MWDs.
- The Slot 6 Rogue CY- series and Shaqil's Speed Enhancer both increase the base speed of a ship.
- The Slot 9 Rogue HS- series reduces the Capacitor needs of MWDs.
- The slot 10 Skirmish Warfare Mindlink will add 50% more effectiveness to Skirmish Warfare Links, one of which provides a Gang boost to speed.
- The X-Instinct series of boosters provides a Signature Radius reduction, but may reduce your base velocity as a side-effect.
Overheat
Overheating a MWD will increase its velocity bonus by 50%, making it one of the most substantial boosts to receive from Overheating. Even using it in small bursts can give you a huge speed advantage over an enemy that doesn't have the Thermodynamics skill.
Related Modules
- Overdrive Injectors, which boost base speed
- Nanofiber Internal Structure II modules, which boost base speed as well as Agility
- Skirmish Warfare Link - Rapid Deployment will add a speed boost to all Fleet members based on the command skills of the fleet booster.
Trivia
- Before the Quantum Rise expansion, MWDs used to have a slight amount more of a velocity boost than their Signature Radius penalty, but this was removed as part of the overall speed nerf.
- In the very beginning, MWDs and Afterburners didn't have classes; one module fit any ship. Additionally, it was possible to activate more than one speed module. This made fitting more than MWD not only easy, but capable of boosting ships with many mid-slots to insane speeds (such as the Scorpion). Furthermore, MWDs didn't take their penalty from the Capacitor, but rather from the shields of the ship.
- The Revelations 1.4 patch saw additional speed reductions. The Propellant Injection Vent Rig was suddenly changed to the less effective Auxiliary Thrusters Rigs. The older version gave a 15% (T1) increase to Afterburner and MWD speed, and did it without a Stacking Penalty. In addition, many changes occurred to other speed enhancing modules, making them less powerful. At the time, it was feasible to make a workable speed fit for Battleships.
See Also
Microwarpdrives Section of the Items Database