Item Database:Ships:Heavy Assault Ships
Heavy assault ships, often shortened to HAC (Heavy Assault Cruiser), are tech 2 ships purpose built to put amazing firepower on a target while still retaining the speed and agility of a cruiser.
Races
Each race, with the exception of Caldari, has two HACs - one with a range bonus and one short range version with a racial tweak.
The Gallente Deimos has a falloff bonus, while the Ishtar must fight within drone control range but can use 5 heavy drones.
The Amarr Zealot has an optimal range bonus while the Sacrilege has very short range but extremely high armor resists.
The Minmatar Muninn has an optimal range bonus as well, while the Vagabond has a maximum velocity bonus, making it the fastest cruiser hull in game and potentially faster than a destroyer.
The Caldari HACs are special since both types have long range bonuses. The Eagle has a double optimal range bonus to its hybrid weapons making it the longest range cruiser hull, even rivalling some battleships, while the Cerberus has both a range and damage bonus to missiles.
HACs make for excellent combat ships and are among the most common shipstypes in pvp. By choosing the "correct" HAC for the enemy, i.e. Gallente for Guristas, Minmatar for Sanshas and so forth, they make for very good 0.0 ratting ships as well.
Fitting
HACs in pvp can be fitted in many different ways and serve different purposes. A "nano" HAC, i.e. fitted for speed, can make for an excellent tackler with a lot of added survivability as compared with an interceptor.
A sniper HAC can engage enemies at a distance of 100-140km, with the Eagle and Cerberus pushing even further. With the speed and agility of a cruiser hull, HACs can easily keep a good optimal range to a battleship fleet.
A ratting HAC will use its inherent resists towards the rats and might fit very few resistance modules, if any. With 3 damage mods, an afterburner, and a web, the HAC can keep the ratty ships at optimal range and put a steady stream of, often doubly bonused, damage on them.