Frigates: What Are They?Frigates are a fast-speed class designed to be a lightweight, low-armor, agile kiting class. Their main advantage over other classes is their ability to outrun all but cutters, and they do not have a 125% range bonus like battleships do. Their firing arc is 135 degrees meaning that a frigate must kite on its edge, or strafing nearly straight backwards. Due to this, they are one of the most difficult classes in the game to use correctly as it requires the pilot to constantly swap from strafing on its side to moving ahead to gain distance. With the introduction of carriers and long-ranged energy weapons, frigates are not often used in FvF combat as they will have difficulties outranging, and outrunning, their opponent. They do however counter destroyers and battleships, meaning that the greatest threat to frigates equipped and piloted properly are cutters, which do not have a built-in damage boost, or cruisers, which is the only class with a built-in counter, with long-range weapons.
Counters: Destroyers (200% Bonus Damage*), and Battleships (100% Bonus Damage)
Countered By: Cruisers (50% Bonus Damage) *All Bonus Damage Numbers are using MK5 Values for the classes listed. |
Fighting With FrigatesFrigates, as mentioned, are the hardest class in the game to pilot. Most frigates will have little armor, similar to battleships, meaning that when the enemy gets in range, your frigates are dead. At all costs this must be prevented, how?
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A video will go here the instant I record one. Frigate vs Frigate Combat
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Frigate vs Destroyer Combat
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Fighting Against FrigatesIf you are fighting frigates, then you likely won't be using battleships (as you'll be countered). Despite frigates countering destroyers, due to the direct 25% armor damage that destroyers do, frigates will still take heavy damage against them; they simply can kill them better than any other class. Cruisers with weapons with the same range as frigates can also pose a massive threat as the frigates will not be able to kite, or out-damage them.
If you are using frigates to fight frigates, then this would be a scenario where you will want heavy DPS short range to his long range, or, should your weapons have equivalent DPS, rely on your ability to out-pilot the other frigates. A key tip in doing so is to try and get frigates behind the 135 degree arc so less will be shooting at you. If you are using cutters against frigates, then focus one down at a time and try to abuse the 135 degree arc as you will be faster; for more see Cutter Tips. |
Fun Facts
- Despite Cutters having the fastest rear speed, frigates have the fastest sector speed of any class at 330 AU/h compared to the cutter's 300 AU/h.
- The Hurricane Frigate, due to having three armor slots, can be used as a great sniping decoy, check some builds out here!
- Frigates were all named after birds prior to the release of the Hurricane Frigate, at which point they appear to be named after natural disasters.
Page Last Updated: October 1, 2016
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Permission Status: Public
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