Scanning Fits Addendum

 

 

As stated in my main post about scanning, there are really only 3 choices when it comes to picking a ship to scan in:

• Covert Ops Frigates
• The Astero
• Strategic Cruisers
  

This post will go over some example fits in more detail. Understand that these are not intended to be the final say in any capacity; they are intended to serve as guidelines for coming up with your own fits for scanning. 

Covert Ops Frigates

For most people, the Covops line will do everything you need as a scouting and exploration ship. from a PVP standpoint, I like to fit my scouting ships with at least some tackle in case I find something down the chain that we want to kill. I prefer the Anathema for fitting space, but the Buzzard is also viable with its slot layout.

[Anathema, mk I]

Micro Auxiliary Power Core II
Nanofiber Internal Structure II
Nanofiber Internal Structure II
Damage Control II

5MN Quad LiF Restrained Microwarpdrive
Scan Acquisition Array I
Medium F-S9 Regolith Compact Shield Extender
Warp Disruptor II

Core Probe Launcher II, Sisters Core Scanner Probe
[Empty High slot]
Covert Ops Cloaking Device II

Small Gravity Capacitor Upgrade I
Small Gravity Capacitor Upgrade I

 

Sisters Core Scanner Probe x16

This fit will land you with ~126 points of probe strength with maxed skills. Even with IVs across the board you'll be over 100 points, which is plenty enough. the medium shield extender is there to help should I need to tackle something and hold it for a bit.

The Anathema(and all Covops frigates) suffers greatly from a distinct lack of agility, meaning you're going to be a bit slower on the draw when it comes to getting into warp. This is overall a minor inconvenience when considering Covops frigates for your scanning ship of choice. It's also really hard to argue with the ~50 million ISK price tag.

In general, I'm not a fan of using the nullification or warp core stabilizer mods because of the targeting drawbacks. with a covert ops cloak and a microwarp drive at your disposal, getting out of bubble camps shouldn't be a huge issue. Plus, using nulli mods is a bitchmade move.

anathema fit, maxed skills

The Astero

If you're spinning up an alt with limited training time, the Astero is your ship of choice. There's also a strong argument for the Astero in general, given that you can get a 1.9s align time out of it and it's got about a 1km/s speed advantage on the covert ops frigates. There's also the bonus of having 3 rig slots, which allows for double hyperspatial rigs.

[Astero, mk I]

Nanofiber Internal Structure II
Nanofiber Internal Structure II
Micro Auxiliary Power Core I
Damage Control II

5MN Quad LiF Restrained Microwarpdrive
Medium Shield Extender II
Scan Acquisition Array I
Warp Disruptor II

Core Probe Launcher II, Sisters Core Scanner Probe
Covert Ops Cloaking Device II

Small Gravity Capacitor Upgrade I
Small Hyperspatial Velocity Optimizer II
Small Hyperspatial Velocity Optimizer II


Sisters Core Scanner Probe x16

I haven't included drones in this fit, but the 75 m3 drone bay means you can do 3 sets of light drones for combat, or fit some pocketsand drones if you really want to annoy people. You've also got ~100 points of scan strength at all IV scan skills, which is enough to be effective when scouting. All in all, the Astero is one of my favorite scouting ships because of its impressive speed and agility, both on grid and in warp.

Astero fit, maxed skills

Strategic Cruisers

When it comes to scanning in style, Strategic Cruisers are the top-line product. Between their fitting capabilities, the ability to refit subsystems and rigs on the fly, and the upcoming changes to skillpoint loss, anyone who is serious about scanning should be aiming for a t3 cruiser. The only drawback with the t3 is that you cannot jump frigate holes in wormhole space. But given that frigate holes are not static in the Anoikis, I don't see this as being a big deal.

[Loki, mk III]

Ballistic Control System II
Damage Control II
Ballistic Control System II
Ballistic Control System II

50MN Quad LiF Restrained Microwarpdrive
Republic Fleet Large Shield Extender
Federation Navy Warp Disruptor
Republic Fleet Large Shield Extender
Federation Navy Stasis Webifier

Rapid Light Missile Launcher II, Caldari Navy Inferno Light Missile
Rapid Light Missile Launcher II, Caldari Navy Inferno Light Missile
[Empty High slot]
Rapid Light Missile Launcher II, Caldari Navy Inferno Light Missile
Covert Ops Cloaking Device II
Rapid Light Missile Launcher II, Caldari Navy Inferno Light Missile
Sisters Expanded Probe Launcher, Sisters Core Scanner Probe
Rapid Light Missile Launcher II, Caldari Navy Inferno Light Missile

Medium Hyperspatial Velocity Optimizer I
Medium Gravity Capacitor Upgrade II
Medium Hyperspatial Velocity Optimizer I

Loki Core - Immobility Drivers
Loki Defensive - Covert Reconfiguration
Loki Offensive - Launcher Efficiency Configuration
Loki Propulsion - Intercalated Nanofibers


Hornet EC-300 x8


Mid-grade Virtue Alpha
Mid-grade Virtue Beta
Mid-grade Virtue Gamma
Mid-grade Virtue Delta
Mid-grade Virtue Epsilon
Mid-grade Virtue Omega
Poteque 'Prospector' Astrometric Acquisition AQ-706
Poteque 'Prospector' Astrometric Rangefinding AR-806


Caldari Navy Inferno Light Missile x500
Sisters Combat Scanner Probe x16
Sisters Core Scanner Probe x16

I went ahead and included the full implant set in this fit, which brings a maxed out character to ~182 points of probe strength. At this level, you're pretty much guaranteed to 2-pass any cosmic signature in existence currently. I feel like the t3 line is the best suited for a virtue scanner, since you can fit reasonable defenses to it. The increased rigging calibration also allows for a t2 scanning rig, which can make a nice difference when combat scanning. You can also swap out two of the damage lows on the Loki for Nanofiber internal structures and get a sub 4s align time. Finally, the strategic cruiser does not need to sacrifice mod slots for fitting in order to fit an expanded probe launcher, which makes it ideal for combat scanning and tackling gank targets.

Loki fit, maxed skills

Again, these fits are not meant to be the final say in anything; I'm just providing them as a baseline for you to get an idea of what fits can look like on each of these ships. I should add that all of these fits are made with PVP in mind; if you're a PVE player you should definitely adjust your fits accordingly.