[Guide] A Caldari PVE guide

1. The Caldari
The Caldari is all about missle’s and shield tanking, they have the best missle boats in the game and are most used by the missioners in EVE. In this guide you can read all you need to know about the ships used for missioning, the shield tank and the missles they use.

2. What skills should I get?
This question is the first one we always get, like all other questions as open-ended as it, is very difficult to answer. Rather than lay down some dogmatic answer, I will lay down a few lists of skills that are helpful to Caldari pilots in their respective areas. In each category, the skills are vaguely in order of importance, but your mileage may vary.

• IN GENERAL:
  Engineering
  Electronics
  Weapon Upgrades
  Energy Management
  Energy Systems Operation
  Navigation
  
• SHIELD TANKING:
  Shield Operation
  Shield Management
  Shield Compensation
  Shield Upgrades
  
• MISSILES:
  Missile Projection
  Missile Bombardment
  Rapid Launch

Most of these are fine at getting to level three right now and level four
soon, but Engineering, Weapon Upgrades, and Electronics are crucial for your ability to fit your ship well. It may seem like a long time when you are first starting, but getting Engineering and Electronics up to level five and Weapon Upgrades to level four once all your other important skills are at acceptable levels will reap great dividends in the future.

This is by no means an exhaustive list of support skills. These are, however,what I think a new Caldari (missioner) player should concentrate on getting first.


3. Missile Launchers
Missle Launchers are the Caldari weapons of choice, Missiles have a large amount of benefits for a new player: they are unaffected by tracking or range issues (they will hit anything within range for full damage), and deal only one damage type per missile, making them perfect for use in missions where enemies have a single weakest resistance for both shields and armor.

Missile launchers come in seven different varieties. Like railguns, there are three different sizes (Small, medium and large .. for: Frigate/destroyer, cruiser/battlecruiser, battleship), but each size has a launcher designed for short-range/higher damage missiles and a launcher designed for long-range/lower damage missiles. There is also the assault missile launcher, a cruiser-sized missile launcher that fires light missiles for anti-frigate work.

Missile launchers use significantly fewer of the weapon attributes, but those that they do use work like the railguns. Launchers vary in their powergrid usage, CPU usage, capacity, volume, and rate of fire.

There are six versions of each missile launcher (tech one, 'Malkuth', 'Limos', a name involving a number, 'Arbalest', and tech two). Named missile launchers work rather differently from named railguns, however. Going from a tech one launcher to the +5% variety gets a 5% improvement to rate of fire and ammunition capacity, as well as the maximum -20% CPU usage. The +10% variety gets the 10% CPU reduction, the 15% variety gets the 5% reduction, and the +20% variety gets the 15% reduction. All named launchers work this way except for cruise missile launchers, which work like railguns with the better launcher always getting the better CPU reduction. The tech two launchers get the 20% rate of fire improvement and an ammunition capacity one-third greater than the standard tech one version, and also require more powergrid and CPU as would be expected.

Missiles have their damage and rate of fire affected by the Ballistic Control System, the damage mod for missiles.

The following table shows, for the standard tech one version of a launcher
(from left to right), Powergrid Usage, CPU usage, ammunition Capacity, Rate of Fire, the name for the +15% version, and the type of missile used.

SMALL LAUNCHERS Grid CPU Cap RoF +15% Name Missile Fired
Rocket Launcher 4 15 0.15 4 OE-5200 Rocket
Standard Missile Launcher 8 25 0.6 15 TE-2100 Light Missile
MEDIUM LAUNCHERS
Assault Missile Launcher 50 35 0.9 12 SV-2000 Light Missile
Heavy Missile Launcher 100 50 0.9 15 XR-3200 Heavy Missile
Heavy Assault Missile Launcher 120 45 0.75 8 XT-2800 Heavy Assault Missile
LARGE LAUNCHERS
Cruise Missile Launcher 1250 60 1.0 22 XT-9000 Cruise Missile
Siege Missile Launcher 1750 80 1.5 24 ZW-4100 Torpedo


4. Missiles
Each missile launcher (which the exception of the Assault Missile Launcher) uses its own type of missile. Each missile type has four versions: one for each damage type. These versions all have the exact same stats (raw damage, max velocity, etc...) and only differ in the type of damage they do.

But while there was not much to say about the attributes of the launchers,
there are some new attributes for the missiles you need to be aware of. While missiles are unaffected by range except for their maximum range, and are unaffected by tracking, the speed and size of your target can still be factors in how much damage you do. If their signature radius is smaller than your missiles explosion radius or if their velocity is greater than your missiles explosion velocity, your missile will hit for reduced damage.

Missiles also have a maximum velocity they are able to reach in order to
pursue a target. They also have a maximum flight time, after which they
self-destruct doing no damage. Finally, each missile type has its own volume, unlike hybrid charges which are all the same volume for a given size.
The following table shows (from left to right), missile Volume, Explosion
Radius, Explosion Velocity, maximum Velocity, Flight Time, and Damage.

SMALL MISSILES Volume Rad Exp.Vel Velocity Time Damage
Rockets 0.005 20 2000 2250 2 25
Light Missiles 0.015 50 1750 3750 5 75
MEDIUM MISSILES
Heavy Missiles 0.03 125 750 3750 10 150
Heavy Assault Missiles 0.015 125 750 2250 3 100
LARGE MISSILES
Cruise Missiles 0.05 300 500 3750 20 300
Torpedoes 0.1 400 250 1250 30 450

Rockets and Torpedoes are not affected by the skill Guided Missile Precision, but every other missile type has its explosion radius reduced by the skill. Rockets and Torpedoes are affected by every other skill just like every other missile.

For ease of use, the following table shows the names of each missile,
categorized by size and damage type.

SMALL MISSILES EM THERMAL KINETIC EXPLOSIVE
Rockets Gremlin Foxfire Thorn Phalanx
Light Missiles Sabretooth Flameburst Bloodclaw Piranha
MEDIUM MISSILES
Heavy Missiles Thunderbolt Widowmaker Scourge Havoc
Heavy Assault Missiles Torrent Hellfire Terror Fulmination
LARGE MISSILES
Cruise Missiles Paradise Cataclysm Wrath Devastator
Torpedoes Mjolnir Inferno Juggernaut Bane


5. Caldari is all about shield tanking:
Shield tanking differs significantly from armour tanking. Shield boosters can repair damage a lot faster than armour repairers due to their faster cycle time but are less efficient and will use up a lot more capacitor. An active shield tank is characterised by the use of hardeners to resist damage and a shield booster to repair damage that makes it through. However, since shield naturally recharges over time, its possible to make a completely passive shield tank that relies on a high recharge rate rather than a shield booster. For PVE/missioning we only use active shield tanking.

Active shield tanking equipment:
The most important part of an active shield tank is the shield booster. These come in a range of sizes from small to extra large and require significantly less powergrid to fit than an armour repairer of equivalent size. Frigates are best off using small shield boosters, cruisers best using medium versions and most shield tanking battleships(cruiser) will use an large booster. Shield boosters repair less damage per unit of capacitor used than armour repairers but can repair much faster. To compensate, shield boost amplifiers like the "Shield Boost Amplifier I" can be used to increase the amount of damage each cycle of your shield booster repairs, thereby making it more efficient.

Of course your shield booster is useless without the capacitor to use it. Since your mid slots will be best used for shield modules, you will have no free mid slots to fit capacitor rechargers in. Instead, shield tanks tend to use a low slot module called the "Power Diagnostic System I". This gives small increases to a wide variety of ship stats, most notably increasing shield hitpoints, shield recharge rate, capacitor capacity and capacitor recharge rate. Capacitor power relays are unsuitable for active shield tanks as they give a large penalty to shield boost amount.

If you have enough isk to buy expensive rigs for your ship, its important to choose the right rigs to get the most out of your purchase. Since active shield tanks are very capacitor hungry and youre rarely running the shield booster constantly, youll benefit most from installing a few "Capacitor Control Circuit I" rigs to your ship. These increase the recharge rate of your capacitor by 15% each, giving you a lot more capacitor to use with your shield booster.

Resistances:
Both active and passive shield tanks require resistances to reduce the incoming damage to manageable levels. Resistances boost the amount of incoming damage you can absorb to each hitpoint, making your tank all round more effective. Like armour hardeners, shield hardeners come in active and passive forms. Active forms such as the "Ballistic Deflection Field I" consume capacitor and boost your shields resistance to a specific damage type by 50%, halving the damage you take from that damage type. Passive shield membranes like the "Kinetic Deflection Amplifier I" dont use capacitor but give a lower bonus to shield resistance.

Finally, the "Invulnerability Field I" line of modules increases resistance to all four damage types. These are popular in all setups, especially those for mission-running if the enemys damage type is not known. The low slot module "Damage Control I" also gives some shield resistances. Due to the fact that bonuses from damage control modules are not stacking penalised, it has become commonplace to fit one on almost any shield tanking ship.


6. The caldari mission ships

The Merlin (for lvl 1 missions)

The Merlin is a very sturdy frigate with its bonus to shield resistances and four mid slots that can all be used to tank its shields. It does suffer somewhat from a dual weapon system (meaning any damage mods added affect only half of its weapons), but the 2/2 turret/launcher setup still works well for it, and is very easy to fit with a powerful setup. The desired weapons will be 2 rocket launchers and 2 small rail guns.


The Cormorant (for lvl 1 and 2 missions)

Each race gets one destroyer, and for the Caldari that is the Cormorant.
Getting a double optimal range bonus (50% for being a destroyer, and 10%/level from the Destroyers skill), the Cormorant is capable of getting some amazing ranges with its seven small railguns.

Still, the Cormorant only has one low slot, which will ideally have a magnetic field stabilizer in it for optimum damage. It does have four mid slots, however, allowing it a great deal of versatility in improving its mobility, locking speed, or survivability.

Destroyers, while fun, are not incredibly useful when fighting NPCs. They will make missions a bit easier, but level ones are easy enough for frigates, and a new player will likely want a cruiser for level twos. You can pass up Destroyers on your way to cruisers if frigates are enough for you to do level ones with, or go ahead and get yourself a Cormorant if you think you need more firepower to run missions with. In a later stage of your missioning career you might want to use the Cormorant as a salvaging ship, fitting 4 salvagers,4 tractor beams and a afterburner it makes a very fast salvaging ship).

3. The Caracal (for lvl 2 missions)

The Caracal is a powerful missile boat, being able to fit 5 Heavy Launchers with ease. However, this raw DPS comes at a price, as though it has 5 medium slots, its low CPU makes shield tanking difficult – equipping one of the two low slots with a coprocessor is required to fit both a speed module and a shield booster – and it has exceptionally low armor. It is capable of dishing out a fair amount of DPS, if perhaps not as much as a turret-based ship, but since missiles dont have to worry about angular velocity or accuracy falloff, a Caracal has advantages in certain situations. To free up more cap/cpu you might want to consider fitting assault launchers so you can fit a better shield tank.


The Drake (for lvl 3 missions)

The Drake was added in the Revelations patch, boasting one of the most impressive combinations of tank and firepower in the battlecruiser class. Capable of mounting seven heavy missile launchers, the Drake can swat NPC ships aside with ease, while using none of its considerable capacitor to do so (allowing the Drakes resistance bonuses and other systems to be further supported).
Battlecruiser Skill Bonus: 5% shield resistance and 5% bonus kinetic damage of heavy missiles and heavy assault missiles. 99% reduction in the CPU need of Warfare Link modules.


The Raven (for lvl 4 missions)

The Raven is considered to be one of the best ships in the game to use in player versus environment situations. Brilliant tank and excellent firepower. Able to use torpedoes for short range and cruise missiles for long range The best equipment only gets a player so far. Shields, hulls, and armor are all useful, but learning the right skills gives the player an extra edge Side View of the Caldari Raven that no amount of high technology gear can replace. Caldari battleships is the most important skill for the Raven pilot, as it is difficult to pilot this ship without it. Other suggested skills are energy management, electronics, navigation, and energy systems operation.
Special Ability: 5% bonus to Cruise and Siege Launcher Rate Of Fire and 10% bonus to Cruise Missile and Torpedo Velocity per level.


7. Mission setups:
As of lvl 3 and higher missions you might want to change your shield hardeners to the type of enemys you have to fight. This decreases the damage taken by your shield. Next to the 3 shield hardeners best to fit is a booster and 2 shield extenders. (Usually you can see in the missions overview what enemy you will fight, if not then it depends in what system you are flying. Each fraction has it own enemys. Like for gallente its the serpentis). In the next overview you see what shield hardeners and missles you should fit. (as soon you can fly a BC or BS you might want to consider that you learn to skills for using all T2 items that you fit on your ship).

• Sanshas Nation
  Damage Types to Fire on Enemies:
  EM = Paradise(Cruise) Thunderbolt (Heavy)
  Thermal = Cataclysm (Cruise) Widowmaker (Heavy)
  
  Shield Setup:
  Heat Dissipation Field I
  Photon Scattering Field I
  Photon Scattering Field I
  
  
• Angel Cartel
  Damage Types to Fire on Enemies:
  Explosive = Devastator (Cruise) Havoc (Heavy)
  
  Shield Setup:
  Explosion Dampening Field I
  Photon Scattering Field I
  Invulnerability Field I
  
  
• Blood Raider
  Damage Types to Fire on Enemies:
  Thermal = Cataclysm (Cruise) Widowmaker (Heavy)
  EM = Paradise (Cruise) Thunderbolt (Heavy)
  
  Shield Setup:
  Heat Dissipation Field I
  Invulnerability Field I
  Photon Scattering Field I
  
  
• Rogue Drones
  Damage Types to Fire on Enemies:
  EM = Paradise (Cruise) Thunderbolt (Heavy)
  
  Shield Setup:
  Invulnerability Field I
  Invulnerability Field I
  Invulnerability Field I
  
  
• Dread Guristas
  Damage Types to Fire on Enemies:
  Kinetic = Wrath (Cruise) Scourge (Heavy)
  
  Shield Setup:
  Heat Dissipation Field I
  Ballistic Deflection Field I
  Ballistic Deflection Field I
  
  
• Mercenaries
  Damage Types to Fire on Enemies:
  Thermal = Cataclysm (Cruise) Widowmaker (Heavy)
  
  Shield Setup:
  Heat Dissipation Field I
  Ballistic Deflection Field I
  Invulnerability Field I
  
  
• Mordus Legion
  Damage Types to Fire on Enemies:
  Thermal = Cataclysm (Cruise) Widowmaker (Heavy)
  Kinetic = Wrath (Cruise) Scourge (Heavy)
  
  Shield Setup:
  Heat Dissipation Field I
  Ballistic Deflection Field I
  Invulnerability Field I
  
  
• Amarr Navy
  Damage Types to Fire on Enemies:
  EM = Paradise (Cruise) Thunderbolt (Heavy)
  Thermal = Cataclysm (Cruise) Widowmaker (Heavy)
  
  Shield Setup:
  Heat Dissipation Field I
  Photon Scattering Field I
  Invulnerability Field I
  
  
• Caldari State
  Damage Types to Fire on Enemies:
  Kinetic = Wrath (Cruise) Scourge (Heavy)
  Thermal = Cataclysm (Cruise) Widowmaker (Heavy)
  
  Shield Setup:
  Heat Dissipation Field I
  Ballistic Deflection Field I
  Invulnerability Field I
  
  
• Gallente Federation
  Damage Types to Fire on Enemies:
  Kinetic = Wrath (Cruise) Scourge (Heavy)
  Thermal = Cataclysm (Cruise) Widowmaker (Heavy)
  
  Shield Setup:
  Heat Dissipation Field I
  Ballistic Deflection Field I
  Invulnerability Field I
  
  
• Minmatar Republic
  Damage Types to Fire on Enemies:
  Explosive = Devastator (Cruise) Havoc (Heavy)
  
  Shield Setup:
  Ballistic Deflection Field I
  Invulnerability Field I
  Explosion Dampening Field I
  
  
• Concord
  Damage Types to Fire on Enemies:
  Thermal = Cataclysm (Cruise) Widowmaker (Heavy)
  
  Shield Setup:
  Invulnerability Field I
  Invulnerability Field I
  Invulnerability Field I
  
  
• Khanid Kingdom
  Damage Types to Fire on Enemies:
  Thermal = Cataclysm (Cruise) Widowmaker (Heavy)
  
  Shield Setup:
  Heat Dissipation Field I
  Photon Scattering Field I
  Photon Scattering Field I
  
  
• Serpentis
  Damage Types to Fire on Enemies:
  Kinetic = Wrath (Cruise) Scourge (Heavy)
  Thermal = Cataclysm (Cruise) Widowmaker (Heavy)
  
  Shield Setup:
  Heat Dissipation Field I
  Heat Dissipation Field I
  Ballistic Deflection Field I