EVE Online at Ten Ton Hammer - Taking MMOG Gamers to the Next Level!

Tackling is slang for keeping enemy ships from escaping. There are three key aspects to this, namely: keeping enemy ships from warping off, keeping enemy ships from escaping by moving away from the source of their damage or out-distancing your tackling range, and keeping yourself from dying. Depending on your priorities, some of these goals may be more important than others.

Tackling is great because the skill requirements aren't that bad, and even the newest players can do it well enough to be worth bringing on PvP outings, assuming that the newbies in question have done the tutorial.

This article outlines the general principles of tackling in a way that new players will be able to understand. It is the first in a series of articles dealing with tackling, which is appealing because it is the main PvP role available to characters less than a week old.

Why Tackle?

More important than damage output is the ability to make sure that a target sticks around for long enough to take damage. Every fleet needs at least one tackler, no matter what it's doing. Gank fleets and gate camps need them to keep targets from escaping. Roaming PvP fleets need them to keep their enemies from constantly warping out to repair themselves, in pitched engagements.

With decent tacklers, enemy ships being shot are stuck on the battlefield, unable to escape. Without them, a ship that takes too much damage can happily warp off. In short, tackling is essential for PvP.

It is also a lot of fun. It's the ideal role for the fastest ships in EVE Online, who are able to get within range of potential targets and tackle them, before they can escape or even properly assess their situation.

The Basic Modules of Tackling

These modules are the bread and butter of tackling. Each of these is a mid-slot.

Warp Disruptor I: This module and the variations thereof are the most basic tackling tool. Barring any special considerations, any ship that has a disruptor being used on it, will not be able to warp away, because it projects a "point" of warp disruption. The basic version of this module has a range of 20km, the tech two version has a range of 24km. This can be modified by overloading the module (for more advanced character), ship bonuses, or faction version of the module. What it will not do is keep a ship from re-docking or jumping through a gate, though a ship that has taken offensive action within the past sixty seconds or so will not be able to do either of these things.

Warp Scrambler I: Similar to the disruptor, above, except that it has shorter range (7.5km and 9km, for tech one and two, respectively), puts out two warp disruption "points" (meaning that it takes two Warp Core Stabilizers to counter it, see below), and last and most importantly, any ship that has this active on them will be unable to use a MicrowarpDrive (though Afterburners still function). Given the massive favor shown to "MWDs" this module is a godsend, assuming you can get within range and stay there. With this module, most ships will be dead in the water, unable to out-distance you or get back to a gate to jump through it.

Stasis Webifier I: This module reduces a target's speed by a factor of about -60%. While not as effective against MWDing ships as the Scrambler, above, it does have a range of out to 10km, and is effective against ships using afterburners. This makes it excellent for tackling smaller ships, especially if you are in a larger ship than your target. The math also works out so that a ship using an MWD that is hit with a webifier will take more damage from turrets and missiles than a ship that has had its MWD turned off with a warp scrambler.

Ideally, one would have both a warp scrambler and a stasis webifier active on any given target. But given the need to fit a propulsion module (usually MWD) so that you can keep up with your targets, the paucity of mid-slots, and the two modules' limited range, that can be a problem. The few kilometers difference between the modules is critical because so many ships engage outside of them. For that reason, the most basic tacklers usually fit a disruptor.

The skills required to use all three of these modules are as follows: Propulsion Jamming I, Electronics III, and Navigation II. This shouldn't take more than an hour or two. Piece of cake. There are a few more modules and required skills for advanced tackling, but these will be covered in another guide rather than overburden new players with information that they can't use.