Hydra Kestrel
Contents
General Info
- Special Ability: 10% bonus to Kinetic (Bloodclaw) missile damage and 5% bonus to EM, Explosive, and Thermal missile damage per level.
This is a basic T1 setup for use in a PvP-BASIC Hydra gang.
The kestrel has quite limited powergrid, making fitting standard missiles difficult. Fitting a Micro Auxiliary Power Core solves this problem (although you need Energy Management IV to fit it). A standard missile kestrel may not have the raw damage output of the rocket variant, however it makes up for this by having exceptional range, while still dealing damage on par with other combat frigates.
Due to the size of PvP-BASIC fleets, this setup is usually preferred over the rocket variant. This setup is more difficult to fit (requires a Micro Auxiliary Power Core) and deals less damage, however it has much longer range, allowing you to start dealing damage sooner.
Be advised that the Kestrel does not have capacitor to get across some larger systems, so you'll need to be paying attention before this happens so as not to get lost.
Long Range Hydra Kestrel Setup
Low Slots
- Damage Control
- Micro Auxiliary Power Core I (aka MAPC, gives more powergrid)
Mid Slots
- 1MN Afteburner
- 2x EWAR modules of your choice.
Remember that you should bring a range of EWAR modules, since you will probably be asked to change them when we set up the fleet. For the full list of modules to bring, see Recommended Modules for PVP-Basic.
That said, note that due to the huge CPU requirements of the standard launchers, you are likely to be unable to fit most EWAR types. Stasis Webifiers and Ship Scanners are the easiest to fit.
High Slots
- 4x Standard Missile Launcher
Cargo
- 1000 units of Bloodclaw (kinetic) light missiles.
- Both scripts for any electronic warfare modules that use them.
Example EFT Cut & Paste
Here's an example using cheap named modules which will fit using starting skills. Note the choice of EWAR modules due to lack of CPU:
[Kestrel, HYDRA SML t1] Micro Auxiliary Power Core I Damage Control I Experimental 1MN Afterburner I 'Langour' Drive Disruptor I Ship Scanner I 'Malkuth' Standard Missile Launcher I, Caldari Navy Flameburst Light Missile 'Malkuth' Standard Missile Launcher I, Caldari Navy Flameburst Light Missile 'Malkuth' Standard Missile Launcher I, Caldari Navy Flameburst Light Missile 'Malkuth' Standard Missile Launcher I, Caldari Navy Flameburst Light Missile [empty rig slot] [empty rig slot] [empty rig slot]
And here's a t2 variant which will require more advanced skills. Again, CPU restricts the EWAR types you're able to fit.
[Kestrel, HYDRA SML t2] Micro Auxiliary Power Core I Damage Control II 1MN Afterburner II 'Langour' Drive Disruptor I Ship Scanner I Standard Missile Launcher II, Caldari Navy Bloodclaw Light Missile Standard Missile Launcher II, Caldari Navy Bloodclaw Light Missile Standard Missile Launcher II, Caldari Navy Bloodclaw Light Missile Standard Missile Launcher II, Caldari Navy Bloodclaw Light Missile Small Bay Loading Accelerator I Small Auxiliary Thrusters I Small Auxiliary Thrusters I
Stats
With cheap named variant and starting skills:
- Effective HP: 1683
- Speed: 727 m/s
- Light Missile Max Flight Range: 18.8 km
- DPS: 27
With t2 variant and all Lv V skills:
- Effective HP: 2217
- Speed: 1064 m/s
- Light Missile Max Flight Range: 42.2 km
- DPS: 95
