I am currently trying a top burst (g) and claws 2 cannons (g). A problem against chaff so only suitable against certain NPCs, but up to now it works most satisfyingly. Only the lack of a louder cannon "boom" is still a problem. And a class C generator is offers not enough power for all but with adjusted power settings it works fine.
Can the Eagle be kitted out to be a decent fighter?
- Thread starter MonsterRob
- Start date
Another Eagle fan here ! Although I've recently made the Viper my main fighter ship for the increased versatility and resilience in PVP, I still enjoy flying in my nimble little bird from time to time. Its top-of-the line agility is a perfect complement for my dual-joystick perma-FA-off flight style 
I really hope the Vulture really turns out to be a "Big game hunting" Eagle.
This is the basic BH configuration I use for my Eagle :
Critical modules (shield generator, power plant / distributor and of course thrusters) are all A-rated, the others are D-rated to save on weight and power. Burst lasers are there to compensate the difficulties I have with aiming and the multicanon is gimballed so that I can fire it and the lasers simultaneously. Reinforced alloys buy me time to react if my shields go down without gaining too much weight.
She's fine for taking out NPC ships up to Cobra / Viper size, but lacks DPS when engaging bigger vessels (they still have to much hull when they start to flee). If you can hit your target consistently, pulse or beam lasers will give you better results than bursts but I favor the later since I'm not a crackshot and I prefer to have a better burst damage potential to get the most out of every single shot I manage to line up.
She should still hold its own in conflict zones too, as long as you swap the KWS for a chaff launcher, reinforced alloys for military grade composite and stay on the edge of the battle zone, picking your targets. I haven't tested this theory in 1.1 yet though.
PS : see below for my power priority settings, in case you are interested.
I really hope the Vulture really turns out to be a "Big game hunting" Eagle.This is the basic BH configuration I use for my Eagle :
S: 1F/F Burst Laser
S: 1F/F Burst Laser
S: 1G/G Multi-cannon
U: 0D Kill Warrant Scanner
---
BH: 1I Reinforced Alloys
RB: 2A Power Plant
TM: 3A Thrusters
FH: 3D Frame Shift Drive
EC: 1D Life Support
PC: 2A Power Distributor
SS: 2D Sensors
FS: 2C Fuel Tank (Capacity: 4)
3: 3A Shield Generator
2: 2D Shield Cell Bank
1: 1D Frame Shift Drive Interdictor
---
Shield: 66,11 MJ
Power : 9,07 MW retracted (94 %)
11,14 MW deployed (116 %)
9,60 MW available
Mass : 84,1 T empty
---
Value : 1 463 865
Rebuy cost : 73193
S: 1F/F Burst Laser
S: 1G/G Multi-cannon
U: 0D Kill Warrant Scanner
---
BH: 1I Reinforced Alloys
RB: 2A Power Plant
TM: 3A Thrusters
FH: 3D Frame Shift Drive
EC: 1D Life Support
PC: 2A Power Distributor
SS: 2D Sensors
FS: 2C Fuel Tank (Capacity: 4)
3: 3A Shield Generator
2: 2D Shield Cell Bank
1: 1D Frame Shift Drive Interdictor
---
Shield: 66,11 MJ
Power : 9,07 MW retracted (94 %)
11,14 MW deployed (116 %)
9,60 MW available
Mass : 84,1 T empty
---
Value : 1 463 865
Rebuy cost : 73193
She's fine for taking out NPC ships up to Cobra / Viper size, but lacks DPS when engaging bigger vessels (they still have to much hull when they start to flee). If you can hit your target consistently, pulse or beam lasers will give you better results than bursts but I favor the later since I'm not a crackshot and I prefer to have a better burst damage potential to get the most out of every single shot I manage to line up.
She should still hold its own in conflict zones too, as long as you swap the KWS for a chaff launcher, reinforced alloys for military grade composite and stay on the edge of the battle zone, picking your targets. I haven't tested this theory in 1.1 yet though.
PS : see below for my power priority settings, in case you are interested.
Priority 1 - "survival kit" : power distributor, shield generator, thrusters
Priority 2 - "combat essentials" : weapons, sensors, shield cell bank
Priority 3 - "the final countdown" : life support
Priority 4 - "starving modules" : KWS - deactivate SCB \ weapons to use it if power is an issue (if you have the time to scan, it means the situation is safe enough to do it normally)
Priority 5 - "the useless-in-a-fight club" : FSDI, FSD, cargo hatch
Priority 2 - "combat essentials" : weapons, sensors, shield cell bank
Priority 3 - "the final countdown" : life support
Priority 4 - "starving modules" : KWS - deactivate SCB \ weapons to use it if power is an issue (if you have the time to scan, it means the situation is safe enough to do it normally)
Priority 5 - "the useless-in-a-fight club" : FSDI, FSD, cargo hatch
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I really like the handling and looks of an Eagle, but lack of firepower and speed makes it quite useless in general. Full cannon loadout breaks ships without shields nicely, but bringing down shields is too inefficient. Also almost everything can escape eagle easily, making it a frustrating ship for bounty hunting.
Upgrading top mount to medium and giving 20 or so more speed would go a long way in making Eagle a serious ship to consider.
Upgading from Eagle to Viper doesn't feel much of an upgrade, but downgrading back feels really bad.
Upgrading top mount to medium and giving 20 or so more speed would go a long way in making Eagle a serious ship to consider.
Upgading from Eagle to Viper doesn't feel much of an upgrade, but downgrading back feels really bad.
For me the only issue the Eagle has is that if you make a single mistake in it against a player viper/cobra, you're dead. If all small ships had the same top speed that would no longer be the case.
Any suggestions and experiences with Eagles in serious PvP? When considering Eagles as escorts for example?
Don't use an Eagle in serious PvP.
Heavier combat craft can ignore Eagles more than long enough to blow up anything that would find an escort useful.
1.Kitted is a British term that is defined as being provided or providing all needed supplies for a given situation. <free dictionary.com>
nats
Banned
The Eagle can make a great fighter especially if you fit it with a laser turret - then it becomes a fighter like the WW1 Bristol Fighter, which was very successful due to its maneuverability and rear guns. I have almost been beaten by several NPC Eagles with turrets - in fact its the only NPC ship I worry about these days.
Depends on what you mean by "decent".
The eagle is a good little ship, and its small insurance cost is also a bonus.
Its main problems are its speed and health.
The shields on the eagle are horrible and the hull is made out of paper.
Against AI you could use its maneuverability to avoid a lot of shots, but most AI ships with railguns would probably be a problem.
The eagle is mass locked by nearly everything and I think is the slowest combat ship, so when you hit problems you might not be able to easily flee.
Personally I'd get a viper, but you have the money for a cobra, that might be a ship that you like more.
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Personally I melt the eagle escorts first, its a bit of a pain scanning them in time, you need to purposefully stop shooting for a while.