I’ve never interdicted another cmdr but I am pulled out of supercruise regularly while going about my business, trading, carrying passengers or material collecting. My ships are often not equipped to endure and win a fight against a fully combat ready build designed to gank or pirate, but instead to buy enough time to escape.
High waking is the objective but with rail guns for example sniping modules the fight can be over before an ill equipped pilot has gained his or her composure.
What does success look like for each cmdr? For the attacker victory is a disabled or destroyed opponent. For the defender victory is intelligently handling the attacker and successfully countering his game plan. Or escaping by the skin of their teeth. Both are OK.
I’m sure there are lots of tips experienced pilots could give to help new players defend against pirates and ganks but I would start by saying that remaining focussed on what the mission is rather than winning a fight against a superior opponent is absolutely key. It’s ok to jump out and doing so means that a defensive pilot has won the altercation because the attacker has failed at his objective.
Any other tips for new defensive players?
Do you have Horizons? If not, Step 1: Get Horizons.
If so, it’s time to Engineer your ship and learn how to use those mods to your advantage.
Dirty Drives G5 for as much speed as you can get.
On The Big 3 (Conda/Cutter/Vette) go with G5 Reinforced Shields (either Normal or Prismatics) and on Medium and Small ships, as well as the T9, use Bi Weaves with G5 Thermal mod and one or two Resitance Augmented and Heavy Duty Boosters.
Equip Mil Grade Armor with Heavy Duty G5 Mod or if you have the credits Reactive Armor with G5 Thermal Resistant mod with at least one heavy duty HRP.
Consider equipping one Point Defense mounted at the top rear of your ship in case your shields drop. Missiles are deadly against Thrusters/Drives. This will also shoot down dumbfires with FSD Disrupt. Then equip at least one size 4 or size 5 MRP to protect modules.
Edit: If your attacker has Pack Hound missiles, a single PD is not enough. The best option is one PD, one ECM. ECM works by “charging” the “ECM envelope” around you. The longer you charge it, the longer its effective distance. When the target missiles are within the “envelope” on your radar, release to fire. If you do not release, it will automatically fire at max effective envelope distance. If successful, the missiles will lose tracking. The ECM then has to go through a cool down but your attacker also has to reload and/or re-lock if they’ve fired a full salvo.
When you drop into a new system, go ahead and plot a HW to another (not the first one in the list, pick one midway down, Pirates know that the most likely scenario is a hastily plotted jump to the first one in the list) before beginning your SC flight to the station. Be aware of your surroundings and ready for anything.
Try to win the Interdiction game. If it becomes clear that you won’t, Submit. (Little known fact: the T7 is a wench to interdict, even experienced Pirates/PvPers sometimes have trouble yanking it) This way you won’t have to deal with the FSD cool down.
Make sure you have 4 pips in SYS. This makes your shields more than twice as strong. Put the other 2 in ENG. Start your FSD Charge for a High Wake. (Do not attempt to Low Wake unless you are in a larger ship and aren’t masslocked. If you are yanked again, try to win again and repeat the process as long as your shields and defenses are holding.)
DO NOT fly in a straight line and/or away from the attacker. This makes you incredibly easy to hit and exposes your drives to the attacker’s weapons.
Instead, go FAOff and boost turn back at them during the FSD charge. Do this as long as it takes to charge FSD. When you are fully charged, align with your destination, go FAOn, and Throttle up and Boost to jump. Leave the attacker in your dust.
Caveat: if they have the FSD Disrupter they will have the opportunity to reset your FSD but probably only once. Mod your FSD for “Fast Reboot Time”. This means that they definitely will only have one opportunity to reset it. Then the cool down time they have to deal with on that effect will be your second and guaranteed opportunity to jump. Even without Fast Reboot the standard reboot time of an FSD is slightly less than the FSD Disrupter cool down, so if you don’t panic and you time it right, you’ll beat the cool down on the FSD Disrupter effect and be able to jump.
Do NOT go shieldless. Scramble Spectrum and Pulse Disrupter only work against hull. They cause malfunctions to modules and you will lose Thrusters and FSD and it’s game over.
Don’t Min/Max in Open and drop the Docking Computer. (There are gank squads out there that make a game out of killing min/maxers with docking computers and no shields out of spite at the perceived avarice and stupidity of the targeted CMDR, I kid you not, and I can’t say I disagree with them). Traders should have Shields and defenses. It’s a dangerous galaxy. Yes, the T9 can haul 788t or whatever, but it wasn’t ‘meant’ to. It was meant to haul more like 500t with the above defenses.
Last thing, READ your comms. If you see someone say “stop and you won’t be killed, this is a robbery” they are probably telling the truth. (Alternatively if you see ZERO communication and they immediately open fire, RUN using what you have learned here!) Compliant traders are spared, and we only take a small portion of the cargo. If you are really cool about it we’ll leave you alone for 24 hours and even offer escort services against gankers for your patronage. Decide to be a total jerk instead? Dead, and no such services will be offered.
That is unless you follow the above advice. Then we won’t be able to catch you in some or most cases!
All of this is going to seem like a lot at first, but will become second nature in no time. Put the time in to learn these tactics and you’ll get much more out of the game as a result.
Happy trading in Open! The thrill of a skilled blockade run and escape is worth it! This is where the ‘REAL’ game is played. Accept no imitations.
Edit: Two last things.
1. The goal IS to make it to your destination and survive if you can’t. Turn the “loop of shame” into a “high speed tactical approach”. Approach tangential, just outside the edge of the planet’s orbit line, to the target Station’s Planetary body at FULL SC throttle/speed. Use the gravity of the planet to “catch you” as you turn back around onto the station. Even if you get interdicted here, but can LW because you’re in a bigger ship, they have probably lost their one and only opportunity because you’ll be quickly dropping on the station.
Alternatively, do a “tactical face plant” on the planet. (Edit: This is when you intentionally drive hard at full SC speed at a planet, causing you to E-Drop on that spot. IMPORTANT: Pick a spot that faces the station directly!) It will cost you an FSD cooldown and 2% on all of your modules, but it takes MUCH longer for an attacker to drop on the LW and the gravity well will screw with them as much as it will with you. Find the station during the cool down, align with it, boost repeatedly with 4 Pips to ENG to put distance between you and the drop point, LW and be ready to drop on the station. Practice this and you’ll get really good at it.
2. Sneaky trick. Equip an FSD Disrupter or FSD Disrupt modded dumbfire yourself. If you’re being interdicted by a target that can’t mass lock you (or even if they can) turn on them and hit them with it and LW or HW as necessary. You’ve just bought yourself a little more time.
Edit #2: Take a circuitous and unpredictable SC route. Leave orbit lines on. Fly at a 45 degree angle “UP” and away from the solar system ecliptic plain. Once you are about 1-2,000 light seconds above it, as referenced by looking at the star or Nav beacon, begin your high speed 45 degree angle “down” approach back down to the station. Player pirates and gankers will usually sit on the ecliptic plane somewhere between the star and station. We are aware of this tactic and will adapt accordingly, but the next time you can always go “down then up” if you will.
It’s all about cat and mouse tactics and unpredictability.
See someone trying to get around behind you in SC? Emergency drop in place (double tap the LW button), boost like mad away from that spot, and watch your attacker drop in 10 km behind you as you LW out. Toss a salt inducing “gg” in comms for good measure.
