Glass Cannon Weapons - Potential Fits

I don't always post on a Tuesday, but when I do its because I have this draft for over a week and it needs to go up before Phoebe hits!

CCP have finally settled on "Polarized" as the final name for the new Glass Cannon mods coming a week or so after Phoebe hits. The original Blighted name wasn't popular (too WoW) and Stigmatic wasn't much better received. Anyway, whatever you want to call them, I've been having a play with them. Using an alt and Drack I thought I'd have a go at some BS brawling to compare ships fitted properly with the new Polarized Weapons and more traditional PvP set ups.

In case you missed the original post on these last Monday, "Polarized" weapons have significantly more DPS (25% from my calculations), better tracking, shorter optimal, shorter fall-off, triple ammo capacity and, here is the big one, nerf all your tank resistances to ZERO. DCU's, resistance mods, all useless and pointless to fit.

Buffer tank is the only thing you can use. T2 ships have their tank left in tatters when these guns are fitted. So, on with some good old fighting....


Navy Apocalypse vs Navy Apocalypse

I already had a PvP Navy Apoc ready to go. So I bought a second one and fitted it up with Polarized Pulses. With zero resistances I decided on trying to go for a BIG buffer. Triple 1600mm plates and triple tri-marks. Rest was all heat sinks and tracking in the lows. I placed them 10km apart and let the current PvP version have first shot.

PvP Navy Apoc - 646 DPS, 105,204 EHP
Glass Cannon Navy Apoc - 1234 DPS, 98,852 EHP.

It was actually a very close fight. The Glass Cannon Navy Apoc won but it was in mid-structure when it did so. Without a DCU that structure tends to drop quick! All in all it was very close. My alt in the PvP fit cannot use T2 pulse (she's a capital pilot so didn't get the specialisation skills) so if I had T2 pulse on that PvP fit rather than Meta 4's it might have been even closer.

Navy Apocalypse vs Vindicator

OK, this should be an easy fight. At close range a Vindicator should tear the Navy Apoc a new one. I fit the Vindicator as Glass Cannon with buffer for a laugh.

PvP Navy Apoc - 646 DPS, 105,204 EHP
Glass Cannon Vindicator - 2280 DPS, 78,344 EHP

The Vindicator won. Oh surprise, surprise! But, this was a faction fit Vindicator and it was just under half armour when it won. Worth noting that the guns on the Vindicator were probably worth more than the full Apoc fit and hull.

Its clear these guns are not made for PvP. The increase in damage is cancelled out by the uber nerfing of the tank and 1v1's are close with traditionally (and cheaper) fitted ships. As far as I can see, a glass-cannon fit ship will not be significantly better in PvP than the same ship fit with current meta 4 or T2 weapons. I do not see the small or mediums being used at all to be honest. Only clueless ISK buyers when they are fitting up a loot pinata. T2 and a proper tank is equal to a glass-cannon fit and with the T2 you aren't spunking hundreds of millions on the guns.

I'm guessing these weapons are for the post-Phoebe era when using dreadnoughts and super-carriers for structure grinding will be a lot more difficult. High DPS, triple the ammo (less reloading and less forgetting to mash F1) and no tank (as the thing you are shooting isn't going to fire back). Along with the changes already announced to structure HP's it would appear CCP has offered a carrot for structure grinding. So lets see what we can make with these new weapons for structure bashing goodness.

Talos
The highest DPS SPKATTBC (ship previously known as tier three battlecrusier) is the Talos. SPKATTBC's have always been popular structure grinders in Faction War. Same DPS, better mobility and cheaper than battleships.

Now Fit with Glass Cannon weapons it is fearsome. 1810 DPS (Void) with a 25k EHP. Not a great tank, but you won't explode if someone drops a bomb on you.

Full rack of Polarized Neutron Blaster Cannons
Whatever in mids (this is structure bashing, point, web, prop mod not a lot of use)
Four Mag Stabs and 1600mm plate
Three Trimark Armour Rigs
5 Hobgoblin 2's

Manticore
Obviously 225 million ISK (estimated) worth of Polarized Weaponry is cheaper than the 800 million or so you'll need to fit out a Talos' top rack. So will bombers be more popular? 680 DPS (Rage torpedos) and 3k EHP. The main thing here is that the bomber still has 65km range with Rage torpedos (using two missile speed rigs) where as the Talos has to get within kissing distance. 60 torpedos rather than 20 means less reloading and less forgetting to press F1 when on long grinds.

Cloak plus Stigmatic Torpedo Launchers
AB and three small shield extenders for buffer tank (may be a TP could be an idea?).
Two BCU's
Two torp speed rigs (could go for shield extender rigs for less range but more tank)

Oracle
Something with a bit more range than the Talos and more DPS than the Manticore would be the Oracle. A currently popular structure grinding boat especially with T1 crystals meaning no ammo costs, no reloading and no missed DPS because you forgot to activate the guns after they reloaded because you're to busy link lolcats in local. 1344 DPS (Conflag) and 26k EHP.

Full rack of Polarized Mega Pulse
Whatever in the mids
Four heatsinks, Tracking Enhancer, 1600mm plate
Triple tri-mark


Yes, I think there is no doubt these weapons are designed for grinding structures. Which begs the question, why make small and medium versions of them?