EVE Evolved: How to fit the Enyo and Ishkur
When tech 2 ships were first introduced to EVE Online, the first models off the production line were interceptors and assault ships. Interceptors served as agile tacklers with unmatched speed and maneuverability, while assault ships provided a slower but tankier option. Each race's assault ship had a bonus to its racial resistances, making it an incredible tank against certain damage types. This made it great for ninja-ratting in nullsec or tackling larger ships of a particular race. When subsequently released ships were also given this racial resistance bonus, the assault frigate lost part of what made it so useful. Players have begged for an assault ship buff for years, and in Crucible, it finally arrived.
The Gallente Ishkur and Enyo have always been capable PvE ships for speed-running low-level missions or ninja-ratting in nullsec, but with Crucible, they've become absolute monsters in both PvE and PvP. With the maneuverability and signature radius of a frigate but more tank and damage output than a tech 1 cruiser, both ships are incredibly fun to fly. Drone users will probably prefer the Ishkur, but the Enyo's raw damage output and buffer tank are truly terrifying.
In this week's EVE Evolved, I offer PvE and PvP setups for the Gallente Ishkur and Enyo to help you get the most out of these incredible revamped ships.
Designed specifically for tanking Serpentis, Guristas or Caldari Navy NPCs, this setup can tank a whopping 300 damage per second from NPCs that deal kinetic and thermal damage. Since the Ishkur's small signature radius will reduce damage from missiles and help you avoid turret hits, this is enough to tackle many level 4 missions. One repairer can be left running continuously without dropping below 50-60% capacitor, and the other can be used as needed. Most people will need to replace one ion blaster with an electron blaster in order to make this setup fit, but the above will fit if you have perfect skills and a 3% powergrid implant. Total damage output is about 216 per second, with up to 99 coming from drones alone.
Though all assault frigates now have a bonus to microwarpdrives, it's too difficult to fit one to the Ishkur without sacrificing damage. This afterburner setup reaches a top speed of 888m/s, or over 1km/sec when the afterburner is overloaded. It's designed to tackle larger turret-based ships like the Thorax, Brutix, or Megathron, using the tracking disruptor with tracking speed scripts to keep itself safe while orbiting in close. A small repairer is used to tank the target's drones, and as Warrior IIs are the most commonly used drones, an Energized Reactive Membrane II is used to plug the ship's explosive resistance hole. It can tank about 70 damage per second, has a buffer of around 8.4k, and can deal up to 310 damage per second with its guns overloaded.
A blaster setup similar to the earlier Ishkur PvE setup is possible for the Enyo, but the ship's reliance on turrets for practically all of its damage means you'll waste a lot of time getting in range to fire. The setup above is a railgun-based alternative that still deals just over 170 DPS. Most of that is from the railguns, which have an optimal range of 14km but can still hit targets from up to 20km. The Enyo's tracking speed bonus will make short work of frigates, and with its optimal range bonus, you can carry additional ammo types to hit at ludicrous ranges. Iridium S will reach 32km optimal range, and if you splash out a little extra on Spike S, you can snipe at targets up to 50km away. This fit isn't as tough as the Ishkur but can still tank over 180 DPS from NPCs that deal kinetic and thermal damage. It's best used for speed-running level 1 and 2 combat missions, tackling level 3 missions with ease or ninja-ratting in nullsec.
Have you ever seen a frigate with 10k effective hitpoints that can pack a 445 DPS punch? Meet the mini-thron, a terrifying fit that should make you run screaming from any Enyo you see. The original version of this setup had a small energy neutraliser instead of the rocket launcher, but it had to sacrifice a rig and dropped to 370 DPS as a result. The explosive resistance hole can be partially patched with a Small Anti-Explosive Pump I at the cost of about 35 DPS, but you should always try to avoid Minmatar ships, explosive missiles, and Warrior II drones. Overload the microwarpdrive for the approach to reach a massive top speed of over 3,100m/s, and switch it off when orbiting. Once you're close enough, the warp scrambler will shut down the enemy's microwarpdrive and the web will slow him enough to stay in blaster range. If the target also has a warp scrambler and web but is faster than you, you'll be useless and die. This is yet another reason to avoid Minmatar ships.
Since the assault frigate update in Crucible, the Enyo and Ishkur are incredible little PvP powerhouses. They can go toe-to-toe with much larger ships and win, but you have to pick your fights well. Large turret-based ships caught on their own will be completely at your mercy, but drone ships or fast Minmatar setups will turn your hull into molten space poop. Both the Enyo and the Ishkur are perfect for speed-running missions or sneaking into nullsec to kill battleship NPCs. The setups above are by no means the only ones that will work, but they're solid fits that won't cost the world to put together.
Brendan "Nyphur" Drain is an early veteran of EVE Online and writer of the weekly EVE Evolved column here at Massively. The column covers anything and everything relating to EVE Online, from in-depth guides to speculative opinion pieces. If you have an idea for a column or guide, or you just want to message him, send an email to brendan@massively.com.
