The thing I’ve been enjoying most in Eve lately is flying Scimitars. Despite the fact that you don’t get to be on any of the killmails there is a lot of satisfaction to be had flying logistics ships. If nothing else your FC and gang mates will be extremely grateful to you for turning up.

So, what makes logistics so much fun to fly? Well, just like flying interceptors, there is a lot going on when you’re in a Scimitar. Your primary job is obviously to keep your gang mates alive but in order to do this you need to stay alive yourself. During the heat of battle you have keep up with broadcasts for repairs, maintain your position whilst avoiding tacklers, and follow what’s going on so that you can keep up with the fleet.

For those that don’t know anything about flying logistics there are two logistics cruisers that particular stand out. The Scimitar is a shield repairer that follows the Minmatar design philosophy. It is great for skirmishing where speed and positioning are important and can keep up with fast nano gangs. On the other hand the Guardian follows the Amarrian school and is best fitted for large tank and huge repair potential. It is not very fast and relies upon teamwork to repair the incoming damage.

[Scimitar, Scimitar (MWD)]

Large S95a Partial Shield Transporter
Large S95a Partial Shield Transporter
Large S95a Partial Shield Transporter
Small Remote Armor Repair System I

Large Shield Extender II
Invulnerability Field II
Invulnerability Field II
Conjunctive Ladar ECCM Scanning Array I
10MN MicroWarpdrive II

Capacitor Power Relay II
Capacitor Power Relay II
Capacitor Power Relay II
Reactor Control Unit II

Medium Capacitor Control Circuit I
Medium Capacitor Control Circuit I

Light Shield Maintenance Bot I x4
Light Armor Maintenance Bot I x5

The key thing about the Scimitar is that it is fast (2 km/s) and manoeuvrable. It can keep up with fast nano gangs and by flying it like a Vagabond it can use its speed and signature to stay alive. Once a gang’s tacklers have been removed it can operate with relative impunity and leave the field when it is trouble. The biggest weakness of the Scimitar is, like all Minmatar ships, its capacitor. With the MWD active there is enough capacitor for 56s of repair but with the MWD off the ship is cap stable. Scimitars are mostly seen with nano HAC, sniper HAC, and shield battlecruiser gangs.

[Guardian, Guardian]

Large ‘Solace’ I Remote Bulwark Reconstruction
Large ‘Solace’ I Remote Bulwark Reconstruction
Large ‘Solace’ I Remote Bulwark Reconstruction
Large ‘Solace’ I Remote Bulwark Reconstruction
Large ‘Regard’ I Power Projector
Large ‘Regard’ I Power Projector

Y-S8 Hydrocarbon I Afterburners
Conjunctive Radar ECCM Scanning Array I

Reactor Control Unit II
Damage Control II
Energized Adaptive Nano Membrane II
1600mm Reinforced Rolled Tungsten Plates I
N-Type Thermic Hardener I

Medium Ancillary Current Router I
Medium Trimark Armor Pump I

Light Armor Maintenance Bot I x5

The Guardian is a very different beast to the Scimitar. It is slow and heavy but has the potential for an enormous tank. Because of its lack of speed it is best used fighting on gates and stations. In a running battle it is easy to outpace the Guardian and leave it unable to repair its gang mates. The Guardian relies on teamwork and needs a capacitor buddy in order to maintain its cap stability. Working in teams Guardians can be very effective and groups like Pandemic Legion and Rooks and Kings use them to great effect. Because it uses an afterburner the Guardian has a very low signature radius and when used in armour HAC gangs combined with a Loki and Legion providing gang bonuses they can provide an absolutely beastly tank.

Like many of the T2 cruisers in Eve, logistics ships on really shine when you have trained Logistics V. There is no reason that you can’t be effective with lower skill levels (dropping the ECCM for a Cap Recharger II for example) but if it is something that you enjoy doing I really recommend maximising your skills.

In this post I haven’t really mentioned the Oneiros (Gallente armour repairer) or Basilisk (Caldari shield repairer). Like the Scimitar the Oneiros is best used in skirmishing armour gangs but due to the speed of armour tankers and the current preference for afterburning HACs it is not seen very often. Cry Havoc use them effectively in small gangs, though. The Basilisk is the shield version of the Guardian. Because most shield tanking gangs rely on speed and range it is not often seen in combat although We Form Voltron use them effectively. The Basilisk is often used to help pump the shields of POSes and stations after they have been sieged.

If you want to try something different in a fight I highly recommend flying logistics. Sure, you don’t get the killmails but when you get a good fight you get a huge adrenaline rush as you try and keep up with all the repair requests coming at you. You are also the first people thanked at the end of a successful battle and you can really feel that the fight would probably not have been won without you.

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