Rebellious Rifters

Most pilots who choose the Rifter as their weapon of choice will be quite familiar with the basics of their ship, they know how it will handle and what to expect of it in combat. Taking this into consideration we'll skip through an introduction to the Rifter. We'll assume at this point that we've all read the excellent guides available out there.

The 'cookie cutter' Rifter - the standard fit - is a wise choice for budding pilots, and rightly so, after all it is a popular choice for a reason - it does the job in most combat situations. However, there are other flavours out there and often these fits go unexplored, this short document takes a look at some of these more exotic and niche Rifter fittings.

Rifter catching fire often? You're doing it right!

[Rifter, Cookie Damage Control is For Wimps]


Gyrostabilizer II
200mm Reinforced Rolled Tungsten Plates I
Small Armor Repairer II

Warp Scrambler II
Stasis Webifier II
1MN Afterburner II

150mm Light AutoCannon II, Republic Fleet Phased Plasma S
150mm Light AutoCannon II, Republic Fleet Phased Plasma S
150mm Light AutoCannon II, Republic Fleet Phased Plasma S
Rocket Launcher II, Caldari Navy Thorn Rocket

Small Projectile Locus Coordinator I
Small Projectile Collision Accelerator I
Small Projectile Metastasis Adjuster I


Not really a lot to say about this particular fitting, the only difference from the 'cookie' being the omission of the Damage Control now replaced with a Gyrostabilizer for extra bite. The basic principles of this ship being to kill before your loss in ehp takes its toll. Extra range, pinpoint tracking and damage from the rigs - but these can be swapped around to suit. Perhaps two Ambit Extensions and a Burst Aerator for more fall off and increased rate of fire. Fly this as you would your normal 'cookie'. You can also go with a Nosferatu module in place of the Rocket Launcher, should you wish.


[Rifter, Shield Buff]


Damage Control II
Nanofiber Internal Structure II
Gyrostabilizer II

Medium F-S9 Regolith Shield Induction
1MN Afterburner II
Initiated Harmonic Warp Scrambler I

150mm Light AutoCannon II, Republic Fleet EMP S
150mm Light AutoCannon II, Republic Fleet EMP S
150mm Light AutoCannon II, Republic Fleet EMP S
'Arbalest' Rocket Launcher I, Caldari Navy Gremlin Rocket

Small Core Defence Field Extender I
Small Core Defence Field Extender I
Small Anti-EM Screen Reinforcer I


This can be described as the 'standard' shield Rifter. It is becoming more and more popular within the frigate circuit and can easily catch your opponent off guard. Most pilots about to engage a Rifter will assume that it is an armor version and load up on Fusion ammo, use this to your advantage and let them fall into the trap. If you're out of range, don't give your opponent any clues by burning towards him at full speed, keep your speed down to the average speed of an armor Rifter and he will be none the wiser. You will then have an advantage when his Fusion is having a tough time breaking your shield.

The obvious disadvantage to flying the shield Rifter is the lack of a Webifier which means you lose the ability to dictate range, especially against something with a web. Because of this you are relying on your buffer which will hopefully give you enough time to complete the gank before your opponent realises what is happening.

In the lows we've gone for a Nano to give extra speed and manoeuvrability, the Shield set-up is already naturally fast and should your opponent not have a web then you will be able to in most situations outrun them if needed. The Damage Control needs little explanation and the Gyro is there again for the added kick in damage.

I wouldn't recommend tangling with blaster boats in this fit. If they get you in range they will hurt you quicker than you can hurt them.



[Rifter, Tracking Scratch Rifter]

Small Armor Repairer II
200mm Reinforced Rolled Tungsten Plates I
Damage Control II

DDO Photometry Tracking Disruptor I, Optimal Range Disruption
Initiated Harmonic Warp Scrambler I
1MN Afterburner II

150mm Light AutoCannon II, Republic Fleet EMP S
150mm Light AutoCannon II, Republic Fleet EMP S
150mm Light AutoCannon II, Republic Fleet EMP S
Small 'Ghoul' Energy Siphon I

Small Projectile Burst Aerator I
Small Projectile Collision Accelerator I
[empty rig slot]


The tracking disruptor fit Rifter can be a menace in the right situations, whilst it again loses out to the fact that it has lost its webifier it can be great when fleeted with a ship that does have a web. It also does have its role in solo combat situations where your opponent is relying on his range. Definitely worth experimenting with.


[Rifter, Explosive Hard Man Riffy]


Armor Explosive Hardener II
200mm Reinforced Rolled Tungsten Plates I
Small Armor Repairer II

Small Capacitor Booster II, Cap Booster 150
Warp Scrambler II
1MN Afterburner II

Rocket Launcher II, Caldari Navy Thorn Rocket
150mm Light AutoCannon II, Republic Fleet Phased Plasma S
150mm Light AutoCannon II, Republic Fleet Phased Plasma S
150mm Light AutoCannon II, Republic Fleet Phased Plasma S

Small Projectile Collision Accelerator I
Small Trimark Armor Pump I
Small Anti-Explosive Pump I


Slow but an absolute devil for taking explosive pain. You're basically relying on your opponent shooting the usual Fusion ammunition types at you, when he does and you overload your Hardener you will get an armor explosive resistance of around 78%. That's quite a mean tank to break. You need to manage your cap carefully with your booster and watch for burning out your modules. Always set your cap booster settings to auto-repeat off. Auto-reload should be on. And don't forget to load your hold with spare booster charges to avoid any embarrassing moments mid-fight. A fun and often unknown flavour to fly.



[Rifter, 400 Beast]


400mm Reinforced Rolled Tungsten Plates I
Armor Explosive Hardener II
Micro Auxiliary Power Core I

Faint Epsilon Warp Scrambler I
1MN Afterburner II
X5 Prototype I Engine Enervator

'Arbalest' Rocket Launcher I, Caldari Navy Thorn Rocket
150mm Light AutoCannon II, Republic Fleet Phased Plasma S
150mm Light AutoCannon II, Republic Fleet Phased Plasma S
150mm Light AutoCannon II, Republic Fleet Phased Plasma S

Small Trimark Armor Pump I
Small Trimark Armor Pump I
Small Anti-Explosive Pump I


Again, another damage magnet. Will take some breaking as the 400mm plate provides us with a substantial armor buffer. You will need to slam on that web and hold your opponent in place as this overweight Rifter won't be winning no speed trials. With this fit you want to be 'keeping range' of about 3-4 km of your opponent. If something tries to orbit you or kite you it is going to make for an interesting engagement, if you do find yourself being kited try to counter by loading up barrage and hoping for the best or driving this beast into rocks.



[Rifter, Dual Prop 400]


Damage Control II
400mm Reinforced Rolled Tungsten Plates I
Micro Auxiliary Power Core I

Catalyzed Cold-Gas I Arcjet Thrusters
1MN Afterburner II
J5b Phased Prototype Warp Scrambler I

150mm Light AutoCannon II, Republic Fleet Phased Plasma S
150mm Light AutoCannon II, Republic Fleet Phased Plasma S
150mm Light AutoCannon II, Republic Fleet Phased Plasma S
[empty high slot]

Small Ancillary Current Router I
Small Trimark Armor Pump I
Small Trimark Armor Pump I


Another fitting from the 400 plate family and whilst full-fat it does have the extra speed boost from the microwarpdrive. If the MWD is disabled by a Scrambler we then fall back on the afterburner and we then rely on the armor buffer in a straight shoot-out to the finish.

The lack of web is again a problem and limits this ships capabilities, again we don't want to be kited to death so 'keeping range' is an important tool, 3-4k should work fine. I've not personally flown this ship much but I do feel it might prove useful in some situations in null-sec where perhaps another lone frigate or interceptor races in for an easy Rifter kill. Give it a try and see how you fare.




[Rifter, Can Flipper 400]


400mm Reinforced Rolled Tungsten Plates I
Energized Adaptive Nano Membrane II
Adaptive Nano Plating II

J5b Phased Prototype Warp Scrambler I
X5 Prototype I Engine Enervator
X5 Prototype I Engine Enervator

200mm AutoCannon II, Republic Fleet EMP S
200mm AutoCannon II, Republic Fleet EMP S
200mm AutoCannon II, Republic Fleet EMP S
Rocket Launcher II, Caldari Navy Gremlin Rocket

Small Ancillary Current Router I
Small Anti-Explosive Pump I
Small Trimark Armor Pump I


This is a specialist ship which should be used in one role only. Can flipping on stations or where you know your enemy can't run. It lacks a propulsion module but you won't need it, it punches with 200mm autocannons and has a Rocket Launcher for added dps. This ship can make a mess out of any frigate, intie, assault frigate and faction frig. Once the pilot has worked out what is going on then often it is too late.

You will notice that there is no Damage Control in the lows, here instead we've opted for a an EANM II to increase the time it takes our opponent to chew through our armor plating. It is further enhanced with a Nano Plating - this giving a good armor resistance spread of around 74% EMP - 57% Thermal - 51% Kinetic - 55% Explosive.

So we've landed the dual webs on our opponent. Now we need to keep transversal to absolute 0. We do this by 'keeping range' the magic number again being somewhere between 3-4k. We don't orbit and we don't want anything orbiting us - the 200mm cannons will struggle to track anything but the high damage that they can kick out is a deciding factor in the strategy. Before your opponent realises he needs to get out it is usually game over. One more thing, don't even think about using this Rifter in any other role than it is intended for, it will get laughed at.


[Rifter, Arty Rifter]


Nanofiber Internal Structure II
Pseudoelectron Containment Field I
Gyrostabilizer II

Cold-Gas I Arcjet Thrusters
J5 Prototype Warp Disruptor I
'Langour' Drive Disruptor I

280mm Howitzer Artillery II, Republic Fleet Fusion S
280mm Howitzer Artillery II, Republic Fleet Fusion S
280mm Howitzer Artillery II, Republic Fleet Fusion S
[empty high slot]

Small Ancillary Current Router I
Small Low Friction Nozzle Joints I
Small Auxiliary Thrusters I


The Artillery clad Rifter, once it has you in its hold it is often hard to break away from. It is also a fast variant and gives you the option of getting out should you need.

The 280mm Howitzer's can hit for some mean volley damage. With an optimal of around 7k and a fall-off of 11k your main tactic here is to land your Disruptor and start dishing out the pain, once you land an overloaded web you can flirt around this range whilst your opponent (hopefully in an afterburner fit ship - 98% of the time he will be) struggles to get close to you and in the confusion doesn't know whether to keep going for you or to make his escape. By the time he has worked it out he is usually dead.

Any frigate with an afterburner should be fair game to you whilst flying the Arty Rifter. Even assault frigates should be taken on and faction frigates if you're sure they aren't packing an MWD.




[Rifter, Crazy Dual Rep Rifter]


Small Armor Repairer II
Small Armor Repairer II
Damage Control II

Small Capacitor Booster II, Cap Booster 150
1MN Afterburner II
Warp Scrambler II

150mm Light AutoCannon II, Republic Fleet Phased Plasma S
150mm Light AutoCannon II, Republic Fleet Phased Plasma S
150mm Light AutoCannon II, Republic Fleet Phased Plasma S
Rocket Launcher II, Caldari Navy Thorn Rocket

Small Nanobot Accelerator I
Small Auxiliary Nano Pump I
Small Anti-Explosive Pump I


Last of all on our list of exotic Rifter fits and one that really is a hair-raising edge of your seat experience to fly, the Dual Rep Rifter. It has about 30 seconds of base capacitor to play with on paper with all things running, however, we don't fight on paper.

First you need to get comfortable with how it is set-up and what to expect. In the lows we've got the two reppers and a damage control. The DC II gives less resists on paper as opposed to an EANM II but there's one very important thing you need to remember with this ship. You WILL be fighting in hull, if you've got no damage control fitted you will explode due to structure bleed, ignore this at your own peril.

Your armor repairers should be set to auto-repeat off and should always be overloaded and once you start receiving damage a good tactic is to stagger the reps slightly. Your cap booster is also an important tool - this should be set to auto-repeat off and auto-reload on. You should inject cap just before you're about to hit empty and then again if needed, this should give you enough cap until the next reload cycle is completed. You remembered the spare booster charges in the hold right?

This is by far the craziest Rifter I think I've ever flown but it is great fun. You will need fingers like lightning to micro-manage all the modules and keep an eye on range, what your opponent is doing, how much damage you're soaking up, any drones that may need killing, keeping an eye on that structure bleed ready for the mail man to deliver the bad news. It really does make for a fantastic experience and you should give this frigate a try at least once. I've taken down a Taranis before in this and scared the living daylights out of other inties and assault frigates. It is like a little necromancer bringing itself back from the dead. Popping an Exile can also add to your survivability.

I've also used a Nosferatu module (in place of the Rocket Launcher) for added cap and even an Energy Neutralizer which gives you about 12 seconds of cap to play with. Have a little flight time with it, you'll lose a few but you'll have fun in the process.


These fits are by no means the be all and end all, they're probably a little raw in places and somebody will always have their own version and tweaks that give an extra edge. These are just a guide and should be used as such. Happy hunting!



MB.