Talwars

The Talwar's seven missile hardpoints for light missiles and it's bonus damage for Nova explosive missiles means that a group of them can deliver a single very hard punch every missile cycle. In addition, it has a bonus to long range missiles, leading to Light Missile Launchers with excellent range. It's third bonus is to microwarpdrive(MWD) signature penalty (how big a target your ship presents to hostiles) so when using the MWD your ship has a passive benefit of being "smaller" than other destroyers. These benefits combine to make the Talwar a very good newbro friendly offensive platform.

When you are flying in a Talwar fleet, it is important to check the range of your missiles. It should be above 65 kilometers at all times. It is equally important that everyone in a Talwar fleet fires their missiles at the same time. Methods to achieve this differ between FCs. Some will have everyone lock up a broadcast and fire as soon as they are able, while some will insist on waiting until they call the order to fire. Both achieve relatively the same objective.

There may come a point when using Talwars that you will be asked to sort by distance and fire on closest target. It is recommended that for this reason that you sort your overview by distance when fighting with Talwars to prepare for this eventuality.

The Sensor Booster modules should be loaded with Targeting Range Scripts by default and activated at all times.

Pilots flying the optimal Talwar should load the Sensor Dampener with Targeting Range Dampening Scripts by default and use it on hostile ships that can shoot at long range. Your FC may ask you to target specific ships. You can also use the module with a Scan Resolution Dampening Script loaded on hostile logistics. With the Sensor Damp and Sensor Booster both running, you won’t be cap stable, so turn off the damp as needed to conserve cap. Keeping pace with the fleet is more of a priority than applying damps.

Talwars are an excellent doctrine for first-time and newbie FCs to use. Talwars can fire out to 70km with basic skills while applying great damage relative to the cost of the ship. Speaking of cost, these ships are cheap, even for newbros, meaning you don’t need to be too concerned if the fleet dies in a horrible fire. The ship is fast for a destroyer, which, combined with its extensive range, makes it difficult to pin down for similarly matched fleets. Talwars are fast, cheap, easy to use and fun to fly.

The drawbacks to Talwars include relatively poor damage over time, meaning hostile fleets with logistics wings are more likely to have time to catch repairs. They have zero tank modules, meaning they are paper-thin and can easily be killed by enemies who can apply even moderate amounts of damage. The main method of mitigating damage in Talwars is to avoid it altogether by staying far away from the enemy fleet.

Talwars are great for:

• Fun fleets
• New FCs
• Killing frigates and short- to mid-range destroyers
• Fighting small gang fleets using “elite PVP” ships like Orthrus, Garmur, Keres, Osprey Navy Issue, Omen Navy Issue, etc.
• Kiting (using speed and range to stay outside of the enemy’s effective killing radius while keeping him in your own radius)

Talwars are bad at:

• Strategic fleets
• Fighting other long-range ships (Cormorants, Jackdaws, Hecates)
• Staying alive under sustained damage from hostiles
• Fighting cruiser-sized and up fleets with logistics wings

Talwar fleets should largely consist of almost all Talwars – greatly simplifying engagement and disengagement. A few tackle frigates can be thrown in to help hold targets down while you pound them with the main fleet. Aim for the following fleet composition:

• 90 – 95% Talwars
• 5-10% T1 Tackle + T1 Ewar

When you land on grid, have your fleet anchor up on you and keep their MWDs (microwarpdrives) running permanently. You should be warping the fleet at either 50 or 70km from most targets, though this can vary. Try to keep your fleet between 60-70km away from enemies. This is a good distance for Brave fleets to ensure most of your fleet will be able to apply damage, though Talwar pilots with higher skills can fire missiles at targets more than 80km away. At this range, most of the hostile ships you will encounter will not be able to do much damage, while your fleet should be able to give them a beating. If you want to fight from farther than 70km, ask your fleet to put their missile ranges in fleet chat so you can estimate the average range at which your fleet is capable of fighting.

Priority targets include ships that can project damage at a range that matches Talwars. As mentioned above, this fleet isn’t good at fighting Jackdaws, Cormorants or other long-range ships, but if they enemy fleet only has a few of these, make them your first targets. Small ships burning in to tackle your fleet are also priority targets: it only takes a handful of Talwars to alpha (kill in one volley) nearly any frigate.

If an enemy fleet is gaining ground on you or gains position on you, reposition your own fleet by warping out and warping back in at an appropriate range. Talwars align very fast and should be able to out-position most types of fleets that pose a danger to them. It’s very normal for Talwar fleets to reposition themselves multiple times in a single engagement - that’s part of the fun!

The optimal version of Talwars is capable of being flown by all but the newest pilots, meaning most of your fleet members should be able to take advantage of the sensor dampener module in the midslot of the “Optimal Talwar.” Using these modules loaded with targeting range dampening scripts en masse is extremely effective at neutering ships by decreasing their targeting range, making them unable to even lock your fleet. Have your fleet apply these modules to hostiles that can apply damage to you at long range. Again Jackdaws, Cormorants, Hecates and Confessors are all good candidates. If none of these types of ships are on field, go after enemy logistics ships with scan resolution dampening scripts, or simply have your Talwars pick random targets and apply their ewar modules with targeting range scripts loaded.

Your tackle ships should not be staying with the fleet. They should be either making pings on the battlefield or holding down targets. Hostile pilots who are competent will warp away once you begin applying too much damage. As a result, you need tacklers to prevent them from warping away while your fleet shoots them. T1 tackle ships are recommended for Talwar fleets because they are very cheap and will teach fellow newbies the basics of fleet tackle. They will often be the only target your enemy can feasibly shoot, meaning they are very likely to die, so bring a handful of T1 tacklers along with a Talwar fleet.

You do not need fleet boosts to have successful Talwar fleets. In fact most Talwar fleets will not use boosts. However, Command Destroyers can make excellent boosting ships for Talwar fleets because they can keep pace with the fleet while significantly increasing mobility through judicious use of the Micro Jump Field Generator. Other boosting ships are too slow, expensive and unwieldy for Talwar fleets.

Have your booster make sure they can hit roughly 1700-1800 m/s with a MWD on or they are going to have a bad time.

The following is your boost priority order.

1. Rapid Deployment
2. Evasive Maneuvers
3. Sensor Optimization
4. Shield Harmonizing
5. Shield Extension
6. Electronic Superiority

Keep in mind that the Talwar is a cheap ship. This doctrine is meant for fun roams, giving new players their first taste of fleet combat and general screwing around and mayhem. Therefore, there’s no need to splurge on expensive fits or ships for FC boats.

With that in mind, there are two suggested FC fits. One FC Talwar and an FC Jackdaw. New FCs are strongly recommended to use the FC Talwar. It is perfectly capable of doing the job, and since you will be the same ship type as the majority of the fleet, you are a lot less likely to be singled out. You will know when you are ready to step up into a Jackdaw.

The FC Talwar has everything you need for a great time on Talwar fleets. By default it comes with T1 combat scanner probes, feel free to upgrade to Sisters Combat Scanner Probes if you have trouble resolving signatures. You don’t have room for missile launchers but you can use the target painter on primaries to help follow along with the fleet.

[Talwar, [DOC] FC Talwar]
Signal Amplifier II
Nanofiber Internal Structure II
Co-Processor II

5MN Quad LiF Restrained Microwarpdrive
Sensor Booster II
Phased Scoped Target Painter

Expanded Probe Launcher I
[empty high slot]
[empty high slot]
[empty high slot]
[empty high slot]
[empty high slot]
[empty high slot]

Small Processor Overclocking Unit I
Small Processor Overclocking Unit I
Small Ionic Field Projector I

Targeting Range Script x1
Scan Resolution Script x1
Nanite Repair Paste x30
Combat Scanner Probe I x16

The Jackdaw is much tankier than a Talwar. You need to stay permanently in Sharpshooter Mode with the Missile Range Script in the Guidance Computer and activated to be able to shoot out to the range at which you should be fighting. The fit has been designed to be as fast as the speedy Talwar while in Sharpshooter Mode so don’t worry about slowing your fleet down.

You aren’t cap stable so it’s recommended you keep your tank modules deactivated until you need them. Understand that as a Jackdaw among Talwars, you will stick out to hostiles as a big fat juicy target, meaning you NEED to be quick on the draw in activating your hardeners, toggling defensive mode and/or repositioning the fleet. The Jackdaw costs six times the normal Talwar so you will feel pretty dumb if you die in a way that could have been avoided. Remember that the key to Talwars is mobility, so don’t be shy about repositioning multiple times.

[Jackdaw, [DOC] FC Jackdaw – Talwar Fleet]
Nanofiber Internal Structure II
Overdrive Injector System II
Damage Control II

5MN Quad LiF Restrained Microwarpdrive
Missile Guidance Computer II
EM Shield Hardener II
Medium F-S9 Regolith Compact Shield Extender
Multispectrum Shield Hardener II

Light Missile Launcher II
Light Missile Launcher II
Light Missile Launcher II
Expanded Probe Launcher I
Light Missile Launcher II
Light Missile Launcher II

Small Core Defense Field Extender I
Small Core Defense Field Extender I
Small Core Defense Field Extender I

Caldari Navy Nova Light Missile x1200
Nanite Repair Paste x50
Missile Range Script x2