Tripods

Commonly referred to as "Link Boats", these ships provide Area of Effect bonuses to improve the performance of the fleet using Command Burst modules. Be warned however, these are high-priority targets for enemy fleets, and so need to be watchlisted by friendly Logistics at all times, and be paying attention to when they are being shot at by the enemy fleet.

In a Tripod fleet, the preferred Command Burst modules are Skirmish for speed, agility and tackle range, Information for targeting speed, range and resistance to EWAR, and Shield for increased EHP and remote repair efficiency.

Cyclone Fittings
Links Medium SP

When hitting larger fleet sizes, a Keres point can be fun for pointing stuff at 50km so your caracals can pound them. Similarly, the Hyena can be used to web off charging tackle, or web the primary or anchor of the enemy fleet, to help with range control and damage applictation.

Think of these like the Huginn and Lachesis of the fleet.

Keres Fittings
EWAR Medium SP

Hyena Fittings
EWAR Medium SP

This fleet can benefit from scouting interceptors, interdictors, tackle and general EWAR.

Fast Tackle
Tackle Low SP

Shield Interdictors
Interdiction Medium SP

Midges (EWAR)
EWAR Minimal SP ALPHA

Tech 1 Tackle
Tackle Minimal SP ALPHA

Anchor on your FC by keeping at range 500m with your microwarpdrive off. Your FC will tell you when to use your propulsion module ("prop mod") and for how many cycles to run it. Keep your hardener off until the enemy fleet is yellow boxing you, then overheat it and broadcast for reps.

Follow broadcasts, Be sure to reload when your FC if your FC asks you to—the long reload time on Rapid Light Missile Launchers means that being on a different reload cycle from the rest of the fleet might make the difference between killing a target and them catching reps.

Caracals represent the skirmish shield fleet archetype well, with MWDs, high burst damage and a respectable range. They are an excellent doctrine for FCs of all skills levels, and can often be the first cruiser-level doctrine with logi that newer FCs use. Caracals offer excellent versatility while being cheap and easy for line members to fly.

Caracals excel at engaging fleets cruiser-sized and down. They are fast for fleet cruisers, have very high DPS and can apply very well to targets of all sizes, including frigates. The use of missiles means they don’t need to worry about silly things like tracking and can apply full damage at roughly 60km, which is pretty good for the price. The RLML system makes the doctrine outstanding for clearing off small, light ships that could hamper the fleet’s mobility, meaning Caracals can generally move about the grid with ease. They can be used in strategic situations but only if the hostile forces are potentially susceptible to Caracals. They are very versatile - meaning they can engage hostile fleets of all different types of composition usually with at least moderate success. They are also very good for fighting off the small gangs that often roam through Brave's space. If enemies show up in some random crusier-down comp and you aren't exactly sure what to bring, Caracals will often be at least moderately effective at the job.

Caracals are rather lightly tanked, and the Brave fit specifically has an EM hole due to it having a missile range rig instead of a more typical EM resist rig. They also have a large signature radius, meaning anything that can fire out to the Caracals’ range can usually track them well. This makes medium rails a problem for Caracals: the doctrine does not stack up well against Moas and Feroxes. Beams and Artillery are generally less of an issue as they have falloff issues at the range Caracals usually fight at, but they can still be a major problem if hostile FCs get position on you. The RLML weapon system also has a long reload cycle, during which the fleet will be applying little to no damage. The key to winning fights with Caracals is taking advantage of the doctrine’s range to apply high damage while staying mobile and ready to reposition should the situation call for it.

Caracals are great for:

• Fighting roaming small gangs
• Engaging most T1 cruiser fleets
• Engaging destroyer-down fleets
• Killing light support ships and tackle
• Teaching new FCs the ropes of the shield skirmish fleet archetype
• Being extremely versatile for a low cost

Caracals are not very good at:

• Dealing with cruiser fleets with T2 logi/support
• Fighting medium sized fleets with ships larger than cruisers
• Fighting ships that use medium rails
• Handling targets that need long-term sustained DPS

A Caracal fleet should be mostly Caracals. Unless you know you will be forced to put up with a lot of damage, you can generally get away with a heavier mix of DPS to Logi ships compared to some other fleet doctrines. While logi is important, ideally you are mitigating damage using your range and speed, compared to something like Mallers which must be able to put up with a heavy amount of punishment.

Bring a Hyena and a Keres if you can for those long-range points that Caracals lack. Each one costs about as much as a Caracal while significantly amplifying the fleet’s capability to hold targets in place while you pound them. A Keres is generally more useful than a Hyena.

• 65 – 75% Caracals
• 25-30% Logistics
• 5-10% Key EWAR support (Keres, Hyena)
• Remainder support:
  • Dictors (Min 1-2)
  • Interceptors/T1 Tackle (Min 2-3)
  • EWar (Anyone who cant fly any of the above)

Caracals are a skirmishing doctrine. As such, you should attempt to land at range on the enemy fleet, between 30-70km away depending on what you are facing. Logistics should immediately pull range and put the DPS fleet between them and hostiles. Caracals should immediately anchor up and begin locking and firing on primaries. Use the MWD liberally to keep in the desired range of hostile fleets, but you need to tell your fleet to cycle prop mods off when you are in range to conserve cap. Most of your fleet won’t be able to infinitely run MWD and hardeners, meaning cap conservation is important when flying Caracals.

Generally your DPS wing should fire on lock, no need to synchronize volleys. Killing enemies should be easy, as Caracals do high DPS and should be able to break through even tougher ships. You need to designate one or two people to tell you when a reload cycle is approaching as the reload timer is long and during that period your fleet will have next to no damage. One danger in longer engagements is that your fleet starts to get off sync with regard to missile reloads and you have a situation where a quarter of your fleet is stuck reloading and therefore as a whole you are not doing enough damage to break through enemy ships. You need to direct your fleet to reload all at the same time, even if they have a few missiles left in their bays. Feel free to pull range when you are reloading if you need to reduce damage. Make sure to have your designated fleet members tell you when they are done reloading, as well.

Regarding your light drones, just have fleet members use them to follow primaries.

If you are fighting a small gang fleet, you might want to have your logistics stay a little closer to you to ensure you are getting full reps. If you are getting kited, do not chase. Fortunately, Caracals are excellent at killing the small ships that often accompany small gangs as tackle, so just screen them off by killing them or pushing them out of range, warp your fleet away and then reposition. If you are facing fast kiting gangs, try to probe the hostiles at 0 so your tacklers can grab tackle quickly and you can nab kills before they get killed by the hostile gang’s own anti-support elements.

Different enemies will seek to fight you in different ways, but one thing they might try is to burn in to you close so they can apply more damage. If that is the case, make sure you call your fleet to pull range. If hostiles have managed to get a Svipul or Maller fleet on you at 0, you did something wrong. You are a fast cruiser that excels at killing small tackle ships, meaning you should be able to dictate range in the vast majority of situations. If you get bubbled, kill the dictor immediately and burn out – which should be easy to do with your MWD.

Other hostiles might have weapon systems that apply well at range. In this case, you will need to assess their fleet comp and determine if you can get on top of them by probing them at close range. If you have larger numbers or higher DPS then maybe you can just blob them. If you have less DPS and less numbers, you are probably outmatched and should beat a hasty retreat.

Everything within range is an easy target for a Caracal. If you can snag a few hostile logistics before they pull range, it is generally a good idea to do so. Unless you have such a big blob of Caracals that you are able to alpha targets, going after logi first will enable you to kill a few more targets between reload cycles. If for some reason you have stupid dessies or frigates making a run at your fleet, annihilate them if they could pose a threat. If you are having trouble breaking enemy DPS ships but their logistics are separated, you could try repositioning the fleet and then probing their logi, or just burning your fleet around with your superior speed until you can get hostile logi in range. Use the fleet’s superior range dictation to shape the engagement to your choosing.

Your logistics may not have the capacitor to keep up with you if you MWD around a lot. You need to be closely coordinating with your logi anchor to make sure your fleet can continue to receive reps. Try to MWD into range and then turn props off, which will allow for both your Caracals and your Scythes to recharge some cap. If you are trading 1 for 1 with an enemy fleet and you begin to hit a reload cycle, try pulling range or warping to a tac on grid so that you do not continue losing ships while your fleet reloads. Don’t worry too much about leaving drones behind, though do try to get them scooped if possible.

The Keres and Hyena in your fleet should both be watchlisted and ideally prelocked by friendly logi since they have hardly any tank. They will be easy pickings for enemy fleets of all shapes and sizes. Again, a Keres is more useful so if you can only have one of these ships, make it a Keres. A boosted Keres with a normal T2 point can disrupt well past 50km, making targets easy pickings for your fleet. A Hyena’s webs with max skills can only go to roughly 48km, so make a judgement call on whether you want one or need one.

Finally, ideally you are sending out scouts beforehand to assess an enemy fleet’s composition. Missiles allow you to take advantage of selectable damage, so select the missile type that targets the enemy’s largest resist hole. If you don't know what you are matching up against before you get on grid, you probably screwed up. However, Inferno is usually a good place to start, then when your fleet is approaching reload cycle, have them swap to the missiles that make the most sense for what you're fighting.

Fleet boosts are great for Caracals. They help Caracals go from good to great in the role they play, particularly skirmish boosts which can increase speed by up to 500m/s. The interdiction maneuvers boost can also be majorly helpful for the Keres. However, boosts are not necessary to make Caracals effective. New FCs are perfectly fine running fleets without boosts. Take them if you can get them, but don’t worry too much if you can’t. You don’t need more than two main fleet boosters covering the first 4 links on the below priority list unless you have a massive Caracal blob, or are engaging a more dangerous fleet.

The following is your boost priority order.

1. Rapid Deployment
2. Sensor Optimization
3. Shield Extension
4. Shield Harmonizing
5. Active Shielding
6. Interdiction Maneuvers
7. Evasive Maneuvers
8. Sensor Hardening
9. Electronic Superiority