How to Rat in an Ishtar
The Ishtar is an Heavy Assault Cruiser that emulates the VNIs of old. It can run most sites with little to no input required, making it a good ship if you don't like active ratting.
You can make around 15-20 million isk/tick (every 20 minutes) using this fit, assuming a 100% Bounty Risk Modifier.
Ishtar
Gallente Heavy Assault Cruiser
The Ratting Progression Chain
The Vexor Newbro Edition
Gallente T1 Cruiser
Free From The Dojo! Low Skills
The Ratting Myrmidon
Gallente T1 Battlecruiser
~80 Million ISK Low Skills
The Ratting Gila
Guristas Faction Cruiser
~390 Million ISK Low Skills
The Isktar
Gallente Heavy Assault Cruiser
~225 Million ISK Medium Skills
Ratting Marauders
Caldari / Gallente Marauders
1 - 2 Billion ISK High Skills
Ratting Carriers
Minmatar Carrier
3 - 4 Billion ISK Capital Skills
Ratting Supers
Minmatar Supercarrier
38 - 42 Billion ISK Capital Skills
Fittings
The Ishtar can easily take on most sites in Blood Raider space. The afterburner allows you to sig-tank almost all incoming damage, while the dual armor repairers give you some regenerative tank to work with if you get a bad orbit or come under attack. The ship's insane hull bonuses combined with the Omnidirectional Tracking Link and Drone Navigation Computer give its large drones better tracking and equivalent speed to a Gila's mediums, plus 30% more damage.
Ratting Ishtar - Delve + Querious
This Fit Requires Capacitor Stability!
[Ishtar, Ratting Ishtar - Delve + Querious] Medium Armor Repairer II Medium Armor Repairer II Drone Damage Amplifier II Drone Damage Amplifier II Drone Damage Amplifier II Drone Damage Amplifier II 10MN Afterburner II Omnidirectional Tracking Link II Drone Navigation Computer II Large Compact Pb-Acid Cap Battery Drone Link Augmentor II Drone Link Augmentor II Medium EM Armor Reinforcer II Medium EM Armor Reinforcer II Praetor II x11 Hornet EC-300 x5 Acolyte II x5 Infiltrator II x5 Tracking Speed Script x1 Optimal Range Script x1
How to Run Sites
If You're New to Ratting
Give the Introduction to Ratting page a read to avoid common mistakes and get some background knowledge.
Running Each Site
Your Afterburner, Armor Repairers, and Omnidirectional Tracking Link should always be active while you're in a site.
- Warp to the site at 30 km.
- Find an object around the center of where the rats are spawning, and orbit it at 35 km.
- Drop Praetor II's and aggress a rat.
- If your drones come under attack, recall them, give the rats a few seconds to re-aggress you, then re-launch and re-aggress them.
Kill Order: Cruisers → Destroyers → Frigates → Battlecruisers → Battleships
Site-Specific Information
Some sites require special attention due to a particularly nasty wave or unusual mechanics.
Havens (Gas Variant)
- The initial spawn of this site puts out an immense amount of alpha damage. You need to establish transversal as quickly as possible on land.
- Part of this site's initial spawn are two sentry guns. You want to immediately focus these down on land.
- Several of this site's spawns contains enough webbing frigates to compromise your tank. You want to primary frigate spawns of 3 or more as soon as they pop up.
Havens (Stargate Variant)
- The second last wave of this site spawns 3 - 4 Energy Neutralizing Cruisers. You want to immediately focus these down after they spawn before they can get into neuting range. Turn off your Armor Repairers from the start of this spawn until the cruisers are dead.
- The final wave of this site may spawn NPC Capitals. If an NPC Capital appears you must warp off immediately to avoid being volleyed.
Hubs
- This site has a warp-in position unusually far off the rats' spawn point. You'll want to warp to this site at zero.
Additional Information
Runnable Sites
The sites in this list have been tested and determined to be runnable using the above fit(s). It is not necessarily comprehensive, and some sites may require special attention which will be noted in the section above.
- Blood Raider Havens (Both Variants)
- Blood Raider Forsaken Hubs
- Blood Raider Hubs
- Blood Raider Forsaken Rally Points
If You Get Tackled
For Light Resistance
"Light" resistance is a single frigate or destroyer.
- Begin aligning to a citadel.
- Immediately switch all damage to the ship tackling you.
- If the point drops or the enemy ship dies, warp off.
For Heavy Resistance
Anything that's stronger than "Light" resistance is "Heavy" resistance.
- Begin aligning to a citadel.
- Immediately switch all damage to the weakest tackle ship on field.
- Start screaming on comms and in fleet for support.