The Saber of the Federation: Close Quater Combat Fleet.

A Fleet To Rule Them All:

It has been a while since I have talked about a fleet comp ...

Real life has been getting in the way and as such it has taken me more than a month to write this blog about what is quickly becoming one of my favourite fleets, the C.Q.C. Shield Assault Frigate Fleet. The brain child of Gallente FC Guiyan has spawned a corp C.Q.B lead by the Perunga. In its most complex form this fleet is designed to transverse the warzone quickly using its speed and agility to out maneuver the larger more bulky cruiser fleet. In its simplest form it is a wall of DPS that is out to capture and destroy its prey both quickly and effectively. Whilst the Gallente Militias Ishtar Fleet is still the Federations great sword C.Q.C has becomes its saber, a swift blade of death.

CALLING All DEEPS:

The base of C.Q.C. is it DPS, like any fleet it is impossible to get the fleet off the ground without a good DPS base. Attempting to capitalize on the power of blasters, three Hulls were considered for the fleet. The first was the Federation Navy Comet, with a 7.5% per level damage bonus, 20% damage bonus and being one of the fastest ships in the game it was perfect for new Federation pilots to get into, and because LP was used to buy the ship it became a cheap platform of DPS, rocking 245 DPS and being able to move at over 3k with links it became the fleets heavy tackle. 

The second ship added to the DPS squad was the Shield Blaster Enyo, with its 10% damage bonus and its 10% optimal range bonus it is able to be used effectively in tight battles. It does not however have the tank of the Harpy or the speed of the Comet, but in terms of raw DPS it is the king of the frigate world, with a small sig, these ships are able to hit well above their weight and make up the bulk of the fleet. 

The final ship added to the DPS squad is the Harpy "long range" Blaster platform, with a tank that can get over 15,000 EHP these ships tend to be the last ships targeted in the fleet. But with two 10% optimal range bonus and 5% damage bonus the Harpy can pull off 250 DPS and acts as first damage. These three ships working together are deadly combination.

The Supporting Cast:

While the leads get the credit, it is the supporting cast that makes the show. It is no different in C.Q.C. Here the cast can be mixed and matched to make some incredible magic. First, in the Kitsune Electronic Attack Frigate while his bigger brothers the Blackbird, Falcon, and Rook sport a hardier tank the Kitsune is able is rocket around the battle field at over 3.4k with links. This makes it very hard to catch and because of this it usually acts as the first. The second muse in the fleet is the range control Hyena, this Minmattar Electronic Attack Frig is able to put long range webs out on any target out to 25k with links. This ablity makes it perfect in gate camps as well as inside plexes to maintain range on targets. The third is the Keres E.A.F, this Gallente boat hosts a couple different fittings that make it as useful and versatile as a Swiss Army Knife. The first fitting is the roaming long point and damps, where it uses its 7.5% bonus to Senor Dampener as an effective means to neutralize DPS or enemy logistics. The second is in gate camps where its 5 med slots make it perfect as a fleets insist and long range point.

Last are the interceptors that act as the FCs eyes and ears while on the move. Fast and nearly impossible to catch they spread out and seek targets for C.Q.B. to engage. Most the time they are the first wave of tackle in any roaming fleet.

Logi Bros, Best Bros

When C.Q.C. Fleets first rolled out of hangers it was not hard to decide what ship was going to command the logi role. While the new Logistic Frigs could do some great things, they were just not of what C.Q.C needed. So the new Logistic Cruiser the Minmatar Scythe was put into action. With its bonus to range and repair amount; it would become the work horse of C.Q.C. roaming fleets. It also became clear that it would be the only Cruiser that would be up to

the task of keeping up with the fast roaming fleet. While its size keeps C.Q.C out of small and novice plexes, the Cruiser has become a best friend to everyone that has flown in one of these fleets.

Lasting Impressions:

The Gallente Militia will always hold that armor cruiser gangs are its work horse. Whether it be with guns and laser (Mallers and Thoraxes) or Drones (VNI and Ishtars), armor cruisers will always be there to protect Federal Space. But I contend that in the last two years no fleet has had the lasting impact that the C.Q.C. has had. While alliances bicker over which cruiser gang is better, nearly every corp has a training program in place to get its members into a C.Q.C. Fleet Doctrine ship as fast as possible. It is a fleet that can act as a stand alone hunter killer, or as a support fleet for cruiser gangs and up. It carries with it raw DPS that is mostly unmatched by other Frigate hull gangs, and is able to punish medium size cruiser gangs and small battleship gangs. As time moves forward I believe that we will see this fleet to continue to evolve in an ever changing warzone.