Moving Around Hulkageddon IV - Cruisers

With Hulkageddon IV placing haulers on the kill list, a lot of people will look for alternatives to industrials to move their goods around.  For those who need to move more than a cargo frigate can transport, a cruiser is the next solution that is both relatively cheap and quick to train for.

For cruiser-class ships, two vessels really shine at hauling freight, the Gallente Exequror (2459) and the Amarr Augoror (2383).  The Augoror has the advantage over the Exequror because the ship's maximum cargo capacity of 2383 m3 with 5 Expanded Cargo II and 3 Medium Cargo Optimization I is reached once Amarr Cruiser I is trained.  The Exequror, with a 10% bonus to cargo space for each level of Gallente Cruiser trained, pulls ahead of the Augoror when Gallente Cruiser is trained to III, at which point fitting 3 Expanded Cargo II and 3 Medium Cargo Optimization I gains the ship 2459 m3 in cargo capacity.  But don't forget the added capacity for carrying loose goods brought by using cargo containers.  The Augoror can carry 3 large cargo containers,  1 medium cargo container and 1 small cargo container for an additional 475 m3 of cargo space while by training to Gallente Cruiser III, the Exequror can hold and additional small cargo container for 495 m3 of added cargo space.

These ships have extra utility besides carrying cargo.  Both are tech 1 logistics ships.  The Augoror specialized in cap transfer while the Exequror is a remote armor repair ship.  So while better rigs may exist to fit on these two ships, the extra cargo space will allow more cap booster charges to be carried to accomplish a logistics mission.  Also, if flying a remote repair ship makes sense after Hulkageddon is over, training Gallente Cruiser up to IV to get the additional 10% bonus to cargo space makes sense.

One final note about these two ships.  Training to fly these two ships is actually faster than training to maximize your cargo capacity flying the cargo frigates I wrote about yesterday.  However, the cargo frigates, both the hulls and the rigs, are cheaper.  The frigates are also more agile, so are faster making longer trips.

I also need to make an observation about both posts.  I have fitted tech 1 rigs instead of tech 2 rigs because I assume that once Hulkageddon is over pilots will want to move back to actual haulers.  Tech 2 rigs cost a whole lot more.  However, if you want to pimp out your ships with the very best, be my guest.  After all, unless Helicity gets tired of organizing, I'm pretty sure Hulkageddon V will come to New Eden sometime this fall.

Moving Around Hulkageddon IV - Cargo Frigates

With Hulkageddon IV due to hit Eve Online next week, a lot of people are looking for ways to move their products in ships other than the traditional hauler.  This is especially true for those looking to move their planetary interaction products between their colonies and for whom getting their hauler full of P1 or P2 goods ganked would be a serious financial loss.

One class of ship to use is the cargo frigate.  A class of ship more often used for exploration due to its probing bonuses, the cargo frigate may just be useful to those who need to move limited amounts of cargo around.  The frigate with the most cargo capacity is the Amarr Magnate, followed by the Matari Probe and Gallente Imicus.  With 3 low slots, when rigged with Small Cargohold Optimization I, 3 Extended Cargohold II and the racial frigate skill trained to V, the Magnate can hold 1009 m3 (see note below) of cargo while the Probe and Imicus, with only 2 low slots, can hold 989 m3 of cargo.  This is important because with that cargo capacity, all three ships can hold one Large Standard Container and one Medium Standard Container, increasing the cargo capacity for small items by 195 m3. 

This leaves the Heron, the Caldari cargo frigate with only one low slot, such a poor fourth choice for moving cargo around I didn't bother

Please note that flying a cargo frigate will make you safe from those killing ships in high-sec during Hulkageddon IV.  If pirate gangs start using smart bombs around a gate, your ship most likely will die.  But at least you will not be a target.

Note:  The Magnate cargo amounts are not EFT verified for including the frigate skill bonus.  However, without a bonus, the cargo capacity with 3 Small Cargohold Optimization I and 3 Extended Cargohold II is 1009 m3, greater than the Probe and Imicus with a max skill pilot.  I'll update the post with confirmed numbers when I get home. 

Note to self - Don't correct yourself.  The Magnate doesn't get a cargo bonus.