Gank Brutix - Real Men Hull Tank

T0day I'd like to bring into the spotlight a ship that I'm very fond of and show you how it can be effective, despite all the shortcomings - I'm talking of course about the Tier 1 Gallente BC, the Brutix.


Now, this is a blaster boat through and through (NO railguns recommended). Its 7.5% bonus to armor repair suggest an armor tanking configuration (dual repped even), but that would fill many low slots and gimp the fierce damage potential this ship definitely shows. I very much prefer using a Brutix over a Thorax in the role of a disposable gank boat because even if it's slower, it packs more of a punch and it stands a better, if still slim, chance of survival.

Ideally you'd use this setup in roaming gangs and in large BS fleets where you stand less of a chance of getting primaried due to your smaller size.

So in the low slots, drop the MAR, forget the resist mods and slap on 3 Magnetic Field Stabilizers (3 being about the maximum useful number of any module to which stacking penalties apply). This leaves you with 2 low slots, in which you will try to fit a simulacrum of a tank consisting of a Damage Control Unit II and 1x Reinforced Bulkheads II - which will make the most of the brutix' oversized hull HP. You could fit an 800mm plate instead, but EFT shows that effective hitpoints would be lower in that case and by doing so you'd be left with very little PG to fit the med slots once you've fitted a full rack of 7 Heavy Ion Blaster II's.

For the mid slots, an absolute must is the 10MN Microwarp Drive (T1 if T2 doesn't fit), then the Warp Disruptor or Scrambler, and in the last 2 slots 2 of the following: Capacitor Booster, Tracking Computer, ECCM array, Stasis Webifier and Sensor Booster with a Scan Resolution Script.

In the ammo department, load your cargohold with Void, Null (to be able to gun stuff down at 10km) and Antimatter (if you load the Navy variety, don't load too much, chances are you won't have time to expend it all)

Drone-wise fit according to circumstance - either a flight of medium T2's or sacrifice DPS for versatility and load a flight of medium ECM drones, or if you're feeling lucky even a set of 5 armor or shield maintenance bots (but I recommend sticking with the ECM drones...)

In the right circumstances, this ship can be a monster, but the pilot needs to be aware of its shortcomings and limitations. This is no solo ship and the suggested tactic is you warp in after the fight has already started, close distance fast and hug your victim at point blank while pumping them full of Navy Antimatter or Void and wrecking collateral damage with your drones.
Work in close connection with a tackler - once a target is immobilized, warp in, gun it down, warp out and repeat.

Losing the ship is bound to happen sooner or later - my record was I think 4 sorties on a T1 fitted version of the above setup. It's not an expensive ship to lose if insured - even less so if you're like me and can mass produce the T2 fitting yourself. For the T1 version, you're looking at a few million loss, which is nothing compared to the fun you have flying it and the potential damage it can do.