Eve: Sniper Corax

Let's have a look at the new Corax:

Missiles, missiles, missiles, missiles, that's what this hull is all about. It spams missiles a quite a long range, and boasts improved explosion velocity to catch those pesky annoying little orbiting frigates.

Ship bonuses:
+5% to rocket and light missile kinetic damage per level
+10% to rocket and light missile explosion velocity per level
Role bonus:
+50% to rocket and light missile velocity



The first bonus tells us to use Scourge type missiles unless we know there's some weakness to another damage type. And it has to be a significant vulnerability as we'd lose 25% damage were we to use non-kinetic missiles.

Explosion velocity is increased damage to fast-moving things. Scourge light missiles have the following explosion velocities with the Corax ship bonuses:
Caldari Navy Scourge Light Missile 255 m/s
Scourge Fury Light Missile 224.5 m/s
Scourge Precision Light Missile 306 m/s
In addition Target Navigation Prediction V means that you can discount 50% of their speed. Frigates generally move 400-600 m/s with prop mod off so we will not see our paper dps reduced by frigate velocity by very much unless they are using a prop mod (afterburner or microwarpdrive). Frigates that are stationery won't reduce damage and frigates that are orbiting will reduce it less than if they were going max speed.

Our last bonus is missile velocity. This does two useful things - it gives us more range and our missiles get to the target quicker.

I'm seeing two strong builds coming from these ship bonuses. The first is to build on the strength of the explosion velocity bonus and make a ship that is very good at doing high damage to frigates. So you would rig for more explosion velocity. Light Precisions now have such a small explosion radius that on that build you would have no need for target painting or explosion radius rigs - the natural explosion radius of Light Precisions is 25m which is smaller than any ship in the game. So this ship would make a really nasty high damage frigate destroyer with precision light missiles and explosion velocity rigs, say 2 flare catalysts and a calefaction catalyst.

The other build I really like is based on the Missile Velocity role bonus. Using the extra range that gives and then rigging for range gives a deadly sniper boat. This ship does 183 dps out to 94 km, well outside tackle range before overheat.

Corax, Sniper

7 Prototype 'Arbalest' Light Missile Launchers, Caldari Navy Scourge Light Missile
2 F-90 Positional Sensor Subroutines, both Targeting and Scan resolution scripts in cargo
Utility midslot
(I put a Phased Weapon Navigation Array before I realised that with Guided Missile Precision V my CN Lights have 30m explosion radius, still less than any ship in the game. It still helps other people so not completely redundant).
Limited 1MN Microwarpdrive I
2 Ballistic Control System II

Small Rocket Fuel Cache Partition I
2 Small Hydraulic Bay Thrusters I