Vagabond

=Overview= Minmatar HAC. Regarded as the most popular of all the HACs.

Thanks to a combination of high base speed, low mass, excellent weapon bonuses, and balanced shield resists, the Vagabond is easily the most versatile and survivable HAC. It has no trouble tracking anything larger or slower than an interceptor (and can still easily kill interceptors on approach), it can out-damage anything faster than it -- and a good many things that aren't -- within maximum disruptor range, and offers enough tank, raw DPS at short ranges, and damagetype flexibility to win a one-on-one fight with virtually anything that cannot web it -- and again, a good many things that can.

While Rapiers and Curses are a significant threat to the Vagabond when they're backed up by a gang, neither has a chance of killing the Vagabond one-on-one before they themselves explode. Properly-fit Cerberuses, Drakes, and cruise missile Ravens can also usually drive off a Vagabond, but are generally unable to hold one down barring special circumstances (faction web, mindlinked interdiction maneuvers warfare link, or a combination thereof).

When flying a Vagabond solo, ensure that you have some defense against interceptors that manage to make it in close enough to web and out-transverse your guns, e.g. a medium energy neut and/or a flight of light ECM drones, which have a high change of jamming frigate sized ships to allow you to make your getaway. EDIT: Post speed nerf Warrior II's utterly rape interceptors if you have good drone skills as well as contributing an extra 80 or so DPS. It's perfectly safe to run with a cloak and a rack of Warriors now.

EDIT: Since the speed nerf the Vagabond is again elevated to complete rapeboat status. Previously a properly fit raven was impossible to kill solo in a vagabond, as even with the most posh faction fit they still had the ability to make you lose your point and warp off. Now cruise missiles have gone from dealing 100+ damage per missile, to barely doing 125 damage per volley to a vagabond that is just impulsing in an orbit. While other HACs have been completely creamed by the speed nerf, your speed in a DPS fit is largely the same. Even jewed up faction HACs are going to have a hard time catching an overheating t2 vagabond. With the changes to webs even if you are caught by just one, you can still overheat and break web range before bigger ships have a chance to capitalize on your situation. Finally the MWD changes buy you an addition 30-40s of burn time on the giggleswitch so you can enjoy that too.

The only thing that hasn't changed in your favor is warp scramblers. Arazus and Lachesises are now something to watch out for, and should be approached with the same caution as a Rapier; i.e. you will rip them a new asshole if they are alone but if they have support with them you are in for some serious trouble. Their extended scram range makes them very dangerous around the 20km mark, and that scram will actually have a much heavier effect on your speed (dropping you under 500m/s) than a web.

Pyrion Note: Do not engage people around stations in a Vagabond. Same goes for any speed tanking ship. I see a lot of people doing this and it's dumb. You will bounce off the station unless you micromanage your course and that can be tricky when shit gets crazy, yo.

Bonuses
Minmatar Cruiser Skill Bonus:
 * 5% bonus to Medium Projectile Turret rate of fire
 * 5% bonus to max velocity per level

Heavy Assault Ship Skill Bonus:
 * 10% bonus to Medium Projectile Turret falloff range
 * 5% bonus to Medium Projectile Turret damage per level

Recommended Skill Packs

 * Tech2 - Medium Autocannons
 * Tech2 - Light Drones
 * Support - Navigation 3
 * Support - Capacitor 2
 * Support - Fitting 3
 * Support - Gunnery 2
 * Support - Drones 2
 * Support - Survival 2
 * Support - Targeting 2
 * Tanking - Shield 2

=Fittings=

Bron's Post-Domi fit (super pro)

 * 5x 220mm Vulcan Autocannon II (Barrage, Republic Fleet EMP/Fusion/PP)
 * 1x Medium Energy Neutralizer I (named) OR 1x Improved Cloaking Device II


 * Medium:
 * 1x Y-T8 Overcharged Hydrocarbon I Microwarpdrive I
 * 2x Large Shield Extender II
 * 1x Warp Disruptor II (faction is really nice)


 * Low:
 * 2x Tracking Enhancer II
 * 3x Gyrostabilizer II


 * Drones:
 * 5x Warrior II OR Hornet EC-300 (ecm)


 * Rigs:
 * 2x Medium Polycarbon Engine Housing I


 * Implants:
 * Hardwiring - Inherent Implants 'Squire' PG2 (~3 mil, 1% to PG, Required to fit medium neut - Slot 6)
 * Hardwiring - Eifyr and Co 'Gunslinger' MX-2 (slot 8 - 5% DPS to medium projectile)
 * Hardwiring - Eifyr and Co 'Gunslinger' CX-1 (slot 9 - 3% DPS to all projectiles)

This is the best fit. Use Barrage when you're kiting things past ~17km. Inside 17km and you'll be doing better DPS with the holy trinity of close range ammo. Remember, EMP/Fusion/PP corresponds to EM, Explosive, and Thermal, respectively. Be aware of the racial t2 resists on most t2 ships (ie, minmatar t2 almost all have innately strong EM resists).

Be mindful of frigates, they're the only things that should catch you and are thus very dangerous. The neut and light drones serve to counter them. Burning in a straight line is your best bet if you get caught.

Apply heat liberally.

Standard Dual LSE Setup (outdated)

 * High:
 * 5x Dual 180mm Autocannon II (Barrage of course, you want the falloff.)
 * 1x Medium Unstable Energy Neutralizer or Improved Cloaking Device (for blackops work)


 * Medium:
 * 1x 10mn MWD II (Use T2 unless you need the grid, then use named)
 * 1x Warp Disruptor II
 * 2x Large Shield Extender II


 * Low:
 * 2x Nanofiber Internal II
 * 3x Gyrostabilizer II


 * Drones:
 * 5x Hobgoblin II, Warrior II, or Light ECM depending on area of engagement and gang composition


 * Rigs:
 * 2x Projectile Ambit Extension

Stock T2 vagabond setup, suited to solo or gang work. Does ~350 nominal DPS (less inside falloff) with an engagement range of 24km.

While the given rig and low setup is the best balance of speed and combat range/damage, you can play with it some to suit preference or budget.

Many debates between Vagabond pilots have gone on about whether you should use Dual 180s (better tracking) or 220s (slightly more dps, less ammo consumption). Either gun type fits and there is no clear "best" choice. Something to note is that neuts are required to fit the Dual 180s; a cloaking vagabond can pick either.

Additionally, if you have a nearby ammo source, this setup performs quite well as a behind-enemy-lines ratter (though not as good as the purpose-fit ratter below). No refits are necessary; passive shield recharge combined with the vagabond's base speed protects it from major damage. Appears to be best for Bloods/Sanshas (using EMP/PP), I (facial) have not tried any other rat types.

If you've got extra isk to spend or want to just upgrade your vagabond, getting a faction point, 28km or 30km, gives you a nice increase in engagement range. You can also get T2 Ambit Extension and with simple implants falloff out to 33km. This with 220mm and a cloak makes for great black ops work.

Blood/Sansha Ratting

 * High:
 * 5x 425mm AutoCannon II (emp, keep some barrage in reserve)
 * 1x Improved Cloaking Device II/Salvager I


 * Medium:
 * 1x 10mn MicroWarpdrive II
 * 1x Warp Disruptor II
 * 1x Large Shield Extender II
 * 1x Gistii B-type Small Shield Booster


 * Low:
 * 3x Gyrostabilizer II
 * 2x Nanofiber Internal Structure II


 * Rigs:
 * 2x Projectile Ambit Extension I

(note: requires Adv. Weapon Upgrades V, Projectile Rigging III, Shield Upgrades IV and a +3% grid implant if you want to fit 2 of these.)


 * Drones:
 * 5x Hobgoblin II


 * Implants:
 * slot 8- Hardwiring - Eifyr and Co 'Gunslinger' MX-2 (5% medium projectile damage)
 * slot 9- Hardwiring - Eifyr and Co 'Gunslinger' CX-1 (3% turret damage)

This is just a pvp fit with the guns upped to 425s (lower ammo use) and one LSE replaced with a 15m isk faction small shield booster, letting you chain spawns that would otherwise wear down a two LSE buffer unless you killed the small things. You could spend 180m on an A-type SSB but it's not really necessary. The booster will perma-run with decent skills until you hit a neuting spawn, which you can kill with your small shield buffer and capless guns. This will do close to 500 dps with decent skills, can evade gatecamps/gankers with ease, and can hop belts quickly to hunt faction/officer spawns.

=Fitting your very own Vagabond=

Efficient speed fitting
The vagabond's speed bonus still applies without any stacking penalty with modules, but you no longer have a competitive edge over other ships because the ship's speed bonus doesn't snowball with propulsion modules by increasing their effect like it did before. Instead everything is just multiplied together from the base velocity, which can no longer be changed.

So for example, with cheap hardwirings and no snakes:
 * 242 m/s * 1.25 (Nav V) * 1.25 (Ship Bonus) * 1.03 (Hardwiring) * 1.189 (Local Hull OD) * [1 + .189 * .87] (Local Hull OD #2) = 539 m/s

Whereas before the speed nerf, all bonus applied to each speed mod so a nano II's effective velocity increase would be:
 * +30 m/s * 1.25 (Nav V) * 1.25 (Ship Bonus) * 1.03 (Hardwiring) = +48 m/s

Where other ships would gain only +38 m/s from the same nano II, which is what used to make the vagabond so much faster than other ships.

Note
Do not sacrifice your tank to fit 220s. If you need to drop an LSE for an MSE or a speedmod for a pds, it's not worth it, use dual 180s. The dps loss is minimal and the tracking is better anyway.