Some pilots call it the Harb, some call it the Binger and some call it the Gank-Bringer.

This is to all the pilots following the hard path of Amarrian doctrine. If you are an empire based pilot you are likely to proceed straight to battleships, and probably leave the battlecruiser skill only trained to level 3. This is absolutely right as you want to maximize your ability to do missions.

However when you finally decide that you are suffocating in the high-sec environment and step down to 0.0 or into the low-sec space, your attention should focus on the Harbinger again. It’s a cheap yet sturdy build. You can jump into your non-implanted clone and do those wonderful roams. Roam roam roam, this is the perfect ship for it.

Don’t fly the Harbinger solo. This is a great gang machine. Is it a HAC or recon ship? No… It’s a heavy assault battlecruiser! Maybe it’s not a command Ship, but its still good. The Harbinger, with proper training and fit, can own HACs. Fit for gank over tank, rig it, do a passive but no plate setup, you can out damage HACs. Additionally, as a battlecruiser you are less likely to get jammed, well at least less then a HAC at least.

The way I use Harbinger is to fit it for a real gank. I fit it to get 700 DPS and with a 42k effective tank. It is capacitor stable with boosters. I also fit a sensor booster II with a scan resolution script which effectively acts as a damage mod because it shaves off about 2 seconds from a lock time on that HAC ship which you will face. Now they’ll get 1400 DPS as breakfast.

Flaws? It’s just the usual Amarr problems. Capacitor issues, throw on a booster. Fitting a MWD is more then obvious, so now you’re left with no mid-slots except to choose between the web or the scramble. Overall I think its better to passive tank, minor capacitor usage, and kill the opponent.  Then repair afterward.

Anyway, it works, kill boards speak for themselves. It’s my personal favorite.

Talk to the people that can prove they know what they are doing. The Harbinger is one of the few tech 1 ships seriously utilized in 0.0 small scale warfare. And if you are Amarr and maybe thinking about leaving empire remember; you don’t have to be that suicide frig tackler for the first 7 months to be of any use. Get better with Harbinger and no one will diss you in local or fleet!

Good luck.

[expand title=Technical Specs:]

• 10% reduction in laser capacitor need
• 5% bonus to laser damage
• 99% reduction in the CPU need of warfare link modules
• Default targeting range is 50 km with 6 locked targets
• Velocity is 150 m/sec with 50 m3 of drone capacity
• Armor hit points is 5469
• Power grid is at 1500MW, 375ft of CPU, and 400 calibration points
• There are 8 high slots, 4 medium slots, 6 low slots, and 3 rig slots
• 0 slots for launchers and 7 for turrets[/expand]

[expand title=Passive Setup:]

• 7 Heavy Pulse Laser
• 1 Drone Link Augmentor

• 1 10mn MicroWarpdrive
• 1 Warp Disrupter
• 1 Sensor Booster (Scan Resolution)
• 1 Medium Capacitor Booster

• 1 Heat Sink
• 1 Damage Control
• 1 Energized Adaptive Nano Membrane
• 1 Armor Kinetic Hardener
• 1 Armor Explosive Hardener
• 1 Armor Thermic Hardener

• 1 Anti-Kinetic Pump
• 1 Anti-Explosive Pump
• 1 Anti-Thermic Pump

• 5 Hobogoblin[/expand]

[ratings]

On 23:13:00 EVE time, a fleet of about 60 State Protectorate pilots engaged an enemy fleet of about 50 pilots, or so we had thought. Once we got there, about another 30 to 50 ships jumped in through and lagged us up.

This is what the fleet started out like, about 90 people.

Our plan was to go around back door from the Caldari high security space into Tama. There was hostiles in the only Tama station and we wanted to trap them inside and snipe/kill them off. 10 minutes later and we arrive. Things didn’t go so well because there was a neutral spy following us and another spy in our fleet. Most of the people inside that station escaped. We started to chased them down and was able to pick off one or two.

Later, we reach Heydieles and our recon says a fleet is parked on the Old Man Star to Villore. We decide to go after these guys and got the fleet ready. By that time when we got to the destination, we only had a little above half of the people remaining.

The battle was not the best I have ever had. It lagged like hell! I did not appreciate it because you would always target the wrong thing or shoot at something that wasn’t there anymore. Everyone zoomed out to try to reduce the lag, but more reinforcement ships just keep jumping in from the Gallente side. Now we were just trying to get those that we could.

Our fleet commander was still calling the primary targets, and we were able to successfully take some ships down. In the end, I helped to kill these guys:

• Victim: Kadean
• Location: Old Man Star
• Corp: Elite Underworld Special Forces
• Alliance: None
• Ship: Dominix [Fitting]

• Victim:Parmenides Elea
• Location: Old Man Star
• Corp: Wrath of Fenris
• Alliance: None
• Ship: Dominix [Fitting]

• Victim:Lucas Avignon
• Location: Old Man Star
• Corp: Avignon Associates Inc.
• Alliance: None
• Ship: Dominix [Fitting]

If you want to see my full kill board, please visit here.

Here is to the cool people that stuck it to the end, I salute you!

Corewin, CRUSH BOSS, Cuthbert Drake, Ecky Ptang, Kazabet, Lord Erebos, Marcuz Griffin, Ray Rosny, sakura okami, Splunk jamma, Tzu Wu, and Xanath Fireheart

Gallery, enjoy!