Ship:raines
From the front, the Raines is functionally immune to 100mm HE, as the shells fuze in the middle of the bow and cannot reach the middle of the ship. Compartments 4 and 5, and Module 5 will die relatively quickly, and Mounts 3 and 4 will be killed over time by rounds hitting their respective parts of the hull instead of the bow. The only way 100mm HE can kill from the front is via structure break from shells specifically hitting near Mounts 3 and 4, something which can take over 700 rounds.
Mounts
The Raines has
* 2 C3 * 2 C2
Compartments
The Raine's compartments can be divided into 2 groups. Those that are vulnerable to 100mm HE in the front, and those that are invulnerable to it, at the back
The Front-stack
Beam Keystones such as those found in TF Willow or TF Ash seek to achieve durability through redundancy, as the keystone hull does not have enough armor or damage reduction to survive any significant fire. As such, compartments 6 5 4 and 3 (in order from the front to the back), are the best way to achieve this due to their small hit-box. Typically the ship's free Reinforced Magazine is placed up front in slot 6, a Rapid DC Locker if desired is placed in Compartment 5, and the back two compartments are occupied with a Basic CIC and Small DC Locker.[1]
On Rail Keystones this is usually the bare minimum of Reinforced Magazine is placed up front in slot 6, a Rapid DC Locker if desired is placed in Compartment 5, and one of the back two compartments occupied with a Basic CIC.
The Safe-stack
Safe is a strong word, as this is only true for 100mm HE. These slots, Compartments 1 and 2, is where 450mm HE fuzes. They are typically left empty, but if you have extra points, placing one or two Auxiliary Steering(s) here goes a long way to stiffen the keystone under HE fire by splitting damage. Additionally, placing a Rapid DC Locker team in either slot will make it the first team to be called upon, which is useful for hopefully repairing the beam faster and therefor firing for longer.
Modules
The Raines has
- 2 Small Drive Modules
- 1 3x3 Modules
- 2 2x2 Modules
For Beam Keystones, one of the 3x3 Modules will typically be a FR3300 Micro Reactor to help power the ship, with two Focused Particle Accelerators to buff beam damage at range. For Rail Keystones, you may wish to cut a radar from the ship entirely, focusing on using all 3x3 slots to bring Energy Regulators.
The back 3x3s, Module 3 and 4, are the most likely of the 3 to survive as they split damage with both the drive slot and the reactor slot. As such, they should be where your FR3300 Micro Reactor is placed.
Your choice of frontline radar will end up in one of the front 2x2 modules under the beam, either modules 5 or 6, where it will help split damage with its high HP pool and damage threshold. For Rail Keystones, you may wish to use these 2x2 slots to bring less efficient but still valid Small Energy Regulator.
Drive Setup
There are many ways to set up a Raines's drive, and the best way will depend on the role you are building the ship for.
Raider Drives provide the best lateral thrust (LT), allowing you to quickly accelerate in any direction; this is best for dodging. However, they provide no power, leaving you potentially mission-killed if you lose the reactors.
Whiplash Drives provide the best top speed, allowing you to keep up with faster ships.
Dragonfly Drives provide the best angular thrust (AT), allowing your ship to pivot and change its heading and roll quickly. This is not very important on a Frigate, which naturally has one of the highest AT in the game.
Reinforced Drives prevent the drive from dying to HEI Missile damage, a very important characteristic for the Keystone's low survivability. This also allows you to swap the position of this drive and the FR4800 Reactor, further protecting the ship's internals.
FM200 Drive, to save cost.
Prowler Drives are one of the options you can take.
FR4800 Reactors fit into one of the small drive slots, which gives the Raines a lot more power to play around with than a Sprinter.
- ↑ or 2 SDCs with the BCIC in the center-stack, as seen in Willow
