TLDR: In highsec, carry low value cargo and have a lot of hit points; this makes attacking you unprofitable. In lowsec/nullsec/WHspace hit points are less important; your priority is escape, so fit warp core stabilizers. If baiting, fit enough tackle to hold your attacker in place and fit enough tank to survive until your friends arrive. Homebrewing is a good idea to make a fit that works well for your character, and PYFA is software that can help you design your own homebrew fit.
Role: The Epithal is a specialized hauler (cargo carrying ship) for players doing Planetary Interaction activities (PI). The Epithal is a cheap ship with a huge specialized cargohold which can only carry Planetary Commodities. This special cargohold so big that the Epithal is typically the first choice for players doing PI in any environment. However, the ship needs to be fit differently depending on where you are flying. Fits are different depending on whether you are using the ship for (A) highsec hauling (B) dangerous space hauling or (C) bait.
For any Epithal fit, avoid these DON’TS:
– Don’t fit cargohold expanders. The Epithal has two cargoholds, a tiny normal hold and a huge PI-only hold. Only the normal hold benefits from expanders. With zero expanders, a high-skill player can carry 368+67500 cargo, while with one expander they can carry 527+67500, an increase of 0.2%. The benefit of cargo expanding modules or rigs is so small as not to be worthwhile.
– Don’t fit ECM. A ship hit by ECM can still target the ship that is ECMing it, which means that ECM cannot help your ship break tackle and escape. In ancient times (2018) ECM could help you break tackle, but that’s no longer true.
Highsec Hauling
First, here is a guide to highsec hauling with any ship. Importantly, note that no fit can save you if you fly a hauler in highsec while a member of a corporation which is at war. War targets can and will kill your ship on sight. Expect to die. Avoid this by spending an afternoon of training time creating a hauler alt who is not in E-UNI. You may want to train this alt to do your PI work rather than giving your E-UNI character these skills.
Apart from war targets, the threat to you is suicide gankers. A player who shoots you in highsec will lose their ship to a CONCORD counterattack. However, it is profitable for them to shoot you if the value of the cargo you drop is greater than the value of the ship(s) needed to destroy you. If you are not carrying large amounts of cargo, and if your tank is thick, shooting you will be unprofitable.
The other fitting consideration is speed. There are modules and rigs that can get you to your destination faster. If you are doing many trips with many jumps, you may be willing to accept higher risk in exchange for shorter travel time.
Example: Highsec, Tough Tank Fit
Spoiler
Damage Control II
Reinforced Bulkheads II
Reinforced Bulkheads II
Reinforced Bulkheads II
EM Shield Amplifier II
Large Shield Extender II
Thermal Shield Amplifier II
Multispectrum Shield Hardener II
Small Gremlin Compact Energy Neutralizer
Small Gremlin Compact Energy Neutralizer
Medium Core Defense Field Extender I
Medium Core Defense Field Extender I
Medium Core Defense Field Extender I
This fit assumes you are not flying on autopilot. If you are flying on autopilot (noooooo…) replace the multispectrum hardener with a resistance amplifier.
If you want to travel faster…
Example Fit: Highsec, Fast Fit
Spoiler
Damage Control II
Inertial Stabilizers II
Inertial Stabilizers II
Inertial Stabilizers II
EM Shield Amplifier II
Large Shield Extender II
Thermal Shield Amplifier II
Multispectrum Shield Hardener II
Small Gremlin Compact Energy Neutralizer
Small Gremlin Compact Energy Neutralizer
Medium Hyperspatial Velocity Optimizer I
Medium Low Friction Nozzle Joints I
Medium Hyperspatial Velocity Optimizer I
Homebrewing highsec fits:
Whatever your fit, make sure your ship has at least 12k EHP against EMP projectile ammo for Jita survivability, preferably more. 18k EHP will save you from some attackers in trade route chokepoints. Shield-Hull tank is easier to fit than Shield-Armor tank, which is why I recommended it. Remove everything from the highslots if you need powergrid/CPU.
Lowsec/nullsec/WHspace Hauling
In these locations, fit for escape and short align time. If you are tackled, you will die; no amount of tank will save you, since once you are tackled they can shoot you all day long. Do fit some tank, since you need to survive long enough to warp out.
Example Fit: Low/null/WH, 4-Stab
Spoiler
'Stoic' Core Equalizer I
'Stoic' Core Equalizer I
'Stoic' Core Equalizer I
'Stoic' Core Equalizer I
Multispectrum Shield Hardener II
Enduring Multispectrum Shield Hardener
Large Shield Extender II
EM Shield Amplifier II
Prototype Cloaking Device I
Small Energy Nosferatu II
Medium Thermal Shield Reinforcer I
Medium Low Friction Nozzle Joints I
Medium Low Friction Nozzle Joints I
Homebrewing lo/null/WH fits:
Do you really need four warp core stabilizers? Two is normally enough to escape a scout. I recommend four because it has saved my neck, but you might want to try swapping a couple out for inertial stabilizers and/or a damage control in the low slots.
Bait
So, you are flying in losec/nullsec/WHspace, and you expect that your friends nearby will be very awake and able to launch a rapid reaction force in two minutes or less. If that’s normally your situation, you might want to fly bait fits on the regular. The goal of a bait fit is to have enough tackle to hold your attacker in place, and enough tank to survive until your friends arrive.
Example Fit: Lo/null/WH Bait Fit
Spoiler
Damage Control II
400mm Steel Plates II
400mm Steel Plates II
Multispectrum Energized Membrane II
Warp Scrambler II
Stasis Webifier II
Stasis Webifier II
10MN Monopropellant Enduring Afterburner
Small Energy Nosferatu II
Small Energy Nosferatu II
Medium Trimark Armor Pump I
Medium Trimark Armor Pump I
Medium Trimark Armor Pump I
Homebrewing bait fits:
Less tackle, more tank? Might be a good idea. Capacitor booster and neuts? Possibly. 200mm autocannon to shoot at drones? Sure, maybe. This is your ship, build it your way.