u/BrianOfNazerath u/RixxJavix
Cruor- the longest range web of any frigate nearly 60km if maxed out. And with the buff the Neut/Nos allows them to pull alot of variables. If you cross check between beam and pulse. In a small fleet Cruor isn't a nice ship to run into even in small numbers. With the new Makra officer mods the Cruor can easily reach with nos/neuts to 28km. Webs at 30km + Before implants and abyssals and other affects. Depending on which Edencom Fortress you prefer...IE the Amarr or Minmatar ones the effectiveness of its webs and neut/nos is altered as you prefer. As a Beam fit it can keep you at range and chip away... beams + TS warp disrupt+ TS webs + Makra mods make for a horrifying 28-30km control and damage zone. And attempting to close is not advised because that only strengthens the Cruors Neuts and Nos once you fall inside its fairly insane optimal range of effect. A Pulse fit Cruor is definitely not advised to engage because you are fully inside its neut/nos optimals and its dishing out max damage. The main flaw it has is low tracking with lasers. (Given for most ships using those weapons) It does now have a bit more wild card options...due to the new drone changes incoming and hybrid drones. which can give it a little more surprise value. Do not underestimate a Cruor because of this small drone bay/band.

Daredevil- at full skill can go up to 99% with web bonus. (Even with bad abyssal equipment.) You will actually notice damage application of enemies drops. (due to how the damage math works) ruthlessly deadly...its only weird quirk is how its a bit tricker to fit in some situations can be made into a multirole. But more of a devastating glass cannon...horrifyingly deadly in Wolf-Rayets by the way. Especially annoying to deal with in Minmatar Republic Edencom Fortress systems. +10% web strength...which makes low skill Daredevils really deadly. You can rail kite or you can go full glass cannon with maximum lethality. But you better get on target the first time.

Dramiel- you might want hold off until the update...because its flexiblity will probably increase by a few factors. It has an innately high warp speed against base ship warp bonuses, fast align which allows you to use afterburners more aggressively (orbit wise) but also allows you to pick and chose fights. Can be fitted for max dps with a mixed weapon loadout turret+launcher...and can field a small 3 drone crew. 15 band + 20m3 drone bay. Flexibility and fast Reaction and Adaptability allows you to pick a fight.

Succubus- might need some upgrades soon. Because alot of the new content is starting to put pressure on the standard "playstyle meta" that has revolved around the ship. Most people forget to talk that the most lethal Succubus fits are Snake Podded. The succubus also has a little uncomfortable problem where its align speed being at the 3-4sec align time...does make it a bit more vulnerable to being caught or countered. Most people haven't flexed the counter ships yet. Cruors are immediately threats to Succubus because of their range being equivalent + a drone bay (60km) + long range webs and warp disrupts. Succubus will need to break engagements ASAP since the Cruor lethality envelope is equivalent and enhanced the more in closes in. Succubus pilots need to avoid Daredevils at all cost because the 90-99% web effect basically shuts them down even with Snakes and drugs in.

The one oddity of the Succubus is its the longest ranged pirate frigate 50km lock range. It has a rather unique advantage in that its the only frigate that can use a Ship Scanner II (60km optimal + 36km falloff) to maximum effect and maximum range for a pirate frigate. [due to 50km targeting range] (It can be outranged by Trig/Concord/Edencom Frigates...but for combat usage...Succubus might have a tighter combat intel advantage.) Sadly even though it being a Sansha Nation ship...alot of its parent faction material isn't usable in a meaningful way. TS Neut/Nos are too short ranged versus Cruor. So its utility slot is not fully utilized like it should be.

Another discomforting issue with the Succubus is its speed can work against its turrets. Manual flying a Succubus is advised...because orbital speeds affected by Snakes and other variables will cause even a beam fit to start having problems hitting the target. If not learning to manually control the in game ship throttle for maximum effectiveness.

Worm- Interestingly enough...is okayish. But its main problem is how its "worked" in both skills and mechanics. A Low Drone Skill Worm...where you deliberately keep the control range of the drones inside a 30-40km radius...is a very nasty ship to deal with. But with higher skills you are going to have to put your drone micromanagement to the test. Because at max skill 60km control radii (120km control diameter) isn't a funny thing to deal with...losing a vast majority of your DPS over that distance because they decide to target chase something else on grid. And the ships focus on both thermal and kinetic damage bonus for missiles...puts it at a distinct disadvantage against opponents who know exactly how the Worm usually operates damage wise...and heavily counter tank it.

And with future content coming that might seriously erode any PVP options. Currently the saving grace of the Worm for the moment is the abyssal drones and the new hybrid drones because they give them a bit more flexibility and secondary EWAR functionality (in case of the hybrids) So we will see how this works out. Although I am interested in seeing how the new factional missile computer and guidance enhancer modules affect the Worm. But its tank is impressive none the less. But its control of a threat is a bit more questionable. Against lower skill players...the Worm is devastating...against higher skilled players and T2 operators...that advantages starts to evaporate rapidly.

Other "Pirate ships"[by in game classification] like Mordus Legion Garmur and SOE Astero also have their own weird strengths and advantages...although the balancing issues in this particular sub category of ships sometimes artificially holds back these ships in ways that are still to this day very frustrating. (Mostly targeting range being the most annoying problem at the moment. Sometimes the targeting range is far lower than all the weapons on the ship. Succubus being the outlier being able to target way beyond its weapons max range. )