Covert Ops

Intro

Covert Ops are damage dealing interceptors. They are fragile and aren't meant for straight fights, but are fast and have stealth abilities to allow them to come in from the sides or rear unseen. They have several abilities designed to do incredible damage in a short time to their targets, allowing them to go in, kill key targets and get out before enemies can react and concentrate fire on them. They can deal the highest damage in a short time of any ship in the game, even out-damaging Gunships over a few seconds, however their damage dealing ability is largely dependent on special abilities with cool downs, making their sustained damage lower than a Gunship. The covops' signature combo is the Adaptive Camo/Plasma Arc ambush, where the covops uses adaptive camo to sneak up to an unsuspecting Engineer or Long Range frigate and uses their plasma arc to make short work of them, finishing them off with their Orion or Self Destruct. Covert Ops are also notable for being the only role able to carry Tactical Nukes, allowing them to bomb groups of enemies.

Equipment

Plasma Web is a moderate damage-over-time ability. Its main advantage is that it does not need to be aimed, making it an effective way to damage enemy interceptors. Dealing damage over time also means it will quickly decloak an enemy that tries to cloak while under its effects. Another great usage of the module is to prevent a key target from capturing a beacon for period of time while damagin another target with main guns, effectively denying a beacon capture 1v2 for period of time.

Covert Ops Modules

Orion Targeting Complex

The Orion module doubles the covert ops' main weapon damage for 7 seconds. It is designed to allow the covops to deal high damage to a target in a short time.

Reactor Overload

Creates a thermo-nuclear cloud around the ship damaging everything in the vicinity, if CovOps is destroyed while its reactor is overloaded, it will explode with a big BOOM, just like a nuclear warhead.

Adaptive Camo

Adaptive Camo is not a true cloaking device, but hides the covert ops from enemy radar and prevents enemies from locking on to it. The covops still appears in space so attentive players can spot them coming and try to shoot them. Like cloaks, adaptive camo will break if the covops fires any weapons or uses any modules, but doesn't break on damage. Adaptive camo has a long duration and a long cooldown.

Plasma Arc

The covert ops' signature ability. The Plasma Arc is a very short range weapon that does very high damage but only up to a range of a few hundred meters. It is difficult to hit a fast moving target with it, but it will decimate a frigate it is used on.

White Noise Jammer

The White Noise Jammer disables the targeting system of the target ship, making it unable to lock on to any ships for the duration.

Avalanche projector

This is a unique module that can only be equipped on a Kite-E. It is a short cool-down skill shot, if that applies a damage over time effect on a successfully hit target, can apply up to 3 charges on a single target, staking up the delayed death for the enemy.

Factions

The Federation specialise in covert ops interceptors, but Jericho also offer some. Federation covert ops are faster, while Jericho have stronger shields.

Mk 3 covert ops modules are offered by the Armada subfaction.

Player Opinion and Gameplay

The epitome of hit-and-run gameplay, the Covert Ops is great for players who never stop moving. The fastest interceptors with the highest damage, at the cost of health makes this role tricky to master, but incredibly rewarding once you do. This role above all others must use the number one rule of space: "there is no up". Use the map's objects as cover and fly above/below the middle of the map where most fights take place in order to approach your target undetected!