Light Fighter Combat Tactics

[Drake]

CDs are your best friend. Versus ships which make use of missiles and mines, you can do a lot of damage.

Nuke mines are effective, but dangerous. One wrong mine and you're toast. I prefer Screamers, since they drop shields (a single LF with Screamers can even drop a transport shield, and make dents in GBs and cruisers), kill power plants, and don't kill you. Rippers also work well, and they're faster and track better, but are useless versus transports+ (though, really, LFs shouldn't taking on transports or gunboats solo).

I mostly use my LF in large group fights, so I no longer use missiles. The lag I get makes them useless, and I always end up running out. However, dueling with 3 Debs and a Cannonball can be very effective. Or 2 Debs and Screamers, a Cannonball and a Firestalker.

Never joust close. Shoot your missiles/drop mines/whatever, then veer off quick before they have a chance to really hit you.

If you dodge well, LFs are the best ships for surviving gankings. I once survived solo (in a Liberator) against 2 gunboats (with missiles), a Falcata and a Sabre for over 20 minutes, and would have killed the Falcata if the GBs hadn't started feeding him bots.