eve-wiki-content/content/ships/cruisers/tech-1/caracal.md

esi_data, faction, faction_group, image, last_updated, ship_class, source, source_stats, source_url, tech_level, title, type_id, validation_score

esi_data	faction	faction_group	image	last_updated	ship_class	source	source_stats	source_url	tech_level	title	type_id	validation_score
fitting_stats group hull_stats name race skill_requirements type_id velocity cpu_output high_slots low_slots med_slots powergrid_output rig_slots 430 5 4 5 630 3 Cruiser hp_armor hp_shield hp_structure 1200 1700 1400 Caracal Unknown level skill_id 1 3334 621 230	Caldari State	Empire	/621.png	2026-04-20T03:17:37.911621	Cruiser	eve-university	armorem armorexp armorhp armorkin armortherm bandwidth bonuses capacitor cargohold class cpu dronebay externallinks extrahold extraholdtype faction forumlinks grouping highlights1 highlights2 highlights3 highlights4 highs hulltype inertia info launchers lows mass maxlockedtargets maxvelocity mediums powergrid quote quote_attribution reqskills scanres sensortype sensorvalue shieldem shieldexp shieldhp shieldkin shieldtherm shipid shipimg shipname sigradius structurehp targetrange tech totaltraintime turrets variations volume warpspeed warptime wikireferences 50 10 1200 25 45 10 Mbit/sec <b>Caldari Cruiser bonuses (per skill level):</b><br> 5% bonus to Rapid Light Missile, Heavy Missile and Heavy Assault Missile Launcher rate of fire<br> 10% bonus to Heavy Missile and Heavy Assault Missile max velocity 1,250 GJ 450 m³ Cruiser 430 10 m³ Caldari State Standard Cruisers 5 Caracal Class 0.47 The Caracal is a powerful vessel that specializes in missile deployment. It has excellent shield defenses, but poor armor plating. Its missile arsenal, when fully stocked, is capable of making a piece-meal of almost anyone. 5 4 11910000 6 230 5 630 Victory belongs to the relentless. CEO Haatakan Oiritsuu *{{RequiredSkill|Caldari Cruiser|I}} ** {{RequiredSkill|Spaceship Command|II}} ** {{RequiredSkill|Caldari Destroyer|III}} *** {{RequiredSkill|Caldari Frigate|III}} **** {{RequiredSkill|Spaceship Command|I}} 270 mm Gravimetric 16 points 0 50 1700 40 20 621 Caracal.jpg Caracal 125 m 1400 57.50 km 19h 15m 30s 0 {{Ship|Cerberus}}, {{Ship|Caracal Navy Issue}} 92000 4 AU/s 7.76 s	https://wiki.eveuniversity.org/Caracal	Tech 1	Caracal	621	1.0

Summary

The Caracal is a Tech 1 cruiser with bonuses to missile rate of fire (and therefore DPS) and missile range. It is a popular ship both for PvE combat in Level 2 missions and for various kinds of PvP combat.

As a mission-runner, the Caracal does well in Level 2 missions because it can rapidly destroy packs of frigates. The fully-selectable damage of missiles makes it more flexible in tackling missions than its Caldari turret equivalent, the Moa. A mission-running Caracal can run an active or passive shield tank.

In PvP, a Caracal fitted with Rapid Light Missile Launchers can put out serious damage against frigates and destroyers, and makes a fine entry-level "anti-tackle" cruiser. Fitted with Heavy Assault Missiles or Heavy Missiles, it can put out respectable general-purpose DPS for a T1 cruiser hull. These qualities make it a popular ship for both fleets and small gangs. It is also a viable solo PvP ship, and in this role it usually takes advantage of its range and kites.

Skills

The Caracal is a forgiving ship which can be basically effective in the hands of a new pilot, and it is often a Caldari pilot's first step up from frigate- and destroyer-sized hulls. A character who has completed the EVE University Short Skill Plan will be able to get use out of the Caracal.

The ship's performance can, however, be significantly boosted by further skill training, which can provide an edge in PvP or strengthen a PvE pilot as they progress towards the logical next step of the Drake. General fitting skills and support skills will help the Caracal as they help any ship, and the following skills are particularly notable:

Caldari Cruiser determines the strength of the hull bonuses and anyone regularly using the Caracal would do well to train it to IV. Missile support skills improve the ship's DPS and range. Light Missile Specialization, Heavy Missile Specialization and Heavy Assault Missile Specialization unlock Tech 2 missile launchers, which can further boost DPS and also open up new tactical options with Tech 2 ammunition types. Shield tanking skills increase the Caracal's defenses. Target Painting and a target painter module can help some fits with Heavy Missiles or Heavy Assault Missiles apply their damage better to targets.

Tactics

PvE Kite any rats! Use your missile range to keep the frigates away from you while you pick them off with your missiles. It is possible to Alpha strike a rat frig with ordinary light missiles. If there are rat destroyers and cruisers with the frigates, then take out the frigates first, then the destroyers, then isolate and take out the cruisers. Use an afterburner to stay out of the rats' effective range but inside your missile's optimal. Train your missile skills to increase optimal.

PvP solo The Caracal has nice bonuses for missiles and is decently fast, so it is a very good kiting ship. With the HAM tweaks, it's good for taking out smaller ships (without using light missiles) that can catch it, while still being able to put a lot of DPS onto larger ships that can't catch it. Basically, you just want to kite away from them, maybe heat your MWD initially if they warp in close/you are on a gate or station, then turn it off as it will burn out quite fast if you don't pay attention. Depending on your missile and cruiser skills you'll want to keep them from 20-30 KM away with HAMs. When you are running low on cap, simply pop a booster charge and keep burning along. Your goal is to avoid getting scrammed at all costs, so try to hit smaller ships that can catch you first and deal with bigger ships later. If there is a big ship that can hit you from afar giving you trouble (for example Abaddon), pull a lot of range (at least 100 KM) and try to split smaller ships off for easy kills.

PvP fleet (Large) If you are Rapid Light fit, focus on enemy destroyers, frigates, and possibly drones (if necessary). If you intend to target enemy interceptors, you will require more levels of Caldari Cruiser and/or Missile Projection, as the base speed of light missiles is too low for them to catch up with an interceptor. Both of those skills increase your missile velocity (while piloting a Caracal). A missile velocity of over 5000m/s should allow them to catch up with most interceptors. If you are Heavy Missile (HML) or Heavy Assault Missile (HAM) fit, attack the target your FC calls primary. If you are using HAMs but it would be unsafe to get into range to use them on the designated primary, simply switch to attacking smaller ships such as frigates until such a time as you can damage the primary target.

Small Gang If you are kiting, small gang tactics are going to be pretty similar to solo tactics, except that you will likely want to burn in the same direction and be aligned to the same thing as your fleetmates. There are all sorts of small gang compositions that you can try out. For instance: 2-5 Caracals, 1 Bellicose. In this example, the Caracals apply DPS while the Bellicose supports them with Target Painters and help tackle.

Notes

The Caracal is named after a medium-sized wild cat species that is widespread in parts of Asia and Africa. It is fast and agile, and hunts chiefly at night. ## Patch History