The Punisher is considered by many to be one of the best Amarr frigates in existence. As evidenced by its heavy armaments, the Punisher is mainly intended for large-scale military operations, acting in coordination with larger military vessels. With its damage output, however, it is also perfectly capable of punching its way right through unwary opponents.
The Punisher is an Amarr Combat Frigate. The Punisher has the most base hit points, turret hardpoints and powergrid of any Tech I frigate. The ship’s bonuses to armor resistances and laser capacitor cost reinforce these advantages, making it possible to fit the Punisher for extraordinary tank and damage output. Unfortunately, the Punisher is also unique among combat frigates in having only two mid slots, which means the ship can only fit a single tackle module alongside a propulsion module. The Punisher is also very slow (especially when fitted for armor tank). As a result, the Punisher is not a strong solo PvP ship; opponents can easily keep the Punisher pilot at a distance and escape tackle. Novice Amarr solo pilots are probably better served flying the Tormentor. On the other hand, the Punisher is popular in small-ship gangs and frigate fleets where it can play the role of general damage dealer or bait, and where fleetmates can provide tackle. The Punisher is also a durable PvE frigate for Level 1 missions and for the Sisters of EVE epic arc. As a result, the Punisher is a great first frigate for new Unistas who want to learn about fitting, weapons, and defensive systems.
The Punisher is typically fit with small beam lasers, so that it can hit opponents at any range. By swapping crystal ammo on the fly, Punisher pilots can tune their optimal beam laser range between 8 and 25 km. A Punisher’s low slots are often filled with active or passive armor defense modules, and rig slots with armor rigs. The Punisher’s bonus to armor resistances pairs extremely well with frigate logistics, and a gang of Punishers and Inquisitors can be tough to break.
Skills
Amarr Frigate for the armor resist bonus and Hull Upgrades to fit a strong armor tank synergize very well. Higher resists make your logi's repairs on you stronger in fleets.
Armor Compensation skills for each damage type to make armor resistance modules even more effective.
Capacitor Management, Controlled Bursts, Fuel Conservation, and Amarr Frigate will all help with capacitor, as the Punisher is a very cap-hungry ship.
Tactics
PvE-fitted Punishers follow the same basic pattern as other PvE frigates: fit a minimal active tank, an afterburner, and the biggest bonused guns you can. The Punisher’s tank and damage output make it a great beginner's PvE ship, except for one problem: the ship consumes cap like there is no tomorrow, especially when using an armor repairer. Novice Punisher pilots can address this by focusing their skill training on capacitor skills, and especially Capacitor Management, Controlled Bursts, Fuel Conservation, and Amarr Frigate.
PvP Punishers can play a variety of different roles in fleets and gangs--as traditional damage-dealers, as bait, as anti-support or anti-drone techs, just to name a few. Check with your FC on how your PvP Punisher fits into your fleet’s strategy. One thing to note is that the Punisher lacks a damage bonus for any particular weapons system, so counterintuitively it is not uncommon to see autocannons or blasters fitted onto Punishers in a fleet.
In solo PvP, you will almost always lack range control given you only have 2 mid-slots (no room for a web) so your initial positioning is everything.
