To commit Sacrilege or become a Zealot

I am at the stage in my 'EVE-Career' (after playing pretty solid, since late 2007) that I feel like I am missing out, a bit, on the fast paced, heart thumping world of PvP.

Yes, I've got my Indy Toon in a Hulk, using Tech 2 strippers, crystals and Medium Drones. I have Refinery Efficiency V, Scrap Metal V and most of the individual ORE refining skills at 3 or 4.

This same toon also has zero loss when manufacturing, as in 'perfect' manufacturing. He can also use a bunch or Lab slots for researching blueprints. All in all, I think I am nearly BURNT on Industrial issues.

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE to be the creationist, while everyone else is out in space, cutting each others' throats, only to return and buy a Dominix or Megathron I just stocked onto the market. (I have yet to venture into POS and Tech 2 or Invention... maybe when I do, THAN I can say, "Ya, I've cared like a big 'ol bear with the rest of the other bears."

I'm having a mid-eve crisis... I want to PvP, but when I look at the options, MY GOD, where does one start?

Do I go for BattleShip V and get a Hyperion Blaster Boat, or a BlasterThron? Perhaps, a SniperThron? Maybe a Neut Domi would be fun?

And, what about these new Heavy Assault Ships? More commonly known to PvP pilots as HACs or Heavy Assault Cruisers. There is also, the Stealth Bomber, and Covert Ops Dominix or 'Black Ops'.

And Oh, let us not forget Carriers and Dreadnaughts. Eh?!

So, what does any 'smart', forward thinking EVE player do? He uses EVEMON and makes about 1000 skill plans, and dreams that in 'ONLY a couple of months', I can be flying my dream ships. Which, I will easily be able to afford.

Well, the reality is, is that TIME is against you. No one can possibly train for everything, unless you are the type to open 20 accounts or buy 20 accounts pre made and ready to go. I for one, have made a strict rule, to only use and commit to two accounts for as long as I am breathing and able to play EVE. I have a complete PDF write up about it all.

After months and months of thinking about it... I think I have a solid plan. Boy is it complex, when viewed from tip to stern, but elegant as it progresses from one trained disipline, to another, as it builds apon itself. Ultimately, ending with a Carrier or Dreadnaught. Or Jump Freighter/Rorqual, if you are still in Indy mode.

The next step for me, are Heavy Assault Cruisers. (HACs) These ships are simply Tech 2 Cruisers, with beefed up everything. They are nimble like a cruiser, but have boosted natural resists to shield and armor, that gives them impressive tanking ability, to say the least. HACs also get an additional pair of level up bonuses, compared to the usual one pair, for Tech I ships.

Now, let's focus on Amarr and their HAC choices, as this will also be my Hulk Industrial Pilot, now venturing into PvP. I don't want boring 'ol Battleship, I want a HAC.

Sacrilege or Zealot. Hell, why not both?

However, there is a catch.

The Sacrilege is a Heavy Assault Missile boat, while the Zealot is a Laser firing monster.

The Sacrilege fires specialised missiles, that split into it's own skill branch, in the missile world, called Assault Missiles. These missiles are short range, heavy damage and have greater rate of fire. While your typical, Cruise and Torpedoes are long range, which do sizeable amounts of damage in their own right.

The Zealot on the other hand, wants nothing to do with missiles. It fires the Amarrian primary weapon, Lasers. This is agreeable with most Amarrian pilots, as Lasers is what they would be raised on, from the start of their Amarr career. If your Amarr, you train Lasers! The Zealot gives range, damage and capacitor bonuses to the Lasers. 

Great!

But, something about the Sacrilege is 'Calling Me'. Those 25% armor resist bonus at Level 5 along with 25% cap recharge and 25% damage and rate of fire for the Heavy Assault Missiles, seems to me to be an Armor Tank from Hell, spitting Assualt Missle death, at whatever it is targeting. Since, it has that 25% cap recharge bonus and missiles require no cap at all, unlike the cap hungry lasers on a Zealot, leaves for use of a MWD to perma run around in. The Sacrilige needs it too, because heavy Assault Missiles have very short range. So, getting into damage range will need that MWD burning, just that much longer.

But, what the Zealot has in it's favor are 7 low slots ( compared to only 5 that the Sac has ) could be used to deal more laser damage with Heat Sinks or used to beef up the Armor resists, similar to the Sacrilege's built in 25% armor resists bonus. It also gets a 50% optimal range bonus which could mean the Zealot will be hot beaming on to enemy incoming, before they are able to reach the Zealot. It also will not have to worry about cap over load, because all Laser mounts are 50% cooled, which translated into 50% less capacitor usage.

So, the choice is so, so hard to make. 

But, what I have decided to train for are Heavy Assualt Missiles and go for the 25% cap recharge, meaning perma MWD (since Missiles use no cap), and even though the Sacrilege has only 5 low slots, the 25% armor resist bonus will more than make up for that lacking. Also, Sacrilege gets an additional Mid and Hi slot, compared to the Zealot. The extra Mid could be used for ECCM, ECM, Sensor Booster or even an Invulerability Field II. The Extra High could be used for NOS. Also, the Sacrilege get 15m3 of drone space, the Zealot gets 0 m3 drone space. 

If, I can perma run (kinda)  a MWD and shoot volley after volley of Heavy Assault Missiles, into the face of my dire enemies, well, that sounds pretty damn fun to me.

Later, I will of course, train for Lasers and hop in a Zealot. But, I have rarely seen a Sacrilege roaming around, and maybe, just maybe, people may think, 'Oh, not sure what to expect from this Sacrilege...", and give me an upper hand. Either way, I always like a good hybrid machine, that strays a bit from the 'trendy racial tech' of the day.

So, Cruiser V, here I come!

Heck. in the mean time, I will be able to fly a Guardian and maybe do some Fleet Logistics. Not as glorious as FCing a gang to a Titan kill, but at least I can 'clean people up', by remote repping them, and energizing their tattered souls.

Sacrilege... My eyes are on you.

Zealot, yeah, we all know you can burn holes into 1600mm Tungstun Plates like a hot pocker to virgin flesh... but you will be my second choice.