This guide assumes you already have experience flying subcap (DPS/logi) fleets and will only explain capital specific mechanics. It also assume you have the doctrine required skills, Jump Drive Calibration V, Jump Fuel Conservation IV, Jump Drive Operation V etc.

You need to join the capitals group before flying in fleets. Joining the group gives access to capitals discord chat, forum and pings; as well as capital SRP.

1. Shush. Don't mention capitals in chat or comms unless prompted by an FC
2. Stay docked, only undock when told to¹⁾
3. Wait and listen for commands²⁾

Your ship has a jump drive, capable of instantly jumping across multiple systems (7 lightyears for a regular capital with Jump Drive Calibration V) to a cynosural field lit by a recon in fleet or to an anchored cynosural beacon. Do not blindly jump to beacons on your own, they are often camped. To jump your ship, right click your capacitor > jump to and select the character or beacon you want to jump to. Several criteria need to be met:

1. You have enough isotopes of the correct type on your fuel bay (a 7ly jump uses 12.6k isotopes with Jump Fuel Conservation IV)
2. You have enough capacitor (71.25% with Jump Drive Operation V)
3. You are not pointed (warp disrupted/scrambled) or bubbled
4. You are not in siege (more on this later) or cloaked
5. You do not have red jump fatigue timer
6. You need to be in the same fleet as the character lighting the cyno

Dreadnought have the Siege Module, faxes have the Triage Module. These use strontium clathrates to activate and immobilize your ship (preventing travel, warping, jumping, cloaking, docking etc) and prevent remote assistance (you can't be repped or receive capacitor transfer) but in exchange your local active rep gets boosted and your outgoing dps and reps get boosted. Because of the downsides FC will tell you when to siege (siege green) and when to exit siege (siege red).
It is important when you first jump in to wait until your speed is lower than 10 m/s before sieging. If you bump and siege, the increased mass from sieging will mean you go flying off.

Your ship has a special cargo bay called a fleet hangar, this bay is private to you by default but can be opened up to fleet members or corp members by clicking the little buttons next to the hangar. This is where you can keep things like cap boosters or refits, you probably want to keep it closed to prevent thieves and only open it when needed.

Similar to the fleet hangar the SMA can also be opened to fleet or corp members. This bay can be used to store and jump into fit ships. Possible uses cases include storing spare ships for fleet members to reship into, moving ships for move ops or carrying ammo/charges/strontium/heavywater inside industrials.

Additionally the SMA (even when closed) provides a fitting service like mobile depots to fleet members <5km away. So if you are close to another capital in fleet with you, you can refit your ship in space (see useful refits below).

500mn Microwarpdrive + 3x Inertial Stabilizers: Useful while gate travelling, one cycle of 500mn will align you to warp in 10 seconds
Cloak: Useful for cloaking up after a small hot drop or during move ops
Heavy cap boosters: If your fit doesn't have a cap booster you can carry extra refit cap boosters. Fit one or more so you can quickly inject capacitor
Capacitor Flux Coils + Cap Rechargers: Similar to cap boosters, these will let you cap up passively³⁾
Warp Core Stabilizers: Adds warp core strength which might help you escape being pointed

The dreadnought is the damage-focussed capital class. The Bomb dread is a buffer-tanked short-range anti-capital damage dealer dropped right on top of the enemy while the Sniper dread is similar but uses long-range guns and is used at range against capitals (or perhaps battleships). The HAW dread is an anti-subcap dread with a modest active rep tank.

Often dreads do not get into the fight which is why it's suggested to use dreads on alts, while you have a character flying subcap in the main fleet.

The Siege Module is the defining siege module of the dreadnought. Sieging vastly improves your DPS and local active reps.

However sieging immobilizes your ship⁴⁾ for the cycle duration (5 min) and prevents you from receiving remote reps or cap transfer.⁵⁾ FC will tell you when to siege (siege green) and when to end it (siege red), getting this wrong can result in you being unable to jump away with the fleet and being left to die.

The bomb dread is fit with short range weapons and a buffer tank with an emergency hull energizer (EHE).

Fit short range ammunition (T2 ammo if you have it) by default and change to longer range ammo if you end up being too far from the enemy.

Targets will probably be broadcast for dreads, follow them in order as you would with subcap DPS. Pop pyrolancea drugs for extra damage.

If you are primaried however you are probably going to die as you cannot receive reps while sieged. Overheat hardeners and activate your EHE just before you bleed into hull⁶⁾ , just try to last as long as you can before dying.⁷⁾

This is quite similar to the bomb dread except with long range guns. Your default should probably be T2 LR ammo.

Soon TM

Faxes (Force Auxiliary) provide capital reps to both capital and subcapital friendlies alike. Fleet fax (buffer fit) are used when the enemy are expected to bring capitals while master fax are used when the enemy is expected to bring subcaps or only a few dreads. Typically the master fax are used if they can tank what the enemy is likely to bring, typically subcap vs subcap fights, while fleet faxes jump in to rep against capitals.

The Triage Module is the defining siege module of the Fax. Triaging vastly improves your remote reps, remote cap transfer and local active reps.

However triaging immobilizes⁸⁾ your ship for the cycle duration (5 min) and prevents you from receiving remote reps or cap transfer. FC will tell you when to triage (triage green) and when to end it (triage red), getting this wrong can result in you being unable to jump away with the fleet and being left to die.

You will probably be jumping in together with carriers, supercarriers or titans. Watch broadcast for reps and capacitor. Your job is to keep them alive and provide capacitor against enemy neuts.

When you are out of cap and your triage cycle ends, broadcast for capacitor and a friendly fax⁹⁾ , will top you up. When you are full go back into siege (this cuts off the capacitor transfer to you) and continue repping people.

If you are primaried however you are probably going to die as you cannot receive reps while triaged. Overheat hardeners, just try to last as long as you can before dying¹⁰⁾ .

This differs from fleet fax in that usually only a handful of master fax are jumped in together. The skill requirements for flying this fit are higher and you have more responsibilities.

You will probably take turns going into triage to rep subcaps and/or other master fax, you will also need to take turns capping each other up.

Carriers provide fighter support, which are basically suped up, very long range drones. They have their own control system so you should familiarize yourself with them, that is not covered in this guide (yet).

Light Fighters (LF): These fighters are used to attack other ships. They have a modest dps primary attack as well as a high alpha special missile volley attack with low rate of fire and limited ammo. They also have a microwarpdrive that lets them travel at extremely high speeds (12 km/s) for a limited duration. The four racial light fighters are slightly different and do their racial damage, it is not that important which race you go with.

Support Fighters: These fighters don't apply any damage but provide EWAR: neuting, ECM, webbing or pointing. Of these the webbing (Dromi) and pointing (Siren) fighters are the only ones that see any real use. The Dromi have a microwarpdrive like the LFs which the Siren has a slower afterburner. Since a recent patch support fighters can only be launched from regular carriers not supercarriers.

Space Superiority (SS): These fighters are used to attack other fighters. They have a primary attack, as well as a tackle ability which can shut down a fighters prop mod to prevent them running away. They also have an 'evasive maneuvers' ability which increases their speed a bit but also lowers their sig radius so they take less damage.

Supercarrier fighters: Supercarriers can also use heavy 'fighter bombers' (fibo). These are the heavy attack (called SR for short range) which are like the LF but for anticapital use and long range (LR) fighters for shooting subcapitals. LR fighters have a microjump drive instead of MWD and can also launch bombs which are a bit like stealth bomber bombs.

When carriers face off against each other an 'SS war' will usually ensue where they try to kill off the other side's fighters to gain fighter superiority.
When there are supercarriers on field, carriers can kill their fighter bombers with SS.

Carriers also have something called an NSA which is basically a high-slot super sensor booster which increases your scan resolution. However it blocks you from warping, tethering or docking so it is important to only use it when you are supposed to. Getting this wrong can get you killed.

Links carriers are used together with dreadnoughts, dropping with them to provide armor/shield links.

https://forum.pleaseignore.com/topic/84972-updated-capitals-101/

https://forum.pleaseignore.com/topic/100127-so-you-now-have-a-fax-guide/