By now everyone has run into these in PVP and they have certainly changed things. From Frigates tanking gate guns to get a kill to battleships tanking entire fleets while waiting for backup to arrive.

Honestly, I'm torn on whether or not I like them, in some situations they are overpowered (and fun) and in others they give you a false sense of confidence.

Regardless of how I feel about them, they are here and need to be understood so they can be beaten or used to beat others.

The basics of the new ASB's (Ancillary Shield Boosters) is that they provide a HUGE amount of shield boosting and do so without using any capacitor from your ship because they run on Cap Booster Charges. The problem is that you only get about 30-40 Seconds depending on Module Size until your cap boosters run out. When they run out, you're screwed because it takes 60 seconds to reload.

But what if you use two ASB Modules?

That's what the trend has been. Two ASB give you the option of extending your tank to last 60 seconds (80 for large and x-large) or running both at the same time to give you a MONSTER tank for 30 seconds.

This strategy is phenomenal when you can kill the target before running out of charges, but should the fight go longer than you expected, or should your enemy have backup that comes in toward the end of the fight, you're in big trouble. Which is why I don't like relying on them as a Primary Survival/Disengage tactic.

Getting your self in close and tackled is dangerous, even if you have a mega tank. The trick is still to use good Isolation Techniques like I teach in my PVP Guides (especially the Frigate PRO Guide), so that you can have one fight at a time.

For larger ships (battlecruisers and battleships) I highly suggest you hug a gate or station. Fight through your first ASB, then disengage through the second so you can dock or jump before dying.

A Mealstrom fit like you see below is crazy and impressive for this kind of thing...

Click to Enlarge

[Maelstrom, Dual ASB]
Damage Control II
Gyrostabilizer II
Tracking Enhancer II
Co-Processor II
Co-Processor II

Prototype 100MN MicroWarpdrive I
X-Large Ancillary Shield Booster, Cap Booster 400
X-Large Ancillary Shield Booster, Cap Booster 400
Shield Boost Amplifier II
Adaptive Invulnerability Field II
Warp Disruptor II

800mm Repeating Artillery II, Republic Fleet Phased Plasma L
800mm Repeating Artillery II, Republic Fleet Phased Plasma L
800mm Repeating Artillery II, Republic Fleet Phased Plasma L
800mm Repeating Artillery II, Republic Fleet Phased Plasma L
800mm Repeating Artillery II, Republic Fleet Phased Plasma L
800mm Repeating Artillery II, Republic Fleet Phased Plasma L
800mm Repeating Artillery II, Republic Fleet Phased Plasma L
800mm Repeating Artillery II, Republic Fleet Phased Plasma L

Large Anti-EM Screen Reinforcer I
Large Anti-Thermal Screen Reinforcer I
Large Anti-EM Screen Reinforcer I

Ogre II x3
Hammerhead II x2

For frigates you need to rely on solid isolation. One very popular Frigate being used with Dual ASB is the Hawk. This is a pretty impressive ship (especially in EFT) but I'm still playing with it and getting used to the new style of flying. There's a potential that I will make a new PVP Guide based on this Hawk, but it depends how much I end up liking it.

Click to Enlarge

[Hawk, Dual ASB]
Damage Control II
Co-Processor II

Coreli C-Type 1MN Afterburner
Medium Ancillary Shield Booster, Cap Booster 50
Medium Ancillary Shield Booster, Cap Booster 50
Adaptive Invulnerability Field II
Faint Epsilon Warp Scrambler I

Rocket Launcher II, Caldari Navy Scourge Rocket
Rocket Launcher II, Caldari Navy Scourge Rocket
Rocket Launcher II, Caldari Navy Scourge Rocket
Rocket Launcher II, Caldari Navy Scourge Rocket
150mm Light AutoCannon II, Republic Fleet Phased Plasma S

Small Anti-EM Screen Reinforcer I
Small Processor Overclocking Unit I

My final advice on the new Ancillary Shield Boosters would be to not let the impressive EFT stats make you overconfident, because fights don't always go the way you planned (if ever) and waiting for your ASB to reload while watching your hit points melt away is no fun.