Grismar's EVE Wiki : WarpScrambling

Warp Scrambling

Warp scrambling prevents another ship from entering warp. This is the primary EW type used in any kind of pvp, because it allows you to prevent your target from escaping from an unfavorable situation.

Methods of application:

• Modules - The modules are called warp scramblers and warp disruptors, and are fitted into midslots. They come in different varieties, with the important paremeters being scrambling range and scrambling strength.
• Mobile Warp Disruptors - These are often referred to as "bubbles". They are static objects wich can be deployed and anchored anywhere in space. They are characterized by their scrambling radius and come in multiple flavors. Small, Medium and Large. Mobile Warp Disruptors can only be used in 0.0 space. Bubbles can also pull ships out of warp in different positions than intended, but more on that later.
• Interdictor spheres - Interdictor spheres work the same way as Mobile Warp Disruptors, however they can be deployed on the fly and have a fixed scrambling radius of 20km. As with anchorable bubbles, usage of interdictor spheres is restricted to 0.0 space.

Working Mechanism:

Regarding modules, the best way to describe the workings would be to view every module as having a certain amount of "scramble points" (scramble strength). Let's say each ship starts out with 0 warp points and each scramble point deducts from that number. If the amount of warp points a ship has is negative, it can't enter warp. So if you apply a warp disruptor with strength 1 to a ship with a base amount of 0 warp points, it ends up with -1 warp points, thus it can't warp.

Bubbles (both anchorable and interdictor) work slightly different. First of all, the number of points is irrelevant here. Each bubble has a scrambling radius. If the ship's distance to the disruptor is less than the disruptors scrambling radius, then the ship is considered warp scrambled and cannot warp. Another specific point about bubbles is that they are able to modify the place where ships exit warp. Ships can warp from object A to object B. Now draw an imaginary line AB through object A and object B. If line AB intersects a bubble, which is in the same grid as object B, at the time when the ship starts the warp procedure at object A, then regardless at what range the ship warped to object B, it will end up out of warp where line AB intersects the bubble, on the edge of the bubble which is closest to object A.

Deductions - If the bubble is not in the same grid as object B, then nothing will happen, and if the bubble is not deployed before the target initiates warp at object A, it will not be affected by the bubble. Also note, that object A and B are not the same as celestial objects. Object A is the warp entry point and Object B is whatever object was warped to. This means celestial object or bookmark.

Skills affecting:

Modules:

• Propulsion Jamming - 5% Reduction to capacitor need per skill level.

Mobile Warp Disruptors:

• Anchoring - Reduces time to deploy the bubble.

Interdictor Spheres:

• Interdictors - Increases the ROF of the sphere launcher by 10% per skill level.

Specialized ships:

Ships with bonus to scramble are gallente

• Arazu/Lachesis - Recons, get 20% bonus to warp disruptor/scrambler range per recon level.
• Interdictors are a ship class dedicated to deploying Interdiction Spheres.

Counters:

Counters to the module versions are Warp Core Stabilizers or WCS. Each WCS adds one warp point to the ship. Meaning that if a ship has one WCS fitted and no natural bonus to Warp Core strength, you will need 2 scrambling points to give it a negative amount of warp points and thus scramble it. In case of ending up in a bubble, there are no direct counters, but due to bubbles having limited range, a speedy ship configuration is an indirect counter.