Commander Karth Guide – Builds, Talents, and Synergy

Intro

Meet Commander Karth – the chain-reaction specialist of the Barrage world. Versatile, dangerous, and a core for many top fleet comps, Karth excels in high-tempo engagements. In this guide, you’ll uncover his strengths, optimal builds, top fleet pairings, and what makes him a true S-tier commander in EVE Galaxy Conquest.

General Info

Karth is a cornerstone of many Barrage-focused fleet compositions. He’s always a welcome pull from recruitment tickets and well worth investing legendary data chips into. All of his abilities are tailored for Barrage-type ships, enhancing their ability to launch additional Direct Fire attacks and trigger devastating combo chains.

What makes him stand out in EVE: Galaxy Conquest is how his builds shift significantly based on his promotion level (red stars). Unlike many commanders, Karth’s talent paths evolve with his rank. 

Main Characteristics

Base Stats

• Offense: 253
• Tactics: 253
• Data Rate: 53
• Formations: Encirclement, Assault
• Faction: Minmatar

Bond Bonuses

• Valklears – When paired with Vlad, Thumgar, Dramis, Krugar, or Bishop, both commanders gain +33 Offense.
• Empire General – When paired with Kasora, Ketzi, Anvent, Faus, or Alexander, during the first 2 turns of battle, your commanders have a 50% chance to deal 47% Kinetic and 42% Energy damage to an enemy wing.

With equally high Offense and Tactics, I classify Karth as a hybrid-type commander (see my breakdown post). In most cases, you’ll want to use him as the lead commander to fully benefit from damage boost and damage reduction bonuses for your ship.

His Data Rate stat is largely irrelevant, since most of his talents are passives or command-based. The exception is the Head-on Confrontation talent, which is an active ability—so if you’re building around that, a higher Data Rate becomes more valuable to act earlier in the turn (more about this in implant’s section).

Karth Talents

Before diving into Karth’s builds, let’s break down each of his talents—along with my commentary to clarify and highlight their impact.

Click to zoom in Karth’s Talents tree

1A – Vengeance

Type: Command | Initiating Chance: 100%
When your wings receive damage from Direct Fire, you have an 11% chance (21.9% at max level) to unleash 1 Counter Attack (a Direct Fire that can trigger Barrage modules).

Teamwork
Type: Passive | Initiating Chance: 100%
Increases the initiating chance of counter attacks by 8.7% (17.4% at max level).

Commentary: With both talents maxed, you gain a 39.3% chance to trigger a counterattack each time your wings take Direct Fire. Over an 8-turn battle, this results in an average of 3.14 triggers.

It’s recommended to invest at least 1 point into Teamwork early, as it immediately boosts the chance by 8.7%. While Vengeance adds 0.7% per level, Teamwork contributes 1.4% per point, making it more efficient to max out the passive (7/7) first.

Statistically, there’s about a 74% chance that the skill will trigger 3 to 4 times in an 8-turn combat.

Beware of own ECM effects—they can completely shut down your counterattacks, effectively wasting your talent investment and crippling your damage output.

2A – Containment Tactics

Type: Command | Initiating Chance: 100%
When your wings receive damage from Direct Fire, increases your Kinetic damage by 7.2% for 2 turns (14.3% at max level), stackable up to 3 times.

Camouflage
Type: Passive | Initiating Chance: 100%
When your wings receive damage from Direct Fire, reduces received Kinetic damage by 1.4% for 2 turns (2.7% at max level), stackable up to 3 times.

Commentary: The 2A talents are a bit iffy. The confusing part is the phrasing—“increases your”—which usually implies that Karth himself benefits, but since he doesn’t deal damage, that doesn’t make much sense. A clearer wording would be “your wings and commanders”. Personally, If Karth is less than 2-stars, I prefer to skip this talent tier entirely, max out 1A first, and then move straight to the third tier.

2B – Pursuing Firepower

Type: Passive | Initiating Chance: 100%
Increases the chance of initiating Barrage modules by 5% (10% at max level).

Inspire
Type: Passive | Initiating Chance: 100%
Increases Firepower by 13% (25.9% at max level) while piloting Minmatar ships.

Commentary: Pursuing Firepower is a key talent for Barrage-focused ships, significantly boosting module trigger chances. However, if you’re not flying a Rifter or Maelstrom, it’s best to skip Inspire passive entirely. This is why you want to get Karth 2-stars asap.

3A – Assault Plan

Type: Command | Initiating Chance: 100%
All your wings gain Quick Response for the first 3 turns, increasing damage dealt by Barrage modules by 17.1% (34.2% at max level).

Dodge
Type: Passive | Initiating Chance: 100%
Starting from turn 4, your wings gain 4.5% Evasion for 3 turns (8.9% at max level).

Commentary: Quick Response is a powerful buff that lets your wings act first, ignoring the usual Data Rate stack order. This provides a major advantage—striking with full force before enemies can react often means eliminating key threats early.

Also worth noting: while the skill text implies it only affects ships, in reality, it applies to ships, drones, and both commanders. If you’re running a fleet with Mens, this may be less impactful, but for a commander like Yorlas, it’s a perfect opener. Keep that in mind when building around it.

This passive is definitely worth investing a single point for the initial 4.5% Evasion boost. However, leveling it further offers diminishing returns and should be considered a lower priority.

3B – Head-on Confrontation

Type: Active | Initiating Chance: 26.64% (base), 40% (max)
Initiates a duel with enemy wings, that both sides initiate 2 Direct Fires in turn. You have a 80% chance to inflict ECM Jam for 1 turn.  Once triggered, this skill will not be triggered again until the turn after the next.

Protection
Type: Passive | Initiating Chance: 100%
After a duel ends, increase your ships’ Armor by 6.3 for 2 turns (12.5 at max level).

Commentary: Uff, the wording here is quite tough. Head-on Confrontation gives you the potential to unleash 3 Direct Fires in a single turn, while also forcing the opponent to fire back with 3 of their own. Each of these can potentially trigger Vengeance, leading to a chain reaction. With some luck, you could squeeze out up to 6 attacks in one turn—all of which can activate ship modules and commanders like Mens or Yorlas.

This talent offers massive burst damage potential—I’ve seen Rifters wipe entire fleets in a single explosive round. However, be cautious when facing other Barrage-heavy fleets. The same effect can turn against you, and while the ECM Jam might save you, there’s still a 20% chance you both destroy each other within a turn or two.

As for Protection, it feels underwhelming beyond the first talent point. One level is often enough to get value without overcommitting.

Preferred Talent Builds for Commander Karth

Each build reflects the recommended skill path based on Karth’s current star rating. Skills have been listed by tier with the number of talent points suggested (Main skill / Passive).

Karth 0–1★ Build – Counter Specialist 

• Tier 1A: Vengeance 15/15 and Teamwork 7/7 – Focuses on maximizing Counter Attack trigger rate through Direct Fire. Core burst damage with high reliability.
• Tier 2A: Containment Tactics 11/15 and Camouflage 1/7 – Last and limited investment. Boosts kinetic output just enough without overcommitting.
• Tier 3A: Assault Plan 15/15 and Dodge 1/7 – Ensures early Quick Response best with commanders who act during turns. The key for alpha-strike strategies.

Karth 2★ Build – Barrage Specialist

• Tier 1A: Vengeance 15/15 and Teamwork 7/7
• Tier 2B: Pursuing Firepower 15/15 and Inspire 0/7 (7/7 recommended for Maelstrom or Rifter builds) – High barrage proc rate becomes key; Inspire is optional unless using Minmatar faction ships.
• Tier 3A: Assault Plan 12/15 (5/15 if using Maelstrom/Rifter) and Dodge 1/7 – Balances early Quick Response with points saved for Inspire.

Karth 3★+ Build – Duelist Burst Build

• Tier 1A: Vengeance 12/15 and Teamwork 7/7 – Slightly reduced investment to free points for duel mechanics.
• Tier 2B: Pursuing Firepower 15/15 and Inspire 0/7 (add 1 if you are on matar ships)
• Tier 3B: Head-on Confrontation 15/15 and Protection 1/7 – Enables massive burst combos and synergy with Vengeance. One point in Protection is sufficient for utility.

Implant Recommendations

The best implants for Karth depend on your chosen build. If you’re using Head-on Confrontation, the only truly synergistic set is Data Rate. Triggering a duel early in the turn can be critical—especially against slower battleships—letting you exchange Direct Fires before they activate their modules.

For other builds, or if Karth is your lead commander, prioritize implants with high Offense and Tactics (just raw stats). These boost ship performance during the pre-combat phase and don’t necessarily need to be part of a full set.

The EXP Gain set is an option, but offers limited value—it speeds up leveling by just 10% for one commander, which rarely has a meaningful impact.

Leveling & Build Progression

Karth is one of the few rare commanders who doesn’t require a respec in the mid or late game. You can gradually invest talent points as you earn them, building toward your final configuration without wasted resets.

Karth 0–1★ Progression – AAA Build 

1. Put 2 points into Vengeance to unlock Teamwork.
2. Invest 7 points into Teamwork for a solid counterattack boost.
3. Add 10 more points into Vengeance to bring it to 13/15.
4. Once Assault Plan unlocks, invest 2 points into it.
5. Add 1 point to Dodge for the early Evasion boost.
6. Spare the next 3 points for Containment Tactics and Camouflage (optional support).
7. Return to Vengeance and invest the final 2 points to max it out.
8. From here, finish Assault Plan with your remaining points.

Karth 2★ Progression – ABA Build 

1. Start with 2 points in Vengeance to unlock Teamwork.
2. Drop 4 points into Teamwork (enough for early trigger boost).
3. Invest 14 points into Pursuing Firepower for high Barrage module proc rate.
4. Drop 1 point into Assault Plan to unlock early Quick Response.
5. If you’re using a Minmatar ship, invest 1 point into Inspire.
6. Return to Teamwork and add the remaining 3 points to max it out.
7. Put the last 1 point into Pursuing Firepower to finish it off.
8. After that, max out Vengeance.
9. If you’re flying Minmatar ships, finish Inspire. Otherwise, continue investing into Assault Plan, plus 1 point into Dodge for utility.

Karth 3★ Progression – ABB Build

The early path is the same as in the 2★ build: 2 points Vengeance → 4 points Teamwork → max Pursuing Firepower.

Then, make sure to have at least 12 points in Vengeance and Teamwork at 7/7 before diving into 3B. This ensures you’re properly set up before seriously contesting duels via Head-on Confrontation.

Fleet Composition & Pairings

From my testing during Season 1 fleet comps, I discovered an interesting setup: Tristan – Karth – Yorlas. Keep in mind that Vengeance doesn’t apply to drones, but even so, 2B, 3B, or 3A talents work extremely well—triggering massive attack chains, likely making for some of the longest combat logs thanks to Tristan’s Coordinated Fire.

In Season 2, here are my three favorite fleet compositions:

• Dramiel – Karth & Mens
• Maelstrom – Karth & Mens
• Rifter – Karth & Yorlas

While Karth pairs nicely with Orthrus, I find him underwhelming on Dragoon.

Vlad is a plausible pairing, but only at 3★, where he functions more as a ship’s booster than a damage dealer. Larik can also be a creative pick, but be careful—his ECM effects can interfere with Vengeance triggers. (Honestly, I wish Larik had Neural Shutdown instead.)

Despite the in-game recommendation, Yun isn’t a great fit. There’s little to no synergy, and neither commander meaningfully enhances the other. Marcus is also a weak pick—his buffs don’t help Karth’s core mechanics in any impactful way.

Vepas is an absolute no. His ECM Jam and Shield mechanics directly block nearly all of Karth’s talents. Never pair them together.

Commander Biography

I’ve decided to add a lore section and expand it. Since I enjoy writing fanfics and have a deep understanding of EVE Online, I thought others might appreciate learning more about the commanders beyond just their raw stats.

Valklears – The Forged Military Elite

Based on chronicles from EVE: Theodicy

During the long years of enslavement and the Great War for liberation, the Minmatar tribes faced a critical shortage of experienced soldiers. Desperation forced them to turn to their most dangerous criminals—murderers, thugs, and outcasts—and forge them into warriors. Thus, the Valklear program was born.

Through brutal training and psychological conditioning, these convicts were reforged into an elite fighting force. Republic agents scoured the tribes for the most volatile hotheads, offering them a choice: join the liberation war or face execution or life imprisonment. Faced with fighting the Amarrian oppressors or rotting in a cell, the decision required no second thought.

The Valklears brought the Minmatar numerous victories and quickly became the Rebellion’s most feared and respected military unit.

The Reckoning of Admiral Karth

One of their most notable figures was Karth, a Valklear Admiral and the only known survivor among his ranks after the end of the Great Liberation War. His son, who chose to remain behind on Minmatar, was killed in an Amarr bombing raid. Driven by vengeance, Karth commandeered a warship and engaged in a direct assault on Faus Akredon—the celebrated Amarr commander and Hero of the Jovian campaign.

The clash ended in devastation, with Akredon’s ship forced into a collision with an asteroid. With Faus’ fate unknown and his status as a national icon unresolved, the Amarr Empire branded Karth a fugitive. Hunted and exiled, he vanished into the outer reaches of the galaxy.

Patch Changes & Notes

As of now, Karth has not received any changes since his release.
All of his skills function as described above, with no known bugs or inconsistencies.

Conclusion

Karth is a highly reliable and versatile commander, serving as a core component in many meta fleet compositions. Thanks to his adaptability across various builds, I would confidently rate him S-tier.

What’s your favorite Karth build or fleet combo? Have you discovered a new synergy or underrated pairing? Drop it in the comments—I’d love to hear what’s working for you!