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LF low sec/null exploring tips
Ethian
Member Posts: 1,216
I do a fair bit of missioning in EvE but I also enjoy exploring when I can find the time. These past few weeks I've learned alot about staying alive in low sec while scanning down and running radar / mag sites. Beleive it or not I had no idea any ship could fit a cloak prototype until last week. I had always thought only covert ops ships could go into stealth....lol. Also I've learned to constantly keep an eye on my dscan for combat probes to avoid getting scanning down and jumped by players looking for an easy kill. Last night three players who had my radar site bookmarked took me down without even having to use combat probes. They simply used their dscan to estimate where I was (which happened to be in their radar site) so they warped in and blew up my drake...Eve is a harsh world man but its also the reason I play it :-)
I'm looking for some helpfull tips about how to stay alive and do well with low sec/null exploration. I'm doing low sec systems but once I feel confident I plan to move to null sec and WH exploration for the big isk.
"I play Tera for the gameplay"
Comments
Use this for recon into unknown areas.
http://evemaps.dotlan.net/
Also filters on the ingame map give alot of info.
Life IS Feudal
well first of all you need to get into a low sec/nul sec corp
the rest will fall into place and soon you will realize that 0.0 space is safer than high sec
Im not sure there is an answer to this (appart from dont fly a ship you cannot afford to lose ofc), but im interested in the answer too
Im guessing previous points suggest that exploration site locations are relatively fixed, so anyone who researches can deduce where someone is?
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Now playing GW2, AOW 3, ESO, LOTR, Elite D
I think they litterally scanned down the radar site i was in and waited until i entered it and then warped in on top of me for the kill. Not only do explorers have to worry about combat probes, we also always need keep an eye on who is in system and what their up to. A smart and experienced player can easily find someone in a scan site if they want to
"I play Tera for the gameplay"
What type of ship is recommended for low sec mag/radar sites? I've been using my Wolf but I'm finding dps is abit low unless my fitting isnt the best. I'm assuming a BC (drake or hurricane) would probly do the job quicker in low sec, while a BS is probly overkill for low sec rats. I'm guessing BS such as the Raven are commonly used for null sec mag/radar sites as the rats are likely much tougher.
I'm also curious what others do when it comes to scanning down sites in low sec / null. Do most of you just fit a good combat ship with a probe launcher and cloak and search thru different systems until you find sites? I've been fitting a decent combat ship and bringing the mods with me (salvager/analzyer/codebreaker) to use once I find a site worth checking out. Or do most of you bring out a covert ops/scan ship to find the sites and then return to your station to grab your combat ship to run the sites? This method probly takes alot more time and your also taking the risk someone won't find those sites and do them while your grabbing your combat ship :-/
Basically I'm just looking for the most effeicient and effective way of exploring thru low sec and null without loosing ships each week lol
"I play Tera for the gameplay"
Hi there. I have some experience living in low sec as soloer so if you want, here are my tips:
Only true exploration ships are T3.
Apart from that, the most efficient are drone boats - ie. Arbitrator and Vexor hulls. Do not fly drake, BC are fat and easy to catch. Frigates would be the best pick due their high agility but they suffer of insufficient slot load out - you need 1 high slot for probe launcher and 1 mid slot for Codebreaker, this rules out most frigates as it heavily cripples their damage output and utility. Cruisers and speed is where you want to look for your exploration ship.
You do not need a cloak, it is only a bonus. Skilled cruiser pilot will never get caught unless he makes some bad mistake - safe spot bookmarks and bookmarks at gates are a must. In your example, the avoidance of such gank situation is easy - 'speed tank'.
Yes, you want a 'speed tanked' exploration ship.
In case you have low skill points or you just do not mid, you can could consider swapping between scanning frig and combat boat.
As for the WH and null sec exploration...for WH exploration I would say T3 is mandatory and null sec is just too large travel distance making it too risky and not worthy.
Now the most important part: social and observation skills. This is the key for your survivability.
Living in certain area, you will learn local entities and inhabitans. You will learn when certain people are online, what they do, what they fly and how they operate. And as apply to anywhere in EVE - always be polite. Smacktalking and bad attitude can make your life in EVE very miserable.
Keep moving, never be still. Fly safe!
This.
I have my Cheetah rigged up like a swiss army knife. It can determine system security, scan sites down and also I have hack, salvage and codebreaker aboard.
My Maelstrom is fully pvp fit and tanked and I just slog thru the npcs. I'm always ready to throwdown in pvp in case of visitors.
When the npcs are dealt with I fit the Cheetah with whatever module I need and get mah fat lootz.
Yeah a little time consuming but the best way to minimize your risks. The price for running solo.
I recommend good insurance and accept the fact you will lose ships. Just make sure earnings offset costs.
75% of the time tho if someone pops in I vape their ass. Tech II gunz baby... Also web, warp scram and ewar drones keep my visitors occupied while I melt their face.
Life IS Feudal
Thanks for the info! Exactly what I was after. Currently I'm flying a the Wolf assualt frigate for low sec exploration. Would you recommend I upgrade to a BC or cruiser? Or should the wolf dps be fine for low sec rats?
After loosing my drake this week I'm actually considering fitting a different type of ship for exploration because I found it too slow to be effective. My skills are in Minmatar and Caldari ships..would the Hurricane make a good ship for low sec exploartion? From what I've heard Minmatar ships are fast, or maybe the Rupture cruiser would be better suited?
Thanks again for the info, I hope to be fitted with a new ship and ready to head back out on the hunt by the weekend :-)
"I play Tera for the gameplay"
Stabber seems like a fast cruiser. Worth fitting one and giving it go? Also I'm trained for a Rupture, either seems like a fairly fast ship.
http://www.eve-wiki.net/index.php?title=Stabber
http://www.eve-wiki.net/index.php?title=Rupture
"I play Tera for the gameplay"
As I said above, I consider BC too fat and vulnerable for soloing. I do not understand what your issue with Wolf actually is. It is always a trade off for something.
A rule of thumb says: Smaller ship you fly, safer it is but less efficient you are.
Cruisers, and larger ships, deal more damage at higher range, on the other hand frigates are hard to catch but PVE part can take more time though.
Whether switch from your Wolf is hard to say. It depends on your piloting and character skills as well as what aspect of your gameplay you want to improve. You want to make more ISK? To lose less ISK? To make it more 'fun'? Safer? etc.
I would say only combat and radar sites are worthy to run and there are basically 2 ways how to do exploration: You swap ships or you don't.
1) You use scanning ship, T1 or T2. Probe launcher, scanning rigs, cloak, mwd. You scan systems in the area, make bookmarks and then come back with combat ship(optionally fitted with Codebreaker for radar sites).
2) You do all with 1 ship. While you need not to travel as much, scanning is way harder as you lose scanning bonuses of specialized ships. Unless you use T3 ship of course, those are the only true exploration ships that can do all effectively alone - having scanning bonuses and good damage output.
What is the best way for you? I am afraid that it is only you who can find out through experimenting. EVE is a game of incredible amount of tools and there are as many ways of doing things as there are needs.
I am sorry if my replies aren't more specific but I was never after top efficiency, all I cared about was fun and was seeking ways how to do what I enjoyed. EVE is a wonderful world of opportunities to explore( ie. making a billion ISK within 24 hours of making a trial account
You summed it up perfectly.
Keep on rockin'!
I do lowsec exploration and I can share a few tips with you. Although I'll regret it the day you cleared the site I was gonna run, won't I.
Look around for lowsec systems that aren't inhabited. A single guy sitting in a station is a huge increase in risk.
First of. The way they got you is by far the biggest danger you have to face. That pirates have probed out the complex before you show up, and they are waiting for someone to start doing it, then suddenly pop into local and rush straight for you. Or a single tackler shows up and goes straight for you. Rest follow when you are tackled.
The only real way to avoid this, is to log on straight after downtime, where the PLEX respawn. You can then be pretty sure noone can find you without probes. If you can´t do that, then you gotta take all precautions.
Whenever you enter a new room in a PLEX, Jettison a single missile (or something else if you will, a round of ammo). This leaves a can that serves 2 purposes. First of, it tells you where the warpin point is. You need to get away from there. At least 50 km, and more is much better.As far as your weaponrange still allows you to shoot rats. Secondly, if a stealth ships comes in, there is a good chance it will land on the can and be uncloaked.
Remember to drop a can in every room, first thing.
You have made a safespot in system (yes you have), when you are far enough away from warpin, align to the safespot. Slowdown, turn of AB if you don't need to speedtank. Go full speed if you think you might have to warp any second. If you are speedtanking and orbiting rats, alway align at the first sign of danger.
It is good you use the D-scanner like a paranoid. They ARE out to get you. Max range of the D-scanner is 14 AU. If you punch in all 9's it willl set to max. Max is a numeral starting with 214. Is someone on your Dscanner, but acting like he is no threat at all?
Delete the first 2, and put in a 1. now you are scanning 7 AU. Is he still there? If not, okay. Then yes now he is. He is warping towards you mate, good you are full speed aligned.
Remember to set it to max range again when you no longer need short range.
If you have cleared a room, you can cloak in the room and be safe, unless they bump you, which shouldn't happen. This can be a good way to sit it out without the PLEX despawning. Else you must be ready to warp to safe and accept the site will despawn.
Good luck.
Edit: also google "mwd cloaking trick" for travelling as safe as possible between gates. Practice doing it in hisec. Basically, you are stealthed at gate and there are hostiles. You buttonmash; align and cloak and then MWD (AB won't be just as good but still much better chance than sure death). When your cycle of MWD runs out, you decloak at the same time you hit warp to the point you aligned to.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uBcK_c8Gy4&feature=related.
So the idea is that you are cloaked when you align, and when MWD (or AB) turns of, and you decloak at the same time, you will be at max normal speed, and will then warp instantly.
If you get all these things right even a Drake should get a decent lifetime.
Still not ready to play EVE yet, but i like the tips you guys are giving.
would be cool if there was a Man Vs. Wild or National Geographic Angle to go with it.
"Surviving Null Sec, hosted by: Bear Grylls"