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The viability of a 'home' in Lowsec, solo.

Author
Calairis
The Scope
Gallente Federation
#1 - 2012-08-27 18:34:44 UTC
I looked around beforehand, but maybe this is not the best subforum for the topic. Please move as necessary.

In most threads, OP is told to find a corp if they're looking to try out Lowsec. Let's assume that I work irregular hours, share a living space with 4 roommates, and have real-life relationships to maintain. As such I make a terrible prospect for a corp that cares about my being present for ops, being on comms, and being willing to shoot rocks to pay my bills. This, along with the fact that cruising lazily through highsec from mission to mission while grinding faction standings has gotten pretty stale, leads me to seek a different direction.

Issue A: Income. I only have standings for L2s, but cannot yet fly cruisers. My exploration / scanning skills are lukewarm, mostly 3s, and while I'm training for covops, I cannot afford to lose a Helios.

Issue B: Logistics. By rough estimate, a single haul of replacement hulls and mods by Black Frog will cost me at least 50M. If this was a haul of say 4 fit and rigged Incursi, I'm paying at least the cost of the ships. This leaves me with piloting each ship from market to base, then returning in a pod to repeat. Doable, but time-consuming and perhaps foolish in dodgy neighborhoods.

Issue C: Cohabitants. I'm assuming that pirates are not going to suffer noobs gladly, and there's no reason to think that they would observe some sort of mutual non-agression pact with someone who's not a threat to them anyway. I'm also doubtful that they will accept tribute or 'protection' fees that I can either afford or feel assured by. I'm guessing finding sites and running missions is pretty much 'live fast and die hard'. In some ways preferrable to the doldrums of highsec, but in others... costly.

So, has anyone taken the plunge on their own? How did it go? Was it pretty rough, or were you well-established in terms of ISK and SP when you did it? If so, what were your approximate skillset and bankroll, if you don't mind my asking?
Ieldan
Tea Tactics
#2 - 2012-08-27 18:37:50 UTC
Check your ingame mail.
Skorpynekomimi
#3 - 2012-08-27 18:39:29 UTC
I advise you to find a corp that's okay with you being casual, and hanging out in their area. That'd solve the problem of the locals.

PI is probably going to be your main income. It'll help the locals like you, as you'll be paying tax. Related, GET A BLOCKADE RUNNER. So good for lowsec.
Maybe a DST as well, for bigger stuff.

Logistics-wise, pick up a big industrial. Fit purely for cargo, tack on a cursory tank. Use this to drag stuff from market hub to juuust outside lowsec. Haul things in from there. Courier contracts, blockade runner, whatever.

Get a retriever or two, mine when you've got local empty for a while.

Economic PVP

baltec1
Bat Country
Pandemic Horde
#4 - 2012-08-27 18:40:08 UTC  |  Edited by: baltec1
Base out of empire for now and move into low sec once you know what you are doing. Also get a jumpfrieghter when you do move out there.
James 315
Experimental Fun Times Corp RELOADED
CODE.
#5 - 2012-08-27 18:40:47 UTC
To be honest, the main source of income for lowsec dwellers is...highsec alts. What?

Buff lowsec, nerf highsec. Smile
Karl Hobb
Imperial Margarine
#6 - 2012-08-27 19:03:22 UTC
Calairis wrote:
The viability of a 'home' in Lowsec, solo.

Definitely doable. You're just going to take your paranoia a step up if you're going to do some carebearing. Over time you'll learn the locals and their schedules: who's doing PI, who's passing through, who's trying to kill you.

Also, confirming that blockade runners are pretty much easy-mode for moving **** in low-sec. Big hauler for high-sec to low-sec boundary, blockade runner for ferrying the stuff in, as has been stated. If you don't have the skills/money for a 'runner, use the big hauler to get stuff close then fly the ships in one-by one. Or have a secondary low-sec boundary base until you get those skills. Nothing says you have to have all your **** in one place.

A professional astro-bastard was not available so they sent me.

Pinstar Colton
Sweet Asteroid Acres
#7 - 2012-08-27 19:32:14 UTC  |  Edited by: Pinstar Colton
Do your research and find a reliable and safe(ish) low/high border system. House most of your stuff on the high sec end of this border system, but wander into low.

Do missions in low sec while you train up. This will not only force you to spend time in low, but also give you much needed practice for keeping yourself safe. Flying cheap T1 frigates or (once you train up for them) Cruisers means that even if you ARE popped, you aren't losing that much.

Only when you feel you know the lay of the land should you start moving stuff into low. Don't fuss with Black Frog unless you have a large volume of very valuable materials to ship in and out. If you are just doing missions/exploration, you won't need high volume hauling.

On the combat side of things, flying a cruiser/Battlecruiser well and getting into exploring sounds like the most profitable thing you can do in low sec solo.

In the cat-and-mouse game that is low sec, there is no shame in learning to be a better mouse.

War Kitten
Panda McLegion
#8 - 2012-08-27 19:46:20 UTC
A: Get your exploration skills above lukewarm - there's good money in it. Also ratting is decent now that battleships spawn in lowsec. PI is good in lowsec as well.

B: Flying ships from market to base is SOP. Frigates are not usually hard to get through lowsec. Fit nanos or inertia stabilizers and perhaps a warp core stab for your "travel fit". Also, Priority #1 is a cloaky hauler for living in lowsec. Crane, Viator, Prowler, or the Amarr thing... one of life's most useful tools in lowsec.

C: Don't be afraid to talk with the locals. Some are friendly. Assume they aren't though. You might make allies down the road.


Solo lowsec is very doable. But make sure you know the docking mechanics, how to make insta-undock safe spots, and in general, how to play the game well.

I don't judge people by their race, religion, color, size, age, gender, or ethnicity. I judge them by their grammar, spelling, syntax, punctuation, clarity of expression, and logical consistency.

Mr Epeen
It's All About Me
#9 - 2012-08-27 20:02:16 UTC
I don't know above 'living' there. But you can certainly map yourself a daily route to run if you just want to be ratting. And, to be honest, that's the best way to get a feel for the place.

Once you are comfortable with how things work, then ease yourself into actually setting up in a station. It'll give you a chance to get to know the locals as well before getting into an area that might not be great for you.

Mr Epeen Cool
Maximillian Dragonard
Caldari Provisions
Caldari State
#10 - 2012-08-27 20:02:38 UTC
Low sec living is easily done, it's just a matter of finding the right area.

Avoid faction warfare hot spots!
Look for low sec loops of 3-5 systems that are somewhat off the beaten path. (These are more common than you might think)
Make safe spots in each system.
Make insta-docks and undocks in any station you visit semi-regularly.

As stated above, train for a blockade runner to save you the hassle of utilizing Black Frog until later in life.
Learn to keep a keen eye on local, and be very familiar with d-scan.

Low sec also gives you the occasional rush when someone tries hunting you in an area you know intimately well. Lots of fun to be had Twisted

Wut?!

Matriarch Prime
Sebiestor Tribe
Minmatar Republic
#11 - 2012-08-27 20:14:02 UTC
This might help you know how to avoid camps and roaming gank squads.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFQ7lGxhsWU&feature=BFa&list=HL1346098387

I like big guns. I can not lie. You other suckas can't deny. When I warp in, with an itty bity sig, with an arty in your face, you get sprung. You want to pull out your debuffs, 'cause you want to loot my stuff...deep, in a worm with nary, an escape but you can't stop staring. 'Cause, Oh crap!, Baby's got Point!

MadMuppet
Critical Mass Inc
#12 - 2012-08-27 20:22:53 UTC
I have moved to low-sec a few times. The first real move was due to corp theft and a huge loss to me. More or less penniless I grabbed a cheap frigate and went out to make my life in low-sec. While I admit having higher skills that you currently do, moving things around was actually not so bad.

Since I started more or less broke I was belt-ratting and running L1 missions to start. Once I could afford a cruiser I made an L2 ship (on a side note, I was using the ‘lesser’ ships due to their lower prices like the Bellicose). I eventually purchased an industrial, fitting shield extenders and plugging resist holes in the mids and warp core stabs in the lows. Once I could afford it I fit cargo rigs on it. While no match for an organized gate camp (which you learn where they are, check the map for kills in 24 hrs and 1 hr) I flew away from many amateur ones. (side note, a T1 Mammoth will align 3 seconds faster than the T2 Mastodon, at a gate camp three seconds is a lifetime). It was what I used to run PI to markets to sell it.

This went on for a few weeks. I got to know some of the locals (even had one ASK if they could wardec me, talk about a ‘civil’ war). There was a Russian explorer that would leave me wrecks to salvage and we slip the profits (talk about a painful cut-n-paste Google session) and I made a point of avoiding a roaming French corp who only wanted to kill me. My first area eventually got overrun with a warring group of German vs Russian players. The second area was too highly travelled by the young players looking for ganks, and the last time was too empty (nobody around) only to get camped by incursions.

I keep considering returning to low sec. There is not a lot of point to bring a bunch of ships to an area until you are comfortable in it. I have always considered all my work in low-sec a loss and if I got the equipment out of there if was profit and bonus. I think I still have about half of my rag-tag fleet from the second trip sitting out there.

This message brought to you by Experience(tm). When common sense fails you, experience will come to the rescue. Experience(tm) from the makers of CONCORD.

"If you are part of the problem, you will be nerfed." -MadMuppet

Crrrazy Ivan
University of Caille
Gallente Federation
#13 - 2012-08-27 20:28:54 UTC
Even to someone such as yourself, there are plenty LowSec corporations that will happily accept someone committed to the game even if they play irregularly. Furthermore, a lot of established LowSec corps will have some sort of Logistics chains setup and local markets. If there's one thing I can recommend, then it's to find a corp no matter how dire your situation is.
veritas primus
Kat 5 Kaos
#14 - 2012-08-27 20:35:02 UTC
Yeah, same deal with me. I've played since Castor, and lived in the North where I helped hold space for several years. Left the game for a few years, and back running around high sec while I learn game mechanics again.

I would love to venture into 0.0 again and make my home, but I'm unable to dedicate myself to helping hold space, or giving to a corporation. yet.

When I lived in 0.0 that was a time to war, carebear, and explore. Everyone took their turns on patrols, mining, POS upkeep, etc.

I really had an enjoyable time of it, I hope you find what you're looking for, and I hope to be ready to devote myself to such an experience soon.
Adam Junior
Aliastra
Gallente Federation
#15 - 2012-08-27 20:56:58 UTC
I jumpclone in to some deep remote lowsec to carebear all the time, getting ships down can be an issue however. I suggest the cloak + mwd trick, finding uninhabited routes and going just before/after downtime.
Shiganaru
Ignis Aeternus Imperium
#16 - 2012-08-27 21:26:40 UTC
Issue A - Income
I got the impression that you are a miner. If this is correct, mining in high-sec will be your most reliable source of income. Do not even try mining in low-sec or null-sec, unless you have a buyer for the minerals or a Rorqual to jump what you mine back to high-sec.

If you want to focus on combat and exploration, work on your ability to run L4 missions first. Train for a mission-running battleship, such as an Abaddon, Dominix, Raven, or Maelstrom, and get your standings up to use the high-level agents.

Exploration is really a side-profession to being a combat pilot in New Eden. If you get lucky, you can make hundreds of millions of ISK in less than an hour; however, if you are not, you can lose a lot of ISK very quickly. Only worry about exploration, if you are looking for something to break the monotony of running missions, but not as a replacement to doing those things.

As for low-sec, exploration is better in low-sec. You will find more combat sites, rated DED complexes, and anomalies out there than you will ever find in high-sec; however, they are more difficult, and often require more than one person to complete in an efficient manner. (Unless you are an experiences, high skill-point pilot.)

When you get ready for exploration, the Helios and a Vexor- or the T2 variant, Ishtar -will make short work of most combat sites and anomalies. The Proteus, the Gallente Strategic Cruiser, would also be a good choice further down the road.

Issue B - Logistics
Just like other have suggested, train for and buy a Covert Ops Hauler, the Viator for Gallente pilots. If you get the process of cloaking as soon as you hit the warp button down, Covert Op Haulers are near impossible to gank in all but null-sec. This would be the ideal way of moving equipment in and out of low-sec, and even around high-sec these days.

If you are a miner, you'll obviously want to train for an Orca in high-sec, and eventually a Rorqual for low-sec and null-sec operations.

Combat pilots, who tend to find themselves bringing in and moving a lot of ships between high-sec and null-sec/low-sec will want to train for a Carrier, and are essential if you want to be self-sufficient in null-sec space; however, do not plan to fly one without about 6-8 months of training and a ton of ISK in the wallet.

Issue C - Cohabitants
No matter where you are in New Eden, do not trust that anybody will not shoot you, including your corp mates.

With that said, your best bet is to join a corporation that is well-established on their own or is in a well-established alliance. A lot of new player friendly corporations will not mind having you aboard, as long as you do not affect the corporation in a negative way, such as losing a lot of industrial ships to the same gate camp.

Most corporations/alliances that live in low-sec or null-sec will provide access to intelligence channels, so that you can be warned should a hostile entity approach your location; however, you will still be responsible for your own safety.

Be mindful of your surroundings. . . separate the "local" chat channel from the others, and place it where you can always see who is in the system with you. If there is someone that is not a part of your corporation or alliance in system, dock up, safe up, or move on to the next system.

Well, good luck.
-Shiganaru
Selinate
#17 - 2012-08-27 21:27:13 UTC
After you get the hang of the basic mechanics of Eve, living in low sec is actually fairly simple and easy. You can PvP when you want (most of the time, sometimes it gets had upon you when you don't want and sometimes it's just hard to find, but the first can be fairly rare if you know what you're doing). I think the best source of income in low sec that I can think if is exploring. Missions aren't exactly a great prospect since... well... they're missions and they take a while to complete. In other words, you'll be easier to pinpoint and gank the longer you sit outside.

Still, I don't think it's really as profitable as sitting in high sec and simply grinding missions over and over, but it's up to you. I think it's certainly more fun to live in low sec...
Lin-Young Borovskova
Doomheim
#18 - 2012-08-27 21:31:44 UTC  |  Edited by: Lin-Young Borovskova
James 315 wrote:
To be honest, the main source of income for lowsec dwellers is...highsec alts. What?

Buff lowsec, nerf highsec. Smile



If you don't like the risk/reward thing then I agree with you, if not then you're plain wrong. Low sec provides trillions of isk to be made by smart people.

The only way the average player can make more isk in high than low is with haulers/freighters/pimp mission boats ganks.

Low sec: lvl5 missions, why don't you run those? -tons of LP's per mission but yep, there's a risk.

Wait: Faction warfare, everyone will tell you know "fit a fast frig and go do sites, cash LP's and do about 500M//H"

Exploration:
-DED 5's and others vomiting B-C type stuffz worth billions, the guy behind his computer all day can easily do at least 3, knowing the average gain in ITEMS ONLY is in between 2 and around 5 Billions (depending also on rat type)
-Implants, skillbooks, items, advanced salvage, faction spawns worth at least 100x more than the poor faction frigate spawn in high sec, and more stuff to do.

So, the problem is not how to make isk in low sec, the problem is living there and not willing to take the risk because it's easier to perma camp some gate or station undock, then call high sec inhabitants "risk averse" but use CONCORD protection to camp high sec gates for ganks. Roll

Just an opinion, like it or not but reflects quite good a lot of low sec inhabitants attitude, their paradise didn't became the waste land it is because it doesn't have enough isk to be made, this is the falsest statement ever about low sec.

brb

Shiganaru
Ignis Aeternus Imperium
#19 - 2012-08-27 21:44:05 UTC
There is no doubt that in low-sec / null-sec more ISK can be made at "one-time"; however, high-sec is the only place where you can make steady reliable ISK with very little risk.

For example, I can make 50mil/hour in high-sec running L4 missions and this never changes. I know that if I play for an hour tonight, I'll make about 50mil ISK. If I play for 10 hours tomorrow, I'll make 500mil ISK.

In low-sec / null-sec, you have to deal with interruptions from neutral / hostile pilots roaming into your systems, CTAs, chance-based DED drops, etc. I used to live in null-sec with some of the large power-block alliances. I made a ton of ISK running anomalies and my fair share of exploration, but I couldn't count on the ISK to reach my goals, or that I would even get the chance to undock my ship that one night I had off all week.

Just food for thought....
Selinate
#20 - 2012-08-27 22:04:26 UTC
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