Missions & Complexes

Hi there,

I am looking for some advice with distribution missions. I have only ever done level 1 and 2 distribution missions but I looked on the internet and found that level 3 and 4 missions carry much more m3 and go further. I hear they are a good (and require very little attention compared to security missions) way to raise your standings.

I'm a fairly new player and I make the majority of my money mining while doing other things on the computer / getting ready for work in the morning, etc. I find this works pretty well. I think I'd eventually like to get better at manufacturing and trading for a larger boost in isk...so these missions are purely a way to raise standings in the quickest and easiest manner.

I had some questions...hoping someone out there knows a thing or two about them.

If you take a level 3 or 4 distribution mission from high sec...does it often send you through lowsec?

What kind of ships should I have at my disposal for level 4 distribution missions? I know some missions require combat --but is the combat anywhere near as difficult as a level 4 security mission? Would a battlecruiser suffice or would I need a battleship?

I'd also assume that I need an industrial or advance industrial for some missions since I read that level 4 missions could have something like a 8000m3 requirement.

Would a really quick ship like a shuttle or atron be good for low cargo transport missions too?

I also read that the 'best' way to do distribution missions is to find a sector with multiple level 4 distribution agents in a single port and then just do multiple missions at a time. But don't the missions have you going to different locations? Or is it just so in the off chance they have you going to a similar location you can speed things up?

Any advice would be welcomed.

Thank you.

That depends entirely on where your agent/s is/are located. When I ran Distributors I never got sent into low-sec once.

You should have at least a cargo expander-rigged L4 Industrial. Ideally you'll have a Deep Space Transport.

There is no combat in any Distribution mission. There might be in the resulting Storylines though.

No, because they are too small for L3s/L4s.

The latter.

If your running distribution to increase standings, do some agent research.

16 missions at a particular level gets you a Storyline mission.

Find a mission agent that feeds into the storyline agent of your choice. If your really super focused, find a storyline agent in the station of the corporation your wanting to run those missions for. Etc.


Standings gains for running distribution doesn't come from the courier missions themselves, but rather the ease that you have access to storyline missions. The standings gains are massive compared to normal missions, and you can even cross pollinate your mission agent if you want (Run nothing but couriers tog et a combat storyline agent).

Best place to go for distribution agents, fortunately/unfortunately is low sec. High sec standings payouts in highsec for couriers is abysmal, and you would honestly be better off blitzing combat level I's and II's for combat Storyline agents rather than doing level III or level IV distribution agents in Highsec.

A good solid ship choice is an Iteron V (now very easily obtainable). Fit 2-3 Warp Core Stabelizer II's, Shield extenders and rest for cargo expanders. It's a poor mans blockade runner, can survive 1-3 shots of battship alpha, and the only thing that will catch you are larger, more organized gate camps (Like the ones found in Rancer). Manual fly, warp to zero, auto pilot baaad....

Just while doing the low sec jaunt, either count your missions and on the 15th or 16th go back to highsec to kick out your storyline to a high sec combat agent, or know for certain where and what your low sec storyline agent is, and whether or not it's distribution or combat... Higher level Combat missions in low sec are especially dangerous. I.E. You have to bring a battship into low sec (For quick mission running) or you have to spend even more time in low sec running it in something smaller /shorter range (Giving them more time to probe you out).


^.^

"New Slaves - Insurgency (2 of 5)
Faction: Minmitar
Mission type: Encounter"

I bolded the important bits.

I agree with most of what DeMichael wrote, but I think this part is wrong. I ran courier missions for a few months, both for NPC corp (handy for jump clones) and faction standings. I've also run my fair share of Security Agent (encounter/combat) missions. The chance of getting a courier or combat storyline mission is the same no matter what type of agent you're running for. The number of courier storyline missions is depressing, really, and you will get a lot of them regardless of what type of agent you ran the 16th mission for. Materials For War Preparation anyone?

The key is preparation if you plan on doing a lot of them. I had one area of about 10 systems, all in the same region, where it was easy to have as many as 6 accepted courier missions in progress at once. Hint: After you accept a mission, keep the agent convo box open so you can quickly see which mission agent sent you there. That was really helpful to me.

You will get bored, but you will gain standings steadily, and that can help you later on when you want something specific from a specific LP store and you realize you've got the standings to run off a series of combat L4 missions for an NPC corp you maybe thought you'd never need. As long as you're running for NPC corps in the same faction, it doesn't matter which NPC corp you complete the missions for: they'll all count toward your next storyline mission.

I suggest using Chribba's Agent Finder website. Select the faction you want to run for, Distribution missions and Level 3 or 4 (whatever you want). Go region by region because that page will only return a max of 100 agents. Sort the results by station and look for clusters of agents in the same system or nearby systems. It helps if you take a courier package 10 jumps to have another agent near the dropoff point that will give you another mission that will (hopefully) help you not travel back empty handed. Be prepared for a LOT of jumping around.

Edit: Also be prepared to decline storyline missions from time to time. Occasionally you will get a combat storyline mission that wants you to go kill ships of the opposing faction. If that matters to you at all, don't be afraid to decline a storyline mission. It's not a great feeling when you've done 16 missions to earn a storyline and you end up declining it, but avoiding the standings hit might be in your best interests. You have to make that decision. There is no penalty for declining a storyline mission other than it kind of means the last 16 missions you just did are wasted. The life of a mission runner is a grind. That's why I don't do them much anymore.