EVE New Citizens Q&A

I've decided to take up exploration on my main as a pass time hobby, so far all the loot has not been worth the effort in low sec.

I'm currently in a cheetah. Is it worth hunting down wormholes and exploring in them? As I read the data sites are a lot more profitable in WH space.

or am I better going to null? (I can easily train into an Astero as I read there's NPC's in Null data sites)

Yeah, stay away from the sleeper sites. Those are all combat sites where the money is in all the salvage. The cans in the sleeper sites are not worth hacking. If you're blitzing just for money, don't bother with the data sites in general. Target the pirate relic sites in nullsec and class 1,2, and 3 wormholes. Fit your ship accordingly.

The way I see it - you're going to be scanning down the wormholes anyway while you look for relic and data sites in null sec. And wormhole connections are the best and safest method for traveling to and from nullsec anyway. So you'll want to spend time in them anyway and scan down the signatures in them.

Like others said, the Sleeper relic and data sites have NPCs guarding the site. In a C1 or C2, you can usually clear them out with a battlecruiser (some specialized T1 cruisers can manage it if you're skilled at fitting and flying). In a C3 usually calls for small gangs of cruisers or battlecruisers to clear, and C4s usually need a fleet of battleships or T3 cruisers or other serious firepower. Forget about C5s and C6s - you won't clear those solo in much of anything short of a dreadnaught. So if you're just soloing in an Astero or T2 cov ops cloaky ship, you should avoid the sleeper sites.

But CCP made some changes to the game so that null sec relic and data sites now infrequently spawn in wormhole space. So if you don't see the word "sleeper" on the site and instead see "Sansha" or "Blood Raider" or "Gurista" etc, that means you have yourself a null security relic/data site, and there won't be any NPCs guarding it - just like null sec. You can run those for the same profit you would on your normal null sec sites.

So, I'd recommend doing this in null sec. That's were the profit is for a solo daytripper who doesn't want to scout in one ship and then hassle with going and fetching a combat ship to clear stuff too. You should use the wormhole connection chains to find your way in and out of nullsec (having a nearby wormhole is a great way to escape a bunch of hostiles in local as well - they usually won't know where you disappeared to). While you are doing this, keep your eye out in wormholes for null sec data/relic sites. If you find them, you might as well run those too.

I also recommend out of game tools like Staticmapper, Tripwire, and DOTLAN for helping you navigate around.

Stick to null IMHO, because you will inevitably get murdered in a WH when that cloaky ship you didn't see enter local chat pops up right beside you. At least in null if you watch local and only work a site when system is empty you can do it very safely.

F

This is EVE. You will inevitably get murdered anyway.
If the treasure is more valuable in WH space, the danger can be a fair trade. I haven't done the math.

Teaching people to play EVE based on an assumption that they will never lose their ship = much worse advice.

I do data and relic sites in c1, c2, and c3's all the time. Haven't died yet... i will at some point but i have made a ton off the sites. That being said, i also gank explores by warping in at zero on them or with a stealth bomber. Also there are tons of wormholes that have no one online in them through the day.

Planning a route can save much more time than you not looking at it and then going blindly in. Dotlan has great stats which let you avoid heavily populated and dangerous areas.

tripwire is much more for people who spend a lot of their time in wormholes, if you're just passing through and grabbing a few sites here and there, it's not needed.

And to your question: nobody would ever do that and reveal their own chain to the public. The only known thing even close to that is the thera mapper.

As someone who extensively runs relic/data sites in both null sec and wormholes I can tell you:

Wormholes:
1. Doing signatures in Wormhole is generally safer.
2. You will do on average 5-6 Wormholes before you a hole with sites
3. You will spend alot of time scanning down all signatures in a Wormhole
4. Generally unpopulated if you stick to C1-C3 class Wormholes
5.

Nullsec:
1. You will make more money in Null
2. Null is way more populated
3. Null has gatecamps
4. Most alliances in Null has intel channels, so if you get spotted they MIGHT decide to hunt you down.

If you are in it for the ISK, then go do Nullsec sites
If you rather want something safer, go Wormholes, but stay away from C4+ sites

In which domain are the sites more profitable for pirates who stalk exploration ships?