Missions & Complexes

Hello there.

My main has been doing hisec exploration for some months and i think it's time to move into low sec for a change of scenery.

I've been a carebear for my entire eve career so i'm not sure what to expect in low sec.

I'l be flying a covops Tengu with max skills in all areas, solo. I know that i should use a travel/scan fit to be more efficient, but i think i'l stick to a covops fit with 5 launchers (350ish dps and 400-500 specific tank) till i get more comfortable with low sec.

My problem is the lack of experience, so what i'd like to ask is : what are the basic (and maybe advanced) tactics that i need to know to fly resonably safe?

For example, i have no clue if i can run a site while other people are in local, or just warp to safe and cloak up till they leave.
Or what to do if i land/jump in a gatecamp, just warp to something and cloak?

As you can see, i could use a lot of help :)

Thx in advance.

Maybe i can help you a bit

First of all: decide wether you want to accept PVP, or avoid it
My choice is avoidance. It is easy to avoid it, and simply cheaper, since PVP is always connected to losses. It is easy to avoid those who want to engage you. How

Simply always scout and recon. Having safespots is a must. The safespots should always be out of the grids of menu-chosen distances like e.g. 100km away from star. Better would be like 1000km away. Then you dont show up on others overviews. Always cloak up there. You can scan cloaked. Nobody can find you, if you havent chosen a spot, where suddenly could appear

If you want to go for PVP, there are other posters, that can help you

I would recommend not to go to anomalies, as they can be scanned with onboard scanner, and pirates very often jump to there, to see if anyone is fighting there. I was once engaged - and lost a ship - because some pirate was already waiting there cloaked

If someone is already in system, i dont do much but scanning. There are no friendly players in lowsec, only pirates. Dont go for security status 5.0. Pirates always have 5.0 toons, doing their recon work in lowsec or in bordersystems from hi to lowsec. Once u go in lowsec u will see their pirate toons trying to pin you. I can tell you a lot of tactics they try, simply convo me for a chat :

Only an empty lowsec is a good lowsec
Avoid systems with stations - dont dock, as they go for you, when you come out (Dockgankers)
Avoid flying to sites which can be found without a probe launcher
Always have local open - somebody comes in? warp to safespot to cloak or cloak up where you are and wait until he is gone
The best weapon versus pirates is time. The longer they need to wait, the more time they waste
The best tool versus pirates is brain. The more you know, the less you will loose
The best protection versus pirates is intelligence. He might have one tactic that he always apllies, you need to have 100 tactics to avoid his plan

Once you enter a plex, use directional scan permanently when someone is in system. In the fights you cannot cloak at every point. Depends on how paranoic u are, you can use trash placed around the gates of plexes. Id recommend something that doesnt appear on the overview, but decloaks potential attackers. Corpses and logs are good for that. One who was decloaked can be seen on directional scanner. If you have set it to the distance you have tgravelled from gate to where you are (e.g. 10.000 km) every ship that shows up there is simply going for you. Means cloak or warp for me

Mind that pirates are unskilled, but they will always outnumber you. Even if it is a crappy rookie ship that goes for you! He might be unskilled to battle you, but he might be able to pin you and then his 25 other toons come and kill you

Mind that several sites (Rad and Mag) might vanish when you warp off - always bookmark a wreck

There are hundreds of tips i could give you, but for a start this here is good enough :

Because of the number of people who sit in lowsec, in a pos, doing PI or just chilling in their shields, you're going to find alot of lowsec systems populated. Doesn't mean that they are all out to get you, but its safer to assume so. Just have a safe spot always saved, and stay away from anomaly's. Stick with sites that require probes, and keep updating your D-scan every few secs. You'll be fine.

Oh in that case i can understand.

I do actually have a serious advice as well (besides keeping that Tengu out of low until you know what you are doing):

Learn at least a bit of pvp, especially about target hunting and the capabilities of different ships. Understanding how the hunter thinks will make you a harder target to catch.

Learning how to "read a system" i.e. how to interpret the information relayed by solar system map, dscan, local and pilot info is imho the most valuable player skill in EVE. Who goes in, what was he flying, did he come back, who dropped the probes, could they fly together ie. are the kind of things that should go through your head, you should be competent enough in the actual PVE part that you don't need to focus on the npcs.

Remember that "pirates" are rarely assholes, they just see you as a far more challenging target than red crosses. You think, you react and maybe even shoot back, catching you feels good :)

Not because they like your tears (those guys camp the Jita undock), but because they can't resist the thrill of the hunt, that loot in your cargo bay. It's also not uncommon that the guys will finish the plex, if they can't catch you.

And welcome to lowsec

Goddamn guys, I was trying to make a "funny" consisting of completely over-the-top bullshit

I lol'ed at your first post.

All the paranoia has occluded this point: you want two different fits. Your first one will have a covops cloak and a probe launcher. It's for travel and possibly professional sites. Your second one has six launchers and an accelerated ejection bay (and hopefully a dissolution sequencer). It's for actually completing combat sites. Carry the second one in your cargo while you travel in your first.

brilliant!

Come on people. It's freaking low sec. With a covops cloak for travel, you're only vulnerable at undock or if you hang around too long with probes on your dscan.

Yes, if you've never been there, familiarize yourself with aggression mechanics and cloaking and whatnot, but it's really not that bad.