Missions & Complexes

Every exploration guide I've read say that Unknown sites are generally easy. The few I've come across have been a few NPC's I could easily dispatch in my Vexor. I've only been exploring for about a week, still learning. I hadn't found any good sites, so I figured I would hit an Unknown site before logging off. I warp in and I'm immediately scrambled by the Minmatar NPC and literally popped within 20secs.

Never once had I come across a exploration site that hard. SO I figured I would go grab my T2 fitted Navy Apoc to get revenge, had the proper resists fitted t2 Kinx2 and t2 Explosive x2 resists.

I've been doing level 4 missions for a bit, I'm not that ******** when fighting NPC's and have never had a problem before, especially in my Navy Apoc. To make a long story short, I got popped within 2 mins, scrambled the whole time and coudln't warp out.

Now, I understand that the Exploration guides are generally outdated, but WTH happened? It wasn't a WH, it wasn't a DED site. It was in High Sec. I can't figure out why that site was so hard.

Either way, I'm posting a little out of Frustration and also because I know this is a learning moment and I need to learn all I can. I'm not rich so replacing my BS isn't an option for now. Yeah, Yeah, don't fly what you can't afford to lose, but I usually only think that way when I pvp, not when running what I thought was going to be a easy site.

Hmmm- Well, I've been exploring for a while and I can say that the most difficult non-DED combat site in highsec minmatar space is Angel Vigil which is doable in a battlecruiser, doesn't contain scrammers and doesn't allow battleships in.

In fact I'd make a guess that outside of escallations no highsec combat site admits battleships, the vast majority admit battlecruiser and below. (I also believe that no minmatar highsec site contains scrammers).

If I had to make a guess I'd say that you managed to stumble across a COSMOS-related signature that is intended to be completed as part of a particuarly tricky mission given out by one of the various COSMOS agents in the consellation. Anyway can't be sure without more information about the site name and location.

As to the question in the title: "How do you know how dangerous unknown sites are?" for highsec:

(Faction) Hideouts- Doable in a T1 frig
(Faction) Lookouts- Doable in a cruiser or hard in a destroyer
(Faction) Watches- Doable in a BC
(Faction) Vigil- Heavily tanked BC/HAC recommended

As for the escalations, they tend to be site-specific in difficulty. e.g. the escalation from Angel Watch is easy but the one from Serpentis Watch is much trickier.

For DED rated complexes just bring along a ship of the largest class that the gate allows (or a strategic cruiser), that should be able to beat the complex.

It's part of the Cosmos, you'll only find it around there. There's couple others, all"unknown", that's why I recommended leaving the constellation until you have a better idea about the sites you'll encounter.

DED List

Signatures

Oh, and sorry about your ship loss.

There are plenty of deserted regions. You can find them using Dotlan and setting it up to show "Jumps" in 24H. The catch is that the few jumps you'll see in some systems are likely all explorers.

Go out there and find out. I recommend using a notepad, so you do not scan a signature twice. The IDs change at downtime btw.

Myrmidon is not a bad choice, it can get into most of the good sites. Shield tank for better explosive resists.

Incursion？ Damage penalty，Tank penalty?

Haha, yeah, exactly what happened. Easily the biggest loss of my Eve career. I'm done licking my wounds though.

I've decided to completely fit out my Myrmidon for combat and my alt mining/hauling account is training heavily in exploring stuff. While my Vexor was sufficient running a combat/exploreing fit, I'm finding even my Alt account, while not as much training into Science, in a Probe scans down sites much faster while my Myrmidon is sitting there just waiting to kill stuff.

Well poo, didn't know that. Well maybe once my alt account is trained really well in exploration stuff, I"ll transfer him to a cruiser then. Thanks for that advice, good to know.

Ok, good to know. I won't be going back to that area any time soon hehe. Bad memory.

Yesterday lost second Vexor to Angel Vigil rats. People say its better to do that site in a battlecruiser.

How do you know how dangerous 'Unknown' Sites are?:
Complete Signature Strength List (All of these sites are non-cosmos and almost all the high sec ones are fairly well documented... so you can judge difficulty for yourself... if it' not on the list, it's probably a cosmos site)

The navigation bar at the bottom can direct you to signature specific pages (i.e. mag, radar, DED, unrated, wormhole, ladar, grav,...).

There's also Cosmic Anomalies if you're interested.

As for where you'll find cosmos missions/sites?:

Ani Constellation (Sleepers)
Okkelen Constellation (Talocan)
Algintal Constellation (Yan Jung)
Araz Constellation (Takmahl)

Don't fret too much when you're in these constellations, as long as you're careful around signatures with funny names (ones not on the list) you'll be fine.