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Something profitable to do aside from L4 Missions?
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Wintermute Cnom
#1 - 2011-12-09 02:50:12 UTC
Hi guys,

So I'm bored to hell doing L4 missions and I'm looking for something else to do that would be profitable. A few days ago I tried ratting in 0.0 with a Stealth Bomber, it was fun and I was making around 15m/hr but soon lost my ship to a gate camp. Bought another one in high-sec and tried re-entering nullsec but lost it again due to a gate camp (I swear I'm not directly warping to gates, I warp to plants then to gates but somehow I still get caught).

I'm currently training Astrometrics V for probes and was wondering if exploration would be a viable option? If not, are there any other things you guys can suggest? Thanks.
Pika Pedel
Doomheim
#2 - 2011-12-09 03:06:08 UTC
(Caveat: I assume you're flying solo on one account.)

The first thing to do will be to decide if you're ready to start playing EVE. By that I mean, get a second account and learn to be a proficient at multi-client operations. With that second account you can: Scout ahead when in dangerous space, scan for sites and navigate w-space, provide leadership bonuses to your main, provide remote reps or just more dps to assist your main, haul goods in places where your main would have a hard time (say, if your sec status was poor or you were hated by some empire or under a wardec), and lots of other things.

Completely solo you can effectively run missions (although it's fairly risky to do so in null without local support from corp/alliance blues), probe down sites (although you'll need to get another ship to clear many of them unless you want to bastardize a t3 into all-in-one mode), run pubbie incursions (lucrative if you get in a decent fleet), and a few other less-lucrative pursuits. You can open your options up a bit by joining a corp who will assist you, but ultimately it's on you to make isk and not many corps out there are going to jump at the chance to help you grind isk (YMMV).

Finally, you have the alternative routs to combat: manufacture, trading, etc. These can be very rewarding, but manufacturing has quite a high start-up cost (to build things with a decent margin - obviously, the easy to build products flood the market daily). That leaves trading, which can be incredibly lucrative, but requires you to invest a bit of time learning market fu. Fortunately, it does not require any major skill training or isk to begin with, so you can go learn at your own pace.

Personally, I like to keep my options open. I've had alt accounts for most of my career. I like to dabble in a little of everything. I will say; however, that trading has more or less become the meta-game of choice for me.
Wintermute Cnom
#3 - 2011-12-09 03:22:56 UTC
Thanks for the reply.

Sorry, I forgot to add that I only have a limited time to play EVE (maybe 1-2h on weekdays, 4+hrs on a Sunday). I do have an alt (inactive right now) but it's focused on Mining & Industry with around 5m SP. Would it be more advisable to train it into a scout/combat alt?

I also have buddy with a minmatar toon w/c has around 11m SP and currently flies a Loki. Would it be a good idea to partner with that ship for exploration? I'm currently flying a Tengu but I can also fly a Nighthawk, dunno what ship is good for exploration anyway.
mxzf
Shovel Bros
#4 - 2011-12-09 05:12:26 UTC
Ignore that other guy, you don't need alts to play Eve and do well at it, you can do just fine solo.

And exploration can make a great deal of ISK (or next to nothing, depending on your luck). Tengu is one of the better (if not the best) exploration ship out there, and Loki does pretty well too. Exploration takes patience and work, but it can be quite rewarding.

If you do start exploring, I would suggest joining the "Exploration" channel in-game. There are many experienced explorers in there who can give you tips on exploring and fits to use for it and such.
Spineker
#5 - 2011-12-09 05:21:36 UTC  |  Edited by: Spineker
I agree exploration is the next step if you only ran missions. Although if you have never blobbed Null sec in a corp. that can be fun just for the lawls of people being stupid and over serious as if Eve is the real world. Sort of like the German Kid going apeshit over Halo or whatever first person shooter he was playing. It is lol often since corps and alliances are ran kids in the basement mentality.

However the best thing with exploration that missions never have is the WOW factor. Randomly doing well or bad or who knows it is random etc.

I did most of my exploration when skill meant something and was hard. I did all of it in low sec and never lost a ship once and made billions with the old system (would have done Null Sec but needed serious firepower I am sure they dumbed that down also). What is good today? Well the fact that scanning is brainless and easy and any monkey can do it. No need to drop bookmarks and triangulations and knowledge. You can today just drop 5 recoverable probes find anything in 3 minutes and move on.

Oh wait I am ranting about the dumber no skill needed exploration system. Anyway yes exploration regardless of its no skill or thinking needed system today still has a wow factor. It can be fun when you find something cool but there are about 3 million other dumbed down scanners out there also with no skill. Maybe hunting exploration ships would be more fun than exploration in its current dumbed down fashion? Sounds fun maybe I will do that and blog about it.
Spineker
#6 - 2011-12-09 05:26:47 UTC
But I agree with mxvf no need to have a harem of alts.