EVE General Discussion

Was out exploring in the Buzzard and came across a bath of the seekers only at my home gate...

Warped back and got the Golem as I like to rat these guys and kill the next spawn for some of the tech and isk. I do this often with no probs....until this time..

I warped back to gate but these little buggers had warped off. I checked the other gates but nothing and saw there was a Jove Observatory in system. I warped there and the exact number of the Seekers were there (5 of them). I had a buddy in fleet come to see how it goes. We got rid of 4 quickly and suddenly the spawn was 2 Drifters. No way.... I was stuck in Bastion mode and luckily by the EVE Gods I was able to tank just long enough for bastion to clear and warp out. When I say barely made it....I mean I was at 2% hull when I got to dock. The drifters insta-opped my buddy's Cerberus though.

So I am confused.... Were these the gate rats or was this a site instance? I have always engaged the seekers (as long as no drifter was with them) at the gates and killed easily over 100..maybe 200.. Never had a drifter spawn in. Is that luck at the gates or do they spawn in randomly? Was the drifter spawn this time because I was at the Jove site and a totally different instance? Has me a bit paranoid now.

So the strange part.... we warped back in shuttles to see what would happen and try and loot the wrecks. I was able to loot the seeker wrecks. MY buddy was also able to loot the seeker wrecks but the instant he opened his own wreck to his popped Cerberus they insta-locked him and popped his shuttle. They did this every time he opened his own wreck. Me on the other hand went right to his wreck (and now the shuttle wrecks) in an Ibis and not a single problem or was engaged.

I was the initial starter at the site and had aggro the entire time including the Drifters until I warped out. Why is it they target and pop my buddy at his own wreck but not the other wrecks? Also I noticed that the Drifters did not attempt to follow me so was this a site deal and not a "random" like at the gates?

Tried to find some info on this but all I found was speculation threads from 2015 about this.

Am I taking a Drifter spawn risk when I engage the seekers at gates?

You were very lucky, they have a 6ish point scram. I lost my first rattle to the drifters, doing the very same thing as you. They have a far better AI and a dd weapon. The seekers seem to be the scout/probing drones for the drifters. There is a hidden standing with them but no one knows what all it does.

You can still hunt the seekers, you just need to aggro them and align to a station and kill them while they chase you, once that first reinforcements wave comes in have your finger on the warp to button, watch for the battleships. If you jump when they land, you will get away. If they get a chance to lock you and scram you are toast. They don't always but they can chase you and hang around stations and other places waiting for you.

Drifters show up when you go to the observatory or the unidentified wormhole. They occasionally show up at gates and stations, but you provoked them by going to one of their main hangouts.

Lol gives new meaning to the phrase "check out the implants on her!"

My gila damn near insta popped .. Dont mess around with those guys unless you got backup.