Wormholes

The problem with mining and wormholes is that generally everything else is more profitable with less logistics issues.

IMO if you want to mine the ones with the least logistic problems (ie hauling out) are the lower end ones - which are more often than not already populated.

Once you get to say c4 or c5 they're not as populated - however then logistics is an issue (without a direct highsec route) and mining is the LEAST profitable thing to do in there (time wise)

If you scan often enough you may get lucky and get an unpopulated c1-c3, and if you find one my advice would be to move in for a couple of days, strip the system then move out (if you don't intend on staying there)

Anyways, just my two cents.

Sith

If you're using a K162 wormhole in high-sec, that wormhole has been open by someone else from inside the wormhole. It might be the residents, or someone coming from other wormhole. Those people might notice your probes whiles your scanning for grav and get ready for when you will start running sites. If they already scanned the grav, they won't even need to scan your barge down.

If you want to mine in w-space, it's far safer to do it when living in a wormhole and with the help of corpmate.

D-scan is necessary but insufficient. A good hunter will catch you.

Ninja mining in W-space is not terribly efficient.

If you really want to mine in W-space:

1. set up a medium POS and plan to live in the WH to mine out the grav site(s)
2. before mining, scan down all sigs in the WH and close all K162. Also close the hisec.
3. while mining, stay aligned to POS.

You may still get caught. You need a scanning alt parked in the WH in case you get popped and need to find your way back in.

The top two most profitable ores are found in W-space and Nullsec. The next two most profitable ores are found in Hisec. If you really want to mine for profit, stay in Hisec. Even mining Arkanor for a few minutes, warping to the next location to mine, etc. will not be as profitable as mining steadily in Hisec.

If you want to obtain minerals for production, then shoot some Sleepers and then buy the minerals on buy orders; a Drake in a C1 or C2 will work wonders on Sleepers, and you don't need super great fitting skills; if you use T1 drones they are less likely to be targeted as well. You also don't need max salvaging skills for the basic Sleeper wrecks in the lower-level anoms. That will be a lot more profitable for your time spent. Since it sounds like you're trying to be active and attentive, shooting Sleepers is a better way to spend your time visiting W-space.

If you really want to mine in W-space, it's best to be in a large group with a number of combat ships to protect you, have scouts, etc. And as mentioned, it's best to live here, so you can't be trapped trying to leave. As you've noticed, you're not going to see us coming to get you, and a mining boat is a great big fat target :)

If you're really feeling the itch to mine more than run sleeper sites, my advice is to find a c2 with static null and mine in where ever it opens. You wont have a constant supply of grav sites to mine, and w-space holes none of the ore variants. Also, there's a lot less of a chance of you getting ganked in null mostly because you have a local channel that gives free Intel. The biggest downside is the lack of access to high sec, and you can easily fill up a CHA with ore.

I was wanting to mine as I thought it would be profitable to do some quick ninja mining for arkanor in a WH, but I guess seeing as the volumes are so high to refine it, it wouldn't be worth it. I don't want to setup a POS or anything permanent. It maybe with the new ore frigate coming this winter, it may be worthwhile doing, but as many people point out, I guess you make more just afk mining in hisec on normal ores.

I was planning on just using an osprey, as a retriever is a tad slow to get in/GTFO out quick if I was discovered in a WH. But seeing as the osprey only has 900m3 something cargo space, I wouldn't even be able to have 1 refine quantity of Ark on one run.

I guess I could use a retriever, but seems too risky, and I doubt sleepers would leave me a lone long enough to make it worthwhile.

And I don't enjoy mining that much, though certainly in a WH, it would be more adrenaline as I'd have to keep a good eye out for hunters. Hisec mining I generally do for materials, not for profit, as I make stuff using industry (T1 frigs and modules etc) to sell for profit.

Each has a different purpose. Wormholes are meant to be dangerous. It was not to be solo'd or ninja'd generally. There are tons of corps in wormholes with a rorqual they cant even move out of it. The point is, its a very good gameplay provided you have the necessary support.

You should not try to solo something that was meant to be a team effort and claim it is harder and not worthy.

Hisec is easy because thats where every new player begin and once they get used to it they can move on to better pastures with other players or if they like solo style, they can stay there indefinitely. Nerfing that will not be good for anyone.

It's impossible to be truly safe, as has been said someone (resident or someone else) who has already probed out the mining sites can just warp to it cloaked and you will have no warning at all. Unless you remain aligned at all times the first warning you'll get is seeing them on overview.

Unlike ninjaing Sleeper sites where your attention and interaction is required to complete it everything about mining encourages falling asleep at the keyboard. It is wasted effort actually being at the keyboard doing it, which is what you'd have to do when doing it in a wormhole - or just assume you're going to get popped and not care about it.

Please post the accompanying kill mail. I want to know if he sticks with the osprey or brings in a retriever. ;)

The trick is to join one of the hundreds of corps who live in those inhabited wormholes. If you belong to them, they won't shoot you and may even defend you if you are attacked by visitors. Even if they are just carebears, you can still use them as meat shields. If you mine with two other guys and spread out to different rocks, there is only a 33% chance an attacker will kill you, instead of 100%. Use a barge that is cheaper than the others and the chance drops even further :)