Missions & Complexes

because you don't need a group of other people to do level 4 missions.

next question?

I do both and since we are talking high sec incursions and high sec lvl 4 missions, I actually do way more than just that, I like all kinds of PVE. Many times Im doing high sec PVe because null sec is a bit hot for my taste and low sec can be fun or it can be a pain.

High Sec Missions have one very nice feature that no other activity in EVE has. Solitude+ safety . I deal with people all day and sometimes i don't even what to hear anyone on comms lol. in high sec I don't even have to look at local and I don't fly a loot pinata so if I get ganked it was just a random act of terror (having been suicide ganked in years).

Null sec anom farming has solitude to, but you're always having to watch local, intel, and beware of awox attemps. Incursions are GREAT fun and great isk, but it's also a lot of paying attention lol. No, if you want to be left alone to shoot red Xs, high sec missions are where it's at. it's like mining, only with guns.

Last time I did Assaults/HQ's with newbie-friendly fleets, I was barely breaking 30mil/hour. (Waiting for replacement just suckzzzz).

On missions, I have constant 70mil/hour (if not more).. for that, I would need a good fleet, and all the stuff that comes along with it. No need, don't want, no - incursions have too much downtimes / randomjerks, and pro VG fleets are boring as hell.

You're overestimating Incursion income, there are many factors that cut into your Incursion income such as:

1. Getting into a fleet/waiting for enough players/not enough people online
2. Contesting sites with other fleets
3. Travelling to a system with an active Incursion

Mission income on the other hand is very consistent as you'll basically always have a mission available to do and there's no delay, as soon as you turn in one mission you an accept another and missions will be a maximum of 2 jumps from your main system (not 100% sure about this but I rarely get missions more than 2 jumps).

Because maybe not everyone that plays the game is focused on min/maxing isk/hr

Personally I consider fun/hr the most important metric ... please value fun per hour in a meaningful way for me.
that's not subjective
that's not all about you
that applies to multiple people with different attitudes, needs, wants and desires.

good luck with the challenge.

I want to second the comments above ... and add a couple.

1) If you are barely skilled enough to solo L4s then you will not be running in elite groups doing incursions sites so income is less than it could be.

2) Pure ISK income from missions will often go over 30 mil/hour and that does not include the loot/salvage or LP conversion which can often be 50% of the mission income.

3) Level 4 missions can be done solo ... no waiting for a fleet ... no jumping to a target system ... usually no downtime at all. MIssions are useful when you only have 20 minutes to an hour to play ... if you only have an hour and spend half of that getting an incursion fleet then it is just a waste of time for you and your fleet members to run an incursion.

4) Incursions have more risk than missions unless you know who you are playing with. In incursions your survival depends on the logistics being awake and paying attention. If someone falls asleep or their kids distract them at the wrong time ... wave goodbye to your shiny ship. In missions, it is your choice if this happens ... not someone else's.

5) Missions can often be done without paying much attention ... lack of attention usually means the mission takes longer. Not paying attention in incursions probably means you will get kicked from the fleet at some point ... :)

Yeah, raw ISK per block of time isn't the only metric for whether something's worth doing. Sometimes it's the LP rewards that don't come from the CONCORD stores - such as chips for converting battleships to navy variants - sometimes it's the salvage for rig-making, sometimes it's the ability to set your own schedule without having to spin your ship for two hours and burning your night away, sometimes it's just a decently-profitable change of pace.

Because I can rip through a mission in 10-20 minutes??

Handy with kids about.

Spent two hours trying to get into incursion fleet in properly fitted ship - and failed. Could earn 40-50mil in L4s during that time (if only they were fun and dynamic - a-la skirmishes in Star Conflict).

incursions involve a lot of hurry up and wait. once that gets factored in missions are a better use of my time.