Missions & Complexes

Some really good advice and info in this thread.

Back a few years ago exploration sites were plentiful in most systems and explorers didn't need to haul various ships around with them.

However due to the massive amount of competition now happening in high sec, players usually travel through a dozen or more systems just to find a site to run.

Nowadays having a dedicated Transport ship to haul various sized rigged ships for high sec exploration is definitely needed. With all the different probing implants, modules and rigs available the Orca could easily be both Hauler and Scanning ship.



DMC

I used to do this for w-space solo PvP efforts. The orca would be my home-base allowing me to swap ship types and setups without heading out to station systems, or dropping my own POS.
The critical tools I used when getting the orca into and between w-systems was careful surveillance, a cloak, a MWD-warp setup (described above), offgrid bookmarks, and a pair of falcons just in case. Never lost an orca but managed to lose most everything else at one time or another.

Well the HiSec Orca+Exploration is really ONLY for HiSec recommended. Of course, it is possible to use it in Low and NullSec, but that is risky and you will have to pay to learn by losing a lot of ISK in the beginning.

Locust Technique in HiSec:

In this way the combination of the Orca and some other boats give you the opportunity to get out the most of any site you find. Dont mix this this up with "benefit", it is mandatory to reamin in the black numbers on your account. Simply use a scanning Frig to find sites, and hack or analyze them. Use the reaming top slot(s) for salvage issues.

Transport a crusier class ship with orca. Of course a HAC is the best choice for combat sites of DED 3/10 or 4/10.
The cruiser vessel should be equipped for PVE combat. With that ship you can - depending on skills - do the most combat sites, fly in, clear them, and then salvage the wrecks and take out every little piece of loot.

For sites that wont allow you to pass with a cruiser size a small combat frig or destroyer class ship is optimal. And it can be transported with the Orca.

Transport a mining barque also and have the skills for ore, ice and gas. Not that it will make you rich or so. But it is great to harvest stuff which is in the plex sites.

The rest of the Orca's ship hangar can be used for a salvage vessel or simply to have backup ships for special purposes.

Especially since the release of CRIUS a small POS with lab and/or manufacturing gives you much more possibilities. You dont need faction anymore in HiSec to place it now! This is really Indepedence for small sized corps.

Locust in LowSec:
Well, dangerous for the Orca. I wouldnt recommend to bring the Orca in LowSec. But with a POS in bay that can provide you a safespot, it might be a plan. Especially mining is big point.

Locust in NullSec:
Dont use gates. Use WHs for short trips in and out. Just robb the system and if you feel it isnt too risky, neighbour systems too. Dont go for combat sites, just take data and relics. Especially relic sites are very profitable in 0.

Expeditions:
YES. Do them. They are the big credits, at least sometimes.

Escalations:
Well. Yes, when you know what's ahead. No, when you dont have enough information or experience about certain situations.
In one of them a battlefleet will warp in after like 20 mins. The first time i did the expedition, not knowing that it escalates when you remain in site, the fleet caught me pants down with my **** in my hand while i was salvaging. Some subcapital (Dread?) took out my HAC with 2 volleys and my Orca made it out on hull leaving me back with shivering hands and a toon in a capsule.

Covert Anos:
HiSec, well yes. But mind that some are really dangerous with 1 vessel.

Anos:
If you are bored or there are so many and you stay in a constellation for some days: YES, and salvage all.

You might have missed the point, if you were replying to my post. :)

Sure, you are absolutely right. I was just answering the question about how and what with the Orca. Of course there are many different and also very profitable ways to make ISK with Exploration.

I stopped being doing anything in HiSec, beside checking ways over Wormholes to 0Sec and explore there. Of course only with T3, Stratios is a bit too risky in Nullsec, i prefer to be immune to any Bubbles, Interdictors and Heavy Interdictors, and this is a T3 benefit :)

thanks for your reply and the stratios fit. i don't plan to live out of the orca as such, it was more of a solution to my transportation issues, and exploration phase of mind i am going through.

is a stratios allowed in ded 1 and 2's aswell as 3 and 4's?

It seems kind of crazy to me that this is not considered an exploit.

heh, happened to me too
"this expedition is boring, just a few cruiser to kill"...
"wait, wth is that!"
"warp warp, why _WHITE_ npc are scrambling me from 130km without getting red?"
nasty, ccp, that was really nasty.