Missions & Complexes

Warning: extremely long post.

First, a quick recap. I’ve started playing Eve 8 months ago. After two months of trading/mission running followed by a 5-month hiatus, I’ve got back into the game after reading about exploration. After a day or so running complexes and radar sites in hi sec, I grew a ball and ventured into low sec with my (very) meager combat skills. As I found it more fun and way more lucrative, it is in the area of low-sec exploration that I have a ton of questions. Mostly, the questions I have concern safety since I really like my +5 implants and would rather not A) get killed or B) fly a clone that doesn’t train as fast.

So, here is my fit for an all-in-one exploration ship.

Vexor – low sec exploration

Civilian Gatling Railgun
Salvager I
Drone Link Augmentor I
Sisters Core Probe Launcher (Sisters Core Probes)
Improved Cloaking Device II

Y-T8 Overcharged Hydrocarbon I Microwarpdrive
Analyzer I
Codebreaker I

Medium ‘Accommodation’ Vestment Reconstructer I
N-Type (NPC specific) Hardener I
N-Type (NPC specific) Hardener I
‘Halcyon’ Core Equalizer I

Medium Gravity Capacitor Upgrade I
Medium Capacitor Control Circuit I
Medium Capacitor Control Circuit I

5x Hobgoblin II
5x NPC specific medium drone II
5x NPC specific light drone II

With the basics out of the way, onto the questions…

1. If I jump into a low sec system and someone is there at the gate, I’m guessing the two best alternatives to avoid confrontation are to A) approach gate, hit MWD, cloak, slowly make way back to gate and jump back, and B) double-click away from hostile, hit MWD, cloak, slowly move out of the hostile’s targeting range (which would take forever) and warp away. Is this correct?
2. If I could fly a covert ops ship, could I just double-click any direction, cloak and then warp to safety?
3. I’ve recently read about the directional scanner, but never used it. What’s the best way to use it defensively? Set it to 360 degrees and hit the scan button every 30 seconds to see if anyone is near my location?
4. I think most low sec sites I’ve done (radar, mag, and easy complexes) start with a jumpgate. Does that mean if someone scans down my location down while I’m running a site, they must first jump to the gate and then must use the gate to jump to me? Or once they get my location, do they warp through the gate to right on top of me? If they do have to stop at the jumpgate(s), will I see them on my overview, or just on the directional scanner?
5. Now to the fitting. I’ve never seen an exploration fitting with a warp core stabilizer before (like I have), but I figured it would be useful if I got surprised while running a site. I also figured that for the easy complexes I’m doing, my 37 km targeting range would still suffice (my dps is from drones). Total fail? If I get surprised, am I dead before I have time to warp out anyway?
6. Back to my limited targeting range. If I get my drones to attack one NPC in a room, I believe they will proceed to attack the others even if I’m not within targeting range (assuming they are still within drone control range of course). True?
7. My probe strength with the above setup is 71. Is this enough to scan down pretty much all cosmic signatures in low sec? If not, I guess the best alternative is to forego the all-in-one and use a dedicated scanning ship? My scanning skills are at level 4 and I don’t want to train anymore.
8. Assuming I have mediocre combat skills and little or no piloting know-how, is a 0.4 complex the best I could hope to pass in, say, 30 minutes?
9. If I’m scanning a particular set of systems once a week, should I write down cosmic signatures so I don’t duplicate scan? Or are they gone by the next week anyway?
10. And just a general question. What happens when someone attacks someone else in low sec? Does Concord intervene at all? Do they get a security status hit?

If you took the time to read this interminably long post, you have my utmost gratitude. And thank you in advance if you answer any of the questions. Lastly, any other advice or tips you might have for a would-be explorer would be greatly appreciated.

That's an awful lot of questions. You can gain a lot of info from the Evelopedia starting with this:

http://wiki.eveonline.com/en/wiki/Rookie_Lowsec_Survival_Guide

Don't use a +5 clone in lowsec unless you really know what you're doing. Either stay in highsec or get a Jump Clone (even a JC with +4s is a fifth of the cost of one with +5s).

I can atleast answer a few of your questions.
1. Better is to align to target, MWD, Cloak. When the MWD+cloak cycle finishes, you'll be aligned and at-speed to warp away. Practice with it a LOT in highsec before trusting your ship to it.
2. Or just tell your ship to warp and then cloak, since you can warp while cloaked
3. http://wiki.eveonline.com/en/wiki/Rookie_Lowsec_Survival_Guide
4. They have to go through the gate, and you will see them on the dscan (and overview once they're on-grid)
5. Don't, it gimps your fit pretty bad and isn't worth it
6. Yes. Just make sure you keep your agro instead of your drones, NPCs will attack drones if they're not already attacking you
7. Yes, 71 should be fine IIRC
8. All combat sigs are going to be the same in lowsec, no matter what the true security of the individual system. But I don't think a low-skilled Vexor will do well in most of the combat sites, I would start off in mostly Radar/Mag sites.
9. They re-randomize every day at downtime
10. Concord does nothing (except that they get a bit of a sec status hit). Gate/station guns will try to defend you; but if someone decides to engage you near them they already know that they can tank them and kill you, so it doesn't mean much.

Two major pieces of advice:
1. Don't be afraid to lose your ship. You will lose your ship, and your pod, sooner or later. It might happen tomorrow, it might happen 5 years from now, but it happens to everyone. Once you get over that and never fly what you can't afford 2-10 of, it won't be so scary.
2. Join the 'Exploration' channel in-game. There are many explorers there from all over the universe and we tend to be more than happy to help out with tips and advice for newer explorers (so long as the person is looking to improve themselves, there's little patience for the "do it all for me because I can't be bothered to think" mindset).

Edit: Bah, I need to type faster, lol. Everything the others have said is good advice.

ctrl + A, ctrl + C after any post that takes you longer than ~20 seconds to type

Others have answered your questions adequately, so I won't rehash them. Just some highlights.


1. MWD cloak trick. Watch the tutorial videos. PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE in HS. It is your best weapon against a gatecamp.

Otherwise, the biggest potential issue I see for you is your ship. In short, your Vexor, especially your fit will just not cut it. I know because I have used my vexor in LS and it was tanked better than yours. I love the vexor (which is why i just got my Ishtar).

It will handle radar/mags, but as others have said they are barely worth it. LS mags are just as bad as HS ones. LS radars in general drop about the same as HS ones, but are more annoying and take too long.

First, drop the stab. One stab won't help you usually, and the MWD cloak will serve you better. It wastes a precious low slot, especially for an armor tanker.

Skip the analyzer. Mags are crap. Keep one in the hold.

You are gonna be in a catch 22 with the MWD. It will be useful for a MWD cloak. But it kills your ability to speed tank as it will bloom your sig horribly. And if you want to use a vexor in this situation speed tank will be crucial.


I would recommend a myrmidon instead of a vexor. Way better tank. More slots to work with.

Mwd-cloak to get past gatecamps, video linked is good.

+5's are fine in lowsec, spam warp to a celestial if you're ever going to get poppped and your pod will get out fine. This really does work 100% of the time if your internet isn't awful - mine is and I still haven't ever lost a pod in lowsec. Rest of the questions have been covered pretty thoroughly. Warp core stab isn't an awful choice but if you're watching for probes (core or combat, they can probe out your site as well as you), it's typically better to fit something that will minimize your time in the site - but then you're in a Vexor so low slots aren't as important. ECM drones are also a good backup plan, so carry a flight of mediums.