Postcards from last week

Selfie at the Eve Gate

A wormhole dumped me into Genesis,  and I was only about 6 jumps from the Eve Gate.  I decided to make the trek.  Not all that impressive really.

 

A view of the Blood Annex

I entered a Blood Annex that was curiously devoid of ships.  Shooting the structure still brought the Overseer, so maybe someone else cleared them and left??

 

Sansha Owned Station

The final escalation of Sansha’s Owned Station was decidedly NOT devoid of ships.  I turned off my HUD and just stared at the screen for a while.  Eve really is a beautiful game.

 

Exploration Log 24-July-2014

Welcome to the Exploration Log. The semi-regular updates where I report actual exploration game time along with the results.

UNDOCK: 30 days

Game Time: Approx 3 hours

Location(s): Sanshas Lowsec, Blood Raiders Lowsec

System Count: 9

Sites Run: Combat 2

Ghost sites seen: 0

Ship(s) Used: Tengu

Profit: 1,400M ISK

Comments: It has been 30 days since I last docked my main.  In that time, my alt has docked 4 times.  He 1)picked up missiles at a station, 2)picked up skillbooks at another station, 3)bought some morphite at another station, and 4) dropped loot at a highsec station for shipment to Jita.  This project will probably continue indefinitely.  My main may never dock again (unless he gets podded or I feel compelled to restyle my profile pic).

I have had several short sessions of playtime over the last week.  Most of them have been nothing.  I ran a minor and regular blood annex with little loot and no escalation.  I ran a couple of relic and data sites just because I wasn’t finding anything else.  I haven’t seen a Ghost site in lowsec in probably 3 months.  I have followed a couple of wormholes into nullsec and found nothing.  Basically, I was having a pretty dry run at exploration.  It happens.

That changed tonight.  I was running the same systems (in reverse) that I had run a couple of days ago.  This time I found a Sanshas Minor Annex.  I ran it, it dropped about 230M isk in loot and it escalated.  Nice.  On my way to the escalation, I found a Crimson Hand Supply Depot and decided to run it as well.  The last time I ran this, I got basically nothing.  This time, I got a Cynabal BPC (120M isk), a Corpum A-Type Energized Adaptive Nano Membrane (1,000M isk), and a couple of other Corpum A-type items.  My total haul for the 2 sites was over 1.4 Billion isk.

I should still have the opportunity to run the escalation tonight so I will see if that turns into anything.  (It did).

 

 

Exploration Log 9-Jul-2014

Welcome to the Exploration Log. The semi-regular updates where I report actual exploration game time along with the results.

UNDOCK: 16 days

Game Time: Approx 1.5 hours

Location(s): Blood Raiders Lowsec

System Count: 1

Sites Run: Combat 2

Ghost sites seen: 0

Ship(s) Used: Tengu

Profit: 120M

Comments: I logged into a system full of signatures.  After scanning them down, there were 3 data sites, a WH to nullsec, a WH to C6 space, and a Crimson Hand Supply Depot.  There was also one of the Besieged Guristas sites.  The system was pretty quiet with just one pilot in the system and a couple passing through every 10 minutes or so.

I warped out to a deep safe spot where my alt had dropped a Giant Secure Container.  I needed to swap out missiles (needed Mjolnir) so I dropped my mobile depot next to the container and re-fit.  I continue to experiment with ship fittings.  My current fit is expensive and gives up some of the range and dps of fits that I have used in the past.  In exchange, it gets an omni tank and some neut resistance.  It is slightly slower, but I save on space and refitting time.

The site ran smoothly and only slightly slower than my fastest run.  I skipped the Crimson Sentinel as usual.  I may slog through that again sometime, but not just yet.  The final room had 3 neuting battleships.  I was tempted to test my neut resistance against them, but decided it wasn’t worth it.  I killed the three of them and then came after the Crimson Lord.  He went down quickly, but dropped very little.  Basically just the OPE and some junk.

I warped back to my GSC and reloaded with Scourge missiles to do the Besieged Guristas site.  I continue to run these it different ways.  This last time, I stayed at range and used Javelin missiles.  You can be out of warp scramble range if you are approx 40-45km away.  In some ways that is safer, but you spend longer on the site – which makes it more dangerous.  After dispatching both waves, I looted the can and received a ship skin, Low-grade Snake Delta implants, and some covert research tools.  I dropped these off at the GSC and logged out.  I logged in on my alt, picked up the loot from the GSC and warped to the Crimson Hand site to loot the battleship wrecks.  I usually never do this because I don’t have the space.  But my alt in a Blockade Runner does, so he scoops up about 5M worth of loot.  Not worth it, but I will turn it into ore to do some manufacturing.  I have a corporate office only 3 jumps away so my alt drops in there to get some more ammo and maybe setup for my main to do some remote manufacturing.

Exploration Log 22-June-2014

Welcome to the Exploration Log. The semi-regular updates where I report actual exploration game time along with the results.

Game Time: Approx 4 hours

Location(s): Blood Raiders Lowsec, Angels Lowsec

System Count: 9

Sites Run: Combat 3, Relic 1

Ghost sites seen: 0

Ship(s) Used: Tengu, Stratios

Profit: ???

Comments: I am back with my primary Tengu and re-supply area.  Home for now I guess.  I also have a couple of Cyclones (for pvp) and a Stratios at this base.  This area of space is pretty crowded and well trafficked.  My theory was I could hang out here for while, run everything 3/10 to 6/10 and chase away other explorers using the Cyclones.  It hasn’t worked out all that well.  Mostly, I have been too busy to run sites and the site runners I have seen are usually in pairs or threesomes.

Today there was an Angels’s 4/10 in the system – a great way to try out the Stratios!  I have flown it around a few times, but this is the first time I am using in in actual exploration content.

Here is the Stratios Fit that I used:

[Stratios, combat sites – angels]
Drone Damage Amplifier II
Drone Damage Amplifier II
Drone Damage Amplifier II
Nanofiber Internal Structure II
Damage Control II

Pithum C-Type Medium Shield Booster
Pith C-Type Kinetic Deflection Field
Pith C-Type Explosive Deflection Field
Shield Boost Amplifier II
Republic Fleet 10MN Afterburner

Covert Ops Cloaking Device II
425mm Medium ‘Scout’ Autocannon I, Republic Fleet Fusion M
425mm Medium ‘Scout’ Autocannon I, Republic Fleet Fusion M
425mm Medium ‘Scout’ Autocannon I, Republic Fleet Fusion M
425mm Medium ‘Scout’ Autocannon I, Republic Fleet Fusion M

Medium Capacitor Control Circuit II
Medium Capacitor Control Circuit II
Medium Anti-EM Screen Reinforcer I

Valkyrie II x5
Warrior II x5
Salvage Drone I x5

With my skills, it is cap stable and tanks about 370 Angels dps and deals about 380 dps with the Valkyries (with max skills, it would be 450dps).  It costs about 300M ISK for the Stratios and another 300M isk for the fittings.

The fit did fine in the 4/10.  I kept my distance (drone control range is 50km) and pretty much just killed stuff with drones.  I did use the auto-cannons on a few frigates that closed in on me.  In the second room, I took too much damage it I tried to engage the Overseer immediately at close range, but kiting was fine.  For a bit, I thought I didn’t have enough dps to kill him with just the drones, but that was because I was still using Warrior drones.  Once I switched to the larger Valkyrie drones it was fine.  He didn’t drop anything good – I think I picked up maybe 10M in loot for my trouble.  I found that I am not used to using the drone interface and trying to focus fire on ships was more cumbersome than using missiles.  Perhaps I am not cut out for drones.

Overall, the ship performed well.  I know it is supposed to be armor tanked, but my shield skills are better and I wanted to run with 3 DDA’s.  I probably could have done better than a Nanofiber Hull in my last low, but I wasn’t sure what I needed.  I think if I were more used to drones it would have been better.  There is no way it will ever replace my Tengu though.

After I was done with the site, I shipped out with the Tengu to wander around a bit.  I love seeing all the new LS to LS wormholes out there.  In fact, I am setting up to wander from area to area using these wormholes and follow my main with a Blockade Runner full of missiles and back-up equipment.  I found a wormhole to Genesis and I ran a Blood Annex there.  It didn’t escalate and didn’t drop much either.  Maybe another 10M in loot.  Coming back to my wormhole, I saw a pair of Besieged Covert Research Facilities.  Since it was a fairly quiet area, I decided to warp in and engage.  I did learn that they only web out to about 25km so if you can stay farther than that, you at least aren’t webbed.  They still scram out that far though.  I cleared the site and picked up ship skin (Blood Raiders Coercer) and a 10 run BPC for an Experimental Hyperspatial Accelerator.  The BPC was listing on contract for 250M ISK, The modules are listing for 55M at Jita – not sure how long that will last.

The second site despawned as soon as I completed the first one so I wasn’t able to run it.  I returned via the WH to Angel’s space and called it a day.

 

Blood Owned Station

The Blood Owned Station is an escalation that can be triggered by completing a Blood Minor Annex.

It consists of three lowsec escalations and and a fourth final escalation that is usually in nullsec.

To your surprise, the Overseer seems to have spent the last moments of his life sending some message to your ship on a private channel, a fact you learn from a blinking entry on your communication panel a few seconds after his innards slid across your windshield [Really CCP?  I have a space windshield?], bounced along your fuselage and were sucked into your thrusters. It appears he wanted to save his life by telling you the whereabouts of some place you could load your cargohold with riches, but before he could get very far with his offer, his journey ended. All you have is some hysteric babble about a hidden mining station at a certain location.

Escalation 1

The first escalation is in open space (no acceleration gate).

The heavy missile batteries hit for a lot of dps up front, but you only have to kill the Dark Blood Seer cruiser.  There is no neuting.  I have done this with both passive and active fits.  The faction cruiser may drop faction loot or implants.  If you get an escalation, you will get this message:

Escalation 2

The second escalation is also in open space with no acceleration gate.  There is Dark Blood Cruiser as the Overseer/trigger.  It may drop Dark Blood loot and/or implants.

I didn’t experience any E-war at this site.  I have done the room with both passive and active fits.  There is an acceleration gate that leads to a room with some rogue drone ships including a couple of a battleships.  As far as I know, the room is entirely optional and has no secondary trigger if the killing the Overseer fails to escalate.

If you do get an escalation, this is the message:

Escalation 3

The third escalation is also in open space with no acceleration gate.  There is Dark Blood Cruiser as the Overseer/trigger.  It may drop Dark Blood loot and/or implants.

The Harbringers neut pretty hard at just under 30km.  They start just out of range so you are not neuted upon landing, but it is pretty tough to maintain range on all of them.  The Overseer has a fairly typical cruiser tank so I recommend a passive fit or a passive/active hybrid.  I didn’t encounter any other E-war.

If the site escalates again, you will get this message:

 

Final Escalation

The final escalation is almost always in nullsec.  There is no acceleration gate.  When you land, this is what you will see:

The frigates will use tracking disruption.  They may also web and warp scramble.  I recommend killing them first.  I used an active fit similar to what I would use for a 5/10 or 6/10 complex.  The ultimate target is the Blood Research Outpost (not pictured above).  You can destroy it without destroying any of the other ships.  When you attack it, you get this message:

Attacking it triggers continuous smart bomb damage of about 2000 every 2-3 seconds alternating between kinetic and thermal.  I don’t know the exact range, but it usually hits me no matter where I am.  As long as you are moving and not webbed or taking much damage from the other guards, this damage usually doesn’t matter and it doesn’t last all that long.  The station doesn’t usually last at all that long either.  Potential drops include Corpum A-type modules (the best is a Corpum A-type Energized Adaptive Nano Membrane worth about 950 million isk) Dark Blood Modules and an Ashimmu BPC.

Closing message:  “Now you kind of regret killing the Overseer back there, it is always useful to know corrupt leaders who are ready to sell out things like this outpost in exchange for something as cheap as their own petty lives.”  [Ha! Easy to say as immortal capsuleer!]