Choosing A Wormhole
From UniWiki
This is a quick and dirty checklist to use as you are investigating a wormhole and trying to decide if it would be a good option for a fleet operation. This checklist was written to use in conjunction with some of the Uni wormhole classes, so it is not comprehensive, and may not be entirely self-explanatory.
Work through this checklist step by step as you investigate a wormhole.
Contents |
Wormhole Characteristics
Wormhole ID
Identify the ID of the wormhole you're using to enter the system. (Not K162 - check the other side!)
Look up the ID (Dotlan) to determine its Type, Lifetime, Maximum Mass, and Jump Mass. Note:
Do not hesitate to explore a system through a K162 - you'll miss a lot of good wormholes if you skip K162s.
Type
What type of wormhole is this? Does it go to HiSec, LoSec, C1, C3, etc?
Mass
How large of a ship can jump through this wormhole? How much mass can jump through before it collapses? You want the ships in your fleet to fit, and there to be enough mass to comfortably jump the fleet both in and out.
Show Info on the wormhole. You want to see "This wormhole has not yet had its stability significantly disrupted by ships passing through it."
If you see either:
"This wormhole has had its stability reduced by ships passing through it, but not to a critical degree yet."
or
"This wormhole has had its stability critically disrupted by the mass of numerous ships passing through and is on the verge of collapse."
Then move on, find another wormhole.
Life
How long will the wormhole last before it collapses?
Show Info on the wormhole. You want to see:
"This wormhole has not yet begun its natural cycle of decay and should last at least another day."
or
"This wormhole is beginning to decay, and probably won't last another day."
If you see either:
"This wormhole is reaching the end of its natural lifetime."
or
"This wormhole is on the verge of dissipating into the ether."
Then move on, find another wormhole.
Location
How many jumps from the Aldrat to the wormhole? You can use Dotlan Route Planner or the ingame map to find out. 25+ jumps is probably pushing it - it takes a long time to get the fleet there and even longer to get home after a long op.
System Characteristics
Locus
What is the system's Locus Number? (ex. J123456) Look this up in StaticMapper.
Class
What class is the system? (C1, C2, C3, etc)
Effects
Does the system have an environmental effect? (ex. Pulsar or Red Giant) StaticMapper should show you the consequences of any effect, but you can also look them up on Evelopedia. Understand the effect this would have on your fleet and make your decision to leave or proceed accordingly.
Security Risk
Jumps
StaticMapper will show you the number of jumps in the system in the past 48 hours. Jumps are not necessarily a bad thing. Be wary of significant activity within the last couple of hours, and regular spikes of activity that might indicate what time of day any resident corporation might be active.
Kills
Look for any PvP kills. Significant Sleeper kills probably indicates the system is cleaned out, but your scan might reveal otherwise. Like jumps, regular spikes of kills might indicate an active resident corp.
DScan
See what you can find on DScan around the system. If you find active ships, find a different wormhole. Don't fret much over warp bubbles on DScan. Particularly nasty ships (like HICs, Carriers, T3, Stealth Bombers), even unpiloted, might be good indicators to find a different wormhole.
POS
Use DScan and/or Combat Probes to find any online POS Towers in the system. Online POS towers do not necessarily mean to find a different wormhole. Most of w-space is occupied, so if you only choose unoccupied systems, you'll end up passing on good wormholes. Locate the POS towers and learn about the corp that owns it. How many members? Can you find their killboard? Are there ships in the POS shields that look like trouble? XL Ship Assembly Array means there is likely a carrier in the system that could get dropped on you. If this corp poses a threat, move on. Otherwise, figure out a way to keep eyes on the POS and keep going.
Other Wormholes
Every wormhole into the system presents a way for enemies to sneak in. Ideally, you'd be able to put a cloaked picket on every wormhole in the system. Any more than 3 wormholes total in system, recommend finding a different system.
Profit Potential
There need to be enough Combat Anoms/Sigs in system to make a fleet trip worth the effort. Consider a Combat Sig is worth two Anoms, recommend not making a trip for a system with less than 16 worth of Anoms.
