Autopilot avoidance

The Avoidance List is a feature of the in-game autopilot where the user can specify a set of solar systems or constellations to be avoided. When the Autopilot is told to avoid systems on the avoidance list, then when a destination is set, the Autopilot will try to find a route that does not include any systems, or constellations on the avoidance list. This can be useful to prevent accidentally plotting routes through enemy territory, particular pirate-infested systems, or heavy lag systems.

Activating the Avoidance List

The autopilot will not avoid systems on your avoidance list unless you turn on the Autopilot setting that orders the Autopilot to obey the avoidance list. You would usually turn this option off if you explicitly want to set a course into areas that you normally avoid without going to the trouble of erasing your Avoidance List altogether. To make sure that Avoidance List is being obeyed, first click on the A in the top lefthand corner of your screen.

Next, go to the Drop down list. You will see a checkbox labeled "Avoid systems on your Avoidance List". If that checkbox is on, then your Autopilot is obeying the avoidance list. If it's off, then your autopilot is ignoring the avoidance list.

To see the list of areas you are avoiding, go to the Manage route item on the dropdown menu (A Route. top left of screen).

Select the Avoidance List Tab

Jita, being a popular trade hub and so busy as to be extremely laggy, was probably added to your avoidance list automatically by CCP when you first started playing EVE Online. Let's suppose, though, that you need to make a shopping trip to Jita and that you don't normally mind going through LowSec space. (Maybe you have a fast frigate or a Tech 2 Transport Ship.) So, right-click on Jita and SET DESTINATION.

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Hold on, isn't Jita on the Avoidance List? Well, yes, but that means that your Autopilot will avoid going through Jita to get to somewhere else. However, since we're setting a course to Jita, the Autopilot will ignore the fact that Jita is on the Avoidance List and just go ahead and plot a course into Jita.

There's a problem, though. Your course goes through Sujarento, and your fellow Unistas are telling you that going through Sujarento is a bad idea because it's sometimes occupied by expert pirates and you will likely lose your ship and your pod. So, you need to find another route. Right-click on Sujarento and select AVOID SOLAR SYSTEM. (This example is mostly academic. Sujarento is a Factional Warfare system that can carry some dangers, however.)

With Sujarento now on the Avoidance List, the Autopilot sets a new course for Jita which is longer, but doesn't go through Sujarento. It still goes through two LowSec systems, Vecamia and Ahbazon, so you should still excercise caution in those areas.

Avoiding Constellations

Right-clicking on a solar system in the Map will give you the option to add that solar system to your watch list. However, what if you wanted to avoid an entire constellation without adding every single system in that constellation to your avoidance list? For example, Sovereign Nullsec (Player-Claimable NullSec) can be considerably dangerous to enter under certain circumstances. Being able to set entire NullSec constellations to your avoidance list would make it easy to set up your avoidance list to not plot routes through areas of space claimed by other player corporations or alliances. Let's begin by avoiding the GEP-XF constellation of claimable Nullsec.

Go to the MAP (F10) and click the SEARCH icon.

Then type GEP-XF into the search field. When the constellation GEP-XF shows up as a result, right-click on the result and select 'Avoid GEP-XF(Constellation)'.

Now go back to the AVOIDANCE LIST tab. You will now see the GEP-XF constellation on your avoidance list, and it's unnecessary to add any individual systems within GEP-XF to the avoidance list. This process may be repeated for each constellation you want to avoid.

For an exhaustive list of player-claimable Nullsec constellations or systems, it is recommended to refer to the in-game map, with the various filters under the "sovereignty" menu, or to third party websites such as DotLan. Having those constellations on your avoidance list will prevent your autopilot from setting a course to any player-sovereign system as long as (1) your autopilot is set to obey the Avoidance List and (2) the waypoint, itself, isn't a player-sovereign system one jump away from Empire space. (Remember that the autopilot will ignore whether or not a waypoint is on the Avoidance List; the autopilot just cares about whether or not there are systems leading up to the waypoint that aren't on the Avoidance List.)

You may, at your own discretion, also have whatever other systems or constellations that you want on that list. For a list of systems to probably add to this list, see Known pirate systems.