User:Uryence/Scouting

Scouting in EVE involves gathering information around or ahead of the current location of a group of other players, to help the group succeed in their goals. Often a scout ship is also equipped to tackle targets and start fights. Almost all PvP fleets and gangs in EVE have at least one scout, and some PvE fleets also use scouts.

Scouting can be demanding and dangerous, but basic scouting requires minimal player experience or character skills, and can offer a lot of satisfaction in helping fellow players succeed. The role has a high ceiling for skilled play and good scouts are a welcome asset in many player corporations. The skills and knowledge developed in scouting synergize extremely well with both solo PvP and fleet command.

Scout roles

Objectives

Some scouting is purely defensive: a group of players is doing something or travelling somewhere, and need one or more scouts to check how safe the space around the group is, and to warn of incoming threats.

Some scouting is defensive and offensive: a fleet needs one or more scouts to warn of threats, but also to locate weaker or even opponents. In some cases, offensive scouting will also involve tackling a target ship to hold it down and start a fight.

The ships and tactics used can vary a lot depending on which of these goals a scout has, and which kind of space they're flying in.

Types of scout

Picket

Picket scouts watch and wait in one location: one system, and often just one point in space, such as a gate or wormhole. Some example uses for picket scouts:

• a group of players in high sec run missions during wartime in a pocket of systems, with a picket scout on a chokepoint gate leading to their location to spot incoming enemies
• the residents of a wormhole system keep a cloaked ship on-grid with each wormhole in their home so that they can see any interlopers
• a jump freighter pilot has friends watching movements in a low-sec transit system that is on their jump route, so that they can pick a safe moment to move their freighter through

Medium- or long-term picket scouting is often provided by alts. In high security space an alt in an NPC corporation can sit in a system or on a gate safely in a corvette; in other types of space, even a basic Tech 1 frigate with a prototype cloak works perfectly well, and requires minimal skill training investment. In nullsec, an interdictor with a prototype cloak makes a surprisingly good picket scout for a gate, as it can rapidly uncloak, warp to the gate, and drop a bubble to close the way.

+1/-1

Travelling fleets are very often preceded by an advance scout moving one system ahead of the main fleet, commonly called a "+1" or "plus one".

Jumping through a gate is one of the most vulnerable moments in a fleet's journey, as the jump mechanics scatter fleet members physically around their in-gate whenever they spawn into a new system. Having a +1 scout should at minimum guarantee that the fleet doesn't slam into a hostile gang without warning. In space with an automatically-populated Local Chat member list, a +1 also makes for a much less obvious presence than the whole fleet appearing in Local at once.

For PvP fleets, a +1 also often needs to hunt, and a typical sequence of actions on system entry for a hunting PvP +1 scout might run as follows:

1. check that grid around the in-gate is clear
2. check numbers in Local and note any important players (e.g. war targets in high security space)
3. check the directional scanner at full 360 degrees and maximum range around the in-gate
4. report immediate status of the in-gate, Local, and first d-scan to the FC
5. warp to any other parts of the system not covered by the initial d-scan, while assessing the corps of the people present in Local
6. if nothing else is discovered, proceed to the out-gate, report out-gate status to FC, and move on

A "-1" or "minus one" scout performs essentially the same role, but secures the system behind a fleet instead.

Interceptors and covert ops frigates make excellent +1 ships, and interceptors in particular are ideal for the hunting +1 role. A Tech 1 tackling frigate can do quite well, especially if rigged with hyperspatial rigs for warp speed. Moreover, any ship can be pressed into service as a +1 scout in an emergency, and an FC who has lost all their scouts should pick an experienced pilot with a working mic in the fastest and most agile ship available.

In wormhole space, which prioritises stealth and probing more than known space, covert ops frigates and covert-configuration strategic cruisers can offer advantages over other options.

Interdictors can work well as -1 scouts, because this role synergizes well with their ability to slow down pursuers by bubbling gates.

Roaming hunter

A PvP fleet can field one or more roaming hunter scouts, who will move with more freedom of initiative through systems on or near the fleet's route, seeking incautious pilots in vulnerable PvE ships or hostile gangs.

Although roaming scouts provide additional security and can warn of approaching threats, their actions tend to be more purely focused on finding and developing fights. The distance which they can roam away from their core fleet depends on the fleet's speed, travel direction, and purpose: some fleets will pause on a journey for incidental targets of opportunity but will not chase fights, while other fleets might be in space solely to find PvP.

Roaming scouts typically report less detailed information to their FC, to keep comms clearer and avoid information overload. PvP threats and targets definitely deserve mention; that you are transiting an entirely empty system that doesn't lie on the fleet's route is probably not useful info. An FC and any roaming scouts must both work to make sure they understand how far the scouts might roam, to make sure they share a sense for what kinds of PvP opportunities the fleet will take, and to make sure that the FC has a working knowledge of roughly where the roaming scouts are.

Interceptors are ideal ships for roaming scouts in known space, as their high warp speed and short align times let them cover a great deal of ground, while their high survivability compared to other frigates gives them a better chance of holding a target or keeping a hostile gang interested until allies can get to the scene. Strategic cruisers have more limited range, as they warp more slowly, but they can use stealth to their advantage, can probe, and can fit reasonable tanks, so they can also have their uses. In wormhole space, cloaking ships of all kinds see more use.

Cyno hunter

Almost all ships which can fit a covert ops cloak can also fit a covert cynosural field ("cyno") generator, which lets a Black Ops Tech 2 battleship bridge and teleport other stealthy ships into battle while circumventing the normal gate network. Force recon ships and Black Ops battleships can fit a normal or "hard" cyno generator, which lets a Titan bridge any ships into battle. Some industrial ships can light an industrial cyno, and Black Ops battleships can bridge to these too. Specialized scouts can fly these ships not for a nearby fleet, but for a fleet "staged" and ready to bridge to a cyno.

Scouting as a cyno ship uses many of the same skills as other "hunting" roles, but can often emphasize cunning and stealth over raw speed. Force recons and covert-configured strategic cruisers can fit reasonable tanks and can have special abilities which make them very powerful cyno hunters: the Minmatar Loki and Rapier, for instance, can use very long-ranged webs to pin a target in place as their allies arrive. Other ships, such as the Venture and Prospect, offer attractively cheap "throwaway" options which might look less threatening if opponents spot them at gate transitions. Stealth Bombers have the unique ability to begin target-locking immediately on uncloaking, though this must be weighed against their paper-thin tanks.

Typical ships

T1 tackle frigates

Each of the four main factions has one Tech 1 frigate with a high base speed and a role bonus which cuts the capacitor use of tackle modules by 80%. They all also have a higher base warp speed (8 AU/s) than other frigate hulls (normally 5 AU/s).

• Amarr: Executioner
• Caldari: Condor
• Gallente: Atron
• Minmatar: Slasher

These ships lack the survivability of the true interceptors, but they are nevertheless very viable as basic scouting and tackling ships for newer characters, able to move swiftly through systems, point a target for crucial seconds, and move around fast on a combat grid to create warp-ins.

Fleet interceptors

Interceptors are Tech 2 versions of the Tech 1 tackle frigates. They keep the tackle capacitor consumption reduction and high warp speed from their Tech 1 base hulls, but are much faster and do not have their signature radii bloomed nearly as much by using a microwarpdrive. Fleet interceptors get additional bonuses to the range of tackle modules, making them ideal tacklers.

Fleet interceptors can also be fitted with an interdiction nullifier which can make them temporarily immune to bubbles, at the cost of a permanent halving of their targeting range. This loss of targeting range is a significant trade-off, and many fleet interceptor fits do not use a nullifier so as to have better tackling abilities.

The fleet interceptors are:

• Amarr: Malediction
• Caldari: Crow
• Gallente: Ares
• Minmatar: Stiletto

Fleet interceptors are very popular as +1/-1 scouts and roaming hunters in known space.

Tactical destroyers

Tech 3 Tactical Destroyers ("T3Ds") are small, fast, highly flexible ships which can align like an interceptor, and can fit an expanded probe launcher, tackle modules, and a meaningful tank all at once. These qualities make them popular tools for probing down and catching targets which are at safe spots or are in mission sites, because a T3D can probe like a covops frigate and then immediately warp to the target and go for tackle.

However, T3Ds cannot fit a covert ops cloak like a covert ops ship, and nor can they warp as fast as an interceptor or tackle at extra-long ranges as an interceptor can, so they are less ideally suited as +1 scouts or general hunters. Often a T3D pilot will travel with the fleet core, only following a +1 or roaming interceptor into a system when it becomes clear that a target must be probed.

The T3Ds are:

• Amarr: Confessor
• Caldari: Jackdaw
• Gallente: Hecate
• Minmatar: Svipul

Covert ships

A striking variety of ships in EVE can fit a covert ops cloak and warp while cloaked. This extremely powerful ability means they can be anywhere in a system watching while unseen, though the pilot will be present in Local chat's member list if they are in known space; they only have to break cloak and become visible on-grid and on the directional scanner when they enter a system and transition from post-jump gate cloak to covert ops cloak.

Covert ships make excellent picket scouts. They are also extremely popular scouts in wormhole space, where the shifting geography, the lack of automatic Local chat memberlists, and the need to probe most places of interest down all emphasize stealth, cunning, and the ability to probe over the high-speed surprise tactics used by interceptor pilots.

Covert ops frigates ("covops") warp at 8 AU/s like interceptors and have strong probing bonuses, making them excellent for rapidly assessing systems, and for scanning down targets or wormholes. The Buzzard and Anathema have bonuses for precise probing, while the Cheetah and Helios have bonuses which let them move faster on-grid when cloaked, which is handy for getting good warp-ins. All covops frigates have very weak defenses and cannot fit strong tanks: they can function as tacklers if they absolutely must, but they will not survive long against a target with any kind of damage capacity.

Stealth Bombers have the unique ability to lock up a target immediately after uncloaking, which gives them a niche role—besides their main purpose as grouped damage-dealers—as surprise tacklers. They, too, do not tank well and cannot be asked to survive long in direct combat. They are also slower to align and slower in warp than covops frigates.

Strategic Cruisers ("T3Cs") can be configured to use a covert ops cloak and bonused scanner probes, while also having decent tanks and dealing meaningful damage on their own account. They therefore make powerful probing scouts, and can take initial tackle and stand a decent chance of surviving in combat until allies arrive, or even of defeating weaker targets solo. Since they are slower to align than frigates and warp at half the speed of interceptors and covops frigates, they are slower to get to target locations and have smaller functional roaming ranges. They are also more expensive and, being slower, more vulnerable to gatecamps.

Force Recons are the smallest and cheapest ships which can light a normal or "hard" cyno, to which a Titan can bridge any ship. As such, they are a popular option for hunting with a hard cyno. They can fit meaningful tanks, and most of them have powerful abilities which can help them survive: the Pilgrim has strong capacitor warfare, the Arazu can tackle from long ranges, and the Rapier can hold a target still with very long-ranged webs. Compared to T3Cs, Recons have only limited DPS capacity, but this matters less for scouts anyway. Their main drawbacks are that they are relatively expensive, that they travel and lock more slowly than smaller ships, and that opponents may assume a hard cyno and pre-emptively escalate if they spot a force recon travelling or hunting.

Some other ships can use covert ops cloaks and have niche uses as scouts: the Prospect can work well as a BLOPS cyno hunter, and it would be possible, if wasteful, to scout defensively in a blockade runner.

Tools

Maps

NB WH mapping tools as well as Dotlan &c

Techniques

Probing

Main article: Probe scanning

When a target is at a safespot, in a mission, or at a place which would need to be probed down (e.g., a wormhole, an exploration site), it is necessary to probe down their location. Probes can also be used to set up on-grid warp-ins.

The basic mechanics of combat-scanning for targets as a scout are very similar to scanning for sites in exploration. However, time presses much more acutely, as a target might see the probes on their own directional scan and then flee.

You can work something about the right area of the system in which to probe by using your own directional scanner. If you're in a cloaked ship and the target is not yet likely to have been spooked by, for example, your ally in an interceptor appearing on scan, you can warp to different locations and triangulate. If the system is large enough, you can then

1. warp to a location out of d-scan range of the target
2. uncloak and drop your probes there, where they can't see you on d-scan
3. (optionally: cloak and head back towards something nearer the target, so as to be near for the warp on top of them)
4. run a probe scan centred on the target's location

With good luck and precise judgment of the target's location, you can pull off a single-cycle scan. A soon as you have the signature resolved, pull your probes, so as to give only the minimum time for the target to spot them on d-scan.

If you're working with another scout who entered the system before you, ask them to convey what they can work out from their own d-scan about the target's place in space. You can then work from that information to try to single-cycle the target. If you and another scout are at different places and have the target on d-scan, you can communicate triangulation with them. If you have allies in system, beware of the risk of probing them down too. Stay alert to their likely locations and remember their ship types.

If your FC asks for an on-grid probed warp-in on an enemy gang which is over 150km away, drop probes, click the button which centres them on your location, and run a cycle at minimum range. This should resolve 100% signatures on the enemy ships. You can use ship type to be sure that you have the right target.

Punting

If in doubt about whether the FC wants you to punt immediately on probe completion, speak up and clarify while the probes are running, not when they finish.

Communication

What to say

As a +1 scout, the FC should at minimum be hearing from you about the status of the next system's Local, d-scan evidence, and in-gate / out-gate grids.

As a roaming scout, personal judgements need to be made about what you're watching when, and what you pass on up to the FC.

However, two things are key:

1. if the FC tells you to be somewhere, get there; and
2. if you see something that needs investigating and move off your last instruction, clearly inform the FC.

The FC cannot make good decisions on faulty intel. Make sure they understand the environment around them as best you can. That includes making sure they're not assuming you're somewhere you're not.

How to say it

In almost all fleets, scouts have a near-total license to speak up and talk over people when they have intel to report: this is one of the privileges of the role. You are the eyes of the fleet: feel able to cut in if necessary. If cutting in, say "break-break" or "check-check" at the start of your report to get everyone else to shut up.

Voices on voice comms do not always come with labels: different programs have different overlay options, and inevitably some people can't get their overlay to work. If there is any chance of ambiguity about who you are, refer to yourself in the third person.

Corporations and alliances in EVE often have members with very different accents; some people will be communicating in a second language, and variation among first-language speakers can also be a problem (differences between British and US accents, for instance, can be quite confusing!). You can use the NATO phonetic alphabet to spell out any crucial information which might otherwise be hard to grasp. System names, for instance, can be stated naturally and then phonetically: "Local spike in emm aitch see, seven new neuts in Mike Hotel Charlie."

Stay alert to easily-confused words. The Ares and the Eris, for instance, sound very similar in many accents: an FC needs to know about both ships, but they present different tactical problems. It helps to say "An Ares, interceptor" or "An Eris, bubbler".

[info about voice channels in bigger fleets]

In larger fleets with many moving parts and multiple scouts, a private conversation channel shared between scouts, or shared between scouts and FC, can be an excellent halfway house space, where info which is valuable but not immediately pressing can be linked or typed.

[incorporate other good info from existing article here]

Further reading

• Rookie's guide to fleet ops
• D-scan
• Bookmarks
• Safespots
• Probe scanning
• Topology
• Cloaking
• Jump drives