Ratting at NSC: Difference between revisions

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Killing pirate NPCs, or [[ratting]] as it is also called, is a way to earn ISK in New Eden. At the EVE University's Null-Sec staging area in and around [https://evemaps.dotlan.net/map/Syndicate/PC9-AY PC9-AY] it is mainly done in [[Asteroids and ore|asteroid belts]] or in [[combat sites]]. While you face off against NPCs in the same manner as in missions, it is not considered the same; see [[Syndicate Mission Running]] for for more information about running missions at the NSC.

You will find that the ISK you can earn will be a health mix of actual [[EVE Lexicon#bounty|bounties]]and the [[loot]] drop of NPC rats, which is significantly higher in Null-Sec. Additionally to regular rats, you might also encounter faction spawns, which can drop high-value loot. It is generally not considered worthwhile to [[Salvaging|salvage]] wrecks of regular rats and instead focus on aforementioned loot and bounties.

The loot you receive from ratting can also be a great source of minerals for small-scale industry. Large [[Tech_and_meta_levels#Tech_1_.28Meta_1-4.29|T1 meta modules]], such as those dropped by NPC battleships, can be reprocessed for decent quantities of minerals which may otherwise not be obtained directly in Null-Sec. For many modules, the reprocessed value is higher than the buy value of the module.

Combat sites can further be split into [[Combat sites#Combat anomalies|combat anomalies]] and [[Combat sites#Cosmic signatures|combat signatures]]. More on these below.

[[File:5-D belt.jpg|240px|thumb|The asteroid belts in system 5-DSFH. Clear them from top to bottom, from bottom to top, or whatever other order you want to use.]]

[[File:Ratting guide basic.jpg|240px|thumb|Short guide to chaining belts.]]

Belt ratting is the act of going from asteroid belt to asteroid belt, killing the pirate NPC ships that are found there, and then going on to the next asteroid belt and doing the same there. This is done to collect the bounty and loot, as well as to get rare faction or capital NPC spawns.

 

In the PC9 pocket, [http://evemaps.dotlan.net/map/Syndicate/5-DSFH#sec 5-DSFH] is the best system to belt-rat in terms of true-sec. 5-D is also deep in the PC9 pocket, and as such considered safer, as you will have more time to react to potential intel.

 

The pirate faction encountered in the [https://evemaps.dotlan.net/map/Syndicate#const Syndicate] region is the [[Serpentis]]. They commonly deal Thermal and Kinetic damage, and have lower resists against Kinetic and Thermal damage. Expect to face sensor damping from Serpentis Guardian-type cruisers and battlecruisers. This can reduce your targeting distance drastically: depending on your sensor skills, a group of damping ships can decrease your targeting range to 5,000m or less. Some Serpentis rats, usually frigates, also point you. Kill these first to ensure you can warp off to safety if hostiles enter the system.

NOTE: These are Serpentis haulers that appear red as regular rats. Do '''not''' confuse these with neutral Diamond [[NPC_Mining_Operations|mining/hauling spawns]]!

[[File:c ano sig.jpg|240px|thumb|The scanner window, with a combat Anomaly and a combat signature halfway scanned down.]]

* [[Combat sites#expeditions|Expeditions]]:

It is recommended to focus on the following combat anomalies for the best ISK/h due to high number of Battleships or the possibility to escalate to lucrative DED-rated sites:

* [[Serpentis_Forsaken_Rally_Point|Serpentis Forsaken Rally Point]]

* [[Serpentis_Forsaken_Hub|Serpentis Forsaken Hub]]

* [[Serpentis_Haven|Serpentis Haven]]

* [[Serpentis_Sanctum|Serpentis Sanctum]]

Once you enter a combat anomaly, burn away from the warp-in and make sure that you don't fly directly towards the rats, as this makes you far to easy to kill. Once you have gained some distance from the warp-in, drop down a Mobile Tractor Unit (MTU) and orbit it at about 20 km. The reason to get away from the warp-in, is so you aren't too close to it if hostile players warps to it. The MTU is not a must, but it makes looting and potential salvaging far easier. Just remember to bookmark it in case you have to warp off.

'''Combat signatures and Expeditions''' are far more varied, and is is therefore harder to provide general advise. They usually consists of multiple gated deadspace pockets. This means that hostile players cannot warp directly to you, but have to scan you down with combat probes and take the gates to reach you. This makes you far harder to catch while running the site.

 

Being in null security space means that players can kill other players without any repercussions. Ships used for PvE are often expensive, and hunting these ships can be a fun and sometimes even lucrative endeavour for players (Unistas can try their hand at hunting other corporation's PvE ships!). It is therefore vital for anyone ratting in and around PC9 to stay safe.

** If you select the member list and press ctrl-A, you'll select all pilots currently in system. Any new pilots entering will then be obvious, as they will not be highlighted.

* Create and use multiple [[Bookmarks#Safe Spots|safespot bookmarks]] in each system where you do PvE.

* [[Overheating|Overheat]] your modules to wring more performance out of them; if you survive, you can always repair them for free at one of the player-owned Upwell structures. Your order of priority for overheating is:

These ships are mostly "[[EVE Lexicon#Drone boat|drone boats]]", that sometimes have secondary weapons as well. The reason for this is the versatility that [[drones]] brings to PvE. Other popular weapon against Serpentis rats are [[missiles]] and [[Hybrid Turret]]s. You want to avoid weapon types like [[Turrets#Energy turrets|Laser turrets]] and [[Turrets#Projectile turrets|projectile turrets]] for PvE at the NSC, their damage type aren't great against the weakness of Serpentis ships.

{| class="wikitable damage npc"