Difference between revisions of "Blitzing"

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{{MissionLinks}}'''Blitzing''' [[missions]] is an alternative way of doing missions that can be highly profitable - you do not completely clear the room(s) and kill every [[rat]]. Instead, you enter the mission, kill only the ships that absolutely need to get killed for mission completion, and then leave instantly to turn the mission in.
  
('''Work in Progress, gonna receive edits soon''')
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If you fly this way, most of the money that comes from missions does ''not'' come from loot/salvage/bounties, but from the LP.
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==Principles==
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While "conventional" mission running relies on mainly loot/salvage/bounties with mission rewards (LP+ISK) added on top, blitzing goes mainly for the LP that are awarded for mission completion. Those LP need to be "cashed in" in the loyalty stores, requiring purchasing and selling of items from those stores.
  
=Introduction=
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==Mission handling==
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===Picking the right missions===
  
"Blitzing" missions is an alternative way of doing missions that can be highly profitable - you do not completely clear the room(s) and kill every rat. Instead, you enter the mission, kill only the ships that absolutely need to get killed for mission completion, and then leave instantly to turn the mission in.
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"Blitzing missions" is solely about combat missions ("security missions"). Not all missions can be blitzed. When missioning, you should continuously reject missions that are unblitzable, waiting for missions such as the Minmatar version of "Worlds Collide", "Blockade", "Recon" or "Pirate Invasion" that can be completed quickly within minutes for a high LP reward.  
  
If you fly this way, most of the money that comes from missions does ''not'' come from loot/salvage/bounties, but from the LP.
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A blitzable mission per definition is a mission that doesn't require you to kill all (or even most) of the AI enemies - it rather focuses on either reaching a location, picking up an item from a container or kill a few key enemies for mission completion.
  
=Principles=
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You would need to do some reading at [[mission reports]] to see if a mission is blitzable, but one will eventually "know" what missions can be blitzed.
  
==LP as main source of income==
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Generally, doing only L4 missions is the way to get the best effect, although lower level missions can be "blitzed" as well for fast standings gain. Additionally the increased payout from lower security status and more valuable pirate LP makes null security L3 mission blitzing a profitable activity.
==Mission choice==
 
  
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===Standing requirements and management===
  
=Mission handling=
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As indicated above, picking only blitzable missions requires you to decline offers for, non-blitzable missions.
  
==Picking the right missions==
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Unfortunately declining missions more often than once every four hours will have a negative impact on agent, corporation and faction standings.
  
Not all missions can be blitzed. When missioning, you should continuously reject missions that are unblitzable, waiting for missions such as the Minmatar version of "Worlds Collide", "Blockade", "Recon" or "Pirate Invasion" that can be completed quickly within minutes for a high LP reward.  
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You can  reject multiple missions in a row if you have good faction standings. You can get a lot of faction standings by completing storyline missions, and faction standing drops rather slowly when rejecting missions. As long as you keep your Faction standings above 5.0 (rather easy to do) and your corp standings above -2.0 (don't reject too many missions in a row), your agent will keep talking to you and you can keep declining, only waiting for blitzable missions.
  
Obviously, doing only L4 missions is the way to get the best effect, although many lower level missions can be "blitzed" as well - but the rewards don't compare well to the potential of L4s.
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Before you have faction standings, you will not be able to reject as many missions continuously. To build it up, keep doing all your missions normally and do the storyline missions that you get every now and then.
  
==Standing requirements and managment==
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To elaborate the math behind the standings losses and how one can keep declining missions:
  
The most efficient way of making money from missions is called blitzing. You do not full clear the mission and kill every rat; instead, you get in there, kill only the ships that you absolutely have to, and leave instantly to turn it in. If you fly this way, most of the money that comes from missions does NOT come from loot/salvage/bounties, but from the LP.
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Declining a mission more than once every four hours, three things happen:
  
Not all missions can be blitzed. When I missioning, I continuously reject missions that are unblitzable, waiting for missions such as the Minmatar version of Worlds Collide, Blockade, Recon, Pirate Invasion that can be completed quickly within minutes for a high LP reward. I am able to reject multiple missions in a row because of Faction standings. You get a lot of Faction standings by completing storyline missions, and this falls down extremely slowly when rejecting missions. As long as you keep your Faction standings above 5.0 (rather easy to do) and your individual agent standings above -2.0 (don't reject a gazillion in a row), your agent will keep talking to you and you can keep rejecting, only waiting for fast blitzable missions.
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a) your faction standings take an almost insignificant hit,
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b) your corporation standings take a sizable hit
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c) your agent standings take a sizable hit
  
Before you have faction standings, you will not be able to reject as many missions continuously. To build it up, keep doing all your missions normally and do the storyline missions that you get every now and then.
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Your level 4 agent will talk to you if your agent, corporation, or faction standings are above 5.0 *and* if your agent, corporation and faction standings don't drop below -2.0. Skills that may help you stay above these numbers include (criminal) connections, diplomacy and social
  
Because most of the money comes from the LP, you need to do some research before you start missioning for just any random corp. You need to find a corp with a high isk/LP rate, then find the agent in the lowest possible sec space (still hisec of course). This will require some research for you - finding a good isk/hr rate requires looking up various items in the reward store and comparing how much you can sell them for to their LP cost. For those of you unwilling to spend too much time, a good corp to mission for Republic Fleet, with the agent Vir Honn in Emolgranlan (0.5), and converting your LP for ammo and selling it. However there are other corps out there with much higher rewards, it's up to you to find them!
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With high faction standings and because of the minimal faction hit for declining a mission, this means it is possible to cherry pick just the quick blitzable missions as long as your corporation standings don't drop below -2.0.
  
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For example, declining Smash the Supplier costs:
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* -0.0112% faction hit
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* -3.06% corporation hit
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* -6.12% agent hit
  
This video has me doing this in a Machariel, which is a rather expensive ship for many people. However, you do not NEED an expensive ship to do this. The Drake is one of the best blitzing ships out there and only costs about 50-60m fully fit before insurance. Here is an excellent drake fit:
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Completing the Patient Zero storyline mission got as a result:
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* 9.0% faction increase
  
Highs:
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In overly simplistic terms, 9.0% / .0112% = ~800 declined missions. That means I could decline hundreds of missions and make up for the faction standings hit with a single storyline mission. Even the "worse" storyline missions would easily compensate for quite a few declined mission offers.
7x Heavy Missile Launcher II
 
  
Mids:
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==LP cashing in==
2x Large Shield Extender II
 
1x Y-T8 Overcharged Hydrocarbon I Microwarpdrive
 
2x Invulnerability Field II
 
1x Specific Active Hardener (Photon Scattering Field II, Heat Dissipation Field II, Ballistic Deflection Field II, Explosion Dampening Field II - depending on the mission)
 
  
Lows:
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Because most of the money comes from the mission rewarded Loyalty Points (LP), you need to do some research before you start missioning for just any random corp. You need to find a corp (and an item they offer) with a high isk/LP rate, then find the agent in the lowest possible sec space (still hisec of course).
2x Ballistic Control Unit II
 
2x Shield Power Relay II
 
  
Rigs:
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This will require some research for you - finding a good ISK/hr rate requires looking up various items in the reward store and comparing how much you can sell them for to their LP cost, always factoring in the other items/ISK you need to pay in order to obtain an item from the LP store.
3x Medium Core Defence Field Purger I
 
  
Drones:
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"Good" items can be pretty situational or temporary only, an average value of 1k ISK/LP will result in income similar to what you get from "regular" missioning, but will not make Blitzing a superior choice (ISK/hr wise).
5x Warrior II
 
  
Many people will say the Drake is not a good level 4 ship and it does not have the necessary DPS. This is irrelevent if you fly the way I do in this video. The strength of the drake comes from its high mobility. In this mission for example, you would pull off a similar maneuver to the one I did in your drake and then burn further away, thus reducing all the damage from the rest of the rats while you pick off the targets from range.
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==Ships for blitzing==
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While you can blitz missions in any [[Mission ships|all-around mission runner ship]], you will have much better results with ships specifically chosen and fitted for blitzing.
  
I strongly recommend getting all your support skills (capacitor, shield, navigation and missile skills) to III or even IV before you start attempting this in a Drake, as you will need those skills to make up for your slight lack in DPS. Obviously having full T2 is also recommended.
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When you're blitzing the time actually fighting is relatively short and travel time makes up for a significant part of your time. This makes the [[Machariel]] with its warp speed bonus an especially popular choice for blitzing (in level 4 missions). You also usually fit hyperspatial rigs if you use a battleship (this includes the Machariel).
  
When you first try this in your Drake you may not reach the numbers I have come up with.
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You also usually reduce your [[tank]] in favor of more DPS and application. This means you will struggle in missions which have a lot of incoming DPS, the solution is to not run those missions.
  
WARNING: Do NOT try this without researching more about each mission and knowing what to expect. I strongly recommend www.eve-survival.org and reading up on every mission the first couple times you do it as they generally give good blitzing advice.
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There is also the option to use several ships. It's common to have at least a fast frigate for [[Cargo Delivery]] and [[Recon]] (have a bit of tank on the frigate for the third part of recon). You also need dedicated ships for [[Anomic missions|burner missions]]. Besides that most people stick to only one blitzing ship. The most popular choice is the already mentioned Machariel but a [[Barghest]] with rapid heavies is also popular. Marauders are very strong in specific missions such as [[Pirate Invasion]] which is always in the agent's system and requires a decent bit of damage to deal. But in general they fall short of the other options as their bastion module not only pins them down but causes a [[Timers#Weapon Timer|weapon timer]]. In nullsec you might want to use a [[Strategic Cruisers|strategic cruiser]] fitted to be nullified, cloaky, and hard to scan due to sensor boosters with ECCM scripts. The [[Tengu]] is especially well suited for this.
  
Good luck. You may contact me in EVE if you need help.
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For level 5 missions blitzing, carriers are commonly used for ungated missions. Long range cruise missile platforms such as the Barghest are also common for some gated missions in which they work as well as ungated missions if you don't have access to a carrier.
  
PS Shoutout to Syratus for all the help!
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==Example==
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[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hGaK2WNdtE| This video] shows a pilot blitzing a L4 mission ("Pirate Invasion") in a Machariel.
  
At the end of the next post is a quick movie of me blitzing the level 4 mission Pirate Invasion in a Machariel. It is in real time. A bit of ROUGH maths here (oh god don't be pedantic please):
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His rather rough numbers for ISK/hr:
  
Time taken for the mission: about 7 minutes.
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*Time taken for the mission: about 7 minutes.
LP gained from mission: about 5k.
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*LP gained from mission: about 5k.
At 2k isk/LP, that is 10m isk in 7 minutes.
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*At 2k isk/LP, that is 10m isk in 7 minutes.
That is almost 100m isk in an hour, with mission rewards and bounties.
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*That is almost 100m isk in an hour, with mission rewards and bounties.
  
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==See also==
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*[[Missions (CORE class)]]
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*[https://docs.google.com/document/d/1knVqZEH8qFY0eT44nMEFwcKd3t4PbgcZeuv58SVUxsI/pub#h.myrc78pia6l7 Everything you wanted to know about Blitzing (A guide for Blitzing)]
  
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hGaK2WNdtE
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[[Category:Missions]]

Latest revision as of 07:21, 4 September 2022

Blitzing missions is an alternative way of doing missions that can be highly profitable - you do not completely clear the room(s) and kill every rat. Instead, you enter the mission, kill only the ships that absolutely need to get killed for mission completion, and then leave instantly to turn the mission in.

If you fly this way, most of the money that comes from missions does not come from loot/salvage/bounties, but from the LP.

Principles

While "conventional" mission running relies on mainly loot/salvage/bounties with mission rewards (LP+ISK) added on top, blitzing goes mainly for the LP that are awarded for mission completion. Those LP need to be "cashed in" in the loyalty stores, requiring purchasing and selling of items from those stores.

Mission handling

Picking the right missions

"Blitzing missions" is solely about combat missions ("security missions"). Not all missions can be blitzed. When missioning, you should continuously reject missions that are unblitzable, waiting for missions such as the Minmatar version of "Worlds Collide", "Blockade", "Recon" or "Pirate Invasion" that can be completed quickly within minutes for a high LP reward.

A blitzable mission per definition is a mission that doesn't require you to kill all (or even most) of the AI enemies - it rather focuses on either reaching a location, picking up an item from a container or kill a few key enemies for mission completion.

You would need to do some reading at mission reports to see if a mission is blitzable, but one will eventually "know" what missions can be blitzed.

Generally, doing only L4 missions is the way to get the best effect, although lower level missions can be "blitzed" as well for fast standings gain. Additionally the increased payout from lower security status and more valuable pirate LP makes null security L3 mission blitzing a profitable activity.

Standing requirements and management

As indicated above, picking only blitzable missions requires you to decline offers for, non-blitzable missions.

Unfortunately declining missions more often than once every four hours will have a negative impact on agent, corporation and faction standings.

You can reject multiple missions in a row if you have good faction standings. You can get a lot of faction standings by completing storyline missions, and faction standing drops rather slowly when rejecting missions. As long as you keep your Faction standings above 5.0 (rather easy to do) and your corp standings above -2.0 (don't reject too many missions in a row), your agent will keep talking to you and you can keep declining, only waiting for blitzable missions.

Before you have faction standings, you will not be able to reject as many missions continuously. To build it up, keep doing all your missions normally and do the storyline missions that you get every now and then.

To elaborate the math behind the standings losses and how one can keep declining missions:

Declining a mission more than once every four hours, three things happen:

a) your faction standings take an almost insignificant hit, b) your corporation standings take a sizable hit c) your agent standings take a sizable hit

Your level 4 agent will talk to you if your agent, corporation, or faction standings are above 5.0 *and* if your agent, corporation and faction standings don't drop below -2.0. Skills that may help you stay above these numbers include (criminal) connections, diplomacy and social

With high faction standings and because of the minimal faction hit for declining a mission, this means it is possible to cherry pick just the quick blitzable missions as long as your corporation standings don't drop below -2.0.

For example, declining Smash the Supplier costs:

  • -0.0112% faction hit
  • -3.06% corporation hit
  • -6.12% agent hit

Completing the Patient Zero storyline mission got as a result:

  • 9.0% faction increase

In overly simplistic terms, 9.0% / .0112% = ~800 declined missions. That means I could decline hundreds of missions and make up for the faction standings hit with a single storyline mission. Even the "worse" storyline missions would easily compensate for quite a few declined mission offers.

LP cashing in

Because most of the money comes from the mission rewarded Loyalty Points (LP), you need to do some research before you start missioning for just any random corp. You need to find a corp (and an item they offer) with a high isk/LP rate, then find the agent in the lowest possible sec space (still hisec of course).

This will require some research for you - finding a good ISK/hr rate requires looking up various items in the reward store and comparing how much you can sell them for to their LP cost, always factoring in the other items/ISK you need to pay in order to obtain an item from the LP store.

"Good" items can be pretty situational or temporary only, an average value of 1k ISK/LP will result in income similar to what you get from "regular" missioning, but will not make Blitzing a superior choice (ISK/hr wise).

Ships for blitzing

While you can blitz missions in any all-around mission runner ship, you will have much better results with ships specifically chosen and fitted for blitzing.

When you're blitzing the time actually fighting is relatively short and travel time makes up for a significant part of your time. This makes the Machariel with its warp speed bonus an especially popular choice for blitzing (in level 4 missions). You also usually fit hyperspatial rigs if you use a battleship (this includes the Machariel).

You also usually reduce your tank in favor of more DPS and application. This means you will struggle in missions which have a lot of incoming DPS, the solution is to not run those missions.

There is also the option to use several ships. It's common to have at least a fast frigate for Cargo Delivery and Recon (have a bit of tank on the frigate for the third part of recon). You also need dedicated ships for burner missions. Besides that most people stick to only one blitzing ship. The most popular choice is the already mentioned Machariel but a Barghest with rapid heavies is also popular. Marauders are very strong in specific missions such as Pirate Invasion which is always in the agent's system and requires a decent bit of damage to deal. But in general they fall short of the other options as their bastion module not only pins them down but causes a weapon timer. In nullsec you might want to use a strategic cruiser fitted to be nullified, cloaky, and hard to scan due to sensor boosters with ECCM scripts. The Tengu is especially well suited for this.

For level 5 missions blitzing, carriers are commonly used for ungated missions. Long range cruise missile platforms such as the Barghest are also common for some gated missions in which they work as well as ungated missions if you don't have access to a carrier.

Example

This video shows a pilot blitzing a L4 mission ("Pirate Invasion") in a Machariel.

His rather rough numbers for ISK/hr:

  • Time taken for the mission: about 7 minutes.
  • LP gained from mission: about 5k.
  • At 2k isk/LP, that is 10m isk in 7 minutes.
  • That is almost 100m isk in an hour, with mission rewards and bounties.

See also