Cargo Hauling with the Cloak Trick

Main article: Cloak trick

Hauling cargo from one star system to the next is a long and tedious job. Many players use alternative characters, with dedicated skill sets, to deliver their cargo for them. In order to achieve this, we have to start from scratch, meaning the fewer skills we need to train, the sooner we can get started hauling cargo.

If we are hauling an expensive payload, we are at high risk of being a target for pirates looking for a slow and weak hauler to empty. This is a danger even in high security space. To combat this problem, many strategies have been developed, but one of the safest methods is the use of the Cloak Trick.

There is a great deal of information on which hauler is the best ship. When these evaluations are done, however, it is normally with respect to the size of the cargo which can be hauled in a single journey. If we can guarantee the safe arrival of our cargo on every trip, then this is the end of the story. Nonetheless, that's not the case, as New Eden is a very dangerous place and haulers are slow and fragile ships.

With that in mind, our criteria for what constitutes the "best" ship isn't necessarily the largest cargo hold (although that is still part of the equation). We value the ability to avoid detection and move as quickly as possible to prevent our location from becoming easily identified. Our "best" cargo hauling ship is the one we believe will have the easiest time of surviving, while still being accessible to new players.

Goals

The four points below outline the design goals for the fittings which are presented below. These goals are in order of relevance such that the first goal is mandatory and each subsequent goal is a best effort within the context of the previous goal.

For example, in order to satisfy the first goal, most ships need to also fit modules to enhance their power grid which can only be done by sacrificing modules which increase cargo capacity. There is a bit of an exception where goal 2 is concerned; in some cases we gain significant improvement in cargo space or warp out time with just a little more training in skill.

1. Fittings must use a “50MN Microwarpdrive I” as well as an “Improved Cloaking Device II”.
2. Fittings must require as little training as possible to accommodate brand new characters.
3. Fittings must accommodate as much cargo as possible.
4. Fittings must maximize warp out time and warp speed velocity.

With these goals in mind, we can find the best ship with the best fit for the newest of players with the least number of skill points.

Points of interest

Some of the choices made during fittings might not be very clear. Below are some of the points considered when deciding which modules to fit where and why those modules satisfy the design goals.

Tanking

Most people will notice that there is no armor or shield tank in any of these fittings. Any kind of traditional tank is an utter waste of time and can be extremely expensive. The reality is that haulers are paper thin and defenseless if you get tackled it’s only a matter of time (normally mere seconds) before you are going to be destroyed as there is no method of retaliation that we can bring to bear upon our attackers. Even if you fit weapons they will not be up to the task of taking out a ship designed for combat.

Because of this, we use the Cloak Trick. Instead of trying to absorb damage our goal here is to completely dodge it by being unavailable for targeting and warping out of the area as soon as possible.

Inherent problems of the MWD + Cloaking Trick

The two modules mandatory for the successful execution of the cloak trick is the “50MN Microwarpdrive I” and the “Improved Cloaking Device II”. These modules provide the correct modifiers to our ships anything less will spoil the effort.

Use this link for details on how to execute a Cloak Trick.

The biggest problem facing a pilot trying to use those two modules on a ship at the same time is power grid capacity. While some of the haulers can manage the haulers ships which have been “optimized” for extra cargo storage have serious problems. In order to combat this problem we need to fit modules and rigs (yes some ships NEED to have rigs while others gain a major benefit from them) which only slot into the same spots as our cargo expanding modules. It is literally a trade between cargo space and power grid.

Power Grid Management III

As our biggest problem is power grid it follows that the  Power Grid Management skill could be very useful to us. Although it takes extra time to train getting it to level three does not take very long. At the same time it greatly reduces the need to swap out cargo modules. Although this is really only necessary if you are going to fly the haulers with the larger default cargo holds.

Nanofiber Internal Structure II vs Inertial Stabilizers II

There are some ships that have no problems with power grid and don’t benefit from cargo expanding modules. These ships are specialist ships that can only hold certain types of cargo, like ammunition. Their special cargo holds are far larger than any standard cargo hold on any ship in this class, while their normal cargo holds are only about 500-550 cubic meters. As cargo hold expansion modules operate on a percentage basis; the benefit they give these ships is insignificant.

We take advantage of this fact to act on our fourth goal. By fitting Nanofiber Internal Structure II’s and Inertial Stabilizers II, we reduce the ship's mass and increase its agility. This means a smaller warp out time which means less time spent in any particular place in space, cloaked or otherwise.

While the Inertial Stabilizers have a stronger effect than the Nanofiber Internal Structures they also penalize your ship with a significant Signature radius increase. This means if you happen to make a mistake and find yourself spending some time visible in space, you will be much easier to target and will take more damage. I spent some time trying to balance the benefits against the penalties but as these two modules require the same skill level you can easily exchange them as you see fit.

Expanded Cargohold II vs Medium Cargohold Optimization I

These two modules are used in the low power slot and the ship rig slots respectively. They each increase your standard cargo hold by a percentage of its default capacity. They do come with penalties but these are related to armor, hull and speed which are all irrelevant within the context of our design goals. The only important aspect is that the Expanded Cargohold II’s are more effective per unit than the Medium Cargohold Optimization I’s. Therefore we prefer to get our extra power grid from the rig slots before using up the low slots.

Use of T2 equipment for new players

Anyone who has taken a look at the T2 gear in EVE Online has probably noted how much more time and isk it takes to be able to use and afford it. Normally they would not be viable options for new characters trying to fly ships as soon as possible. Most T2 equipment requires a level five in at least one skill however the T2 modules we use in these fittings only require a level two. Additionally both of the modules we are using require the same level two skill so we are getting the use of two T2 modules for one level two skill.

Haulers by race

The following table is a comparison of the different haulers that new characters will be able to fly with relatively little training. Ships from each race are considered and were fitted according to the goals listed above.

All ships were fitted using PYFA and a "dummy" pilot with zero skills. In some fittings, an alternate "dummy" pilot with  Power Grid Management III was used. These fittings are normally for those haulers with larger default hold capacities as their power grids are smaller in general. The use of the second "dummy" pilot is noted in the title of the fit.

Summary statistics by race

Caldari summary

Ship	Badger	Tayra	Tayra with PGM III
Skills	Caldari Hauler I Hull Upgrades II High Speed Maneuvering I Cloaking III Astronautics Rigging I	Caldari Hauler I High Speed Maneuvering I Cloaking III Capacitor Management II Jury Rigging I	Caldari Hauler I High Speed Maneuvering I Cloaking III Capacitor Management II Jury Rigging I Power Grid Management III
Cargo (m^3)	16458	7300	10079
Vel (m/s)	138	149	110
Warp out (secs)	21	25	25
Warp speed (AU/s)	4.5	3	3
Cost (isk)	12M	21.4M	20.8M

Amarr summary

Ship	Sigil	Bestower	Bestower with PGM III
Skills	Amarr Hauler I Hull Upgrades II High Speed Maneuvering I Cloaking III Astronautics Rigging I	Amarr Hauler I Hull Upgrades II High Speed Maneuvering I Cloaking III Jury Rigging I Capacitor Management II	Amarr Hauler I Hull Upgrades II High Speed Maneuvering I Cloaking III Jury Rigging I Capacitor Management II Power Grid Management III
Cargo (m^3)	14406	9949	16173
Vel (m/s)	132	108	104
Warp out (secs)	20	25	25
Warp speed (AU/s)	4.5	3	3
Cost (isk)	13.3M	22.5M	23M

Minmatar summary

Ship	Hoarder	Wreathe	Mammoth	Mammoth with PGM III
Ship Note	Ammo specialist
Skills	Minmatar Hauler I Hull Upgrades II High Speed Maneuvering I Cloaking III Astronautics Rigging I	Minmatar Hauler I Hull Upgrades II High Speed Maneuvering I Cloaking III Astronautics Rigging I	Minmatar Hauler I Capacitor Management II Hull Upgrades II High Speed Maneuvering I Cloaking III Jury Rigging I	Minmatar Hauler I Capacitor Management II Hull Upgrades II High Speed Maneuvering I Cloaking III Jury Rigging I Power Grid Management III
Cargo (m^3)	500	2900	7013	11400
Special Cargo (m^3)	41000
Vel (m/s)	235	156	150	129
Warp out (secs)	13	17	21	21
Warp speed (AU/s)	5.2	4.5	3	3
Cost (isk)	9.7M	12.7M	22M	22.7M

Gallente summary

Ship	Nereus	Kryos	Epithal	Miasmos	Iteron Mark V	Iteron Mark V with PGM III
Ship Note		Mineral Specialist	Planetary Commodities	Ore Specialist
Skills	Gallente Hauler I Hull Upgrades II High Speed Maneuvering I Cloaking III Astronautics Rigging I	Gallente Hauler I Capacitor Management II Hull Upgrades II High Speed Maneuvering I Cloaking III Jury Rigging I	Gallente Hauler I Hull Upgrades II High Speed Maneuvering I Cloaking III Astronautics Rigging I Jury Rigging I	Gallente Hauler I Hull Upgrades II High Speed Maneuvering I Cloaking III Jury Rigging I	Gallente Hauler I Capacitor Management II Hull Upgrades II High Speed Maneuvering I Cloaking III Jury Rigging I	Gallente Hauler I Capacitor Management II Hull Upgrades II High Speed Maneuvering I Cloaking III Jury Rigging I Power Grid Management III
Cargo (m^3)	14527	550	550	550	9429	12021
Special Cargo (m^3)		43000	43000	42000
Vel (m/s)	136	197	200	184	109	103
Warp out (secs)	18	15	14	14	23	23
Warp speed (AU/s)	4.5	3	3	3	3	3
Cost (isk)	12.6M	21.9M	18M	22M	22.6M	22.9M

Conclusion

After all of that, we have a pretty clear picture showing us the optimal choices available to us based upon different criteria. As a new character, you may or may not have spare ISK to spend but all new characters will have to consider time to train as a factor in the ship they choose to haul cargo while cloaked.

If you are ISK heavy then your primary concern is probably going to be cargo capacity. Apart from specialist cargo holds the two best fits for this category (in order) is the Bestower with PGM III at over 16k m^3 and then the Badger at just over 15k m^3. As the badger does not require the training of PGM III it is slightly faster to get into. It is also half the price of the Bestower.

For the purely budget conscious the Badger is still the best choice. Every other hauler is more expensive and the badger is only about a thousand cubic meters shy of having the largest hold as well.