@@ Line 143: / Line 143: @@
 ===Security===
 Combat ships offer more choices than miners and industrials. Are you training for shields or armor? Missiles, or lasers, or hybrids, or projectiles. Or drones? Do you want to get in close and blast away, or sit at range and snipe?  Player-versus-Player (PvP) and mission running (PvE) require different ship characteristics and fittings to be at their most effective. So, if you are doing PvP, you will want to develop your PvE skills along the same lines. This takes some some planning, and you can find the details on the [[Mission Ships]] page of this Wiki.
+==Advice and Hints==
+generally get a high Connections skill in order to skip these agents.
+===Security Missions===
+Mission spaces will often contain acceleration gates to move around the deadspace with; these are often locked until nearby enemies have been defeated.
+[http://eve-survival.org/wikka.php?wakka=CargoDelivery1an Cargo Delivery] is an example of an Security mission; you have to fly to a warehouse to pick up cargo, but are ambushed as you get close.
+==Mission Walkthroughs and Mission Preparation==
+The universe of EVE is a dangerous place, and encounter missions are not exceptions.  The unprepared and unwary can lose their ships unnecessarily.  (Most mining missions are not heavily combat-oriented, though there are a couple of mining missions where a mining barge absolutely should not go in first.)  The first thing to know, as always, is to never fly what you cannot afford to lose.
+The second thing to know is the mission you are being offered.  Always understand exactly what you will encounter in a mission before you accept it; if you accept a mission without understanding it, and it turns out to be too difficult, then your only options are to get help from other players (who may or may not be trustworthy) or to quit the mission.  You might lose your ship in the process of discovering that the mission is too difficult for you.  A great link for missions is [http://eve-survival.org Eve Survival].  Most (if not all) regular and storyline missions are documented there, and you can read the details of what you need to do in the mission before you accept the mission, including (most importantly) details that the agent does not tell you up front.
+The UNIWiki has a good guide to the Sisters of EVE epic arc: [[The Blood-Stained Stars]]. Another good guide for the Sisters of Eve epic mission arc can be found [http://go-dl.eve-files.com/media/corp/jowen/SOE_Epic_Arc_guide_by_Jowen_Datloran_v0.95.pdf here].  EVE-Survival.org also has some useful tips for epic arcs, in general: http://eve-survival.org/wikka.php?wakka=MissionReportsEpicArc
+The third thing to know is that NPCs in missions tend to be very predictable in their setups.  The mission guides linked above will go into detail for each particular mission, but there are trends.  For example, Gallente and Serpentis use only Kinetic and Thermal damage against you, but are also most susceptible to Kinetic and Thermal damage themselves; when they use any form of [[EWar 101 Guide|Electronic Warfare]] (EWAR), it's always sensor dampening.  Blood Raiders use mostly EM/thermal damage and are most susceptible to EM/thermal damage, and while they don't use (what the University considers) EWAR, they do use Energy Neutralizers and Energy Vampires.  Mercenaries and Rogue Drones aren't as consistent from mission to mission, but are a lot more consistent over multiple occurrences of the exact same mission and level.  This predictability can be used to your advantage: if you're flying Level 2 or higher missions, you'll want to fit resistance modules for the type of damage the enemy will throw at you: Kinetic/Thermal for Gallente, Caldari, Serpentis, Guristas, and Mordu's Legion; EM/Thermal for Amarr, Sanshas, and Blood Raiders, Explosive/Kinetic for Angel Cartel and Minmatar.  You may need two or more resistance modules of the same type if a lot of damage is going to be thrown at you.
+Try to set up your ship to do the [[NPC Damage Types|damage types]] that the enemy is most vulnerable to. Those who rely on hybrid or laser turrets to do damage are out of luck in this regard. Missiles should be chosen for their damage types. See [[Using_Drones#Drone_choice|using drones]] for a table of which drone types to bring against which enemies.
+'''Keep in mind''' that Warping to Location in the Missions tab will warp you to the first acceleration gate (if there is one for that mission) at your default Warp To distance - this is important because you can cut down on travel time by setting your default Warp To to 0m - just be sure to remember to change it back '''before''' you travel in PvP areas again.
+== Good Ships For Missions ==
+Although any kind of ship can be successful in running missions, because PvE targets come in waves, and because survivability is one of your goals, brawling tactics are somewhat less desireable in missions than are sniping and/or kiting. Missile and drone boats, in particular, tend to support these kinds of tactics.
+If you are just starting to run missions, you probably want to emphasize speed. Loosely speaking, you want enough defense (armor, shields, speed) to give you time to maneuver, and time to escape if things go badly. And then you want as much offense as you can pile on – because the faster you kill the NPCs, the sooner you get to collect your rewards.
+You can read the [[Mission Ships]] page for details on ships and fittings that work well at each mission level.
+==Missioning with a Fleet==
+One way to raise your Standings is to run missions with a fleet - where all participants share some or all of the standings, LP, ISK, loot, and/or salvage from running missions at the same time.  This is especially good for newer players, as they generally gain more than they share. There are two main kinds of mission fleet: Spider, where everyone runs their own missions, but shares standings etc. at the end; and Locust, where the fleet members all work on the same mission together.
+See [[Mission Fleets]] for a lot more details.
+==Farming==
+Farming a mission means to do the same mission over a few days by NOT completing the mission
+ie. for Vengeance, you can kill everything except one rat in the last pocket
+and then redoing the mission after downtime (all the rats will respawn) till the mission expires.
+This is very good for high value missions like Angel Extravaganza (AE), Blockade, Worlds Collide, Vengeance, or Cargo Delivery. Since farming involves putting the agent who's given the mission on 'standby' you should consider your ISK/playtime
+To check the viability of farming a mission, use [[http://eve-survival.org/wikka.php?wakka=MissionReports Eve Survival]] to see if your mission has a 'completion trigger'.
+Example:
+I usually play every day for an hour. It takes me an hour to do Angel Extravaganza. Angel Extravaganza gives me 40 million ISK with bounties, loot, and salvage.
+If I got AE, I would kill everything except Tiogo Kargaz who would complete the mission. I could then repeat this after every downtime till the mission expires.
+:40 million ISK × 6 days = 240 million ISK
+Now say I decided to kill Tiogo and complete the mission. On the next 6 days, I could get average missions that give ~20mil isk
+:20 million ISK x 6days = 120 million ISK
+The downside is the repetitive monotony and if you want to play some more after you semi-complete the farm-mission. This can be somewhat mitigated if you have multiple agents. I can have an agent on standby for farming Blockade and then keep doing missions with another agent.
+Note: Say you have a pocket with wrecks that you want to loot and/or salvage, but there's a pirate you have to keep alive in it to farm. You would need someone to loot/salvage while you tank the rat (or vice versa). You could also try fitting salvagers and/or tractor beams on a tanky ship or just abandon the wrecks.
+==Stuff to Bring==
+Besides ammo/crystals there are things you might want to carry in your cargo/dronebay.
+'''Tag/Keys''': Gate Key for Dread Pirate Scarlet, Angel Pallidum Tag for L4 Angel Extravaganza bonus room, or Zbikoki's Hacker Card for Worlds Collide. When doing [[Mission_Fleet#Locust_Fleet|Locust Fleet]] you may not want to fly all the way back to station to pick them up. Consider carrying extra for fleet mates! (How many times have I had people warp out of the AE bonus room then be unable to get back in to help because they don't have a diamond tag?)
+'''Warp Core Stabilizers''': These are great during wartime. If your mission is in a different system than your agent, you can fill your lows with core stabs so you can escape if you jumped into some war targets (WT). When you arrive at the system your mission is in, just dock up and refit your usual low modules (which you placed in your cargo hold before you left :) ). I saved my hurricane from a WT this way (having 6 core stabs means need at least 3 scramblers and 1 disruptor to stop your warp). This isn't a good idea for just missions; it's always a good idea to keep core stabs in your cargohold. If a WT comes into your system, you can dockup, refit, then go to a different system. Remember to count: if there's 3 WTs and you have only 4 core stabs you could be scrammed. If you plan to do this, know your aggression mechanics and have a hardy shield tank.
+'''ECM drones''': Also good for wartime. If you're scrammed, try unleashing these guys. If you're lucky, the WT will lose lock and you can warp away. These go in your dronebay, not in your cargo.
+'''Extra Mods''': Most people switch resists for what rat they're against. Say you're mid-mission and discover your tank isn't so great. It's easier to refit in that system then jump back to your base to pickup extra resists. Also applies if you want more damage mods. Having an omni-shield buffer goes nice with lows full of core stabs when traveling is nice during war. Remember you have a limited cargo space, so don't go overboard.
+'''Mobile Tractor Unit (MTU)''':  This tool is very useful for looting and salvaging mission pockets. Bring it in your cargohold (100 {{m3}}), deploy it in a mission pocket and it will automatically collect and loot all wrecks created within 125 kilometers of itself. This also greatly increases the efficiency of salvaging by effectively eliminating the transit time for looting and salvaging, while also providing a convenient structure to orbit around during this process. When scooping the MTU, it will automatically eject any cargo it has remaining into a standard, temporary cargo container.
+Remember: only bring what you can afford to lose
+== Sorting Loot ==
+If you looted all the wrecks you'll have a bunch of items that you can sell or reprocess. Depending on the item, it can be more profitable to sell than reprocess or vice versa.
+A handy tool to decide what to do is [[Eve_Refinery|Eve Refinery]].
+== Using Loyalty Points ==
+New missioneers often forget about the Loyalty points that they gain whilst running missions. These points (in addition to a small amount of ISK) can be exchanged for valuable items in the Loyalty Points store of the Corporation that you've completed the missions for. Very often, it is more profitable to run missions as quickly as possible to accumulate as many Loyalty Points as possible in order to exchange them for goods which can then be sold than it is to kill, loot and salvage every rat in each mission. Completely clearing missions in that manner takes a relatively long time, whereas simply completing the Objectives required to complete the mission and gain the Loyalty Points reward can often be done in a much shorter amount of time, allowing you to complete more Missions in the time you would ordinarily spend Looting and Salvaging. This method also has the advantage of shortening the amount of time it takes to achieve the Standings required to run higher level Missions, which are correspondingly more profitable in Loyalty Points terms as well.  You can review your Loyalty Points in-game in the [[NeoCom|NeoCom]] > JOURNAL button > AGENTS tab > LOYALTY POINTS subtab.
+==Finding an agent==
+You can now go to 'People & Places' and under the 'Agents' tab click 'Agent Finder' at the bottom. This can also be accessed when docked via 'Station Services' window under the 'Agents' tab.
+*[https://util.eveuniversity.org/Missions/AgentRangefinder/ Agent Rangefinder]
+*[https://eve-online.itemdrop.net/eve_db/agents/ Itemdrop]
+*[[Level 1 Agents within 5 jumps of High Sec Campus]]
+==New to Mission Running? How to Set Up a Plan for Station Missions==
+If you're new to mission running and your goal is to gain loot, or pile up loyalty points to buy things, or to increase your standing with a faction, then you may want to lay out a plan to help you run your missions with a minimum of down time. Here are some suggestions.
+====1. PICK AN AREA IN WHICH TO WORK ====
+The last thing you want is to be running missions in the middle of a contested low sec region where combatants will shoot at you, or in systems that lie on a busy trade route where pirates will gank you. Use the map and look for a group of fairly high security systems set off from the major trade routes. It's also nice to have multiple star gates nearby, just in case you need to run for it.
+[[File:Good_mission_map.jpg‎|500px]]  [[File:Bad_mission_map.jpg‎|500px]] [[File:Very_bad_mission_map.jpg‎|400px‎]]
+====2. KNOW WHAT YOU NEED; AND CHECK OUT WHAT THE VARIOUS AGENTS OFFER.====
+Successful mission runs give you ISK (and Security missions can give you loot). They also give you standing with the agent that gave you the mission, the agent's corporation, and the agent's faction. And, they give you loyalty points that can be redeemed for items in the corporation's store. For example, Roden Shipyards' missions give standings with the agent, the corporation and the Gallente Federation. And each mission gives loyalty points that can only be used in Roden's stores.
+Most corporation stores sell the same sets of [[Implants#Attribute_Enhancers|augmentation implants]]. However, different corporations offer different sets of [[List_of_Skill_Hardwiring_Implants|skill upgrade implants]], and different factions offer different weapons and ammunition. Roden Shipyards, for example, sells warp drive and astrometric skill upgrades, while Astral Mining offers mining upgrades. Weapons and ammunition offers correspond to the faction's spaceship preferences - Minmitar offer projectile weapons and ammo, while Ammar offer laser weapons and crystals, and so on.
+====3. PICK A CORPORATION WITH AGENTS IN THE REGION====
+Nearly every station has at least one agent, and there are many duplications in terms of standings and items offered for sale. So if you want to improve your standing with the Gallente, for example, and you want to buy some mining skill upgrades, then Astral Mining is one of the corporations you would want to consider. Since there are many Astral agents in Gallente space, choosing this corporation will not restrict your choice of star systems all that much.
+Once you have a goal in mind, use the Agent Finder to narrow your choices of star system. Keep in mind that when you finish running level 1, you will almost certainly have to move to a new system to find a level 2 agent, and again for level 3. So try to find a group of 1-2-3 agents that are fairly close together.
+In this example note that the box at the bottom left of the window is UNchecked - because you want to see all agents, not just ones that you can currently talk to. There are many level 1 agents, fewer level 2 and even fewer level 3. But it turns out that there are level 1 AND level 3 agents in Jufvitte. This is convenient. Even better, there is a level 2 agent in Gisleres - only two jumps from Jufvitte. This means that you can run the first three levels of missions at Roden Shipyards from a station in this area of space.
+[[File:Roden_agents_1.jpg‎ ‎|500px|]] [[File:Roden_agents_2.jpg‎‎|400px]] [[File:Roden_agents_3.jpg‎‎|400px]]
+====4. PICK A BASE STATION AND START RUNNING====
+Here is the map for that area:
+[[File:Verge_vendor_mission_map.jpg‎]]
+Missions often send you to other systems, usually in the range of 1-4 jumps from the agent's home base. This means that you will be jumping around a lot, and so there is no particular advantage to putting your base in the agent's system.
+You need a base because as you go along, you will buy ships, ammunition and other gear, and you will pick up loot and junk from completed missions. It's easiest to keep all this stuff in one place. Plan to go to your agent's base to run missions, and fly back to your base when you need to refit.
+There are differing opinions on how to pick a good base station. I tend to put mine in a place where it's easy to buy ammo and ship equipment. This makes for minimum hassle if I need to upgrade equipment (because I've gained new skills), or fit out a new ship (because I've gone up a level). But the location is not terribly important ... pick one and get started!
 ==Standings==
@@ Line 367: / Line 494: @@
-==Advice and Hints==
-generally get a high Connections skill in order to skip these agents.
-===Security Missions===
-Mission spaces will often contain acceleration gates to move around the deadspace with; these are often locked until nearby enemies have been defeated.
-[http://eve-survival.org/wikka.php?wakka=CargoDelivery1an Cargo Delivery] is an example of an Security mission; you have to fly to a warehouse to pick up cargo, but are ambushed as you get close.
-==Mission Walkthroughs and Mission Preparation==
-The universe of EVE is a dangerous place, and encounter missions are not exceptions.  The unprepared and unwary can lose their ships unnecessarily.  (Most mining missions are not heavily combat-oriented, though there are a couple of mining missions where a mining barge absolutely should not go in first.)  The first thing to know, as always, is to never fly what you cannot afford to lose.
-The second thing to know is the mission you are being offered.  Always understand exactly what you will encounter in a mission before you accept it; if you accept a mission without understanding it, and it turns out to be too difficult, then your only options are to get help from other players (who may or may not be trustworthy) or to quit the mission.  You might lose your ship in the process of discovering that the mission is too difficult for you.  A great link for missions is [http://eve-survival.org Eve Survival].  Most (if not all) regular and storyline missions are documented there, and you can read the details of what you need to do in the mission before you accept the mission, including (most importantly) details that the agent does not tell you up front.
-The UNIWiki has a good guide to the Sisters of EVE epic arc: [[The Blood-Stained Stars]]. Another good guide for the Sisters of Eve epic mission arc can be found [http://go-dl.eve-files.com/media/corp/jowen/SOE_Epic_Arc_guide_by_Jowen_Datloran_v0.95.pdf here].  EVE-Survival.org also has some useful tips for epic arcs, in general: http://eve-survival.org/wikka.php?wakka=MissionReportsEpicArc
-The third thing to know is that NPCs in missions tend to be very predictable in their setups.  The mission guides linked above will go into detail for each particular mission, but there are trends.  For example, Gallente and Serpentis use only Kinetic and Thermal damage against you, but are also most susceptible to Kinetic and Thermal damage themselves; when they use any form of [[EWar 101 Guide|Electronic Warfare]] (EWAR), it's always sensor dampening.  Blood Raiders use mostly EM/thermal damage and are most susceptible to EM/thermal damage, and while they don't use (what the University considers) EWAR, they do use Energy Neutralizers and Energy Vampires.  Mercenaries and Rogue Drones aren't as consistent from mission to mission, but are a lot more consistent over multiple occurrences of the exact same mission and level.  This predictability can be used to your advantage: if you're flying Level 2 or higher missions, you'll want to fit resistance modules for the type of damage the enemy will throw at you: Kinetic/Thermal for Gallente, Caldari, Serpentis, Guristas, and Mordu's Legion; EM/Thermal for Amarr, Sanshas, and Blood Raiders, Explosive/Kinetic for Angel Cartel and Minmatar.  You may need two or more resistance modules of the same type if a lot of damage is going to be thrown at you.
-Try to set up your ship to do the [[NPC Damage Types|damage types]] that the enemy is most vulnerable to. Those who rely on hybrid or laser turrets to do damage are out of luck in this regard. Missiles should be chosen for their damage types. See [[Using_Drones#Drone_choice|using drones]] for a table of which drone types to bring against which enemies.
-'''Keep in mind''' that Warping to Location in the Missions tab will warp you to the first acceleration gate (if there is one for that mission) at your default Warp To distance - this is important because you can cut down on travel time by setting your default Warp To to 0m - just be sure to remember to change it back '''before''' you travel in PvP areas again.
-== Good Ships For Missions ==
-Although any kind of ship can be successful in running missions, because PvE targets come in waves, and because survivability is one of your goals, brawling tactics are somewhat less desireable in missions than are sniping and/or kiting. Missile and drone boats, in particular, tend to support these kinds of tactics.
-If you are just starting to run missions, you probably want to emphasize speed. Loosely speaking, you want enough defense (armor, shields, speed) to give you time to maneuver, and time to escape if things go badly. And then you want as much offense as you can pile on – because the faster you kill the NPCs, the sooner you get to collect your rewards.
-You can read the [[Mission Ships]] page for details on ships and fittings that work well at each mission level.
-==Missioning with a Fleet==
-One way to raise your Standings is to run missions with a fleet - where all participants share some or all of the standings, LP, ISK, loot, and/or salvage from running missions at the same time.  This is especially good for newer players, as they generally gain more than they share. There are two main kinds of mission fleet: Spider, where everyone runs their own missions, but shares standings etc. at the end; and Locust, where the fleet members all work on the same mission together.
-See [[Mission Fleets]] for a lot more details.
-==Farming==
-Farming a mission means to do the same mission over a few days by NOT completing the mission
-ie. for Vengeance, you can kill everything except one rat in the last pocket
-and then redoing the mission after downtime (all the rats will respawn) till the mission expires.
-This is very good for high value missions like Angel Extravaganza (AE), Blockade, Worlds Collide, Vengeance, or Cargo Delivery. Since farming involves putting the agent who's given the mission on 'standby' you should consider your ISK/playtime
-To check the viability of farming a mission, use [[http://eve-survival.org/wikka.php?wakka=MissionReports Eve Survival]] to see if your mission has a 'completion trigger'.
-Example:
-I usually play every day for an hour. It takes me an hour to do Angel Extravaganza. Angel Extravaganza gives me 40 million ISK with bounties, loot, and salvage.
-If I got AE, I would kill everything except Tiogo Kargaz who would complete the mission. I could then repeat this after every downtime till the mission expires.
-:40 million ISK × 6 days = 240 million ISK
-Now say I decided to kill Tiogo and complete the mission. On the next 6 days, I could get average missions that give ~20mil isk
-:20 million ISK x 6days = 120 million ISK
-The downside is the repetitive monotony and if you want to play some more after you semi-complete the farm-mission. This can be somewhat mitigated if you have multiple agents. I can have an agent on standby for farming Blockade and then keep doing missions with another agent.
-Note: Say you have a pocket with wrecks that you want to loot and/or salvage, but there's a pirate you have to keep alive in it to farm. You would need someone to loot/salvage while you tank the rat (or vice versa). You could also try fitting salvagers and/or tractor beams on a tanky ship or just abandon the wrecks.
-==Stuff to Bring==
-Besides ammo/crystals there are things you might want to carry in your cargo/dronebay.
-'''Tag/Keys''': Gate Key for Dread Pirate Scarlet, Angel Pallidum Tag for L4 Angel Extravaganza bonus room, or Zbikoki's Hacker Card for Worlds Collide. When doing [[Mission_Fleet#Locust_Fleet|Locust Fleet]] you may not want to fly all the way back to station to pick them up. Consider carrying extra for fleet mates! (How many times have I had people warp out of the AE bonus room then be unable to get back in to help because they don't have a diamond tag?)
-'''Warp Core Stabilizers''': These are great during wartime. If your mission is in a different system than your agent, you can fill your lows with core stabs so you can escape if you jumped into some war targets (WT). When you arrive at the system your mission is in, just dock up and refit your usual low modules (which you placed in your cargo hold before you left :) ). I saved my hurricane from a WT this way (having 6 core stabs means need at least 3 scramblers and 1 disruptor to stop your warp). This isn't a good idea for just missions; it's always a good idea to keep core stabs in your cargohold. If a WT comes into your system, you can dockup, refit, then go to a different system. Remember to count: if there's 3 WTs and you have only 4 core stabs you could be scrammed. If you plan to do this, know your aggression mechanics and have a hardy shield tank.
-'''ECM drones''': Also good for wartime. If you're scrammed, try unleashing these guys. If you're lucky, the WT will lose lock and you can warp away. These go in your dronebay, not in your cargo.
-'''Extra Mods''': Most people switch resists for what rat they're against. Say you're mid-mission and discover your tank isn't so great. It's easier to refit in that system then jump back to your base to pickup extra resists. Also applies if you want more damage mods. Having an omni-shield buffer goes nice with lows full of core stabs when traveling is nice during war. Remember you have a limited cargo space, so don't go overboard.
-'''Mobile Tractor Unit (MTU)''':  This tool is very useful for looting and salvaging mission pockets. Bring it in your cargohold (100 {{m3}}), deploy it in a mission pocket and it will automatically collect and loot all wrecks created within 125 kilometers of itself. This also greatly increases the efficiency of salvaging by effectively eliminating the transit time for looting and salvaging, while also providing a convenient structure to orbit around during this process. When scooping the MTU, it will automatically eject any cargo it has remaining into a standard, temporary cargo container.
-Remember: only bring what you can afford to lose
-== Sorting Loot ==
-If you looted all the wrecks you'll have a bunch of items that you can sell or reprocess. Depending on the item, it can be more profitable to sell than reprocess or vice versa.
-A handy tool to decide what to do is [[Eve_Refinery|Eve Refinery]].
-== Using Loyalty Points ==
-New missioneers often forget about the Loyalty points that they gain whilst running missions. These points (in addition to a small amount of ISK) can be exchanged for valuable items in the Loyalty Points store of the Corporation that you've completed the missions for. Very often, it is more profitable to run missions as quickly as possible to accumulate as many Loyalty Points as possible in order to exchange them for goods which can then be sold than it is to kill, loot and salvage every rat in each mission. Completely clearing missions in that manner takes a relatively long time, whereas simply completing the Objectives required to complete the mission and gain the Loyalty Points reward can often be done in a much shorter amount of time, allowing you to complete more Missions in the time you would ordinarily spend Looting and Salvaging. This method also has the advantage of shortening the amount of time it takes to achieve the Standings required to run higher level Missions, which are correspondingly more profitable in Loyalty Points terms as well.  You can review your Loyalty Points in-game in the [[NeoCom|NeoCom]] > JOURNAL button > AGENTS tab > LOYALTY POINTS subtab.
-==Finding an agent==
-You can now go to 'People & Places' and under the 'Agents' tab click 'Agent Finder' at the bottom. This can also be accessed when docked via 'Station Services' window under the 'Agents' tab.
-*[https://util.eveuniversity.org/Missions/AgentRangefinder/ Agent Rangefinder]
-*[https://eve-online.itemdrop.net/eve_db/agents/ Itemdrop]
-*[[Level 1 Agents within 5 jumps of High Sec Campus]]
-==New to Mission Running? How to Set Up a Plan for Station Missions==
-If you're new to mission running and your goal is to gain loot, or pile up loyalty points to buy things, or to increase your standing with a faction, then you may want to lay out a plan to help you run your missions with a minimum of down time. Here are some suggestions.
-====1. PICK AN AREA IN WHICH TO WORK ====
-The last thing you want is to be running missions in the middle of a contested low sec region where combatants will shoot at you, or in systems that lie on a busy trade route where pirates will gank you. Use the map and look for a group of fairly high security systems set off from the major trade routes. It's also nice to have multiple star gates nearby, just in case you need to run for it.
-[[File:Good_mission_map.jpg‎|500px]]  [[File:Bad_mission_map.jpg‎|500px]] [[File:Very_bad_mission_map.jpg‎|400px‎]]
-====2. KNOW WHAT YOU NEED; AND CHECK OUT WHAT THE VARIOUS AGENTS OFFER.====
-Successful mission runs give you ISK (and Security missions can give you loot). They also give you standing with the agent that gave you the mission, the agent's corporation, and the agent's faction. And, they give you loyalty points that can be redeemed for items in the corporation's store. For example, Roden Shipyards' missions give standings with the agent, the corporation and the Gallente Federation. And each mission gives loyalty points that can only be used in Roden's stores.
-Most corporation stores sell the same sets of [[Implants#Attribute_Enhancers|augmentation implants]]. However, different corporations offer different sets of [[List_of_Skill_Hardwiring_Implants|skill upgrade implants]], and different factions offer different weapons and ammunition. Roden Shipyards, for example, sells warp drive and astrometric skill upgrades, while Astral Mining offers mining upgrades. Weapons and ammunition offers correspond to the faction's spaceship preferences - Minmitar offer projectile weapons and ammo, while Ammar offer laser weapons and crystals, and so on.
-====3. PICK A CORPORATION WITH AGENTS IN THE REGION====
-Nearly every station has at least one agent, and there are many duplications in terms of standings and items offered for sale. So if you want to improve your standing with the Gallente, for example, and you want to buy some mining skill upgrades, then Astral Mining is one of the corporations you would want to consider. Since there are many Astral agents in Gallente space, choosing this corporation will not restrict your choice of star systems all that much.
-Once you have a goal in mind, use the Agent Finder to narrow your choices of star system. Keep in mind that when you finish running level 1, you will almost certainly have to move to a new system to find a level 2 agent, and again for level 3. So try to find a group of 1-2-3 agents that are fairly close together.
-In this example note that the box at the bottom left of the window is UNchecked - because you want to see all agents, not just ones that you can currently talk to. There are many level 1 agents, fewer level 2 and even fewer level 3. But it turns out that there are level 1 AND level 3 agents in Jufvitte. This is convenient. Even better, there is a level 2 agent in Gisleres - only two jumps from Jufvitte. This means that you can run the first three levels of missions at Roden Shipyards from a station in this area of space.
-[[File:Roden_agents_1.jpg‎ ‎|500px|]] [[File:Roden_agents_2.jpg‎‎|400px]] [[File:Roden_agents_3.jpg‎‎|400px]]
-====4. PICK A BASE STATION AND START RUNNING====
-Here is the map for that area:
-[[File:Verge_vendor_mission_map.jpg‎]]
-Missions often send you to other systems, usually in the range of 1-4 jumps from the agent's home base. This means that you will be jumping around a lot, and so there is no particular advantage to putting your base in the agent's system.
-You need a base because as you go along, you will buy ships, ammunition and other gear, and you will pick up loot and junk from completed missions. It's easiest to keep all this stuff in one place. Plan to go to your agent's base to run missions, and fly back to your base when you need to refit.
-There are differing opinions on how to pick a good base station. I tend to put mine in a place where it's easy to buy ammo and ship equipment. This makes for minimum hassle if I need to upgrade equipment (because I've gained new skills), or fit out a new ship (because I've gone up a level). But the location is not terribly important ... pick one and get started!
 ==See Also==