Skill Farming: Difference between revisions

{{Update|Numbers significantly out of date, essentially all numbers, prices, ratios have changed hugely since article was written<br> Please do not use article figures without double checking current prices and current mechanics.}}

{{dothis|'''Skill farming'''}} is a [[Careers|career]] in [https://www.eveonline.com/signup?invc=26a9b526-f13a-498a-9b03-81e48bcc8d9f EVE Online] that uses a [[Accounts#Characters|character]] to train [[skills]] solely to [[Skill_trading#Extracting_skills|extract]] and sell their [[Skills_and_learning#Training_skills|skill points]], creating a passive income stream.

{{dothis|'''Skill farming'''}} for [[alpha clones]] is possible but pointless. 5.5M skill points are required to use a skill extractor, but alpha clones are limited to 5M free skill points. So, an alpha clone must consume a large skill injector in order to produce one. Alpha clones can only extract skills that require [[Clone_states#Omega_clone|omega clone]] status (i.e., skills they can’t train in the first place), which limits their choice of a [[#Crop skill|crop skill]]. The helpful skills are limited for alpha clones, reducing their efficiency at {{dothis|'''skill farming'''}}. Therefore, this article assumes omega clone status.

Initial costs will range from 371.9[[#Notes|M]] to 1,801.7[[#Notes|M]] [[ISK]] (mostly for [[Skill Extractor]]s), which can be returned in 3.7 to 17.8 days. The only ongoing costs are for replacement extractors. The helpful skills require about 2.6M skill points, which can take 39.5 days or more to train (depending on your [[Skills_and_learning#Attributes|attribute]] settings and on which you have already trained). Most are common market [[Trading#Skills|trading skills]]. Some travel is necessary to install [[jump clones]], distribute [[Implants#Attribute_Enhancers|attribute enhancers]], and exploit market trends. {{dothis|'''Skill farming'''}} monopolizes the [[Skill Plans|skill queue]] on its [[Accounts|account]], but produces [[Skill Injector]]s which can be used by the other characters.

After initial preparations are completed, {{dothis|'''skill farming'''}} has the potential to return 3,044.5M ISK every 30 days (or 4.2M ISK per hour) on an investment of 1 day of game time. An EVE account costs 500 [[PLEX]] for that time. At an exchange rate of 3.2M ISK per PLEX, that’s 1,580.1M ISK. Therefore, it’s possible to net 192.7% of the cost of that account with the skill points farmed by a single character. Deduct the cost of the account and profit would be 1,464.5M ISK = 2.0M ISK per hour = 92.7% of account cost. {{dothis|'''Skill farming'''}} with 2 characters on the same account simultaneously requires the purchase of a [[Accounts#Buying_Multiple_Character_Training|Multiple Pilot Training Certificate]] for 485 PLEX. 30-day profit from both characters would then be 2,976.3M ISK = 2.1M ISK per hour per character = 95.6% of account cost.

Purchase and [[Skills_and_learning#Injecting_Skillbooks|inject]] the necessary [[skillbooks]] (probably Accounting, Broker Relations, and Infomorph Psychology), either from the market or “[https://www.eveonline.com/article/pnjc8z/skills-on-demand-changes-coming-to-the-skill-system on demand]”. Then edit the skill plan. For example, you may find Trade V unnecessary. If so, delete those skills from the plan (and don’t bother purchasing and injecting the skillbooks you don't need). Copy the edited plan into your skill queue (using the menu button at the top left of the queue) and click “Start”. The EVE client will edit out the “* Remap” lines and the skills you’ve already trained.

Don’t [[Skills_and_learning#Neural_Remaps|remap]] yet. You’ll have to wait a year before you can remap again (unless you have bonus remaps available), and you may need to remap for your crop skill.

| rowspan=2 | [[Skills:Neural_Enhancement|Neural]]

| Simplified, +1 [[Implants#Attribute_Enhancers|enhancer]] point per level, i.e., level I unlocks +1 enhancers, etc.

| -0.3% [[Tax#Sales_tax|broker fee]] rate per level.

Use your favorite [[Third-party_tools#Market_and_Industry_Tools|market tool]] to select the preferred market you’ll use to sell your injectors. You’re looking for a market with a steady trade in them (volume >15 or so per month), good prices, and low taxes and fees. Likely this will be one of the [[trade hubs]], but don’t discount the smaller markets, particularly in [[System_security#NPC_null_security_space|NPC nullsec]]. Find the market that offers the greatest potential profit margin by starting with the average buy price for a large skill injector at that market over the past year or so. (You’re in {{dothis|'''skill farming'''}} for the long haul, not to make a quick buck.) Subtract that market’s [[sales tax]] (8% at [[NPC_corporations|NPC]] markets, as low as 3.6% with {{sk|Accounting|V}}) and [[Tax#Sales_tax|broker fee]]. The broker fee is charged when you place any [https://support.eveonline.com/hc/en-us/articles/203218932 market order]. It starts at 3% but can be reduced by the Broker Relations skill, and by your standing with the market owner’s [[faction]] and corporation as detailed [[Trading#Taxes|here]].

You’ll want to keep a [[jump clone]] at or near your preferred market to simplify transportation. If your market’s structure doesn’t have a [[Jump_clones#Clone_bay|clone bay]], look for one at an NPC station in the same system. Carrying valuable cargo (even your enhancers) through ''any'' [[stargate]] in a hub system is asking for trouble; you may as well sprinkle a trail of PLEX behind you! Set instant dock and undock [[bookmarks]] at both your market and clone bay structures, ''and use them every time''. That should be sufficient precaution to avoid all but the most determined of [[Suicide_ganking|ganks]].

Plan on one [[Implants#Attribute_Enhancers|attribute enhancer]] for your crop skill’s primary [[Skills_and_learning#Attributes|attribute]] and another for its secondary attribute. Enhancers with “Improved” in their name will give you the greatest benefit (+5 to that attribute’s points) at the greatest cost. Buy a pair for your ‘market’ clone, and another pair for each clone you may jump into while you’re training (to maintain maximum efficiency). They’ll cost up to 112M ISK each, depending on which you choose. Take them to each of your ‘farmer’ clones and plug them in. To protect your investment, these clones should spend 99% of their time safely docked at an NPC station, and ''rarely'' use a stargate. Certainly, you can use them for other station-based activities (I do [[Planetary Industry]] with mine), just remember that they’re each flitting around with 200M ISK in their heads!

You might also consider [[Implants#Advanced_Attribute_Enhancer_Reference|advanced (or ‘pirate’) enhancers]], which offer additional bonuses and effects at additional cost (starting at about twice the cost of simple enhancers). However, their bonuses tend to be modest (compared to +5 simple enhancers) and their additional effects are generally oriented toward [[PvP]] (which you shouldn’t be doing with your ‘farmer’ character). Calculating their net effect and value is beyond the scope of this article, but this [https://oldforums.eveonline.com/?a=topic&threadID=203472 forum post] will help.

Using markets or clone bays at a [[Upwell_structures|player-owned structure]] (POS, as opposed to an [[NPC_corporations|NPC]] station) is one of those risk-versus-reward things that only you can decide. POS markets generally have lower sales volumes than NPC markets, so extractors might not be immediately available. You may have to discount your injectors to move them. How long can you afford to let 4,665.5M ISK worth of injectors gather dust? If you choose a POS that’s well-located, you might sell your injectors at a nearby trade hub instead, but that defeats the purpose of using a POS in the first place.

Consider that POSs are run by other players. ''Everything'' depends on your standing with them. That favorable tax rate, the free clone, even your [[Jump_clones#Losing_jump_clones|docking privileges]], can vanish overnight. The POS might be attacked, which has a chilling effect on its market. It might be destroyed in that attack, which means you lose your clone and everything else you had there. ([[Asset Safety]] may preserve most of your stuff, but recovering it without a clone nearby is a whole ’nother hassle!). Maybe the owner decides to [https://support.eveonline.com/hc/en-us/articles/208289365-Asset-Safety decommission] their POS, or quit the game entirely. Where does that leave you?

Note that you can’t pay for your EVE account with PLEX if you purchased that account through [https://store.steampowered.com/ Steam] or another [https://secure.eveonline.com/etc.aspx third-party retailer]. Those retailers accept only [[EVE_Lexicon#I|IRL]] currency. You can open another account directly with [https://www.eveonline.com/signup?invc=26a9b526-f13a-498a-9b03-81e48bcc8d9f EVE], but you’ll be starting over as a [[EVE_Lexicon#Noob|noob]].

The good news is that the split is 100% efficient and complementary: 1 large injector with 0.5M skill points produces 5 small injectors with 0.1M skill points each, and 5 small injectors can be re-combined into 1 large injector. The same [[Skill_trading#Diminishing_returns|diminishing returns]] apply to the end users of both small and large injectors (based on the user’s total skill points). Even their physical volumes correlate: a large injector occupies 0.01 m³ of space; each small injector occupies 0.002 m³.

So, do you split them or not? It all depends on the local market at the time. As you might guess, small injectors tend to sell better near the [[Career_Agents#Tutorial_Systems_in_EVE|starting systems]], while large injectors sell better in [[System_security#NPC_null_security_space|NPC nullsec]]. If you can earn a greater profit from small injectors, split them! If today’s hot market is in large injectors, don’t split them. Split some but not all if you like; whatever you do today has no effect on tomorrow’s injectors. Note that, as of this writing and except for a footnote, other pages on [[EVE_University|EVE University’s]] [[Main_Page|UniWiki]] don’t distinguish between small and large injectors, but discuss only large injectors.

Now that you’re ready to start training your crop skill, it’s time to do a [[Skills_and_learning#Neural_remaps|neural remap]] of your attributes. Proceed carefully because you must wait a year before you can remap again (unless you have bonus remaps available). Set all attributes to their minimums (17 without enhancers), then set your crop skill’s primary attribute to its maximum (27 without enhancers), and its secondary attribute to the remainder (21 without enhancers). These attributes affect ''nothing'' in the game except [[Skills_and_learning#Effects_on_skill_training|training time]], but in {{dothis|'''skill farming'''}} training time is profit!

Pause to check things out. You’re in this clone for a day, may as well make use of the time. Decide if you’re going to split your injectors (see [[#Small injectors|Small injectors]]) and how you’ll price them. Place your sell orders. Look for good buys on PLEX, extractors, and anything else you need. Do you have outstanding orders here that need attention? (I keep buy orders open at all my clone markets for PLEX, extractors, etc., at 80% of their average sell prices. If you can afford the [[Introduction_to_Station_Trading#Getting_Started|escrow]], it’s a good way to grab a bargain.) Done? Return to your clone bay and await the next harvest.

If the [[#Initial costs|initial costs]] are an issue, start small. Buy extractors one at a time as you need them. Don’t buy enhancers until you’ve built up a bank. Hold off on buying your crop skillbook until you’re ready to train it. You can extract skill points from the [[starting skills]] or any other skill you’ve trained (with a few [[Skill_trading#Limitations|exceptions]]), so begin by training up some of those starting skills (such as {{Sk|Astrometric Rangefinding}}). When you’re over 5.5M skill points, extract what you don’t need, sell that injector, and invest in ''3'' extractors. The biggest initial expense will be that first extractor at about 356.8M ISK. Shop around, because if you can make it over ''that'' hump, EVE will never cost you a dime again!

[[Accounts]]. All about [[Accounts#Subscriptions|subscriptions]], [[Accounts#Characters|characters]], and [[Alternate_characters|alts]].

[[Skill trading]]. The mechanics of using [[Skill_trading#Skill_Extractors|extractors]] and [[Skill_trading#Skill_Injectors|injectors]].

[[Skills and learning]]. The mechanics of [[Skills_and_learning|skill]] training.

[[Starting skills]]. Lists [[Skills_and_learning|skills]] provided to new [[Accounts#Characters|characters]], with links to descriptions of all [https://www.eveonline.com/signup?invc=26a9b526-f13a-498a-9b03-81e48bcc8d9f EVE] [[Skills_and_learning|skills]] by category.

All [https://www.eveonline.com/signup?invc=26a9b526-f13a-498a-9b03-81e48bcc8d9f EVE] links in this article allow you to create a new game account (either [[Alpha clone|free]] or [[Clone_states#Omega_clone|paid]]) using the [https://evewho.com/character/96750924 page creator] as your recruiter. This benefits us both as detailed [https://www.eveonline.com/recruit here]. However, that site is not compatible with [https://fileinfo.com/software/microsoft/internet_explorer MS Internet Explorer].