Hisec Suspect Hunting
What is it?
Hunting Criminally flagged pilots (who may be suspect or criminal flagged, it doesn't matter) in high security space can be a fun and safe way of learning and practising a lot of the skills that you will need to use in other forms of PvP.
You have the added benefit of being relatively safe whilst searching for targets and this can allow you to proceed at your own pace. I typically play in an environment with a lot of distractions, both in and out of game, and I find the ability to dip in and out helps out immensely.
It can also be a carried out as a solo pursuit and so works well for people who can't always get on mumble and maybe only have a few minutes at a time to dedicate to playing EVE.
What we're looking for is any legal target that we can attack in high security space and get a Killmail for. There is also the strong possibility of getting a bounty payment for the kill (since most of the possible targets also have bounties on them) and you can often loot the wrecks of your kills since outlaw and criminal wrecks are automatically abandoned and can be looted by anyone without suspect flagging.
Its also something that new players can get involved in because, most of the time depending on target selection, you will have Gate guns and/or CONCORD on your side which means that you don't have to be particularly skilled.
You will also find yourself hanging around in space where a lot of suicide ganking happens and you will develop a very good feel for the mechanics of how this happens, where it happens, how to spot the signs and how to avoid it.
Types of Targets
What we're looking for is anybody in space who is one of the following;
- Criminally flagged - typically someone who has attacked another pilot in high security space i.e. a Suicide Ganker
- Suspect Flagged - Somebody who has been flagged for a suspect action like stealing from somebody else's wreck for example
- An outlaw - a Security status below -5.0, sometimes referred to as a 'PermaFlashy'
- Pilots with available Kill rights - A pilot with a Kill right that we can activate to make them become Suspect flagged.
Note that the standard UNI overview setup will make these targets flash on the overview (either yellow, orange or red depending on type).
Any of these 'flashies' can be engaged by any pilot without penalty but be aware that once you have engaged a target you will create a Limited Engagement with them which means that they will be able to shoot back without further penalty against you. The implication of this creation of the Limited Engagement and what it means for you, the attacker, depends on Target Type;
- Criminal Flagged - these pilots will be engaged by CONCORD. This will either be happening as you attack or will be happening imminently. The time it takes CONCORD to respond depends on a number of factors but is principally driven by the Security Status of the system. This is why so many suicide ganks take place in 0.5 Security space since CONCORD response time is at its lowest. What you can be sure of, though, is that the target's days are numbered and shortly after you engage, CONCORD will make sure their ship is destroyed. Having a Limited Engagement with a pilot whose ship will last maybe 20 seconds max is therefore not a high risk activity.
- Suspect Flagged - Suspects will not be engaged by CONCORD, therefore if you create a Limited Engagement with a Suspect then you will be effectively entering into a proper PvP engagement with the target. Other players can also attack the suspect so if the fight takes place on a gate or on a station then you are likely to get help from others but if the fight takes place at a belt or some other spot then the fight is effectively a 1v1 PvP engagement. You need to be prepared for this and know what you are getting into.
- Outlaws or PermaFlashies - Outlaws have a security status below -5.0. They will take Gate Gun fire <---- CHECK THIS if on a Gate or station, otherwise the fights are exactly the same as those detailed above for Suspect Flagged pilots.
Generally these targets fall into several different categories which all need to be considered differently.
- Suicide Gankers - these guys are generally sitting in space on a gate waiting for a target to pass by, this target is generally something soft like a lightly tanked hauler or other lightly tanked ship. Targets can be bigger and heavier, in which case the Suicide Gankers will bring more ships to the party. Gankers with sec status above -5.0 will often just sit in space on a gate waiting for targets, those with sec status less than -5.0 will sit at a tactical off-grid from the gate or will sit in station until just before the target arrives. 99% of Gankers have a number of alts that provide intel on what is coming through the gates and who also fly haulers to retrieve the cargo of the ship they have killed. Learning who these alts are in your area will help immensely in spotting the signs of an impending gank. Suicide gankers are generally found flying the Catalyst, Thrasher, Vexor & Tornado
- Fun Gankers - these guys are similar to suicide gankers but often fly about just looking to blow people up and ruin their day. They're usually perma flashy and can often be seen bouncing from gate to gate in some systems just waiting to spot somebody to attack, they might have an alt to pick up the loot but often just do it for fun. These guys usually fly the Thrasher.
- Ninja Looters - these guys have grabbed the loot from a yellow wreck. Often this is after a suicide gank when the target's wreck has been left in space but could also be from looting wrecks left from duels outside a station or looting rat wrecks left in asteroid belts, some people scan down mission runners in sites and loot their wrecks as well. Miners flying Ventures often loot yellow wrecks as they're mining because they feel that the War Core Strength bonus will allow them to get away if found. These guys can be found in pretty much anything but usually its a cheap frigate, a Venture or one of the ganking ships like the Catalyst or Thrasher
Because most of the targets above expect to lose their ships (being flashy in hi sec generally ends in destruction of the ship) they generally don't fit them to a very high quality. A Suicide Ganker for example, fits his ship to provide the highest alpha strike at the cheapest price. Tank is irrelevant since nobody can tank Concord for any length of time and these ships principally do all of their damage on the first strike. Fun Gankers tend to fit for a bit more of a fight, they often get a limited engagement because somebody fires first so some tank definitely helps and their fits will look a lot more like a traditional PvP fit for the ship in question. Ninja Looters will either be incredibly cheap expendable ships often with only partial fits or haulers with warp core stabs and big tanks that are used by gankers to get the cargo out after a gank. The Venture is a special case which is often flown by new players who may not understand how suspect flagging works and will likely be poorly fitted.
Where to find targets
OK, so now we know what targets we're after, where do we find them? You can find any of these targets literally anywhere in hi sec space but the following likely locations, in order of simplicity, are suggested;
Outside Trade hubs
Most trade hubs will have two types of targets.
There will usually be a community of people who bait outside the stations with Suspect flags and are trying to get pilots to engage them, thereby creating a limited engagement with them. They will either shoot back straight away or may dock up and wait until their suspect timer disappears but the limited engagement timer is still running. They will generally undock in something bigger and more dangerous than the ship they were using to bait you with and attempt to kill you. These guys are generally to be avoided, they're very good at what they do and engaging them is likely to get your ship destroyed. If you sit outside any trade hub long enough then you will be able to see these guys at work and add them and their corps to your mental 'avoidance list'.
Trade hubs also have a steady influx of permaflashies and suspects who may be looking to drop off cargo, re-ship, trade etc. and these guys are definite targets both on the way into the station and on the way out of it. To catch these guys on the way into the trade hub you need an insta-locking high alpha ship such as the Insta-lock Thrasher detailed later in the ships and fits section.
When the target just hits the dock button in their overview then they will land on the station docking ring but often end up a short distance from the station. This small window of time is your chance to lock them and fire before they can get into the station. You will only get one shot so high alpha is a priority. As you see them arrive, hit F1 (or whatever key your guns are mapped to) and start clicking them in the overview whilst holding down the CTRL key. You will see a number of attempts that fail but you may get a lock that starts and continues. Once this happens then you just need to wait until the lock completes and your guns will fire.
A pod, corvette or a lightly tanked frigate can generally be alpha'd this way. If they are flying something bigger like a cruiser then you can also try a shot in the hope that two or three of you will be doing the same thing and you will get a kill between you. Note that it's very unlikely they will hang around and try to exploit their Limited Engagement while trying to dock because this will expose them to attack from other pilots.
For targets coming out of the station, the same techniques can be used, you just need to lock them after their undock immunity ends and before they can get into warp. Again, this is all about timing and fast locking is the priority here. If they are in a ship you can alpha then you don't need a point, otherwise you are going to need something that can lock quickly and apply a point as well. Generally every one else outside the station will be trying to lock them too so you can usually count on help once you do get point.
If they do manage to warp away to an insta-undock then make sure they're selected in your overview with your tracking camera set to on so you can see where they warp to. If you are in something fast like an interceptor you will be able to follow and potentially get ahead at the next gate and catch them on the other side. Don't try to catch them on the same side of the gate as the system you are in, its possible but extremely difficult to lock and alpha in the time you have available.
Lower Security Hisec Chokepoints
If you fly your ship to a trade hub and pick another trade hub and set a route with autopilot set to 'Prefer Safer' then you will notice that somewhere en route there will be one or more low security systems with a Sec Status of 0.5. These systems have the lowest CONCORD response time and are likely spots for Suicide Gankers to ply their trade.
For a particularly good example, set Hek as your start destination and Jita as your end destination. You will see a whole set of 0.5 systems - Colelie, Deltolle, Aufay & Balle and then a set of higher security systems with Uedama as another 0.5 system. If you head over to these systems and hang around for a while you're going to see people in local going criminal and suspect. Better still if you sit on the gates and apply some of the techniques in this article you can get on their Killmails as well!
When you enter these systems, the first thing to do is to check the gate you're on. Do you see anything suspicious? We're looking for the common ganking ships such as Catalysts, Thrashers, Vexors etc. just sitting on the gate. Often they're piloted by people with low security status as well. One dead give-away is a Vexor sitting on the gate with Sentry drones already out (usually Garde I or II), this is almost always a suicide ganker waiting for some action. Another tell tale sign is an industrial sitting at a tactical off the gate, this is generally a hauler alt for the gankers who is ready to warp in and grab the loot.
If everything looks clear on the gate, check local and see if anybody is already criminally or suspect flagged. If you see one or two then the chances are that a gank has either happened in the last 15 minutes or is in progress right now. If you see nothing then flip through local and see if you see anybody you recognize. Whenever I come across suicide gankers, criminal types etc., I add a contact with Neutral Standing so they show up straight away in local.
Next thing you can do is hit D-Scan on 360 degrees at max range and see if you see anything suspicious. It takes practice to spot the signs but if you see a Catalyst, Vexor or Thrasher sitting off-grid from the gate then you could be in luck. Better still if you see 4 or more sitting off-grid then things are looking very promising. Often these ships also have the default ship name so will be named '<PLAYER NAME>'s Catalyst' or such like. If they are then you can check the player out in local by double clicking them. If they have a reasonable bounty on them and a low sec status they're probably a possible target for you.
Some of the gankers have sufficiently low sec status that they are perma flashy, this means they will only exit the station on the way to a target. They will have an alt who acts as eyes for them and identifies targets, if you can learn who the alts are then you stand a better chance of spotting the incoming gank. After you have seen a few ganks, its surprisingly easy to work out who is working for who.
Another thing to look out for is a Catalyst or Thrasher in an Asteroid Belt with a miner. this might just be someone ratting or it might be somebody about to gank someone. You can note the name, check them out and then either warp in to have a look or keep an eye on local. If they go criminal or suspect, hit warp and hopefully you will arrive in time to get on the KM.
When in these systems you should bear in mind that as the locals get to know you then you start to become a viable target for them too, so be careful. What you do depends on the ship you use, if you have a decent tank you're safe but if you are in something small and agile like an interceptor you need to take care. If you intend to hang around in some systems a lot then make some tacticals around the gates so you can sit off-gate, aligned to the gate itself ready to warp in if something happens. In an interceptor that is pre-aligned it only takes a second or two to warp in from 300km which is plenty of time to lock them up and start shooting.
En Route to trade hubs
Perma-flashies and random suspects often travel to trade hubs, usually to reship, sell loot, conduct trades etc. Hub to hub routes generally have at least one system with a target present in it. you will often encounter these targets as you are jumping from gate to gate, you need to be flying something fast locking with a high warp speed in order to stand a chance of locking these guys or chasing them down. Don't be afraid to chase them, corvettes, frigates and destroyers can all be overtaken and caught by an interceptor. Just be careful to make sure that you don't get carried away with the chase and forget where you are jumping to. Its easy to follow them into Low sec by mistake.
You can usually link together a number of known ganking systems and do a circular route that links these up following the standard hi sec routes between hubs. If you use an interceptor then you can cover a lot fo ground really quickly.
Remember to keep an eye out for all the signs we talked about above, use D-Scan, check gates etc.
Anywhere in Hi sec
Any Hi sec system can contain a suspect in space somewhere. If you see somebody in local, just ping D-Scan, you would be amazed how many people keep the default ship name and just appear in D-Scan. If you see nothing then just jump to the out gate and ping as you go. In a big system, your D-Scan will not cover the whole system in one go.
If you don't get a match then they're likely to be docked up or at a safe spot. I'd suggest ignoring them and moving on.
If you do get a match on D-Scan then you need to try and work out where they are. I have a special tab designed for finding people that just contains likely locations - stations, asteroid belts, planets, customs offices etc. which helps a lot in isolating people.
If you do manage to scan them down to a specific location you can warp in and engage them. Be careful with target choice here, CONCORD won't get involved and the target will almost certainly fight back and try and kill you. You're also likely to be alone with the target so you won't get help from anyone else. Depending on their experience level, and fit, they could give you a nasty surprise.
Ship Fits and fitting principles
Principles
This is a PvP activity so if you learn how to fit your ship effectively for PvP then that will give you a solid basis on which to start.
There are some differences to the conventional PvP wisdom however that you need to be aware of. A lot of these ships are quite slippery and quick to align and warp, you will need to be similarly quick if you want to catch targets en route in pods, shuttles, corvettes, frigates etc. This means you need to maximize your ship's Sensor Resolution whilst not losing its basic integrity as a PvP ship. There are a number of important modules to consider;
- Sensor Booster - a mid slot module that, with a Scan Resolution script, increases your scan resolution (and hence reduces your lock time) by up to 60%
- Signal Amplifier - a low slot module that primarily increases your targeting range but also increases scan resolution by up to 15%
- Targeting System Subcontroller - a rig that increases Scan resolution by up to 20%
For a full explanation of how Scan resolution affects lock time, check out the Targeting article on the Wiki.
For our purposes there are some values we can aim for. The Server's internal simulation ticks (i.e. processes user actions) once every second so it follows that once our lock time on the target drops below 1 second then any further improvement in scan resolution is no longer useful. You can use EFT to show the lock time of a fit on a preset to give you an idea of how fast your lock time will be. As a rule of thumb, you need to get over 1000nm scan resolution if possible.
If you have trained Signature Analysis V then you
Example fits
Insta-Locking Thrasher
280mm Howitzer Artillery II
280mm Howitzer Artillery II
280mm Howitzer Artillery II
280mm Howitzer Artillery II
280mm Howitzer Artillery II
280mm Howitzer Artillery II
280mm Howitzer Artillery II
Sensor Booster II
Sensor Booster II
Sensor Booster II
Gyrostabilizer II
Beta Reactor Control: Reaction Control I
Small Targeting System Subcontroller I
Small Targeting System Subcontroller I
Small Targeting System Subcontroller I
Scan Resolution Script x3
Tremor S x500
- Insta-Locking thrasher for blapping flashies outside trade hubs.
- Locks a pod in 1.1 seconds with Signature Analysis V.
- Set up a spot where you can cover the approaches to the station and still be at your optimal.
This is the insta-locking Thrasher that you can use to sit outside trade hubs and kill people all day long. Simply find a spot around the station where the incoming ships are within your optimal range and wait for targets to warp in or try to leave. Be aware that this ship has ZERO tank so dock up at the first sign of trouble. Note that you may need to drop one Scan Resolution script in order to get enough targeting range to cover the whole station from your chosen spot. You also really need the Tech 2 guns so that you can use Tremor ammo and get the much larger optimal range. the fit will work with T1 guns but you will often end up shooting in falloff so you are not guaranteed to hit.
Kerceptor II
Rocket Launcher II
Rocket Launcher II
Rocket Launcher II
Warp Disruptor II
5MN Y-T8 Compact Microwarpdrive
Medium Shield Extender II
Sensor Booster II
Damage Control II
Micro Auxiliary Power Core I
Overdrive Injector System II
Small EM Shield Reinforcer I
Small Warhead Calefaction Catalyst I
Scan Resolution Script x1
Scourge Javelin Rocket x500
- Likely needs Advanced Weapon Upgrades
- Needs good missile skills.
- Orbit out of scram range.
- Use Javelin rockets for long range.
- The SeBo is there to allow you to catch pods and other slippery targets on gates etc.
This is my standard ship for catching people anywhere other than on stations. Because its an interceptor you can usually catch somebody who crosses over on a gate with you since you are fast enough to get back to the gate, jump through and then use D-Scan to find where they went and chase them down. The SeBo is important for catching pods, shuttles and fast warping frigates. Its also very important for locking somebody before CONCORD finishes the job for you. Sometimes they are incredibly efficient and you only have a couple of seconds to lock and shoot before the target is dead. Tactics are to orbit outside of scram range and whittle them down with Javelin rockets. You can also disengage fairly easily from 1v1s in belts if things start going badly. The high warp speed also means that you can cover a lot of systems when roaming between trade hubs.
Kerthor's Crucifier
Small Focused Pulse Laser II
Small Focused Pulse Laser II
1MN Monopropellant Enduring Afterburner
J5b Phased Compact Warp Scrambler I
DDO Photometry Tracking Disruptor I
DDO Photometry Tracking Disruptor I
Damage Control II
200mm Reinforced Steel Plates II
Micro Auxiliary Power Core II
Small Explosive Armor Reinforcer I
Small Kinetic Armor Reinforcer I
Small Trimark Armor Pump I
Hornet EC-300 x3
Hobgoblin II x5
Tracking Speed Disruption Script x1
Imperial Navy Multifrequency S x1
This is a cheap and fun fit that works really well against Artillery ships (like the artillery thrasher, Tornadoes etc.). You can get in close, orbit with both tracking disruptors running and they won't hit you. Be careful with Vexors if they are carrying Warriors or Hobgoblins, they will chew you up really quickly. You can also scale down the T2 mods to the Meta 3 equivalents and get something incredibly cheap that is remarkably effective when orbiting Artillery and Railgun ships at close range.
Target fits
This section has some fits that you can expect to encounter taken from actual killmails. The notes section for each fit has some suggestions on how to engage them safely.
Ambros Axowouys's Catalyst
Light Ion Blaster I
Light Ion Blaster I
Light Ion Blaster I
Light Ion Blaster
Light Ion Blaster I
Light Ion Blaster I
Light Ion Blaster I
Light Ion Blaster I
J5b Phased Compact Warp Scrambler I
J5b Phased Compact Warp Scrambler I
Co-Processor I
Magnetic Field Stabilizer I
Magnetic Field Stabilizer I
Small Hybrid Burst Aerator I
Small Hybrid Collision Accelerator I
Antimatter Charge S x1
You will see these a lot. Note the double scram in the mids, this is quite typical, designed to overcome hauler fits that have Warp core Stabilisers. Its a short range blaster fit that maximizes DPS but has incredibly short range and usually no tank to speak of. Just orbit at range in one of the stand-off fits and you will be fine. If you are going in close then you will need an AB since the Scrams will shut down your MWD. Even if you do get caught and your MWD is shut off, it will die so quickly that you will probably be fine.
Ario Drumall's Thrasher
250mm Light Gallium Cannon
250mm Light Gallium Cannon
250mm Light Gallium Cannon
250mm Light Gallium Cannon
250mm Light Gallium Cannon
250mm Light Gallium Cannon
250mm Light Gallium Cannon
Medium Subordinate Screen Stabilizer I
Multispectrum Shield Hardener I
'Orion' Tracking CPU I
Emergency Damage Control I
200mm Reinforced Rolled Tungsten Plates I
Small Kinetic Shield Reinforcer I
Small Thermal Shield Reinforcer I
Small Projectile Collision Accelerator I
Republic Fleet Phased Plasma S x1
You will see this type of fit a lot. Sometimes with a point but often its fitted for pure alpha strike. When flown by permaflashies they often bounce between gates just looking for somebody to alpha for the fun of it. Any ship that creates high transversal is great here - either an inty at 16km or a frigate of some sort orbiting much closer will work. the Crucifer fit I suggested earlier would be perfect for this one.
TrAkToRiSt RUS's Vexor
250mm Compressed Coil Gun I
250mm Compressed Coil Gun I
250mm Compressed Coil Gun I
250mm Compressed Coil Gun I
Large F-S9 Regolith Shield Induction
J5 Compact Warp Disruptor I
J5 Compact Warp Disruptor I
Supplemental Scanning CPU I
Damage Control II
Magnetic Field Stabilizer II
Magnetic Field Stabilizer II
Drone Damage Amplifier II
Drone Damage Amplifier II
Medium EM Shield Reinforcer I
Medium Thermal Shield Reinforcer I
Medium Hybrid Collision Accelerator I
Garde II x5
Scan Resolution Script x1
Caldari Navy Antimatter Charge M x1
This, or a variation on it, is the kind of fit you see a lot. You will see these guys sitting on gates with Sentry drones out (usually Garde I or II). They usually have Railguns so they can be a threat if you have low traversal as you engage. If they kill their target and are still alive they will try to take something else with them. That could be you! They don't usually have webs so you can go in close and orbit to get under the guns.
Dedeira's Venture
EP-S Gaussian Excavation Pulse
EP-S Gaussian Excavation Pulse
Small Shield Extender I
Small Shield Extender I
Survey Scanner I
Mining Laser Upgrade I
Hobgoblin I x1
Hobgoblin I x1
The Venture is generally used by new players it will be usually fitted in a completely haphazard way (this example is actually reasonably well fitted) by players who generally don't really understand what they should or shouldn't fit. They're usually very easy to kill as long as you can kill them in one or two shots (the High alpha Thrasher and Rupture fits will do the trick) before they can warp away. If you know you are going after a venture and have time then you can fit 2 scrams to overcome the Venture's +2 bonus to warp core strength in which case almost any ship will kill it.
Things to watch out for
Grab the loot!
When you (or anybody else) kills a suspect ship, their wreck is automatically abandoned and anybody can grab the loot. Don't forget to try and grab the loot when you get a kill. Its often only low value stuff (since gank fits are generally as cheap as possible) but it all mounts up. Also, drone ships like the Vexor will leave their abandoned drones on the field after they are destroyed and you can scoop these to your cargo hold.
It goes without saying that many of the pilots you will encounter have a lot of experience and they will be looking to get any advantage they can over you. You will also find that sometimes what looks like an easy kill turns out not to be. Here are just a few of the tricks that I have run into so far;
Suspects that aren't trying to get away
You will often encounter suspect flagged ships that look like they're sitting on a gate or perhaps look like they are autopiloting. Be careful, they're often 'fishing' for unsuspecting pilots. If they're sitting on the gate apparently doing nothing then they're almost certainly looking to create a limited engagement with you which will allow them to attack you without penalty. Before you take the fight, look around, are there any neutral logistics ships sitting on the gate too? Such as a Scythe, Osprey, Exequror, Guardian? Are they surrounded by a few wrecks? Are there people from the same corp (who could bring logistics ships to the fight once it starts) in system? What did you see on the other side of the gate when you jumped in?
ASB fitted ships that look half dead already
You lock up a suspect, his armor is gone and he's half way into structure but sitting on the gate. An easy kill perhaps? Or perhaps he's fitted with Ancillary Shield Boosters (one or two) and you will get a shock when you take the fight in your buffer tanked ship.
Ships involved in fights that aren't real
You arrive on a gate, a suspect cruiser is being shot by another pilot. You decide to wade in and get on the KM. Suddenly the shooting stops and you realise that its now only you versus the suspect pilot in a much more even fight. Ask yourself whether what you see on grid is actually what it seems before engaging.
