Wormhole scouting
This page is intended as a basic, fast, step-by-step guide to scouting a wormhole for PvE use.
Things you need before you start
- A wormhole. This page doesn't cover how to find a wormhole.
- A scan-bonused T1 frigate with a probe launcher and prototype cloak, or a covert ops frigate with probe launcher and covert ops cloak.
- Paper and pen.
- Open the following sites in a browser
So You Have found a Wormhole
Now it's time to start scouting, but before you jump...
Basic Intelligence Gathering
- Bookmark the wormhole
- Check the wormhole ID (if it isn't a K162) for max wormhole stats and system link type
- Google the ID, first result is nearly always the right one
- Type it in Wormnav
- Reference the table in the wiki
- Show info on the wormhole, reference this page for details: Wormhole Text
- Make sure the wormhole is stable enough in both mass and time to move your fleet in
- If it doesn't have enough mass or time remaining for a round trip plan on scanning your way out again, or find another wormhole.
- Attempt visual identification of wormhole destination
Time to Jump
If all the above lends to the idea that this world be a fun place to visit, it's time to Jump.
- Hold your cloak!
- Bookmark the other side of the wormhole!
- Time to get your bearings
- Link the system's locus ID (the J#) to fleet members
- Ping d-scan, 360°, max range, using Wormhole Overview Preset
- Run a probeless system scan, record/report the # of Anomalies.
- Evaluate your surroundings, and consider swapping gate cloak for your cloaking device
- If you see nothing threatening, start moving, pulse your prop mod, and engage your cloaking device.
Check for Occupancy
Now you are cloaked and somewhat safe away from the wormhole where your chances of being de-cloaked are lowered, time to figure out who's home.
- Pull up your pod saver tab and show info on the Customs Offices.
- One of the most obvious indications of habitation is Player Owned Customs Offices (POCO's) as they are labeled with the name of the corp which set them up
- Interbus is the standard NPC Customs Office and can indicate that the system hasn't been colonized.
- Check wormhol.es to see if it's API digging agrees with current occupation.
- wormhol.es and wormnav also both have links to public killboards for browsing recent activity
- Pull up the system map and check system size.
- Make note of any planets outside of 14.36AUs as they will not appear on d-scan.
- If able to jump while cloaked, start warping to planets out of range to gather d-scan data (use both the Wormhole Preset to look for force fields, and the Looting Preset to look for wrecks)
- While warping this is an excellent time to be making safe spots.
- Make note of any planet you find an active force field and any ships nearby
Check out the POSes
By now you have several safe spots, and a list of the planets with active POSes on their moons, time to locate the POSes for monitoring.
Immediately after jumping in - while under jump cloak
Bookmark the wormhole No really, bookmark it Did you bookmark the wormhole? If you don't, you probably won't be able to get home
Type the locus number (or system name - its in the top left) into wormnav. This will give you information on the wormhole type, its effects, and recent activity. Note that wormhole jump tracking was removed with the Crucible update - there is no public record of how many ships have jumped in or out of a wormhole recently.
For example, J123450 (http://www.wormnav.com/index.php?locus=J123450) is a class 2, has a wolf-rayet effect (improved armor resistance, small weapon damage, signature radius and reduced shield resistance), and has hisec and class 4 statics.
Static refers to a type of connection that will always be available from that wormhole. For example, J123450 will always have a B274 connection to hisec, and a Y683 connection to a C4. When these close, new wormholes of the same type will open. They will likely connect to a different system than before.
A system with a hisec static means the fleet can always leave to hisec. If it closes, a new hisec connection will open. This is useful for a fleet that does not intend to stay in w-space for an extended period.
Uncheck the "Use Active Overview Settings" button on your D-scan, and do a D-scan at maximum range (enter a lot of 9s into the box, it will default to max range). If you see sleeper wrecks on scan, it is likely other people are running sites in the system. If you see a Force Field, then there is an active POS. If you see ships and a Force Field, it is possible they are inside the POS, or somewhere in space. Ships without a force field are probably piloted.
- As this guide does not cover PvP, ships outside a POS, or wrecks, should probably be considered a threat.
Scan for anomalies using your onboard scanner. Count how many there are - more anomalies refer to a more profitable wormhole.
Finding POS Towers
Create an overview filter that has only Force Fields and Moons. Select this filter, and check "Use Active Overview Settings" on your D-scan. If you see any force fields, narrow your D-scan to find the moon they are at, and make a note of it. If there are moons greater than 14AU from your ship (check on your overview), then you will need to warp to those planets and D-scan from there. D-scan is limited to 14.35 AU.
Once you have found all the active towers in the system, warp to each one at 100km. Make sure to be cloaked as you land, and be prepared to warp out immediately if there is something keeping you from cloaking when you land.
Click on the POS tower, and click "Show Info". You can then tell what corp owns the POS. You can also tell if ships at the pos contain online players by clicking on them and clicking show info.
If there are no online players at the POS, the players who live there are unlikely to be a threat. However, it is advisable to keep an eye on them when running sites to note anyone who logs in.
Scanning
Warp back to the wormhole you came in at range. Drop probes, move away from your probes and cloak up. Set your probe range to 0.25 AU, and scan. This will give you the sig ID of your exit wormhole. Make a note of it.
You can then scan down the rest of the system. Write down the sig ID and type of everything you scan down so you can tell the rest of your fleet, or not have to start over if you disconnect. Some Ladar and Grav sites can be profitable with gas harvesting or mining ships, respectively. I'm not sure which ones. Magnetar and Radar sites are often more profitable than anomalies. Bookmark any wormholes you find.
Scouting Connecting Wormholes
<To be added in>
