User:Thaddeus Kastelanski/Drafts

This article is dedicated to exploring the additional concerns or considerations for conducting Planetary Industry (PI) in Null Security (Nullsec) space. Some statements or conclusions here are valid for other areas of dangerous space, such as High Security (Highsec) space in wartime or Wormholes, though profitability will vary by region of space.

PI in Lower Security Space

PI encompasses the two activities of extracting planetary resources and processing these raw resources into more advanced products. The amount of resources available for extraction on a planet is influenced by two factors:

1. The parent system's Security Level. Lower system security correlates with greater amounts of resources.
2. Competing resource extraction on the same planet. More players extracting resources from a given planet correlates with lower amounts of resources.

Comparison with Highsec

The two factors above might lead to the conclusion that PI is not worth the time or effort, in particular if we focus on conducting PI in Highsec space. In Highsec, PI profitability is already diminished by the higher security level, even more so in crowded regions of space.

Null Security (Nullsec) space is also likely to have competing resource extraction activity, but a lower security level means greater resource abundance and higher extraction yields overall. If only examining these two factors, then the logical conclusion is that Nullsec is better for profitability.

Moreover, the majority of Customs Offices in Nullsec are owned by player corporations, which typically means much lower tax rates when moving resources or products to or from a planet. In Highsec, there is an unavoidable 5-10% tax on top of the rate set by the owning corporation, depending on the Customs Code Expertise skill. This skill does not affect Player-Owned Customs Office (POCO) rates in Nullsec.

Tradeoffs

However, Nullsec PI is not without compromises or hidden costs:

• Nullsec is dangerous. Bubbles, stronger rats, and gatecamps are plentiful. CONCORD is not present to intervene in conflicts. Any neutral pilot is a potential aggressor, and many roaming gangs have a habit of returning during peak PvE times.
• Most high-volume trade hubs are found outside of Nullsec. If a player expects to sell PI products on the market, then the goods need to first reach the intended market.
• Certain areas of Nullsec do not have permanent NPC stations. Ships or materials staged in a player-anchored structure are vulnerable to the structure being attacked.
• Because of higher resource extraction yields, PI setups in Nullsec have a higher time cost for transportation if the configuration results in storage filling up quickly.

None of these tradeoffs is insurmountable, as explored in a later section. Even a casual approach to PI in Nullsec is sufficient to fund or supplement day-to-day activities.

Requirements

Homework

Players considering a new PI operation in Nullsec should take time to understand the region and requirements for initiating and maintaining the operation. A few basic questions might include:

• Which commodities will be extracted or produced? If profit is a motivating factor, then the third-party site Adam4EVE is a useful tool.
• Which system(s) are viable for producing these materials? For a general reference, see Good Planets; for the NSC specifically, see the relevant section below.
• Which Command Centers are required, given selected planet(s)? These are sometimes available near the intended destination. Account for extras to cover changing plans or adding additional characters to a larger operation.
• What is the final destination for materials (open market, other industrial activity, buyback program, etc.)?
• What about recurring threats in the region of interest? For the NSC, this would be the entire Y4Y7-Q constellation in Syndicate.
• How much time is reasonable or comfortable for managing an operation? This could be as often as daily, or less than weekly.

Players do not need to have exact answers to these questions, but a reasonable understanding of the steps ahead when planning an operation is helpful for managing PI successfully in a challenging Nullsec environment.

Skills

While there are minimal recommended skills in Planet Management and ship utility for PI in Nullsec, players will find greater success, increased margin of error, and higher survival rates by further advancing core navigation and defensive skills.

The recommended PI skills below will allow single character to run operations on five planets, with the advanced PI skills permitting a sixth planet and advanced (P4) production. The recommended ship skills will enable piloting the standard E-UNI WH/NullSec Epithal fit, and the advanced ship skills will increase both the survivability of the Epithal and the amount of PI materials that it can carry.

Ships

The Epithal

Pilots new to PI in Nullsec should seriously consider only a single ship, the Epithal. This is a specialist Gallente Industrial Ship, similar to the Miasmos, with unique cargo bays for both Planetary Commodities and Command Centers. As there are separate bays for PI concerns, the Epithal can be fitted for maximum survivability at no expense to the ship's utility.

The Epithal is a specialist Gallente Industrial Ship, similar to the Miasmos, with unique cargo bays that can hold very large amounts of planetary commodities and command centers. At Gallente Industrial IV, the Planetary Commodities Hold can hold 63,000 m³ Can use the MWD+Cloak trick to travel in relative safety Can be fitted with an Interdiction Nullifier to escape bubbles Ideal fit costs approximately 17M ISK, easily covered with a couple days of Nullsec PI

Other Ships

Pilots should exercise discretion if considering any ship for PI aside from the Epithal in Nullsec.

• Other T1 Haulers. It is strongly recommended that pilots do not use other T1 haulers for regular PI activity. If there is a recurring need to haul extracted resources or final products to or from planets, then the character should be flying an Epithal.
• T2 Haulers. Again, pilots new to Nullsec or PI in Nullsec are urged to stick with the Epithal. However, at a pilot's discretion, a Deep Space Transport might make sense for moving large quantities of extremely valuable product between systems - though multiple smaller shipments in a Epithal would be preferred.
• Freighters. The safest way to move large quantities of goods out of Nullsec is in a Jump Freighter. This is not recommended for the average player, given the enormous skill, time, and investment required. EVE University's NSC often offers a shipping service, which members should seek to use.
• Any racial shuttle. Shuttles are passively immune to bubbles and have a rapid time-to-warp. As some PI activities (importing or exporting from POCOs, for example) involve being present in space and in the same system, a shuttle is a viable option for moving between systems with minimal risk.

What to Manufacture?

Main article: Planetary Commodities

Now that we have the required skills and an Epithal for moving our goods around, we need to choose what to produce with our PI planets. When it comes to what to produce, there is no single right or wrong answer. The markets and the demand for certain goods do change, however three broadbrush groups of PI commodities do turn a solid profit.

Coolant, Enriched Uranium, Mechanical Parts, Oxygen and Robotics are all used to produce Fuel Blocks and are therefore always in constant demand. This means they also sell well locally and there is no requirement to ship them to Jita. For those who want to go the extra mile, there is also an Ice Belt in AK-QBU which gives the remaining materials needed to produce Oxygen Fuel Blocks.

Microfiber Shielding, Polyaramids and Silicate Glass are all P2 products that cannot be manufactured on a single planet. They require P1 materials to be imported from a separate planet. As the majority of players want minimal involvement with PI once setup, these are generally under produced and therefore can bring excellent margins for players willing to put in the extra effort.

All the P4 commodities are required for the production of Citadels and Engineering Complexes and therefore are always in demand and bring a solid return. They do require the use of a P2>P4 or a P1+P2>P4 factory planet to manufacture, which again requires more effort than the average capsuleer is willing to put into PI.

To make the most money from PI, you should look at both the local market and the Jita market, then compare what items are selling fast with the items that are selling for more ISK. If you find something that is both quick selling and for a higher than the normal amount, that is the product to manufacture.

Where to Manufacture?

This maps shows how local systems link together to form the NSC Syndicate backpocket. The deeper into the pocket you go, the safer you will be. Safer does not mean safe, however.

It is recommended that you do not do Planetary Industry within PC9-AY. You are free to do so if you choose to, however be advised that large numbers of neutrals visit the system to poke the NSC into fighting. There is a higher certainty that you will die. Horribly.

Main article: Good Planets

One of, if not the most dangerous places to be in NullSec, is on a Gate. Where possible, it is better to limit all your PI production to one system and ideally a system that also has a Station or a Citadel blue to the Uni. The tables below show all the planets and systems within the NSC backpocket and also what PI commodities can be produced completed within each system. One other factor to be aware of is the further into the pocket you go, the safer you should be due to the increased warning of Neutrals entering PC9-AY. Again, you are never safe in NullSec and should not get complacent. Neutrals do log off in the backpocket and there are often wormholes that bring visitors. Always pay attention to local and dock up/go safe if you see anyone not blue.

Here you can find a screenshot of the resource bars of every planet in the NSC And here you can find abundances for all the P0 materials in every planet in the NSC in percents