Syndicate Mission Running
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Players at EVE University's Null-Sec Campus can earn money by running missions for NPC agents much as they might in highsec space, but with higher rewards and higher risks.
Why you should do Missions
- Main article: Missions
There is one very simple reason why you should run Security Missions at the NSC: they pay well. The rewards from a mission depend on the base level of the mission itself and the security status of the system that the mission agent is in. While highsec Level 4 missions might pay more in raw terms, L3 missions in nullsec have a hefty bonus to their rewards and can be blitzed in a destroyer, earning more ISK per hour than can be found in running L4s in highsec. Here are two examples. We have a L4 mission from a 0.6 system (Similar to Amygnone and the HSC) and we have a L3 from a -0.2 system (NSC backpocket).
HiSec L4 Mission Agent
NullSec L3 Mission Agent
- Main article: Using Loyalty Points
These are just two random examples that show how close the payout can be between highsec L4s and nullsec L3s. Obviously, some missions will pay more and some will pay less, but what is important is the knowledge that the L3s can be completed much more rapidly than L4s and require less ISK and skill investment.
As if that wasn't enough, the LP gained from running missions for the Intaki Syndicate (the NPC corporation we recommend working for at the NSC) is also very valuable. Using the Fuzzwork LP Store, let's take a look at LP values for the Sisters of EVE, which many consider to be the best LP store in highsec, against the Intaki Synidcate.
Sisters of EVE LP
Intaki Syndicate LP
These numbers do change constantly because of the market, and some of the LP values can be artificially high, so take the exact values with a pinch of salt and do you own market research to make sure you are spending LP on items you can actually sell. Nevertheless, on average Syndicate LP is worth roughly 60% more than the best LP available in highsec.
And that is only for L3 missions. The rewards increase further as you progress to nullsec L4s and burner missions.
Isn't it risky in NullSec?
Yes, there is always a risk of losing your ship when doing anything in nullsec, and you do have to be prepared to stop what you're doing and safeguard your ship. That said, the risk is surprisingly low.
Many people view nullsec as the dangerous part of EVE Online. The truth is, nullsec is often empty. Sometimes systems go for hours without visitors. When there are visitors, moreover, you don't have to work out who might be a suicide ganker keen to blow up your expensively-fit battleship, as you might in highsec. Neutral visitors are flagged up and reported in NSC's intelligence channel, and are often hunted out of NSC's local space. Finally, you can use lighter, cheaper ships to do lower-level missions in nullsec to earn more money than L4s in highsec, which means you put less ISK at risk when you undock.
D-Scan
- Main article: Directional scanning
Should you find yourself alone with a neutral in system, then D-scanning is your best defense.
As you are in a mission site, other players cannot warp directly to the site or scan the site down themselves with core probes. They need to use combat probes to scan your ship down first.
What this means is that you have some breathing room first and shouldn't necessarily warp straight out of the site. Warping away from the mission unnecessarily will only slow down site completion time, meaning less profit-per-hour. You should always ensure that you have combat probes selected as part of your D-Scan filter.
It will generally take at least 4 "combat" probes at a distance of 2 AU or less to pinpoint your position. A good rule of thumb is to run the scan at 360° at a range of 5-10 AU. Probes outside that range are not close to finding you, and ships outside that range will probably take some time to get a fix on your position. Once you do see probes closing in, immediately flee to a safespot bookmark or (better) dock up in a friendly structure or an NPC station.
If you see this on your D-Scan, now is the time to dock up.
Bubbles
- Main article: Interdiction 101
Warp Disruption Fields, lovingly referred to as bubbles, are often used in nullsec to catch neutrals. They will prevent you, or anyone else, from entering warp. To ensure that you don't find yourself caught in a bubble at the wrong time, always use gate tactical bookmarks when moving between systems—especially in a PvE-fit ship. To get the latest news about bubbles, keep watching the NSC intel chat channel and the NSC standing fleet chat, and ask on Mumble if you're unsure.
Intel and safety
NSC maintains a fairly reliable system for reporting the imminent presence of potentially-hostile pilots. See the details on the NSC's page. As a rule of thumb, the following are valuable alertness and safety precautions:
- Be in fleet
- Fleet members can warp to any other fleet member's location. Being in fleet makes it much easier for help to get to you quickly if things turn nasty.
- Be in the intel channel, and have it open and visible.
- All members of the NSC report in this channel on any neutral pilots they see in or approaching NSC's pocket. The intel channel can offer you vital minutes or seconds of warning
- Keep an eye on Local chat to see if neutral or hostile player enters your system.
- Local is an excellent warning system, and if possibly-hostile pilots slip past Intel, you will learn about them when they enter the system and appear in Local's member list. Safeguard your ship immediately on seeing a neutral in Local.
- Many pilots find it useful to run Local vertically at one side of their screen so they can see a maximum-length member list and spot new people entering it.
- If you select the member list and press ctrl-A, you'll select all pilots currently in system. Any new pilots entering will then be obvious, as they will not be highlighted.
- Be on Mumble in the general NSC channel.
- Being on Mumble makes it much easier for you to call for help quickly and clearly.
- Within the limitations of the piloting necessary to avoid excessive damage from rats (don't burn directly at NPC battleships), fight aligned or near-aligned to a celestial to which you can warp out at the first sign of trouble.
- Try not to use gates as your warp-out points. Hostiles might be at them if they've just entered systems.
Using these precautions will significantly cut the risks you run, and they are strongly recommended.
L1/2/3 Security Missions
- Main article: Mission reports
L1/2/3 Missions are generally considered the best missions to run if you are solo. Obviously it's the L3s that will pay the highest, however it is likely that most people will need to do some standings grinding to achieve the 3.0 standing required for access to L3s. While nobody likes to grind standings, the good news is that, as mentioned above, the reward values for missions are higher in NullSec than those many players are used to in HiSec, therefore your standings will increase a lot faster too. Depending on how much effort you want to put into the grind, a standing of 3.0 can easily be achieve in a single evening or two.
Recommended Skills
It is recommended that Campus Members should train the follow skills to at least III, ideally IV to make both the grind easier and the rewards higher. There is no rush to train these if you have something else more important to train first, however you are losing out if you do not train them eventually.
- Connections - 0.4 standing increase per level trained. With III trained, you can bypass the L1 grind altogether.
- Social - 5% bonus to standing increases per level. Makes the grind faster.
- Security Connections - Extra 10% LP per level training. Who doesn't want to get paid more for no extra effort.
- Negotiation - 5% addition pay per level. Again, its free isk for no extra effort.
Mission Agents
Now that you have the skills, lets take a look at where to run these missions. You can run L1/2/3 missions within the NSC backpocket from the system of T22-QI, which is a dead end system one jump from the NSC home system of PC9-AY, using the following Intaki Syndicate Agents. Nearly all your missions will happen in T22-QI, however the odd mission will happen in PC9-AY. It is extremely rare that a mission will be further than 1 jump, although it can happen.
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| Aurmia Cariot L1 Security Agent T22-QI V - Moon 14 |
Bemps Latault L2 Security Agent T22-QI VI - Moon 6 |
Urwald Gogimund L3 Security Agent T22-QI VI - Moon 12 |
Ship Fitting Advice
There is absolutely no right or wrong answer regarding which ships to fly. That said, drone boats are extremely popular at the moment for two great reason. Firstly, drones do not use ammo which means that members can spend more time running missions and therefore make more profit, rather than running around Syndicate looking for ammo. Secondly, drones offer selectable damage- the drones belonging to each faction line have a unique damage type. This allows us to pick the type of drones that can hit the NPCs resist weaknesses.
Fitting Examples
Here are two example fits of cheap, expendable drone boats. Both of these fits work exactly the same way and rely on their ability to speedtank to mitigate damage. This is what makes these fits great for new players as there isn't the need to train an extensive list of skills. The only requirement is that you are cap stable with the prop mod running. That is it. Anything else is an extra. Next main priority would be drone skills, especially Drones V for those that don't have it, to increase the overall DPS that the ships put out. More DPS means faster mission times, which means more money.
For Alpha Clones wishing to use the Algos fit, you will need to buy Faction Drones rather than the T2 if you want to push for maximum DPS. Faction Drones are expensive though, it is wise to wait until you are confident enough with managing drone agro first (or remembering not to leave them behind!) before spending the extra ISK. Once you get the hand of things, you will soon be able to afford the extra cost.
To use these ships, you should orbit a stationary object roughly central to the site just under your maximum drone range. This is usually around 40-50km. At that point use the laser to draw the NPCs attention until you have full room agro. Once that is done, launch you drones and let them kill everything while you hang around outside the falloff range of the NPCs. Targetting priority should always be point/scram/web frigates first. If you find that NPCs are targeting your drones, recall them and wait until you have full room agro before setting them loose again.
The Vexor fit offers you more survivability in site however it is roughly three times the cost of the Algos.
Mission Blitz
Small Coaxial Compact Remote Armor Repairer
Small Focused Modulated Energy Beam I, Radio S
Denny Enduring Omnidirectional Tracking Link, Tracking Speed Script
Medium F-S9 Regolith Compact Shield Extender
5MN Y-T8 Compact Microwarpdrive
Drone Damage Amplifier II
Drone Damage Amplifier II
Drone Damage Amplifier II
Small EM Shield Reinforcer I
Small Thermal Shield Reinforcer I
Small Core Defense Field Extender I
Hobgoblin II x7
Hornet EC-300 x5
Tracking Speed Script x1
Radio S x1
Vexor - 100MN PvE Mini-VNI
Drone Link Augmentor I
Small Focused Modulated Energy Beam I, Radio S
Core Probe Launcher I, Core Scanner Probe I
Small I-ax Enduring Remote Armor Repairer
100MN Monopropellant Enduring Afterburner
Denny Enduring Omnidirectional Tracking Link, Tracking Speed Script
Cap Recharger II
Medium Compact Pb-Acid Cap Battery
Medium Armor Repairer II
Energized Adaptive Nano Membrane II
Damage Control II
Drone Damage Amplifier II
Drone Damage Amplifier II
Medium Explosive Armor Reinforcer I
Medium Capacitor Control Circuit I
Medium Capacitor Control Circuit I
Hobgoblin II x7
Hammerhead II x7
Hornet EC-300 x4
Radio S x2
Core Scanner Probe I x8
Tracking Speed Script x2
Running Missions
When it comes to running the actual missions, the aim is to run as many as possible as fast as possible to get the most LP. Use EVE-Survival to find the quickest way to complete the mission, hand it in and run another. After doing this for a little while you will start to remember how to blitz each mission which will only make things even faster, and therefore more profitable. Other than that, the same basic rules that apply to HiSec also apply to NullSec. Avoid running missions against Empire Factions and DON'T run any storyline missions otherwise you will destroy you Empire standings.
Now get out there and start making it rain.
L4 Security Mission
L4 security missions can be found at EZA-FM IV - Intaki Syndicate Bureau, offered by agent Agrele Anneu. This is a lot more risky, since you can't rely on intel from your fellow corpmates about hostiles in nearby systems. Still, if you are in the mission pocket, they need to scan you down with Combat Scanner Probes, so an active eye on D-Scan can save you. If you do try to do L4 Security Missions at EZA, make sure you have plenty of bookmarks for the stations, gates and other safe spots.
Burner Missions
- Main article: Burner Missions
Anomic Missions, more commonly known as Burner Missions, are a special subset of L4 missions that have unique features compared to the standard L4 Missions. Burner Missions have players facing either a single NPC, or a small gang of NPCs, who are extremely powerful rather than the typical hoards of Battleships that those who run the Standard L4s are used to. These NPCs have similar stats to a player flying a pirate faction ship, with an officer/deadspace fitting, pirate implants and full command links. In short, they are extremely dangerous. All these NPCs will use warp distruption, with the majority being fitted with warp scramblers to shut down players MWDs. If one of these NPCs catches you, much like if a hostile player catches you, you are in for a rough time. There are three different varieties of Burner Missions:
- Anomic Agent - A single, very powerful pirate frigate
- Anomic Team - A T2 Assault Frigate plus two T1 Logistics Frigates
- Anomic Base - 4 unique missions against a small number of powerful ships such as battlecruisers, cruisers, frigates and super carrier fighter waves
The other catch to Burner Missions is that they have restrictions on ship sizes. Anomic Agent and Anomic Team missions can only be completed in Frigate-sized ships. These can be either T1, Faction or T2 Frigates. In the case of the Anomic Base missions, this is increased up to medium-sized (anything up to T1 Battlecruiser) ships.
NSC Small Gang Fleet Training
Because these missions provide not only a decent payout, but a great opportunity to practice team work, the NSC uses Burner Missions as a way to provide reliable content to practice Fleet Ops. In a small gang of between four and six, aspiring FCs can practice moving a fleet through hostile space and broadcasting targets in the sites, aspiring scouts get the change to practice moving ahead of the fleet looking for both gate camps and potential PvP combat, Logi pilots can practice staying out of danger while responding to requests for repairs from fleet members, and the damage dealers in the fleet can practice listening to fleet commands and how to broadcast for repairs on time.
The minimum recommended fleet composition is 5 members, although those with enough practice can drop down to four.
- 1x Scouting Interceptor
- 2x Damage Dealer
- 2x Logistic Ship
Ship Fitting Advice
At present, the NSC does not routinely run burner missions. The fittings and discussion below are legacy and are being maintained for posterity, to be used as a starting point should any brave capsuleer decide to start forming up burner missions again.
The NSC used to fly a loose armour doctrine for these fleets. Anyone is welcome to join, provided that their ship is fit with a buffer armour tank. Players can bring any ship, be that T1, Faction or T2, though it is highly recommended that you are able to fit a T2 tank. The T2 tank is important because it allows the logistic pilots more time to get those repairs onto your ship. T1 armour tanks will still be considered though, based upon the experience of the logistics team and the FC.
Below are a number of recommended fits. You'll note that these fits are predominantly Amarr ships. This is because Amarr have a really strong T2 line of frigates, the Malediction many consider to be the best Fleet Interceptor and also the Purifier being considered the best Stealth Bomber, and therefore we recommend Amarr Frigates V is the first racial frigate skill that campus members take to V. As stated earlier though, members are free to fly any ship that they wish provided it has a armour buffer tank, ideally T2.
Damage Dealers
NSC Small Gang
Small Focused Pulse Laser II, Scorch S
Small Focused Pulse Laser II, Scorch S
Small Focused Pulse Laser II, Scorch S
Small Focused Pulse Laser II, Scorch S
5MN Y-T8 Compact Microwarpdrive
Warp Scrambler II
400mm Rolled Tungsten Compact Plates
IFFA Compact Damage Control
Adaptive Nano Plating II
Adaptive Nano Plating II
Heat Sink II
Small Trimark Armor Pump I
Small Trimark Armor Pump I
Small Ancillary Current Router I
Scorch S x1
Conflagration S x4
Imperial Navy Multifrequency S x4
NSC Small Gang
Gatling Pulse Laser II, Scorch S
Gatling Pulse Laser II, Scorch S
Gatling Pulse Laser II, Scorch S
Gatling Pulse Laser II, Scorch S
5MN Cold-Gas Enduring Microwarpdrive
Faint Epsilon Scoped Warp Scrambler
200mm Steel Plates II
Energized Adaptive Nano Membrane II
Adaptive Nano Plating II
Heat Sink II
Small Trimark Armor Pump I
Small Trimark Armor Pump I
Scorch S x1
Conflagration S x4
Imperial Navy Multifrequency S x4
NSC Small Gang
Rocket Launcher II, Nova Rage Rocket
Rocket Launcher II, Inferno Rage Rocket
Rocket Launcher II, Scourge Rage Rocket
Rocket Launcher II, Mjolnir Rage Rocket
1MN Afterburner II
Warp Scrambler II
X5 Enduring Stasis Webifier
Damage Control II
400mm Rolled Tungsten Compact Plates
Energized Adaptive Nano Membrane II
Adaptive Nano Plating II
Small Ancillary Current Router I
Small Trimark Armor Pump I
Nova Rage Rocket x1
Inferno Rage Rocket x1
Scourge Rage Rocket x1
Mjolnir Rage Rocket x1
Logistic Frigates
NSC Small Gang
Small Remote Armor Repairer II
Small Remote Armor Repairer II
Small Remote Armor Repairer II
5MN Quad LiF Restrained Microwarpdrive
Small Capacitor Booster II, Navy Cap Booster 400
400mm Rolled Tungsten Compact Plates
Damage Control II
Energized Adaptive Nano Membrane II
Adaptive Nano Plating II
Small Ancillary Current Router II
Small Trimark Armor Pump I
Small Trimark Armor Pump I
Hornet EC-300 x1
Navy Cap Booster 400 x1
NSC Small Gang
Small Remote Armor Repairer II
Small Remote Armor Repairer II
Small Remote Armor Repairer II
1MN Monopropellant Enduring Afterburner
Small Capacitor Booster II, Navy Cap Booster 400
Sensor Booster II, ECCM Script
400mm Crystalline Carbonide Restrained Plates
Damage Control II
Energized Adaptive Nano Membrane II
Small Ancillary Current Router II
Small Remote Repair Augmentor I
Small Remote Repair Augmentor I
Hornet EC-300 x1
Navy Cap Booster 400 x1
ECCM Script x1
NSC Small Gang
Coreli A-Type Small Remote Armor Repairer
Coreli A-Type Small Remote Armor Repairer
Coreli A-Type Small Remote Armor Repairer
1MN Afterburner II
Small Capacitor Booster II, Navy Cap Booster 400
400mm Crystalline Carbonide Restrained Plates
Adaptive Nano Plating II
Damage Control II
Energized Adaptive Nano Membrane II
True Sansha Energized Thermal Membrane
Small Trimark Armor Pump II
Small Trimark Armor Pump II
Hornet EC-300 x1
Navy Cap Booster 400 x1
NSC Small Gang
Coreli A-Type Small Remote Armor Repairer
Coreli A-Type Small Remote Armor Repairer
Coreli A-Type Small Remote Armor Repairer
1MN Afterburner II
Cap Recharger II
Small Capacitor Booster II, Navy Cap Booster 100
400mm Rolled Tungsten Compact Plates
Explosive Armor Hardener II
Damage Control II
Energized Adaptive Nano Membrane II
Small Trimark Armor Pump II
Small Trimark Armor Pump II
Hornet EC-300 x1
Navy Cap Booster 100 x1
