Mission fleets

Missions are often seen as a solo activity, but they can also be done as part of a fleet. Broadly there are two different types of mission fleet: Spider fleets and Locust fleets.

Spider fleet

A spider fleet (sometimes known as a 'standings fleet') is the name for a fleet in which each member independently runs their own missions, while in a fleet with other members doing the same thing.

Benefits of spider fleets

Mission rewards and standings can be divided equally among all the members of the fleet, up to a maximum of ten members. This means that members of the fleet can build up standings with several different NPC corporations at the same time, even if some members do not have the standings necessary to receive the mission themselves.

An additional benefit of spider fleets is that if a member is struggling with a particular a mission, there is a fleet channel for members to easily ask other mission runners for assistance.

Sharing rewards

The following rewards are shared:

• ISK
• Loyalty Points (LP)
• Corporation standings

The following rewards are not shared:

• Faction standings
• Bounties (unless another fleet member is on grid)
• Loot and salvage

Finding and joining spider fleets

EVE University members running spider fleets may list them in the Fleet Finder. On the Neocom, go to the E in the top right, then to Social and select the Fleet button. Select the Fleet Finder tab, then select the Find Fleets button. If there is an existing spider fleet it will be listed here. Right click the spider fleet and select Join and the request to join will be sent to the Fleet boss. Once the request has been accepted the member will be added to the fleet and a fleet chat window will be opened.

In the event that there is no existing spider fleet available, members can start a new spider fleet. To do this, click the Fleet button from the Neocom, right click the four bars to the top right of the Fleet window and select Form Fleet. Afterwards, the member will need to put up an advert to allow people to join. Select the Fleet Finder tab, then the subtab My Advert and then select Create Advert. A window will open and the member should fill it in with details of the fleet. Ensure it is set to Corporation and that you mention in the name that it is a spider fleet for missions.

See the Fleet interface article for more detailed information on the Fleet window

Fleet protocol

Once a member is in the fleet, they are expected to be doing missions. If they are not actively doing missions, but still knowingly claiming rewards from others this is considered theft, and is contrary to the EVE University Rules. Discretion is advised, for example a quick break from doing missions to salvage a site would be okay, but if a member is moving to a new location or going AFK it would be better for them to drop from the fleet until they are back doing missions again.

Members should run their missions as normal, but when when they turn in their mission, they will be given a window that asks if they want to share rewards with fleet members or to claim them for themselves. Members should choose the top option which is to share the rewards.

Once you have completed a mission it is good practice to notify the other members of the fleet, using the following method:

[$$$$$][CORP]

• [$$$$$] implies a dollar sign for each level of the mission
• [CORP] implies the corp's ticker name you ran the mission for.

For example, after completing a Level 2 mission for Minmatar Mining Corporation (MMC) a member would say: $$ MMC.

Locust fleet

A locust fleet is a fleet of players completing the same mission together. Upon completion of a mission, the mission owner will to split the mission rewards among all fleet members.

Benefits of locust fleets

By working together, members of the fleet are able to complete higher level missions than they would be able to to complete solo (for example Level 4 missions) and they are able to complete them faster. It can also make the time go faster and make it more enjoyable to talk to other people and socialize while doing missions.

Sharing rewards

The following rewards are shared automatically:

• ISK
• Loyalty Points (LP)
• Corporation standings
• Bounties (for everyone who is on grid)

The following rewards are shared manually:

• Loot and salvage

The following rewards are not shared:

• Faction standings

Typical ship roles

The following are some of the common roles required by a locust fleet:

Tank

A ship designated to receive aggression from the NPCs, the tank is usually a battleship capable of permanently tanking the mission it is running. There are usually one to three tanks in a ten person fleet.

Damage Dealers (DD)

The DD role is to kill as many enemy ships as quickly as possible. DD ships are usually battlecruiser or better. DD ships must still be capable of tanking some damage, but it is not their primary role. There are usually six to eight DD ships in a ten person fleet.

Salvagers

A salvager is a person who stays behind the fleet, collecting loot and salvaging NPC wrecks. This is an ideal role for a newer player looking to earn ISK and standings, since it can be done with a destroyer. A salvager does not normally enter the mission site until all the NPCs have been destroyed. There are usually one or two salvagers in a ten person fleet.

Joining a locust fleet

Unlike spider fleets, locust fleets are normally arranged in advance, so keep an eye on the communities chat channels for anyone forming a locust fleet. They are also sometimes advertised on the calendar (click the clock in the bottom left of the screen to view the corporation calendar).

Members are free start a new locust fleet. To do this, click the Fleet button from the Neocom, right click the four bars to the top right of the Fleet window and select Form Fleet. Afterwards, the member will need to put up an advert to allow people to join. Select the Fleet Finder tab, then the subtab My Advert and then select Create Advert. A window will open and the member should fill it in with details of the fleet. Ensure it is set to Corporation and that you mention in the name that it is a locust fleet for missions.

See the Fleet interface article for more detailed information on the Fleet window

Loot

In a locust fleet, loot and salvage should be equally split among all fleet members. However, this can become complicated, since members tend to come and go over the course of the fleet. One way to resolve this is to have the salvager(s) keep a tally of "shares" per participant (including themselves), usually in the form of a share per mission run. After the fleet has finished, the loot is sold or reprocessed and the salvager(s) then gives each player their portion of the earnings based on their shares.