User:Paxte Eriker/Incursions101

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Class Information

This chapter contains the standard information of this class pertaining to scheduling and class contents. The General Information should be sufficient to create a proper class topic for scheduling on the Eve University forum. Additional information relevant to the teacher is listed under Notes for the Teacher.

General Information

Illustration link for class description on the Eve University forum: INCURSION_in_System_NEW_INDICATOR_INCURSION_PROFILE_for_STATE_OF_SYSTEM.jpg

This class is an introduction to Incursions, including what they are, how they work, the ships & skills needed, how to participate, fittings, and a practical fleet.

  • Duration: 60-90 minute lecture and an additional 60+ minutes for the practical fleet.
  • Location: Docked up safely in a station. Note the fleet for the practical will form in Aldrat and will then travel to the Incursion site.

Class contents:

  • What are Incursions?
  • Incursion Mechanics
  • Ships & Skills
  • How to join an Incursion Fleet
  • Fittings
  • Q&A
  • Practical Fleet (for E-UNI members, Alumni, and alts)

Student requirements:

Additional information: This class is primarily lecture delivered in the Classroom channel in Public Mumble, followed by Q&A. A practical fleet for E-UNI members, Alumni, and alts will follow on the normal Mumble server.

Notes for the Teacher

Required materials:

Class Contents

Introduction

Welcome to the Incursions 101 class!

Over the next 60 minutes or so, we shall cover what Incursions are, what ships and skills are needed/recommended, how Incursions work, and how you can participate in them successfully.

(Instructor should then introduce himself or herself - covering relevant experience level and background.)

We have a few ground rules for this class:

  • Please put your Mumble settings on "Push to Talk" if you have not already done so.
  • Feel free to type any questions in the Lecture.E-UNI chat channel as we proceed - I will try to answer your questions as they come during the class. [At the end of my lecture, we'll open Mumble for any further questions or general discussion.]
  • You should be docked up safely in a station [in Aldrat or already at the current focus if you intend to participate in the practical fleet].

Everyone ready? OK, then - let's begin....

What are Incursions?

Incursions are a random PvE event in EVE. The Sansha's Nation invades a Constellation for up to 7 days with mysterious goals. We as Capsuleers can slow or even stop an invasion by taking on the Sansha ships while they work. If we do enough damage to the Sansha one of their Motherships becomes vulnerable, and the invasion is stopped when we blow it up...

In game terms Incursions are high level, group PvE content. They are similar to raids in other MMOs. Within any Incursion there are many sites of different sizes ranging from 10 pilot sites to the 80 pilot Mothership. In terms of skill, Incursions are really end-game content requiring at least 2-3 months of skill training before a pilot is ready. In general pilots fly Battleships, Tech II Logistic Ships, and Strategic Cruisers for Incursions.

The running of High Security Incursions revolves around finding an Incursion Community you like to run with. These are not Corporations or Alliances in EVE, but chat channels dedicated to forming Incursion fleets. Each channel has its own requirements, specialties, and culture. This course will cover the basic requirements that they all have in common but it is advised that each pilot do their own research when looking at communities to learn their differences.

Low and Null Security Incursions are not run as often due to the risk of PvP inherent in the space. This is not to say they are never run, and in fact Null Sec Alliances like to get ride of them because they are disruptive. It is more the groups that run any particular one tend to be tighter knit and harder to fly with if you are not already part of them.

Incursion Mechanics

Unless you happen to be in an Incursion Constellation, the best tool for learning about Incursions is the Journal. So open that now. Navigate to the Incursions>Global Report tab. Here we have a list of all the current Incursion constellations. There are at most 7 active Incursions at once, split between 3 high-sec, 1 low-sec, and 3 null-sec constellations. Note that high-sec incursions can be in constellations that are on "islands" that require you to go through low-sec, and these are usually not touched. A new Incursion of the same type spawns 36-48 hours after one ends. Incursions end when the Mothership site is cleared or after 7 days, whichever comes first.

When an Incursion spawns in a constellation it drastically changes the space. But it doesn't affect each system in the constellation identically. Nor do all the site behave in the same way. First I will talk about the general effects of an Incursion then get into the details of each site type. There are 5 types of Incursion sites. Each system in a Constellation will have only one of these site types. And there will be at least one system in each Constellation of each site type. The layouts can be found on EVE Survival. Also, there is a constellation wide chat channel for forming fleets. (It opens when you enter the constellation.

There are 4 different penalties in an Incursion Constellation that are either always in effect or vary depending on the Red/Blue Influence Bar shown either in your Journal or in the Incursion Profile section on the top-left of the HUD. The penalties affect cyno-field jamming (not used in high-sec, but always in effect), 50% reduction in bounties for killing NPC rats (Incursion site rats have no bounties), shield and armor resistances (at 100% influence it is a 10% reduction in Vanguard systems, 25% in Assaults, and 50% in Headquarters), and gun/drone damage reduction (same criteria as the resist penalty).

Also, if you ever try to mine in Incursion constellations, the normal NPC rats are replaced by Sansha Incursion rats, which are much stronger. Mission and exploration rats remain the same but if you remain in a pocket too long more rats will spawn and these will be changed to Sansha rats too. If you go through a low or null-sec Incusrion Constellation, you will not only have to worry about player gatecamps, but Sansha ones as well.

Incursion Sites appear as warpable beacons like DED sites, and all have an acceleration gate except for those in Scout systems. Each system in a Constellation will have only one of these site types. Unlike in missions where there is loot and bounties, all wrecks have no loot and there are no bounties. Payout is a fixed amount based on the number of players in a fleet and is divided equally (except for scout sites). CONCORD LP is also rewarded for each site completed, however this is not immediate. Instead it goes into a pool in the Journal>Incursions>Loyalty Point Log. (Also seen in the Journal>Incursions>Global Report.) These are not paid out until the mothership for the Incursion is killed. If the Incursion withdraws naturally no LP is payed out. CONCORD LP can be converted to other non-pirate NPC Corporation LP at 0.8:1 (0.4:1 for SoE). Open the LP store of the station you are in. There is a Convert LP button in the top right corner of that window. If you have CONCORD LP you can use that to convert it to that station's LP. Note that this is a one way conversion so don't do it until you know what you want to buy.Sometimes there is another objective which can be inferred from the information in your Journal>Incursions>Encounters tab. If there is more than one fleet in the same site, then whichever fleet does the most raw damage (so armor/hull damage) gets the entire payout, and the other fleet/player gets nothing. Most people D-Scan the gate to see if it is taken and note the other fleet(s) composition and to gain the info from the NPC wrecks to determine if they should contest.

The payout will be higher in low/null-sec sites, and only applies to the players in the fleet who are "on-grid". This means a scout or off-grid booster gets no direct payout. Communities who use these roles encourage the players who receive direct payouts to share a portion of their ISK rewards with these players to make it worth the time spent. Payouts and LP rewards also are reduced if there are more than the maximum number of players that a site is designed for (Vanguards is 10, Assaults is 20, Headquarters 40, and the Mothership Site is 50). However, having 1 extra player on-grid has been found to be faster and makes up for the less overall payout per site.

Scout sites do not need logistics and none of the rats warp scramble so you can warp out at anytime. Testing has shown that these sites are usually not worth doing, although using them to test firs (especially T3s) may be feasible. Vanguard sites are the main sites we run in our E-UNI fleets, because we can usually get enough players and they are fairly straight-forward and easier for logistic pilots. They consist of 9 damage-dealers and 2 logistics, although can be run with 7-8 damage-dealers. They feature a lot of frigates and cruisers. Assault sites are not as popular as Vanguard or Headquarter sites because they take longer to complete, and one specific type of site requires Battlecruisers or Tech 3 Cruisers which are harder to find pilots for. Headquarter sites are the most popular but are contested more often and require greatly different fits than those used in Vanguards and even Assaults. Mothership sites only appear in the HQ system once the Influence is down to 0% and once these sites are cleared the Incursion is complete. All beacons will disappear but can be bookmarked beforehand and the sites can be run for ISK payout only. The mothership is the only rat that drops loot but it is very valuable (True Sansha modules and BPCs for faction ships).

Ships & Skills

All 4 races have ships that can be flown successfully in Incursions. However, there are only a small number of ships in each race, and not all have a Tech 1 Battleship that is suitable. Minmatar, Caldari, and Gallente have the Maelstrom, Rokh, and Hyperion, but Amarr needs either an Apocalypse or Armageddon Navy Issue. Minmatar & Gallente also have Faction Battlships options in the Tempest Fleet Issue and Megathron Navy Issue. For Logistics, the Minmatar Scimitar and Caldari Basilisk are the 2 used in E-UNI and other Shield Incursion communities. The Scimitar can provide Remote Tracking Links for the damage dealers to increase either tracking or range, while the Basilisks have more slots for Shield Repair modules but also require Capacitor Transfer modules so usually need another Basilisk in the fleet to "chain" with. For Vanguards, a ship with Hacking modules is needed for a specific site and a Heron is considered the best option. Note that hacking uses the old system and not the new mini-game system. Finally, the Claymore is the most common off-grid boosting ship.

Advanced hulls include Pirate Faction Battleships, T3 Cruisers. and Command Ships. The Machariel is easy to get into and can be very flexible to fit for either short-range or long-range engagements. The Nightmare has the highest initial (alpha) damage potential but is very skill-intensive. The Vindicator excels at using stasis webifiers to slow down the rats and can remove frigates the fastest. Its web bonus is so powerful that many believe they will be nerfed when CCP rebalances the Pirate Faction battleships. All 4 strategic cruisers are viable, although the Loki and Legion are more popular. For Command Ships, the Vulture has the most versatility, while the Astarte and Slepnir can be used in certain situations (sorry, there are no feasible Amarr ships).

Since Incursions require 2 or more months of focused training, planning ahead is critical to be able to get into them as soon as possible. Unless you are already focused on a certain race or weapon system, deciding what pirate faction battleship, logistics cruiser, and/or strategic cruiser you want to eventually fly may be better than focusing on what you want to fly first. You may also be able to use the skills you train in other aspects of EVE, such as Logistics or Gunnery skills for PVP fleets or missions. If you want to get into wormholes, training for T3s may be a better option than for pirate faction battleships.

There are many skills that are recommended, and a few that are required. Being able to have enough CPU and/or Powergrid, fit a Tech 2 Shield tank (or armor if you want to run with armor-specific communities), target as many ships as possible (especially important for logistics), and have drone skills for either Light or Repair drones are needed to survive. Recommended skills improve the efficiency of your guns (tracking, range, rate of fire), capacitor, lock time and range, ability to rig T2 rigs yourself, and to use T2 drones (including Sentries in certain fleets).

Other skills that are helpful but not always used include Leadership skills (Leadership to V and Wing Commander to at least II), Thermodynamics for when things go bad, and Navigation skills for when Afterburners or Microwarpdrives are used. Also, there are skills you can have alt characters train (best on a separate account) for specific roles such as a scout/hacking frigate, flying an Orca to move your/others ships and modules, or an alt to just fly the ships themselves if we are at war.

How to join an Incursion fleet

The first thing to do is find a few Incursion communities and look at them. This comes even before building a ship as each group has slightly different fitting requirements and there is no reason to fully fit out a ship only to be told that you have to change. Granted most of the communities that people start in are fairly flexible on fits if you meet the minimum requirements but many advanced groups have strict fits that you cannot deviate from. What follows is a partial list of Incursion chat channels to explore when you start Incursions:

After you join all the chat channels the next thing to do is read their MOTD. This will give you information about what fits they use, where they are flying, and how to set up your overview. Most communities have mailing lists. Also, most high-sec communities do not allow pilots who are in a player corporation that is currently at war as the Crimewatch mechanics cause logistics pilots to be attackable if they repair someone who is at war. Since E-UNI can be at war quite often and for long periods of time, we will still run Incursion fleets while at war, but will use "pickets" (preferably out-of-corp alts or alumni) placed in the surrounding systems and if wartargets show up the picket will yell on Mumble and the FC will initiate a controlled retreat by killing all remaining scramming rats and docking at a/the station in system. However, we still will not allow any alts or alumni in fleets that are at war with other corporations than the one(s) E-UNI is at war with.

When you're ready to join a fleet, the standard method is to "x up" with your role and a fitting link to your ship. For example: "x DD (linked ship name)". You can link you fitting by going into the Fitting window and dragging the ship name on the top right to the chat channel. As with PVP fleets, it is best to at least remove your name from the ship name. Once you are in the fleet, another MOTD will usually appear that lists information such as who the logi pilots are, who is the dronebunny, and who are the anchors for Assaults and Headquarters. There will be 1 Wing of 2-5 squads depending on size of site. Boosters can either be

It is expected that pilots have correct settings so that the FC knows everyone sees the same thing. I will cover some of the common things, but each group will have slight variations that should be covered before you fly.

  • Mumble (UNI) or Teamspeak (Public)
  • No Auto Target Back: ESC -> General Settings -> Auto Target Back = 0 Targets
  • Broadcasting for Shield, sometimes Capacitor, and In Position. Adding shortcut keys for these under ESC -> Shortcuts -> Navigation tab. Need Shield when yellow boxed, In position when all red goes to yellow or off. Mandatory for Assaults and Headquarters.
  • Drones to Passive - 3 line box on top left of drone window
  • Fleet Window set to Hierarchy (also applies to E-UNI PVP fleets): once in fleet, 3 line box on tab -> Show As Hierarchy
  • Shield/Armor Alarms: 3 lines bottom right of HUD -> Configure Damage Alert Settings -> Shield: 95%

Fittings

All ships (except the Hacker and OGB) require a Tech 2 tank (shield for E-UNI fleets), rigs, and repair drones (backup for damage-dealers, primary for logistics). The Tech 2 tank on the T1 or Faction Navy ships consists of at least a Damage Control II and 2 Adaptive Invulnerability Field IIs and a Large Anti-Thermal Screen Reinforcer I rig. Some ships also need an EM Ward Field (or Amplifier) II and/or a Large Anti-EM Screen Re-Inforcer I rig. The key is to have all 4 resistances at 70% or higher before off-grid boosts. These can be checked in either EFT or Pyfa or by undocking and turning on all the modules.

For damage-dealers, ammo should be Faction. Short-range is needed for Vanguards, while both short and long-range can be used in Assaults and Headquarters. For the remaining midslots, at least 1 faction stasis webifier, specifically the Federation Navy Stasis Webifier is almost mandatory for Vanguard fleets. A sensor booster with scan resolution scripts and Tracking Computers can fill in the rest. If you really cannot afford the faction webifier, a Tracking Computer or even Target Painter can be used instead. Headquarter sites require a Microwarpdrive. Lowslots are a mix of DPS enhancing Stabilizers and Tracking Enhancers, both T2. If your ship has a spare high-slot, a T1 Large Remote Shield Booster can be effective for emergencies. If there's any rig slots remaining, Large Core Defence Shield Extender Is will increase your effective hit-points, which should be over 10k in Vanguards.

For logistics, Scimitars MUST be cap-stable. This means beginner fits need Meta-4 Capacitor Power Relays in the low-slots (T2 is actually no better here), 2 Cap Recharger IIs, and 4 Meta-4 Large Remote Shield Boosters. A meta-4 afterburner is recommended and the remaining midslots should have a Large Shield Extender II and an Adaptive Invulnerability Field II. Rigs should be a Medium Anciliary Current Router, preferably T2, and a Medium Capacitor Control Circuit II. Once you get the Logistics skill to V, you can swap out the Cap Rechargers for Remote Tracking Links to help the damage dealers.

There are faction and deadspace modules that can improve the efficiency of your ship and even allow you to change the module layout, but these are usually expensive and can make your ship a target for gankers, although it is not common for one ganker to attack an entire Incursion fleet. Also, there are Hardwiring Implants that go in slots 6-10 that can also improve certain attributes. 3% implants are inexpensive, but 6% implants can be purchased from the CONCORD LP stores and are required for certain elite fits in shiny communities. Finally, there are at least 2 drug boosters you can consume depending on what ship you are flyinh, and the Synth versions are enough and will not cause any side-effects.

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