Medical boosters
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Combat boosters, sometimes medical boosters or just boosters, are performance enhancing drugs in EVE. When consumed, the user gets a temporarily boost to a specific combat related attribute. The more powerful boosters have a chance of having negative side effects which may impact a user's ability to fight, and are illegal to transport in Empire space (though not to use). The weaker boosters, called Synths, are legal and have no chance of side effects, but have dramatically reduced effects.
Boosters are manufactured from gasses which are harvested from anomalies in known space. Mytoserocin gasses are used to make Synth boosters and are found in high and low security space, and cytoserocin gasses, found in low and null security space, are used to create the more powerful and illegal Standard, Improved, and Strong boosters.
Types of boosters
There are 8 different abilities that boosters can affect, divided into four different grades.
| Booster name | Attribute | Slot | Bonuses by grade | Potential side effects | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Synth | Standard | Improved | Strong | |||||||
| Blue Pill |  Shield boosting amount
|
1 | +3% | +20% | +25% | +30% | Capacitor capacity | Missile explosion velocity | Shield capacity | Turret optimal range |
| Exile |  Armor repair amount
|
1 | +3% | +20% | +25% | +30% | Armor hitpoints | Capacitor capacity | Missile explosion radius | Turret tracking |
| Mindflood |  Capacitor capacity
|
1 | +3% | +10% | +15% | +20% | Armor repair amount | Missile explosion radius | Shield boosting amount | Turret optimal range |
| X-Instinct |  Signature radius
|
1 | -2.25% | -7.5% | -11.25% | -15% | Armor hitpoints | Missile velocity | Shield capacity | Turret falloff |
| Drop |  Tracking speed
|
2 | +3% | +25% | +31.25% | +37.5% | Armor repair amount | Shield capacity | Turret falloff | Velocity |
| Frentix |  Optimal range
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2 | +3% | +10% | +15% | +20% | Armor hitpoints | Shield boosting amount | Turret tracking | Velocity |
| Sooth Sayer | Falloff range
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2 | +3% | +10% | +15% | +20% | Armor repair amount | Shield capacity | Turret optimal range | Velocity |
| Crash |  Missile explosion radius
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3 | -3% | -20% | -25% | -30% | Armor hitpoints | Missile velocity | Shield boosting amount | Velocity |
Using boosters
To use a booster, right click on it and select 'Consume'. This can be done in space or at a station. Each booster type has a different "slot" that it uses, viewable in the character sheet. You cannot use another booster if it occupies the same slot as currently active booster. These slots are different from those used for regular neural implants.
It is not possible to override an booster once it has been consumed; you must wait out the drug for its duration. Boosters last 30 minutes, increased by 20% (6 minutes) for each level of Biology the user has trained.
Each flavor of booster has four side effects associated with it. When the booster is used, each of these effects has a chance of occurring. A pilot might have no penalties for using a booster, or could experience all four at once. The chance of getting a side effect is 20% for Standard, 30% for Improved, and 40% for Strong. The effects are -20% for Standard, -25% for Improved, and -30% for Strong. Both the chance of getting a side effect and the potency of any received effect can be reduced by skills and implants.
Skills
- Biology (1x): 20% bonus to attribute booster duration per skill level.
- Neurotoxin Control (2x): 5% reduction of potency of side effects per level.
- Neurotoxin Recovery (5x): 5% reduction of the chance of having a negative side effect per skill level.
Implants
The Eifyr and Co. 'Alchemist' line of neural implants can enhance the duration of boosters, or reduce the probability or potency of side effects. See implants for more information.
Illegality and transporting
Standard, Improved and Strong boosters are considered illegal in all of Empire space (Synth boosters are perfectly legal). NPC customs agents at stargates in Empire systems may scan your cargo hold; if you are carrying boosters, you will lose 0.1 standing with the faction that caught you, and are given a choice:
- Your boosters are confiscated and you are fined 200% of their market value; or
- You keep the boosters (and don't pay the fine), but the customs official (who flies a battleship) will attack and try to destroy your ship.
Note that it is only illegal to transport boosters; it is perfectly legal to fly while under the influence of them. Also, even ships with "unscannable" cargo holds (such as Blockade Runners) are vulnerable to scans from NPC customs agents.
Manufacturing
Acquiring materials
- Main article: Gas Cloud Mining
Boosters are manufactured from mytoserocin and cytoserocin gas harvesting from clouds in anomolies found in known space. Only certain regions will have these clouds spawn.
Processing gas
Gas must be processed into pure booster material before the final product is created. This is done using reactions at a player owned starbase (POS). Synth and Standard boosters use Simple Biochemical Reactions at a Medium Biochemical Reactor Array. Improved and Strong boosters use Complex Biochemical Reactions at a Biochemical Reactor Array. Both these structures can only be anchored at a POS in .3 or lower security space. Besides the gas, the reactions also require an additional unit, which varies based on the grade of the booster. Synth reactions need Garbage, Standard reaction require Water, Improved reactions require either Spirits or Oxygen, depending on the exact product, and Strong reactions require Hydrochloric Acid.
The Reactor Arrays require additional silos to pull and place materials. The gas is stored in a Biochemical Silo, the other catalyst in a General Storage silo, and the pure booster product must be outputted to a Hazardous Chemical Silo.
Booster creation
Finally, the booster is created at a Drug Lab anchored at a POS. This structure has no security requirements, and can be placed and operated in hisec. Manufactoring the final booster product requires the pure booster material of the desired grade covered in the above section, a little bit of megacyte, and a blueprint.
