Ghost Sites
Ghost sites are pirate facilities which can be hacked (like data and relic sites), but which have unique mechanics which set them apart. They were introduced in the Rubicon expansion.
Finding a Ghost site
A Ghost site can be found without Scanning & Probing. It shows as Cosmic Anomalies on its own. It belongs to the Category of Combat Sites. Ghost sites do exist in high sec, low sec, null and WH space. They show up in the anomaly list as "<size> <faction> Covert Research Facility". The <size> is solely dependent on the security status of the system:
- "Lesser" in high-sec
- "Standard" in low-sec
- "Improved" in null-sec
- "Superior" in wormholes
When a ghost site is entered a pop-up message shows up that warns the capsuleer that the site is dangerous.
Getting Loot
When you enter the site a timer is started (unless you warp in cloaked). The time is random and not shown, but it seems that the more ships are in the site at once, the longer the timer (in practice, if running a site solo, you will generally have enough time to hack and loot 2 cans before the timer expires). Because of the limited time it is a good idea to use a cargo scanner and look at the loot in the cans first. The stashes are opened by the hacking mini game known from data and relic sites - however, unlike data and relic sites, once the hack is complete, you can loot the structure directly instead of having to scoop up cans. The hacking difficulty is comparable to the difficulty of hacking a data or relic site in a system with the same security status. If you fail your hacking attempt, all the containers in the site will explode immediately (see also below).
Rats
After the timer expires (irrespective of how many containers you have hacked), rats (based on the local pirate population) will show up to defend the site. These rats are worth no bounties, and they may use warp scramblers.
Explosion
A short time (approx. 30 seconds) after the rats warp in, all the structures in the site explode, dealing explosive damage. Once this happens, any remaining rats will de-agress and warp off.
