Clone Soldier Tags

This page is a work in progress.

This article or section is in the process of an expansion or major restructuring. You are welcome to assist in its construction by editing it as well.
If this article or section has not been edited in several days, please remove this template.

These are solo techniques and tips for hunting the most valuable of the Clone Soldier tags, without getting killed in the process. ;-)

Your moderate familiarity and comfort with low sec operations is assumed.

Low sec is dangerous, but you quickly adjust. The isk rewards are substantial.

The information is based on my experience using a covops ship for finding the Clone Soldier NPC rats, a stealth bomber for kiting and shooting those rats, and then a covops ship again for transporting the tags to market -- usually dual-boxing on a single PC, but sometimes just soloing with a stealth bomber.

This article does not discuss how to use the tags to raise your security status.

Reference Material

Clone Soldier tags were new in the 2013 Eve Odessey release, and are used in game mechanics for raising a pilot's security status. Tags are dropped by special asteroid belt NPC rats in low sec. The tags can be bought and sold in regular Eve markets, with values from roughly 1,500,000 to 30,000,000 isk.

See the CCP Dev blog from Odessey explaining the concept.

The value of each tag is based on which type of tag it is. And, each 'type' of tag is found only in rats in a specific Security Status low sec system. For example, Negotiator tags are found only in Security Status 0.2 low sec systems, and are dropped only by rats which have '...Negotiator' in their name.

There are four tag types:

       Rat Name/Tag Type,     Value,    Low Sec Where Found

        Trainer             1,500,000     Sec Status 0.4

        Recruiter           3,500,000     Sec Status 0.3

        Negotiator         30,000,000     Sec Status 0.2

        Transporter        25,000,000     Sec Status 0.1

Current market values can be seen at Eve-Central or your in-game market detail display, searching on 'Clone Soldier'.

NPC rat names show what kind of tag that rat will drop. The specific names vary depending on what region of Eve you are in, for example Serpentis rats in the Placid region, or Blood rats in the Aridia region. The names show on your overview, like Guristas Clone Soldier Negotiator or Sansha Clone Soldier Recruiter. Those two examples drop a Negotiater and a Recruiter tag respectively.

Regardless of the NPC faction name like Serpentis or Blood, a '... Transporter' rat will always drop a generic Transporter tag, and so on.

Putting it all together -- If you are in a 0.1 low sec system, and you see a 'Sansha Clone ...' rat, then you know:

* It is a 'Sansha Clone Soldier Transporter' rat.

* If you kill the rat, it will always drop a Transporter tag.

* When you get the tag to market, it will be worth 25,000,000 isk.

As discussed below, we hunt only for Transporter and Negotiator tags, to justify the time and effort and risk.

Choosing a Low Sec Region

We need to select a location in low sec where we can hunt thru multiple systems' asteroid belts for Clone Soldier rats.

Transporter and Negotiator NPCs, and thus the high-value tags, are found only in 0.2 and 0.1 low sec systems. Dotlan or similar region maps can be used to identify possible locations. You will be going from system to system hunting for the tags, so a number of systems close together will speed things along.

For example, look at the area around Barleguet and Gare in the Placid region, a dozen 0.1 and 0.2 systems all together, or the area below Solaria in the Aridia region.

A warning: perfect-looking groups of systems, are often occupied by organized pirate groups, who like to shoot poachers ;-(

Preparing the Low Sec Location

Safety, efficiency, safety, comfort, safety. The following are my techniques -- you are welcome to devise your own system.

Preparation consists of scouting out the target systems, and bookmarking them. It takes perhaps 5-10 hours of work, but is well worth the effort for providing safe comfortable travel around the area.

As a first bookmark in every system, created as soon as I warp in to a new system, I create a bookmark approaching the sun. This is done by warping to the sun and dropping a new bookmark just before reaching the sun. I name these e.g. for the Uphallent system, "Uph aa sun" (all bookmarks for the system will begin "Uph.."). The 'aa' makes this bookmark always the top bookmark when you right click in space.

A instant safe, quickly accessible because it is always the first in the system's list of bookmarks. And it is a good place to take a bio or lunch break in a cov-ops or other cloaky ship.

Second, for all gates, I create an 'approach' bookmark, dropping the bookmark at 10 to 100k from the gate as I'm warping into the gate. This provides for minimal effort a dscan perch for each gate, where you can safely stop and scan the gate before approaching the gate and jumping. Example in Placid in Gare at the Aunsou gate: "Gare Aun app".

All bookmarks around the Aunsou gate would begin "Gare Aun ...", so that they sort together in the system's bookmark list.

Third, for all gates (when I have time), I create an on-grid tac, up, down, or occasionally sideways, 200-300k from the gate. This provides a visual perch to watch the gate, and a comfortable resting place for a cloaky ship. Example in Aulbres at the Barleguet gate: "Aul Barl tac up". I don't bother trying to do precise up or down directions, like with clock hands -- imo far too much effort for little return, for our purposes here.

These gate tacs *do* need to be sideways from the directions of other gates and the sun, to avoid having arriving people pass too close to your cloaky ship.

Fourth, in a *few* systems, I bookmark a station. A station provides a place to store ammunition, to change fittings, to temporarily stash tags (instead of flying around with a 150 million isk cargo hold), and if dual-boxing, a place to exchange bookmarks. One station for 5 or 6 systems is enough.

I do a 'approach' bookmark (so I can dscan the outside of the station), a 'warp to 0' bookmark, and at least three insta-undocks (tested !).

The station should be chosen to be as far away from the system's stargates as possible, to lessen the chance of unwanted people dropping in. Repair facilities are not needed, as you normally won't be getting shot at.

With the above bookmarking, you'll be able to travel with confidence, warping tac to tac, checking out gates before jumping, you will be familiar with the region's layout, and you will have met, so to speak, the region's inhabitants.

In addition to the above, similar gate tac bookmarks on the low sec portion of your route to hi sec, help a lot with security, safety, and comfort when you're flying to market with a few hundred million isk in tags in your cargo hold. (obv: in a small fast cloaky ship)

OP paranoia is just barely enuf. ;-)

Ships

The general idea is to use a fast scout to locate the NPCs by checking each asteroid belt, then calling in a damage dealing ship to kill any clone tag rat.

For the scouting, I use a covops frigate with agility and warp speed rigs and modules, for maximum belt-to-belt speed and efficiency.

To kill the tag rats, I currently use a stealth bomber in a torpedo fit, with two target painters and a Medium Ancillary Shield Booster, torpedo range rigs, and faction torpedoes. Note that torpedo damage goes up 15% per covops skill level, and faction torpedoes give a 15% damage boost.

Having cloaks on all ships makes relatively safe traveling possible, and allows for taking a break at any time by just pointing off into space and cloaking. To be a bit more blunt, using just cloaky ships will keep you alive ;-) .

I have used a cloaky heavy missile Drake for the DD role, but it's slowness and inability to warp cloaked outweighs it's strength and missile range. The Drake would be fine if there were only NPC rats here, but it is imo too risky when other pilots will sometimes be hunting you. And, the bigger your ship, the more tasty a target you are for such hunters.

I sometimes use the stealth bomber as a single ship hunting tags. Downsides include warping speed and agility, and the extended exposure to other pilots when you switch from kiting/shooting to approaching the clone rat wreck to loot it. A single ship setup like this *is* workable.

You will see other people hunting tags from time to time. The combination of covops plus Ishtar is popular.

There is an attitude here that I endorse: By flying weak ships that are not able to 'fight', you are never tempted ( for more than a few seconds, anyway ;-) ) to get into fights with other pilots in your area. Rather, I advise, be a mouse in the wall, eating rich cheese and staying unnoticed.

Tank

'Fighting' the rats is not what you're there for. You're there to kill them and loot their tags as fast and safely as possible. If you're getting shot at, you are not where you want to be. Doh....

That said, occasionally things do go wrong. Example, warping to a gate and jumping, sometimes gets delayed enough that rats on the gate have time to target and shoot at you for a few seconds. Or while shooting a rat at a belt, you forget to set 'keep at range', and the rat gets too close to you. Perhaps you and someone's Ishtar or Tengu are both sweeping belts for tags, and he lands on your belt.

In my covops scout, I don't have a probe launcher, so with a Micro Auxillary Power Core I can fit an MSE and a couple of shield resist amps, or I can do an MSE, one resist amp, and a small cap battery (warping uses cap).

In my stealth bomber, mids are MWD, Ancillary Shield Booster, and two target painters.

Getting shot does not happen often, but a bit of tank is needed.

Dscan is your friend ;-) .

General Technique

The hunting idea is to use a scout to locate the NPCs by scanning each asteroid belt in a system, then flying to the next system, rinse, repeat. Each system will take five to fifteen minutes. When an NPC is found, a DD ship is used to shoot the NPC.

Both ships are in a fleet, so a rat killed by one can be looted by the other without going suspect (and flashing to everyone in system).

While shooting, the DD ship is kiting, uncloaked, and spamming dscan.

The rats are reasonably tough, and I suggest either shooting from range or flying a strong ship. Different breeds of NPC's may have different ranges, laser turrent Blood rats vs hybrid turrent Serpentis rats for example.

As soon as the rat is dead, I cloak up the DD ship, and warp the scout to the wreck to pick up the tag. With a single stealth bomber, you would need to MWD in while uncloaked, extending your exposure.

With the rat looted, the scout MWD's off and cloaks, while the DD uncloaks, shoots the rat wreck (want to avoid telling the world what you're doing in the system), reloads, and goes off in some random direction cloaked.

Notice, only one of the ships is uncloaked at a time, minimizing your exposure. In particular, the scout is uncloaked only for 5-10 seconds during the looting of the wreck.

Example Sequence

Scout jumps into current system, warps cloaked to first asteroid belt at 100 ('warp to at...' default set to 100km).

DD is parked cloaked in previous system, at a gate tac, ready to jump into current system if a clone rat is found.

Scout sees 4 rats at first belt (clone rats always spawn alone), warps cloaked to second belt at 100.

At second belt, scout sees nothing. Takes deep breath (Eve sometimes spawns rats in a belt when someone arrives on grid, a couple of seconds), then warps still cloaked to third belt at 100.

Scout sees Serpentis Clone Soldier Negotiator rat at 105km distance !

DD jumps into current system, warps cloaked to fleet member Scout.

Scout turns around, flies cloaked directly away from the clone rat, to get out to 150km before the rat is dead, to allow warping to the wreck at zero.

DD locates the rat on screen, aims ship toward the rat at an up or down angle, to draw the rat out of the belt obstructions during the fight. DD uncloaks and turns on MWD.

When DD gets within targeting range, he targets the rat, and activates the target painters.

When DD gets to torpedo range, he starts firing, turns off MWD, and sets Keep At Range to 60km or whatever appropriate for ship and kind of rat weapons (missiles vs lasers, for example). Keep At Range can be set to a default value.

Assuming Scout and DD do not own Local, DD is spamming dscan every few seconds. Notice that a right click in space will give as the first bookmark the '...aa sun' safe, as an escape destination if needed.

DD keeps occasional eye on range to rat, a single MWD pulse might be required time to time.

Rat is killed. DD immediately cloaks up. Total DD uncloaked exposure 2-3 minutes.

Scout having reached > 150km from the wreck, remains cloaked and warps to the wreck at zero. Scout will select the wreck and Open Cargo, and will uncloak as he approaches the wreck. Loot the tag.

Scout turns away in some safe direction, MWD on, and cloaks as soon as he is 2000 meters away from the wreck. Total Scout uncloaked exposure typically < 10 seconds

DD aligns to sun if desired, uncloaks, targets wreck and shoots it with a single volley of torpedoes. As soon as the torpedo launchers have cycled, DD clicks Reload.

With the launchers reloaded, DD turns away in a safe direction and cloaks up. DD uncloaked exposure here approx 25 seconds.

Scout and DD are 30 million isk richer ;-) .

Scout warps cloaked to next belt at 100.

With a couple of belts yet to be scanned, DD warps to gate tac for next system, to eyeball the outgate.

Scout looks at last belt, then remains cloaked and jumps into the next system.

Downtime

Clone tag rats are found five or six times more often immediately after downtime.

Sad fact of life, but true. Most of those rats are hunted down in the first hour or two after downtime, and for the rest of the day are only found as random rare spawns.

Lessons Learned

* About once in 30 or 40 warps to asteroid belts at 100km, you will arrive too close to an asteroid and be decloaked. The rats are generally slow to target and shoot, so you usually have time to warp to the next belt, re-cloaking on the way. Except.... Once in a while, the 'next belt' takes you thru the close asteroid that decloaked you, and your ship is bouncing off that asteroid instead of warping off. You need to Ctrl-space to cancel the warp, before Eve will allow you to change directions and speed off elsewhere. Doesn't happen often, but on the other hand, don't warp to a belt at 100 and go afk while in warp.

* Pirate groups usually have preferred hours, for example a Russian alliance versus an American alliance, and the different evening hours for both of those. Learning and then avoiding those groups and their busy hours, is good. Weekend hours versus work/school day hours too.

* Urban legend says that the Clone Soldier NPC rats can warp disrupt you, and have weapons ranges out to 60+km. I have not seen either of those, and have not been shot at even when within 45km of the rats. The danger (if any) is limited because our rats always spawn alone.

* Urban legend also says that if you get a Clone Soldier rat in a system, you might as well go to the next system as there are never multiple such rats in a system. False. Numerous times I have gotten more than one tag on a single search pass thru a system's belts. Once I got four tags from a system on one search pass (admittedly, the system had 23 asteroid belts). Once I got three tags from a system with six belts. Once I got two tags from a system with two belts ;-) ;-)

* If you can fit it, adding an expanded probe launcher and combat probes to the scout ship lets you scare off many competitors.

Comments

Q: Ok, so he talks the talk, but can he walk the walk !! ??

A: One weeks work: File:CloneIncomeOneWeek.png

section in process....