Guide to combat sites

This page covers some Angel Cartel cosmic anomalies and low-level Exploration sites that are doable by a new player and found in the systems around Aldrat. They should only require a scanning frigate and a combat frigate/destroyer to complete, and many of them can be found with the onboard scanner instead of needing a scanning frigate with probes. Salvage capabilities will also be very handy if you want to make some additional ISK. Once you get good at clearing sites you can make several million ISK per hour from basic sites.

The basic skills you'll need (apart from normal combat skills) include: Science Astrometics (for scanning), Spaceship Command Destroyers (to fly a destroyer), [[Skills:Mechanic Mechanic]]+[[Skills:Electronics Survey]]+[[Skills:Mechanic Salvaging]] (for salvaging) and Science Science (for tractor beams).

To sum up, the basic process is:

1. Scan down some anomalies/signatures.
2. Kill the NPCs inside.
3. While you do this, you bookmark a wreck at each site, and one for each 'room' if there is more than one. This is because the site will disappear once it has been completed and warped away from - but the wrecks will remain.
4. Come back and salvage everything - Keep in mind that wrecks will last for a maximum of 2 hours.
5. Repeat!
6. Have an industrial or hauler alt ship the loot and salvage to the nearest trade hub.

Please note that there are specific rules against most exploration activities while a wardec is active. Clearing K-space anomalies and signatures is forbidden, as is scanning on an in-corp alt in most cases. Specifically encouraged, however, is scanning for wormholes on an out-of-corp alt and then clearing anomalies inside the wormhole, since this generally requires a good-sized fleet that is ready for PvP and has scouting abilities.

Advantages:

• You can start making a significant amount of ISK with only Astrometrics 1 and a good frigate, and more with a combat/salvaging destroyer.
• There is no need to grind standing up for agents.
• It can be more exciting to scan things down and do them rather than repeating the same missions over and over again.
• There is a chance of a faction spawn that might drop really good/expensive loot.
• For those basic sites, you don't really have to be worried about EWAR. Some frigates will target paint you, which should be taken care of, but there won't be any warp scrambling frigates to worry about.

Disadvantages:

• Faction spawns in some of the simplest sites will probably not drop very expensive loot.
• You have competition - not a lot with the cosmic anomalies, but it gets worse on looting sites (magnetometric/radar) or on combat sites that have to be scanned down. In missions you get your own deadspace pocket (although you can be scanned down in it).
• To be somewhat effective you should be a few jumps away from the Uni HQ, to reduce the competition from other Unistas, which will reduce your ability to quickly join up with PvP fleets if you want to.
• After a while, the sites do tend to get repetitive, sometimes as much as missioning.
• Missions are much more profitable while you stay in hisec.

Escalations

Sometimes, completing an exploration site will create an escalation. These are like followup missions and usually have a chance to happen if you kill a faction spawn at the end of a site. Sometimes escalations have escalations; the extra escalations usually have a much higher chance to happen than the first. You'll know if you have an escalation by getting a popup window and an entry in the "Expeditions" tab of your journal.

You'll generally only have 24 hours or so to complete an escalation. When you warp to an escalation site, make sure to make a bookmark, since the bookmark in your journal only marks the system you need to travel to.

Example Ship Fits

Here are some example Minmatar fits. Short-range ships are generally preferred since sites often consist of a single structure that will spawn enemies and be fairly close to the warp-in point.

Basic Scanning (Probe)

High Slots:

• Core Probe Launcher/8 Core Scanner Probes
• Salvager I

Mid Slots

• [empty]

Low Slots

• 2x Nanofibre Internal Structure I

Advanced Scanning (Probe)

High Slots:

• Core Probe Launcher I/8 Core Scanner Probe I
• Salvager 1

Mid Slots

• Analyzer 1
• Codebreaker I

Low Slots

• 2x 200mm Reinforced Rolled Tungsten Plates I

Rig Slots

• 2x Small Gravity Capacitor Upgrade I

Drones

• 2x Hobgoblin

The extra buffer the armor plates provide should be enough to tank the spawns at lowlevel magnetometric/radar sites while the drones kill them. Unfortunately, the codebreaker/analyzer won't work while defenders are alive. You could also fit an active armor tank if you need to spend longer in the site.

Combat (Thrasher)

High Slots:

• 7x200mm Autocannon I/EMP S (grouped in 4+3)

Mid Slots

• 1MN Afterburner I
• Medium Shield Extender I
• Medium Shield Booster I

Low Slots

• Damage Control I
• Shield Power Relay I

The autocannons are grouped into two groups since you'll often find that firing all 7 cannons at one frigate is overkill.

Salvaging (Thrasher)

High Slots:

• 4x Salvager I
• 3x Small Tractor Beam I

Mid Slots

• 1MN Afterburner I
• Small Capacitor Battery I

Low Slots

• 2x Expanded Cargohold I

Depending on your skills and salvaging style you may find that you want to change the ratio of salvagers and tractor beams. Experiment!

Cosmic Anomalies

Cosmic anomalies are the first type of exploration site, and can be found (and warped to) with the ship's scanner or a single probe. With probes, simply get one out, set it as big as it will go and scan the system. As soon as you cover a cosmic anomaly you'll get a 100% hit that you can bookmark and ignore.

Cosmic Anomalies can also be found using your onboard scanner and are designed to appear within 4 AU range around planets. Fly to each planet, open your onboard scanner by pressing CTRL+F11, select the "System Scanner" and press the "analyze" button tab (you may need a few goes to pick up the harder ones, possibly 10 or more times). When you have found an anomaly warp there or create a bookmark of its position. Once an Anomaly is been completed it will disappear after you warp out, so make sure to bookmark the wrecks if you want to salvage them.

Angel Burrow

Spawns frigates only, similar to hisec belt rats.

New ships spawn as they get destroyed:
At start:

• 1x Angel Hijacker
• 3x Angel Thug

Waves:

• 1x Angel Ambusher
• 4x Angel Hijacker
• 1x Angel Raider

(actual number and type of ships may vary slightly)

Angel Den

Spawns frigates and cruisers - thanks to Lir O´Trog for the data (cleared with a cruiser).

• 2x Heavy Missile Installation (These will trigger more ships)
• 6x Gistii Hunter
• 3x Gistior Defacer (Destroyer)
• 2x Gistior Defiler (Destroyer)
• 3x Gistior Shatterer (Destroyer)
• 3x Gistior Trasher (Destroyer)
• 2x Gistium Breaker (Cruiser)
• 3x Gistium Crusher (Cruiser)
• 2x Gistium Depredator (Cruiser)
• 2x Gistium Predator (Cruiser)

Angel Folorn Hideaway

Spawns frigates and cruisers.

Waves:

• 4x Gistii Ruffian
• 1x Gistii Nomad

• 3x Gistii Nomad
• 1x Gistii Ruffian
• 1x Gistium Predator (Cruiser)

• 2x Gistior Shatterer (Destroyer)
• 2x Gistium Depredator (Cruiser)
• 1x Gistium Predator (Cruiser)

• 3x Gistium Depredator (Cruiser)
• 2x Gistium Predator (Cruiser)

Strategy: Orbit the cruisers at 500m with an afterburner on and they wont hit you at all, so kill them last. With the third group, approach the two destroyers, kill them quickly, and get back to orbit. This shouldn't be too challenging.

Angel Forsaken Hideaway

Spawns frigates, elite frigates and destroyers - some information missing.

• 3x Gistii Raider
• 2x Gistior Seizer (Destroyer)

• 3x Gistior Trasher (Destroyer)
• 2x Arch Gistii Hunter (Elite frigate)

• 4x Gistii Hunter
• 4x Gistior Trasher (Destroyer)

• 4x Gistior Seizer (Destroyer)
• 4x Arch Gistii Impaler (Elite frigate)

Angel Hidden Hideaway

Spawns frigates and cruisers.

• 7x Gistii Outlaw
• 1x Gistum Predator (Cruiser)
• 1x Angel Sentry Gun

Killing the ships spawns:

• 3 Gistior Defiler (Destroyer)

• 2 Gistum Depredator (Cruiser)

Killing the sentry spawns:

• 3 Gistii Hijacker
• 2 Gistum Depredator (Cruiser)

After that there are a few more waves:

• 4 Gistii Hijacker
• 1 Gistior Haunter (Destroyer)

• 4 Gistii Rogue
• 2 Gistum Depredator (Cruiser)

Angel Hideaway

Spawns frigates only. Single Pocket with initial spawn followed by 3 waves (number and type may vary). Possible Dominion spawn after last wave.

• 2x Gistii Hijacker

• 2x Gistii Outlaw

• 3x Gistii Hijacker

• 2x Gistii Ambusher

Structures: no loot
Asteroids: 11 Veldspar

Angel Refuge

Spawns frigates and destroyers, a little more tricky than some of the other anomalies here. Kiting missile frigates are common. Types and numbers may vary.

• 3x Gistii Thug (trigger for group 2)
• 1x Angel Light Missile Battery

• 2x Gistii Ruffian

• 1x Gistii Ambusher
• 1x Gistior Haunter

• 3x Gistii Hunter
• 3x Gistior Shatterer

• 2x Gistii Raider
• 2x Gistior Defiler

You may have to warp out around the fifth wave in some cases, but there isn't any warp disruption to worry about so this shouldn't be too much of a problem.

Static Complexes

Static Complexes are beacons in space, linked to a deadspace encounter, that are always present and don't despawn when completed. The beacons are visible on the overview and the solar system map. There is a nearby Angel complex in Hardbako called 'Angel Creo-Corp Mining'. It will not allow cruisers or larger ships through the first acceleration gate, so it is ideal for a new combat pilot. Each gate after that requires a key that is dropped from a guarded structure:

• Deadspace Syncronization HQ for second room key
• CreoCorp Main Factory for third room key

Note that you can only salvage the first room if you come back in a salvager, since you need the keys to progress.

Room 1 - Spawns frigates and destroyers (open for ships up to destroyer). Most groups aggro on aggression or approach.

Initial aggro:

• 5x thug
• 1x hijacker

Aggro after first group killed:

• 2x hijacker

• 1x hijacker
• 2x outlaw
• 1x ruffian
• 4x thug

• 3x thug
• 2x outlaw

• 1x nomad
• 1x thug

• 2x thug
• 1x ruffian
• 3x sentry stations (Aggro to protect the HQ)

• Deadspace Syncronization HQ (for key)

Room 2 - Spawns frigates, destroyers and cruisers. Most groups aggro on aggression or approach.
Initial aggro:

• 1x hijacker
• 2x nomad
• 1x outlaw
• 1x rogue
• 1x ruffian

• 1x outlaw
• 1x thug
• 1x depredator

• 4x hijacker
• 3x outlaw
• 4x rogue
• 1x ruffian
• 5x thug

• 3x sentries

• CreoCorp Main Factory for key

Room 3 - Spawns frigates and destroyers.

• 2x rogue
• 1x ruffian

• 10x hijacker
• 4x nomad
• 4x outlaw
• 2x rogue
• 2x ruffian
• 3x thug
• 1x predator

• 3x hijackers
• 6x sentries

• Deadspace Control Station

Cosmic Signatures

Cosmic Signatures are more advanced exploration sites that need to be scanned down with probes. Check Uniwiki or Evelopedia for more details on specific site details.

Angel Hideout

Spawns frigates and cruisers: gate allows frigates and destroyers.

First Room

• 4 thug (Aggro on warpin, rest spawns every few seconds)
  
• 2 hunter
  
• 1 defiler
  
• 3 nomad
  
• 2 impaler
  
• 1 defeater (web)
  

Second Room

• 1 hunter
  
• 2 impaler
  
• 2 nomad
  
• 3 raider
  
• 3 defeater
  
• 2 marauder
  

Some aggro on warpin, rest spawns soon after

Drug Lab (triggers after 25% shield or so)
4 frigates (do always spawn, last is trigger)

faction frigate (does not always spawn)

There is another type of spawn for this: the spawns aren't much different, only more scattered around (50km+). The cruisers hit harder this time but since they are all at distance they will take some time to get to you.

Angel Lookout

Spawns frigates, elite frigates and destroyers: gate is open for frigates to battleships.
Although this gate is open for battleships, the site is easily completable in a destroyer.

First Room

• 1x angel light missile battery
• 3x gistii hunter
• 1x gistii outlaw
• 4x gistii thug
• 1x gistor defacer
• 5x shatterer

- five didnt aggro on warpin (2x thug, 1x outlaw, 2x shatterer)
- no need to warpout in first room with a little kiting
- no spawns, no webbers, no scramblers

Second Room

• 1x shatterer
• 2x haunter
• 1x defiler (AGGRO on warpin)

• 4x thug

• 3x shatterer
• 3x ambusher
• 1x ruffian (Aggro on shooting group 2)

• 3x ruffian
• 1x impaler

• 2x arch gistii nomad

Angel control center: no loot