Homefront operation
Reason: New operation sites. Version 22.01 release 2024-06-20.1 Patch notes
Changes to #Abyssal Artifact Recovery in Version 22.01 release 2024-08-27.1 Patch notes
Homefront operations are Cosmic Anomalies in highsec that require a group of pilots covering specific roles from standard roles like dps and logi to less common roles in fleets such as hacking and hauling. There were 6 types of them balanced for 5 players introduced in Viridian and 3 new types balanced for 3 players introduced in Equinox, each having its own scenario and requiring its own group composition and strategy. The acceleration gate on the entrance allows only certain types of ships depending on particular type.
Goal
The goal of these sites is to bring new and experienced capsuleers together to do new activities, help to establish social connections and introduce fleet gameplay.
Sites are located in empire owned High Security systems, mostly focused around trade hubs or career agent systems.
The enemies, narrative, and specific goals of a site are dependent on which empire's space it is found within.
Some sites introduce hostiles hailing from new traitorous corporations, splintering away from their empire.
Homefront types in different Empires
There is a total of 9 different types of Homefront Operations. Some of them have 4 different versions, depending on which empire space you are in; some of them have only one version. The differences between the versions are the type of pirates you face in each site and the type of EWAR that you face. The base mechanics are all the same.
Type of ships allowed
For the 5-ships sites only the following type of ships are allowed to use the acceleration gate and enter the sites:
- Tech 1 frigates, navy and pirate frigates
- Tech 1 destroyers, navy and pirate destroyers
- Tech 1 cruisers
- Tech 1 haulers, including Squall
- Ventures
For 3-ships sites the list is:
- Tech 1 frigates, navy and pirate frigates
- Tech 1 destroyers
- Ventures
Site summary
Emergency Aid
Your aim is to keep a friendly target alive for 10 minutes. You can provide either shield boosts or armor repairs as you wish. You will have several rats on grid with you. Killing those rats simply results in new replacement rats spawning.
This means the Emergency Aid site can be run solely with Logistics ships. T1 Logistic cruisers like Ospreys or Augurors work well.
Dread Assault
The Dread Assault aims to fill the capacitor of a friendly Dreadnought to full 3 times (3000 cap each time). After each time there is a 90 second period while the Dreadnought attacks a structure and is not ready to receive cap.
Once again, killing enemy ships is futile, as they simply respawn. Enemy ships apply neuts, so it is recommended to bring T1 Logistic cruisers with 3-4 medium remote cap transfers (also large can be used in some strategies) and maintain cap chain with one of them (cap chain cruisers Osprey and Augoror are recommended).
Raid
Your objective is to collect loot from a respawning hauler and bring it to a friendly transporter. The first hauler will spawn almost immediately after you warp onto the site. Haulers will generally try to warp off and if they successfully warp away, you will have to wait for a new hauler spawn.
This means you will want DPS ships to equip Warp Disruptor (long point). As each piece of loot is 3500 m3, you will need one hauler (the quicker the better) that can haul 10500 m3 from the dead hauler(s) to the transport ship. The usual composition is 1 Logi + 3 DPS + 1 Hauler.
Suspicious Signal
The aim of this site is to destroy a single structure. However, it starts invulnerable and only gets vulnerable once 3 data cans are hacked. Each hacked can starts a 90 seconds timer, so if the cans are hacked simultaneously, there is a 90 second window for damaging the target. The hp of the target is estimated to be ≈410k.
Common group compositions are 5 DPS with strong active tank, 3 of which have Data Analyzer equipped; or 4 DPS with 1 Logi.
Metaliminal Meteoroid
The objective is to mine out one asteroid with 14000 m3 (3500 units). As in all other sites, killing rats is futile, as they simply respawn. Possible compositions include 4 ventures + 1 Logi cruiser, 5 tanked ventures, or 5 active tank Cruisers with enough turret slots such as Moa.
In addition to the site's payout, the (event) ore can be sold to NPC buy orders at 5000 ISK/unit. The site contains 17.5M ISK worth of ore (less with residue). One possible tactic is for a 6th person in a hauler to wait outside of the site so that they do not get part of the reward, but they gather all jetcanned ore and sell it.
Abyssal Artifact Recovery
- See also: Abyssal Artifact Recovery
There are 12 asteroids in the site with 1,200 m3 each. Every fully mined asteroid triggers a payout for the fleet and spawns a cache with valuable artifacts that can be sold to NPC buy orders. Additionally, the ore from the asteroids can be sold to NPC buy orders. The amount of payout for each player (with 5 people) is 1.8M ISK for each asteroid mined out in the first 10 minutes and 2.4M ISK for each mined out after first 10 minutes. One possible tactic is spreading the miners so that all asteroids are completed (soon) after 10 minutes.
Every 2 minutes an NPC wave spawns even if the previous is not cleared, bringing the players under heavy damage pressure. There are 16 waves, the 16th being guaranteed loss. Wrecks of the NPCs can be salvaged.
Additionally, you will be inside a Bubble (can't warp off) when entering the site. If you feel you are taking too much damage, it's time to burn out of the bubble and warp off.
This site is probably the most challenging, as you will have increasingly more difficult waves spawn on you and it seems near impossible to "outlast" the increasing number of increasingly difficult rats. As a Venture might be not tanky enough, it is usually replaced with Cruisers (Vexor, Moa) with miners equipped. Possible group compositions include 5 Miners with active tank, 4 Miners with 1 Logi, 4 Miners with 1 DPS (to clear the waves and make pressure smaller), 3 Miners + 1 DPS + 1 Logi.
Salvage Research
The pocket will be filled with 18 wrecks that must be salvaged. Salvaging drones, MTUs and tractor beams cannot be used. You have to fly close enough to each wreck to run your high slot salvagers on it. There are hostile ships that will attack you, which you can ignore, if your self-rep is decent, or kill depending on your fleet composition. NPCs will target and kill drones. 3 destroyers (confirmed with Algos and Dragoon fits) fitted as T1 Passive Shield tank and 5 salvagers works well.
Traffic Stop
You need to cargo scan incoming ships for 10 minutes. If any of them possess contraband, you need to use stasis webifier and destroy them. This stie takes the full 9 minutes, and you need to ensure both victory criteria are met (1) don't let 5 ships carrying contraband dock up; and (2) don't kill more than 2 civilians. The mission will fail if either of those occur prior to the 9-minute timer on the site ending.
Stabilize Rift
There are several (5?) Destabilizing Arrays, that need to be drained of capacitor. They need to be below 20% capacitor simultaneously. Recommended fit: Dragoon with 1x Nosferatu and 4x Neuts using Warrior I drones. There are NPCs that may neut you (not always), and there are NPCs that may cap transfer the arrays. Having drones kill NPCs is recommended.
Payout
The amount of the payout depends on the number of participants who have interacted with the site. Interacting with the site might consist of dealing at least 1000 damage to any enemy, repairing at least 1000 shield or armor (it counts even if the target has full hp) or other interactions depending on the objective.
Payout amount for Abyssal Artifact Recovery, Emergency Aid, Dread Assault, Raid and Metaliminal Meteoroid peaks at 5 people and is currently 15,486,410 ISK for each player in group of 5. Payout amount for Salvage Research, Traffic Stop and Stabilize Rift peaks at 3 people and is currently 11,025,000[Verify] ISK for each player in group of 3 (and 7,350,000 for each in a group of 2).
Spawn Mechanics
The anomalies can spawn anywhere in highsec, with a heavily increased probability of spawning near trade hubs (Dodixie, Jita, Amarr, Rens and Hek[1]) and Career Agents constellations. The spawns for each type are independent[2] and the total number for each type in Gallente space seems to be 18, in Caldari space 17, in Minmatar 14 (without newly added in Hek) and in Amarr 28[3].
History
Homefront operations were introduced in Viridian expansion in summer 2023 (see Viridian expansion notes). All of them were tuned for 5-ship fleets (Abyssal Artifact Recovery, Dread Assault, Emergency Aid, Metaliminal Meteoroid, Raid, Suspicious Signal).
In autumn 2023 they were rebalanced, nerfing the overall payouts and bringing the outliers closer to others.
Expansion#Equinox in summer 2024 new 3-ship types (Salvage Research, Traffic Stop and Stabilize Rift) were introduced. The old types had another tuning pass.
In september 2024 Abyssal Artifact Recovery was reworked as it was one of two most complicated but the least rewarding.
See also
- Talk:Overview#June 2023 additions — new overview entities
- User:Amfion_Bravais/Homefronts — collection of fits and strategies
References
- ^ Added in patch 2024-06-26.1
- ^ They do not share a pool (CCP Rampant)
- ^ Research by Mednik Breau using Agency per region. Spreadsheet with results and methodology.
