10
Commandments for Mission Runners
Before you put
your ship and its expensive mods in harm's way, there
are a few important points to consider. I have compiled a list of these
considerations which, if observed, will go a long way to helping you
survive EVE Online missions at all levels. Believe me; I have made
every mistake there is with regard to missions, and I have lost a lot
of ships and isk in the process. I am now a very successful mission
runner who solos level 4 missions, and I make a lot of isk. In publishing this
guide, I am hoping you readers will be able to circumvent the mistakes
I made getting to this point, and improve your game play.
Before
accepting the
mission:
1. Gather
intelligence. You
can read the details of the mission on Chepe
Nolon's excellent EVE Survival pages and
at other non-IGB websites. Get prepared for the mission before accepting the mission. Check
the last update of your intel to be sure it is up to date. Your
corpmates may also be able to bring you up to date, so don't be shy in
asking their advice.
2. Prepare your ship. Find out
what damage types to tank, what to expect and what damage type to use.
Fit and arm your ship accordingly. Carry plenty of ammunition for each
weapon type you use. It is better to have way too much than not enough.
Don't forget to load your drone bay, and match your drones to the
damage type needed for the mission.
3. Logistics. Move your
salvager and hauler ships to the mission system. Don't waste time
hopping between systems when you can prepare in advance of accepting the
mission. Only when you are satisfied that you are fully prepared should
you accept the mission and start the clock ticking. Be sure to
adequately insure your ship.
4. Beware of game changes. Be
extra careful when returning to a mission after a game patch or
update; your ship survivability, damage output and many other factors
may have changed. Always familiarise yourself with game changes which
will affect the performance of your ship and her equipment.
During the
mission:
5. Aggression. Pay careful
attention to any mission information you may have with regard to
aggression. Some mission pockets will not aggress you on warp-in, some
will. Take care not to aggress the entire pocket
if it can be avoided.
A general tip is to target and fire on one ship, then wait to see which
rats aggress you; you then target that group and that group only until
you have destroyed it. Rinse and repeat. Sometimes, having gang members
or
releasing drones may also trigger mass aggression - do the
research and
you won't get any nasty surprises.
6. Align. Until you are
confident that you can survive a mission pocket, remain aligned with a
distant object in case you need to warp out fast. Be aware of any
warp-scrambling rats and target them as a priority. Take no unnecessary
risks. There is no shame in warping out to survive - he who survives
lives to fight another day!
7. Prioritise targets. Follow
mission
intel guidelines on target priorites - where available. The
general rule is to target
jammers, scramblers and damper rats first; otherwise kill cruisers
and battlecruisers, then battleships and finally any surviving
frigates. In level 3 and 4 missions however, when engaging distant
target groups, it may be wise
to attack frigates first - until they close within 10km and begin to
orbit you. Frigates are much easier to track and hit during their
approach run, but their high orbital velocity makes them very hard to
hit when up close - especially if you are in a battleship. Disengage
any frigates which close to within 10km and select a bigger or more
distant target. Small combat
(scout) drones can easily tackle fast frigates, so if you have them -
use them. Medium drones are good for slower frigates and cruisers on
up. I personally do not use large combat drones in level 4 missions; I
find them too slow and cumbersome.
8. Know your ship. Be aware of
the capabilities and limitations
of your ship. Study her performance, resists and damage outputs until
you are confident of her capabilities - and importantly, of her
limitations too. You need a good idea of how long you have to escape,
should the need arise. Judging these things accurately can be the
difference between surviving with your ship intact, or going home in
your escape pod.
9. Bookmark each pocket. Be
sure to bookmark each pocket so you can return to the position after you have closed the mission.
There are few things worse than losing several million isk worth of
loot and salvage because you forgot to bookmark their locations. On
very long missions, it may be advisable to loot/salvage each pocket in
turn, or maybe two at a time - to avoid timeouts resulting in loss of
loot. The loot may well be worth more than the time reward for early
mission completion.
After the
mission:
10. Always salvage
and loot.
There are
millions of isk worth of loot and salvage left over at the
end of a successful mission. Learn the salvaging skills and fit a ship
for the purpose of looting and salvaging; destroyers adapt well for
this purpose, due to their speed and high number of turrets. They are
capable
of fitting a useful array of tractor beams and salvagers. I personally
use a 5 tractor to 3 salvager setup, which serves me well. A dedicated
salvage ship will
save a lot of time when cleaning up after missions - a jetcan can be
towed along using one of the tractor beams. Once finished, bookmark the
jetcan
and return in your hauler to collect it.
Finally, I hope these considerations prove useful to you and help to
enhance your enjoyment of the best MMORPG in the world today: EVE
Online!
Version 1.2.0 (c) Drabzz 2007