2024

My First Superior Ghost Site (sort of)

stargrace April 26, 2024 0Comment

Even though I’ve been “playing” EVE since 2009, this is the first year I’ve attempted to actually do more than just run NPC missions and explore high sec. I’ve had the skills to fly some pretty hefty ships (boosting orca, tengu, etc) but I’ve had no idea how to actually make use of those skills or what content I could actually accomplish. I’ve been afraid of ghost sites since I heard about them, and I normally leave them alone and avoid them once I’ve scanned one down – but it turns out that I could have probably handled them. There’s just one issue, I still don’t really know / understand HOW. There’s this uniwiki page about ghost sites which I’ve read through, but putting what you read into practice is a whole other thing. Here’s how yesterday went.

I found a WH off of my home system, a simple C2 with not much going on. Scanned down some connections inside, found one to nullsec (I avoid these, I feel so exposed in local I have rarely ever hung around in null) and then found another connection to a shattered C2, bingo!

Jumped in there, and I decided to take my combat probes with me first to see if anyone was hanging around. Maybe flush them out (or scare someone else) I found some mining drones that someone had left behind (yoink!) and not much else. Swapped back over to my regular probes, and found a few relic/data sites – one was a superior pirate site. Interesting!

I was terrified of losing my ship, the Tengu is expensive (I can afford to replace it, but that’s not the point). I had also removed the painter & one of my mid shield boosters (the wiki article suggests armor tank but my tengu is fit for shield so.. shrug) in order to fit the relic/data scanners. I have been contemplating crafting / buying the zeugma analyzer which is both data/relic in one, but they are SO expensive and I’m honestly not sure I want to justify the cost only to have it blown up. Anyway. I warped to the ghost site.

I did not have a cargo scanner with me, so I just hauled ass to the nearest can and hacked it. My hacking skills are pretty good, despite being ‘new’ to all of this I have a lot of scanning/hacking skills maxed out and the rest is just me learning how to play the hacking game better/faster. My heart was beating so hard in my chest! I didn’t really know what to expect. I decided to do things the easy way.

I hacked the can, succeeded at it, pulled out 90,000,000 ISK worth of loot and immediately warped away after that very first can. I know I could have tried to hack a second can, I could have probably even tried to tank the rats / explosion, but I just wasn’t sure what to expect, or when to expect it and I didn’t want to have to replace the Tengu (price tag of around 1.5b). I’m still incredibly happy with that haul, and I think I’m happier NOT knowing what was in the rest of those cans. I escaped, survived, and it was awesome.

After the rush from that site, I decided to try my hand at another site – which I’ll write about tomorrow. It wasn’t nearly as dangerous (well, it’s jspace, everything is dangerous) or as profitable, but it was still another ‘first’ and a lot of fun.

As always, fly safe! o7

Thoughts on Equinox

stargrace April 24, 2024 0Comment

CCP released a video yesterday that announced the next expansion – it’s called Equinox and it goes live June 11th – exciting! The video talks about redefining nullspace, four new ships, enhancements to the AIR program, automated moon mining – and my favourite feature, a new extension to SKINR.

• Design at your fingertips: The new SKINR interface introduces a robust palette of design elements, consisting of basic and metallic nanocoatings as well as patterns, alongside five customization slots for each SKIN design, four for nanocoatings, and one for patterns. Use your creations to express your unique identity and share them with other capsuleers.
• Sequence and share: Gathering design elements and sequence binders allows capsuleers to sequence ship SKINs, for themselves or to sell to other pilots. Sequencing costs are based on a tier system and calculated in PLEX based on the rarity of design elements and complexity of the SKIN, and your creations can be sequenced in bulk for your own fleet or your corp.
• Organized collection: A new cosmetics collection makes it simple to keep track of SKINs, components, and emblems. Applying SKINs and filtering through your collection will be easier and more enjoyable than ever with the new updates.
• The Hub awaits: Visit the Paragon Hub to buy, sell, and trade SKINs and components. A platform to showcase designs or discover the perfect look for every fleet, the Paragon Hub offers an easy-to-navigate interface and opportunities for budding designers to make a name for themselves, not to mention untold riches.

I’m very excited about this change. I love player created content, and I absolutely want to try my hand at designing patterns. Other things were also mentioned, like new anomalies, the ability to create sovereign hubs in space, new resources, and new encounters. For someone like myself, who hasn’t been around the block a time or two before during an EVE Online expansion release, these all sound like pretty neat things. Given that I HAVE been around the block a time or two before when it comes to MMORPG expansions in general, I will (as always) take a “let’s wait and see” approach to all of it. I do like that they don’t leave us hanging forever, June 11th is just around the corner, and I should be able to fit it in with all of the World of Warcraft stuff that is also going on.

Excited? Not? Let me know in comments, and as always, fly safe! o7