A Speed Bump on the Filamenting Highway to High Security

Recently, and thanks to slowing down my visits into each system into Pochven, I find a lot of exploration frigates in odd locations within the system.  These intrepid explorers are not sitting on any known celestials.  They are sitting in a safe location, but uncloaked out in space.

I was initially convinced they were at scanned signatures like wormholes or maybe a data or relic site.  Eventually they would then just disappear off the scanner never to be seen again.

Being nomadic, I am able to setup a combat scanner.  So I figured I would combat scan one to see what they were doing.  An important risk of Combat Scanning is scaring away the prey.  If they are busy, they might not notice the combat scanning probes.  But if paying attention they will scurry off.

On the first occasion I scanned down the Heron. and then cautiously warped over to the ship at range.  This lead to a failed capture as I was too far from the ship and could only see the filament gate open and witness a disappearing act.  My trepidation lead to a missed opportunity.

On another occasion during an evening roam I find a Heron on dscan.  I see that the ship is close to a customs office, so warp over to see if they are near or at a safe.  As I land I see the filament already running and, like the time before, they are already jumping through the portal.  Another disappearing act.

But, my luck is about to change.  Yes another evening and I am doing a thorough run through a system.  I found a Heron on dscan out in the middle of space.  Not wanting to miss this one I went to a safe location away from their scanning range and quickly refit for combat scanning.  

Luckily they did not seem to be paying attention as I was able to scan them down, return the fit of my ship to combat configuration and warp to their location. The filament portal was just opening as I landed and the Heron was about 200km away.  Just far enough to warp down to the target and quickly eliminate the ship.  I also acquired a trophy.

Finally. Third time was indeed a charm.  Adding to my glee I was also able to score a bonus kill in the next system over with another Heron that was just lingering on the gate.

Taking some extra time in each system to see what is lingering out in space has provided some extra opportunities.  I am grateful.

For now,

Be Well New Eden!

Circle of Life

Within New Eden there is a food chain.  There are capsules that occupy the bottom and those that stand on top.  This food chain is influenced by the N + 1, player aptitude, ability, skill, planning and just dumb lock.  To better define the N + 1, and outside an individual capsuleer skill set, the larger fleets or player groups will generally prevail over smaller ones.  Even if the smaller is of greater skill.  Not always, but in general.

As a solo nomad living the cloaky lifestyle I am resolved to the fact I will fall victim to larger groups or better players.  I am within the food chain.  But, thanks to my cloak, I am not the bottom rung.

A while back I was trying different Stealth Bomber hulls.  I had completed a number of circuits throughout Pochven in the Hound and was ready to trial the Purifier.  I made a trip to Jita and set myself up with a shiny new Purifier, the Blaster/Rocket combo.  New ammo, cargo, the works.  Not even a scratch on the paint.

I filamented back into Pochven and began to roam the circuit.  At some point, a lucky mining Prospect was found.  Lucky really only for me.  Following my well established process I evaporated the Prospect into oblivion.  But then...

A Rapier was also on grid cloaked along with me.  Likely this Rapier had also seen the Prospect and had the same plans as I.  Well, the Rapier turned my new Purifier into scrap.  Well played.  Later as I reviewed the Prospect and Purifier I pieced together a funny chain of events.  The hunter had become the hunted, and then repeated, and repeated.  The Rapier pilot was caught shortly by a Loki.

The Loki not just satisfied with the Rapier also caught a Venture.  But likely to his surprise was then eliminated minutes later by a Vedmak and Ferox combo.

The Vedmak was eliminated about 14 hours later to a small gang.

The Circle of Life playing out in real time.  And I was just a small cog in that wheel.  A cog near the beginning, but a cog nonetheless.

Likely this happens frequently.  Maybe not within minutes of each event.  We help our targets to remember that they and we are all part of this circle.  Our targets make our hunt fulfilling and necessary.  The eliminations make this universe what it is, risky and costly, but also gratifying.  Pretty deep.  

For now,

Be Well New Eden

Thinking Out Loud - Patience

During the course of this campaign if have sought to evolve my tactics.  Historically I would nervously hop from system to system and then belt to belt looking for unsuspecting targets.  Traversing 9 systems without any targets of opportunity would be defeating.  Often sadly parking at a Safe location and logging off for the evening.

Lately I've been experimenting with spending a bit more time in a single system.  Watching the system ebb and flow with the potential of flora and fauna passing through.  Some visitors making targets of opportunity and others outside of my engagement profile.  Spending a bit of time on a gate, noting the direction of travel and how the visitor conducts themselves.  Similar to wormholes, the visitors and residents of Pochven can behave erratically, unexpectedly, even odd.

In learning more about the habits and behaviors of my targets I have developed greater patience.  I will watch my prey get setup on a rock only to immediately warp away.  I've seen them get spooked and cloaking up near the rock, then feeling safe they decloak and return to work.  They do need to periodically offload their ore cargo to a station, a logical explanation.  But, ideally they will return to the ore belt to continue mining.

The other day, while patiently hunting for targets of opportunity, I found a Venture.  Not surprisingly when I landed at the ore belt and started creeping toward the target they warped off.  Hoping they would just be offloading cargo to a station I waited.  To my delight they returned, but seemed to pick a rock in the exact opposite direction I was traveling.  No problem, I'll reset my position.  Then, to my dismay, they again immediately warped off.  Patience.  I figured I would reset once again and sit just off the warp in location in hopes of their return.  They did.

It's worth pointing out at this time that there is a 15 minute cloak stabilization timer that exists in Pochven.  This means that you have 15 minutes that you can remain cloaked before there is a chance(most likely you will) that you will decloak.  This just involves a bit of management for the stabilization timer, how long it will take to stalk your prey, and a strategic use of a safe location to reset your cloak.  Hunters take note.

As my cloak stabilization timer was almost done I needed to warp to a safe to reset my stabilization timer before being able to stalk my prey on grid.  When I returned the Venture was gone.  F--k.  I figured I would wait a bit and hope for a return.  It paid off.

Unfortunately I did not acquire the trophy pod kill.  But, my patience did yield the desired result.  As did my stealth and minding the various factors that play against the cloaky camper.  This is what the cloaky hunter lives for, a successful capture and kill.  Thank you Marlon Houston for your content.

For now,

Be Well New Eden

Unexpected Ships - Unconventional Fits

Just to explore this topic a bit further.  And not to take from the Stealth Bomber platform, but an idea arose that I would use a Procurer to hunt my prey.  I've seen this before, but never attempted it.  I figured a wolf in sheep's clothing.  Unsuspecting to the prey, or any eyes watching as you enter and depart the Pochven loop of gates.  An additional bonus, 12.5k m3 of cargo space to carry any mining ore dropped from your target.

I reviewed option for Blasters and Autocannons, even Rockets.  In the end the DPS output of the Blasters seemed to be the best.  The only negative is that you need to be very close to your prey.  Not terrible, but in practice if the prey is Afterburner(AB) fit they can make things drag out a bit as they can range themselves slight out of your optimal DPS range.

In addition to the Ore Cargo space, there are a couple other benefits.  The movement speed of the ship while cloaked is about 100m/s faster than the Stealth Bomber.  So while cloaked with your prey you can get into position for tackle much quicker.  Also the total EHP of your ship is about 2x that of the Stealth Bomber.  This adds to your survivability.

Now the negatives.  The DPS of the ship was about 3/4 of the Stealth Bomber's unconventional fit with Blasters and Rockets.  This proves negative as it will take longer to dispatch your prey, and longer uncloaked with them allowing the other hunters to see you and make haste to your location.  Also the cargo capacity of the ship is about half of the Stealth Bomber.  Not a huge deal, but this means you'll need to make frequent visits to a station to drop off any loot from your conquests.

Let's take a look at the fit:

Putting this fit to use I was able to bring it into Pochven and complete a successful hunt.  As with hunting in Pochven it can take some time to find a target.  But a target arrived and was dispatched by the hunting Prospect.

Sadly this kill took about 2.5 minutes from tackle to explosion.  A few errors on my part as I was not used to the lock time delay of the Prospect.  Equally the speed of the ship differed from my normal.  Lastly the target was orbiting a rock and was able to retain some speed.  Remember the proximity to prey is very important for this fit.  At some point I almost lost the prey as it burned out of my tackle range.  I was able to recover though.  A consolation prize was that I also received a trophy(frozen corpse).  Thank you Lochmere for your content!

So a bit of experimentation and trying something new.  An appreciation for what I am familiar with and how effective it is.  A learning lesson from trying something new.  Also some skills development to mind the speed and position of the prey and ensure it remains secured.

As always,

Be Well New Eden!

Stealth Bombers - Unconventional Fits

During my time hunting in both Pochven and Wormholes I've run across targets that have evaded my grasp.  Literally slipped away from near death.  Ventures are the most likely candidate to evade my grasp as they have a +2 inherent warp core strength.  Often the savvy venture pilot opting to further my misery by adding a Warp Core Stabilizer and add an addition +2 to their ship's warp core strength.

To counter this I initially went from a Warp Disrupter to a Warp Scrambler.  Then dual Warp Scramblers.  Now I employ the dual Warp Scramblers, but I have opted for the Dread Gurista variant that offers a -3.  This brings my capture ability to a -5 and my prey only a +4.

This brings about another issue for me in the trusty Stealth Bomber.  Application of damage.  Since Torpedos are intended for larger ships, the damage application is somewhat poor on small ships.  If you can keep them still and utilize Target Painter II or similar modules you can bloom their signature radius up to levels that make your damage application greatly improved.  Also adding some Small Rigor Catalyst rigs will further that signature increase.

My dilemma, if you will, is that employing the dual scrams will remove a target painter and thus reduce the signature radius increases I am counting on.  This dilemma is further amplified on the Hound and Purifier Stealth Bombers as they only offer 3 mid-slots each.  So dual scrams and a propulsion mod and no room left for the target painter.

Being a crafty hunter I wanted to fly the Hound and Purifier, mostly as they are Stealth Bombers and very cool, but needed an option to tackle my prey while still getting the damage application needed.  The solution, utilize smaller weapons.  I found a fit that uses Light Neutron Blaster II's along with Rocket II's.  So no need for the target painting nor Small Rigor Catalysts.  This allows the use of the dual scrams and a prop mod.

In the field, this setup was extremely effective on my unsuspecting targets.  The damage is enough to quickly dispatch their ship.  I'm able to hold them down.  And I benefit from a larger cargo hold to abscond away with any loot dropped from their exploded ship.  Winning!

Here is a Hound fit:

The Purifier is exactly the same, as the High, Mid, Low slot layouts are all the same.  The Power Grid and CPU usage is very minimal so no fitting issues either.  The Manticore fit differs slightly as the Manticore and Nemesis have 4 Mid slots and 2 Low slots vs. the 3 Mid and 3 Low of the Hound/Purifier.  For the Manticore I remove the Damage Control II from the Low and swap in a Small Shield Extender II in the Mid.  The outcome is about the same total Effective Hit Points(EHP).

The Blaster/Rocket combo is so effective I've even managed to take down Mining Barges.  I believe the added EHP gives a small boost in confidence to endure the drones of a Mining Barge while the lower DPS takes a bit longer to see their ship explode.  Ideally the Torpedos would be used on a Mining Barge...but you never know what you will encounter out in the wild.

Until we meet again,

Be Well New Eden!

Stealth Bombers - Conventional Fits

So, traditionally the Stealth Bomber is a missile boat that is capable of fitting Battleship size Torpedos.  This allows the ship to dish out a substantial amount of damage an unsuspecting target of opportunity.  The damage is best dealt to larger ships as the smaller ships will receive a reduced amount due to their signature radius.  So even though the damage output reads a high value, the application of this damage to smaller targets is only a fraction of that output.  The speed of the target will also force damage application to reduce as the explosion radius now plays a role in the damage applied.

Knowing the details of how damage is applied to targets, the game of fitting your Bomber is now at play.  You'll need to setup and understand your targets to engage.  If smaller targets you will need to fit modules that will increase signature radius and allow greater damage application.  If industrial hulls, then likely damage application will not be an issue and you'll want a bit of damage mitigation via your own propulsion and speed tanking or possible some modules to inhibit the targets.

The Bomber can be very effective solo.  Very.  Effective.

As I began my adventures in Pochven(and Wormholes previously) I used a more conventional fit on the Bomber.  Torpedos and some modules to tackle and improve target signature radius as my targets of opportunity will be exploration, industrial, and mining ships.  Potentially I'll target some T1 Frigates and Destroyers that I find are fit with Salvagers, since they will generally be lower risk.

In my solo efforts I generally like to fit Arbalest Torpedo Launchers and utilize the Caldari Navy Torpedos.  Cal Navy Torpedos have some bonuses to damage application, but a bit less damage to target in total.  

Tech II Torpedos and Polarized Torpedos have their arenas to shine, an example of a Polarized fit.

Be wary of incoming DPS in this fit.  There are no resists with a Polarized fit, so if your target has teeth you need to be quick.

Since I'm hunting smaller ships I will utilize the Small Rigor Catalyst rigs to naturally beef up the target's Sig Radius and, you guessed it, improve damage application.  I would ideally like to fit two Target Painters, but...as I've learned a number of times...Ventures can evade tackle as they have a +2 and the experienced Venture pilots will also fit Warp Stabelizers that add another +2 for a total of +4.  A single Warp Scrambler is -2, with two modules providing a -4.  To ensure you lock down your target you'll want to utilize a Faction Warp Scrambler, my preference the Dread Gurista Warp Scrambler that has a -3.  This brings our ability to lock down targets at a -5 and the target's most possible a +4.  We win.

For the most part I have good results with this setup.  As well, this is my preferred setup for Wormhole hunting as you never know what you'll encounter and having the damage can be a benefit.

Some recommendations, since we are nomadic:

1. Mobile Depot to refit
2. Armor and Hull Repair modules, should the worst occur and you can't make it to a Low or High Security station to repair.
3. Nanite Paste to repair modules that have been overheated
4. Expanded Probe Launcher with some Combat Probes.  For the odd ship left hanging in space or whatever combat scanning needs.

The Manticore and Nemesis are best used with this conventional fit and damage application enhancements.  This due to the Manticore and Nemesis having 4 Mid Slots.  The Purifier and Hound with 3 Mid Slots and the target tackling with some damage application enhancements becomes tough.

The Purifier and Hound have their chance to shine in the Unconventional Fits that I'll introduce in the future.

As you succeed and fail in your hunting endeavors you'll refine your fit and module swaps.  Just know your prey will equally be adjusting their fit and tactics so this is an evolving give and take.  Ideally I can take more than I give, but loss is the best teacher.

For now,

Be Well New Eden

Continuing the Hunt

Even though the landscape has changed, the goal has not.  In Pochven we continue a key benefit we enjoyed in Wormholes, we don't appear in local.  We gain a pre-defined hunting territory of 27 systems, although only 24 are accessible by gate with the remaining 3 systems being accessible by gate if the character standings are high enough.  Ours are not.  These 3 systems, the Home systems, are still accessible by filament inbound to Pochven, but once we exit into the loop systems we can't return via gate.

I find that setting up loops seems to keep things intersting.  I traverse system to system seeking targets.  Notably some systems are large enough to accommodate safe spots and off-grid staging points.  Still other systems are no larger than then extents of dscan ranges and there is really no safe location.

I generally will online in a larger system from a safe location.  Have a look around that system, then begin chaining the systems looking for targets.  I do this for a set period of time and if no targets of opportunity I'll find a system I can stage in the for the evening and camp overnight in the ship.  Then, the next day, rinse and repeat.

I like to keep my schedule variable.  A good trait in hunting, don't be predictable.  The prey seem to evolve over time, often improving themselves as the fall victim to whatever hunter and hunting tactic.  So, best to keep things fresh, keep the prey on their toes, bring a nice big surprise for all involved.

I will note that when doing wormhole hunting I employed the same tactics.  I would nomadically stage in various wormholes.  I found more targets that were surprised and unprepared when I came from nowhere with the system mostly scanned and their location already pinpointed.

One such example as we embarked on this journey:

Caught by surprise.  A satisfying moment as most successful captures are.  This one with the added bonus of a frozen corpse trophy.  Podding is an extra spark of glee that provides a definitive evidence that this encounter occurred and that the target was indeed eliminated and reset to its starting point.  Some targets don't take this well.  Some targets disappear without as much as a grunt.  Fear not traveler, your frozen corpse is retained in a collection of trophies, preserved for all time, in an extremely safe vault, on display for my periodic enjoyment.  Thank you for your content Headhunter17, be seeing you again shortly!

For now,

Be Well New Eden!

Let's Try This Again...

As with all things in Eve Online there are endings and beginnings, but likely we are never truly done.  It's been 1 year since my last update.  Admittedly my chosen path had become difficult to achieve results.  The long periods without interactions started to drain my interest.

On a good note, I'm back.  As well, there is an area of New Eden that has kept me reasonable entertained.  This area offers the same characteristics of wormholes, but the added benefit of 27 interconnected systems.  Of course, I'm referring to Pochven.

(Image Credit: PochvenPotograhper found on Reddit here)

I'll kick off this series with a focus on Pochven.  I'm still dispatching New Eden's cruelty in my favorite frigate, the Stealth Bomber.  I will however be operating via a different character, Brul Kulevra.  Brul is no stranger to Pochven, in fact years prior had success traversing the territory and delivering sweet carnage to unsuspecting mining vessels.

Hunting in Pochven provides some nice opportunities to hunt in both conventional and unconventional fits for Stealth Bombers.  Conventional being Torpedos and unconventional being a rocket/blaster combo.  Both have some advantages and disadvantages.  I'll walk through some details in the future as we navigate this portion of the adventure.

We also have some opportunities to discuss survival tactics as well as engagement risks.  Pochven is quite lively and we are not the only hunters here.  As well, we are nomadic and there are many making their home here.

Our targets will be the ships that have limited capacity to punch back.  Mostly mining frigates and barges.  We will also see some frigate and destroyers setup to loot and salvage wrecks.  These can be juicy targets with limited capacity to fight back.  We will play to our advantages here.

The opening salvo(March 2025):

This capture was found as I was exiting Pochven and headed into High Security space for a Jita trade hub run.  Spotting this opportunity I quickly determined the Ore anomaly and crept upon our unsuspecting target.  No pod as a trophy, but a nice welcome back to cloaky hunting.  Thank you for your content Andeeznuts.  Odd name.  Is it 'and these nuts' or 'Andy's nuts'?

I'll dig into my hunting ship of choice as well as the fit in a future update.  This will be considered an unconventional fit for a Stealth Bomber.  Unconventional but effective.

For now,

Be Well New Eden!