Friday, November 30, 2018

November Pirate Stats

So I decided to restart my solo pirate career 10 days ago! The results for November have been pretty good.

Value Destroyed: 1.35B ISK
Value of Loot: 637.8M ISK
Losses: 0 ISK

NOVEMBER PROFIT: +637.8M ISK

The majority of my loot actually came from MTUs. Two MTUs, specifically. 







So, hunting MTU can be very profitable! There's very little danger, too. Just be careful of any lingering NPC rats. 

THOUGHTS

I spent alot of time around southern Placid, ganking FW farmers and bots. They drop very little loot. Sadly, podding them tanked my security status significantly and I spent hours belt ratting to get it back to -2.0. They're not worth hunting.

Besides MTUs, my other biggest source of ISK came from ganking null sec explorers. A relic site in null sec can yield 20m-100m EACH, so it won't take long for an explorer to accumulate lots of loot. 

Wednesday, May 23, 2018

23 May 2018 - Kill #16 - Virgin Imicus

This virgin explorer still had his civilian hacking module in his cargo hold. But loot is loot!





Looted: +1.7M
Running total: -4.9M

23 May 2018 - Kill #15 - FW Venture

Did a bit of God's work today: obliterating Faction Warfare farmers.





Loot: +0.1M
Running total: -6.6M

Tuesday, May 22, 2018

22 May 2018 - Kill #14 - Imicus

Another notch for my Pirate Venture! I only logged on for a short session, and patrolled three systems when I spotted this Imicus on d-scan. I scanned down a relic site that hadn't been hacked yet, and waited at the warp-in point with my Venture. The Imicus was toast 5 minutes later.




Loot: +4.3M
Running total: -6.7M

Sunday, May 20, 2018

20 May 2018 - Kill #13 - Imicus redux

Killed the same newbro from my previous gank. The loot was pretty good this time. 




Loot: +13.5M
Running total: -11M

20 May 2018 - Kill #12 - Imicus

Caught this newbie alone at a data site. Discovered a new trick with the Astero - if you know an explorer is warping in, wait at the warp-in point and decloak as they land. You'll wear off the decloak delay as their ship settles on grid, allowing you to lock them immediately. It'll also preserve the data/relic site for future ganks. Just remember to blow up their wreck after looting. 



Looted: +3M
Running total: -24.5M

Friday, May 18, 2018

18 May 2018 - Kill #11 - Manticore ganker

While on routine low sec belt patrol, I stumbled on a flashy-red Manticore beating a hapless Venture. Who to target, the pirate meanie or the innocent miner?

Naturally, I targeted the ship with the most ISK. This happened to be the pirate Manticore. I was in a Nemesis myself.

Now, alot of people say that the Manticore is better than the Nemesis, but in this case I disagree. While the Manticore possesses more CPU, if you're ganking with rockets and turrets, the Nemesis beats the Manticore, just by virtue of having a stronger natural tank (2.93 ehp vs 2.65 ehp, naked). So in a Manticore vs Nemesis battle, the Nemesis will have the upper hand.




Looted: 11.9M
Running total: -27.5M

Thursday, May 17, 2018

17 May 2018 - Kill #10 - Newbie Imicus

I kinda felt bad for blapping this newbie explorer. Kinda. But the Pirate Venture is proving its worth as a gank ship.



Loot: +1.7M
Running total: -39.4M

17 May 2018 - Kill #9 - Anathema

The Pirate Venture strikes! I saw an Anathema on d-scan while patrolling low sec, and within half a minute, probed down the data site that the ship was in.

The Anathema casually sat there as I landed and closed in. It wasn't even hacking a can. It probably saw my Venture with a bit of curiosity, wondering if I was going to tickle it with my mining laser?

One minute later...



This was a Moby Dick! 300m in its hold! Alas, most of the loot was held in a cargo can, and the loot fairy said no. The ship even had a Sisters Core Probe Launcher that didn't drop. I pilfered 7M isk in scraps and moved on.

Loot: +7.3M
Running total: -41.1M

Wednesday, May 16, 2018

Fit of the Now: The Pirate Venture

This low sec Venture can do it all - huff precious cyto gas, hack sites, and pop unarmed explorers.

The following is the default "travel" fit. With V skills and a cheap AR-802 implant, it has enough probe strength (80.5) to scan down level IV sites. It boasts 123 dps, two scrams and 4289 m/s velocity when overheated. The locking time vs a frigate is 1.9s, and align time is 2.99s. Its tank is absolutely minimal, only 975 EHP, but you get an innate 2+ warp core strength defence to help warp you out, should your victim fight back.

[Venture, Low Sec Pirate]

Nanofiber Internal Structure II

Faint Epsilon Scoped Warp Scrambler
Faint Epsilon Scoped Warp Scrambler
5MN Quad LiF Restrained Microwarpdrive

Light Neutron Blaster II, Void S
Core Probe Launcher II, Sisters Core Scanner Probe
Light Neutron Blaster II, Void S

Small Gravity Capacitor Upgrade I
Small Targeting System Subcontroller I
Small Low Friction Nozzle Joints II


Hobgoblin II x2

CARGO
Deluge Enduring Burst Jammer x1
Initiated Enduring Multispectral ECM x1
Gas Cloud Harvester II x2
Relic Analyzer II x1
Data Analyzer II x1


The total cost is 22M isk. 

Huffing gas

Dock up at a station, replace guns with gas harvesters, and swap the scrams with the burst jammer and multispectral ECM. They are your defence in case you're jumped while huffing.

Hacking

Replace a scram with the relic or data analyzer. If another explorer warps into your site, you still have another scram to point him. You can also replace the second scram with the burst jammer if you're paranoid against stealth bombers. Your align time is 2.99s, so an Astero shouldn't have enough time to lock you. Turn off your MWD while hacking to keep your align time at 2.99s.

Hunting

Most people assume that Ventures are harmless. If an explorer sees a Venture warp into his site, his suspicion won't be as high as say an interceptor or an Astero. With the travel fit, you warp into hacking sites and pop a target as quickly as possible. Only target unarmed T1 and cov-op explorers. If they fight back, warp out. Because of your ore hold, you can also target Ventures and Prospects and loot their gas / ore. 

Final comments

I'd recommend this for low sec only, preferably in areas with stations nearby.

I've estimated the isk/hr for this ship to be 40M-70M per hour, depending on which region you're in (some regional cyto gas and salvage are worth more than others). If you choose to run a pure PVE fit (i.e. gas harvesters in high slots, relic/data analysers in mid), and refit for combat if you see someone interesting, you can push for 70M-90M per hour. Cherry-pick relic sites and hack the Remains cans only. Skip all data sites unless its a Covert Research Facility. 

16 May 2018: Loss #2 - 68M Malediction

Lost my second ship in a row, a Malediction in null sec. I had docked up and refitted a hacking module in order to complete a ghost site. When I undocked, an insta-locking Hecate was waiting outside. Eh, I thought, I'm in an "insta-warping" interceptor, so I should be safe to warp, right? Wrong! Blap. 68.5M goes up in smoke.




Next time, I'm just going to bring a mobile depot, or dock up at an empty station.

Unfortunately, this dips my piracy venture into the red! And maybe I should really stick to low sec for now.

Initial loss: -68.5M
Insurance: +3.1M
Final loss: -65.4M

Running total: -48.4M


Monday, May 14, 2018

14 May 2018: Loss #1 - 44M Raptor

So I just incurred my first loss, a dual PVP/hacking Raptor. I was baited into attacking a Helios at a relic site in PF-346, a gateway system between high sec and null. Alas, the Helios was tackle-fitted. As my Raptor floated helplessly, a Harpy warped in and finished me off.




Lesson learned:

1. Carry long-range ammo. All I had was void. I nearly had the Helios in structure and might've destroyed him if I had something longer-range to shoot with.

2. Drop the PVE module (relic analyser) and replace with something combat-related. In my case, I think I would've benefited from a Burst Jammer for those GTFO moments. 

3. Fly cheaper. Interceptors are great in null, but for every one that blows up, I could've flown 10 Atrons. 

4. Maybe stick to low sec. There are no need for interceptors in low sec. 

Initial Loss: -52M
Insurance: +8M
Final Loss: -44M

Running total: +17M

Sunday, May 13, 2018

Fit of the Now: Atron explorer hunter

If you want to hunt explorers and miners cheap, then consider this fit. It's the equivalent of an interceptor, minus the warp bubble immunity. Total cost is around 4M isk.

[Atron, explorer hunter]

Type-D Restrained Nanofiber Structure
Type-D Restrained Nanofiber Structure
Type-D Restrained Nanofiber Structure

Faint Epsilon Scoped Warp Scrambler
Faint Epsilon Scoped Warp Scrambler
5MN Cold-Gas Enduring Microwarpdrive

Core Probe Launcher II, Sisters Core Scanner Probe
Regulated Light Neutron Phase Cannon I, Federation Navy Antimatter Charge S
Regulated Light Neutron Phase Cannon I, Federation Navy Antimatter Charge S
Regulated Light Neutron Phase Cannon I, Federation Navy Antimatter Charge S

Small Gravity Capacitor Upgrade I
Small Gravity Capacitor Upgrade I
[Empty Rig slot]

DPS: 111 (level V)
EHP: 1.71k (level V)

You should have enough probe strength to scan down sites. If not, try adding a cheap rangefinding implant. 

The fit features insta-warping and <2s locking time versus frigates. If you begin locking an explorer and they're within range of your scrams, they are most likely toast.

The tank is very light, so avoid combat-explorers like the Astero. Stick to unarmed T1 and T2 frigate explorers only. You can also pop any other defenceless ships if you spot any. 

At 4M per fit, this is an extremely cheap hunter. You should be ISK-positive only after a few ganks. 

Happy hunting!

13 May 2018 - Kill #8 - Heron

I was testing out a new Atron gank fit in low sec, and spotted this newbie explorer. What better target than a defenceless Heron? Blapped and looted 3M.




Loot: +3M
Running total: 61M

Saturday, May 12, 2018

12 May 2018 - Kill #7 - WH Venture

Popped this newbie gas huffer. We had a short convo after where she/he asked a few questions about the gank. If they're nice, I'm always happy to share info. It's just a game!



Loot: +6M
Running total: 58M

12 May 2018 - Kill #6 - Kestrel

I spotted this lonely Kestrel jumping into a C3 wormhole from low sec. It began running anomalies, and I considered letting the pilot run all the easy ones in the wormhole, and loot his wreck in the end. But then I detected a Rattlesnake on d-scan. I decided to kill it before the Rattlesnake did.




Loot: +6M
Running total: 52M

12 May 2018 - Kill #5 - Heron

This particular explorer, SpaceBalabas, escaped me three times. He had a habit of probing systems while hovering outside a station. Every time I caught him, he'd dock up, and left me a delightful message.




After 90 minutes of cat-and-mouse, I finally caught him warping at 100km into a relic site that I'd been camping with my interceptor. I presumed that he'd warp in from the system's only station, so I aligned myself to the station, and flew 50km in the station's direction. This was in case he warped in at 0km or 100km (an interceptor can cover 50km very quickly). 

Sure enough, he landed about 100km from the warp-in point. I moved in quickly, scrammed and podded. 


Loot: +22M
Running total: 46M

12 May 2018 - Kill #4 - CN Hookbill

This was a fight I should've avoided, but I was interested in seeing what my trusty Astero could do. I saw a CN Hookbill on d-scan plexing a FW site, and spent a few minutes crunching numbers. I felt I could take this fight, and warped in to engage. 

The fight was very close. By the end, I was down to 90% structure and virtually capped out, but my enemy exploded before I did.

All I got was a lousy 6m. ISK-wise, the fight wasn't worth it, as I was putting an 80m ship on the line. But the close fight gave me a good dose of the shakes, which I hadn't experienced for months. Whew! 


Loot: +6M
Running total: 24M

Friday, May 11, 2018

11 May 2018 - Kill #3 - Venture

Executed an alpha Venture. Loot was disappointing.



Loot: 0m
Running total: 18m

My piracy philosophy

Just a little background on my philosophy on piracy in Eve Online.

I'm strictly solo. I enjoy the hunt. While joining a fleet or gatecamp will reduce my risk, there's no thrill. So I prefer to hunt on my own in all areas of low, null, and wormhole space. There'll be the odd occasion of high-sec shenanigans like can-baiting, but I don't find that style particularly fun.

I prefer to fly quick and cloaky, so my hulls of choice are the Astero (Bastero!), the Raptor, and all stealth bombers. I've tried bigger hulls like the Stratios and Curse, but found that bigger hulls encouraged me to take on dangerous foes, which is the opposite of piracy. If you're targeting rich, defenceless ships, then you don't necessarily need to fly something big and expensive.

My target of choice is the unarmed explorer, although I'll also take on anything else that's relatively defenceless or profitable like miners, haulers, scouts, rookies and alts. 

PVE-wise, I try to stick to low sec where possible. If I take some, I gotta give some as well. Again, it's the thrill, but this time of being hunted. Seriously, if you want to maximise your fun in Eve, get out of high sec!

I have no end goal in mind, except to see my coffers rise with ill-gotten loot. Yarrrrr! 

11 May 2018 - Kill #2 - Arbitrator

I stumbled on an exploration cruiser, who was probably an alpha player. The fight took over 5 minutes, but I eventually broke his tank. The pilot was relatively smart for an alpha, and targeted my drones while I slowly stripped his armour. I was down to my last 5 DPS drones when he finally blew up. He didn't drop much, though.



Loot: +3M
Running total: 18M

11 May 2018 - Kill #1 - Magnate

Standard explorer gank. Found at the local sun while probing. Naughty.




Loot: +15M

Welcome to the Bastero! Eve Online blog

Hey everyone! Welcome to my Eve Online blog.

A little about myself. I'm a pirate in Eve Online. By "pirate", I mean that I try to make my PVP engagements profitable. That's the whole point of piracy. To profit from people's demise. Yarrrrr!

Some people think that I'm a coward. But piracy is just like any other business. You assess an engagement on its risk vs benefit, and if the analysis checks out, engage and make some ISK. If the analysis doesn't check out, you move on like any wise businessman would.

My Eve moniker is Kaivarian Coste of the friendly Placid Peace Corps. He's not a bad guy, honest! He just REALLY likes your cargo. You'll often spot him flying his (B)astero around lawless space. Ignore his -10 security status. That's just a silly typo. :)

Anyway, I hope you enjoy my blog!