so I been living for high sec for quite the time. Sadly I cant do level 4 missions anymore … because of alot of ganker activity including safety lately in my System.
So I want to move into low sec. I am not the most skilled pilot but I understand mostly what to do and how to avoid being scanned down. Now since I had alot of breaks in between I dont know if I even could survive low sec. So I wanted to ask the most expierenced if I should rather move to low sec or into unpopulated high sec regions.
That’s up to you, maklae. Both are valid choices, and there are other options too. It is true that if you move into remote backwaters of highsec you will be much less likely to enocunter gankers. The same can be said of lowsec - some areas are very quiet.
It’s also true that nowhere is 100% safe. You will lose some ships. No big deal. You will get better with experience.
If you are asking for a vote one way or another, I vote lowsec. Find a nice quiet pocket with nobody in local chat to get used to the mechanics and then learn from there.
Having run level 4s in lowsec, in my view, yes it’s totally possible for an inexperienced player to effectively run level 4s in lowsec without too much issue.
There are really 2 main things that help:
have an alt that can scout when you need to move your missioning ship around (agents will send you a few jumps away in lowsec, so scouting gates helps
d-scan, d-scan, d-scan (and then some more)
Additional things that will help:
unclutter your overview. Using something like SaraSharwa or Z-S overviews are worth using
if you have the luxury, having a mission accepting/completing alt may be useful since you won’t need to move around as much (I never bothered with this though, so ymmv)
positioning your scout alt outside the entry gate to the mission helps as a backup to d-scanning. If you miss seeing the probes, you’ll definitely see when someone tries to enter your mission site
don’t sit on the warpin point when you jump through gates. Moving away will give you time to react f someone does come into your site
find a level 4 agent that is only a jump or 2 into lowsec (for example, I used to run the level 4 agents in Uphallant, where there are 5 x level 4 agents and then 1 level 5 agent + 1 level 5 next door in Iges, then a few more elvel 4 agents a couple of jumps away). That will make it easier to get supplies, move loot out, etc.
If you stay on your toes, running level 4s in lowsec really isn’t much more risk than running them in highsec.
Why do you worry about gankers in highsec? Do you bling bling your mission ships? If so, then doing the same in lowsec will make you an even bigger target, people will hunt you.
Why do you want to run lvl4 missions in lowsec? If you go there you have other, better PvE options to earn ISK, if it is what you are after. DED sites, level 5 missions. For burner missions, people run them in NPC nullsec for max profit.
^This… anyone capable of killing you in high sec is also capable of killing you in low sec… in fact they have more options (they won’t lose ships to concord, they can cyno in help) and more incentive (easier to collect loot, lesser sec status losses) to do so.
If you can’t survive in high sec perhaps you should focus more on your survival skills (and by this I mean your situational awareness…not your tank) before moving to lower sec.
If you are seriously considering moving to low-sec here are my bits of advice:
Learn the areas you wish to go to.
This requires spending a bit of time studying the maps, learning about the various high–to-low connections, and gauging local populations.
– Which places see a lot of traffic?
– Which routes are closest to trade hubs?
– Which are “focal points” of Faction Warfare?
– In general, the more remote and sparsely populated one of these connections is, the lower the chances are of running into a gate-camp.
– The more time you spend in low-sec, the less time you will need to do this as you will become familiar with the “problem areas.”
Slap together a cheap and agile ship and… fly around.
– This gets you more first-hand experience that a map can’t tell you.
– By flying an agile (and hopefully fast) ship you can escape most hostile situations with ease.
– By flying a cheap ship you won’t lose that much money when you find a situation you can’t escape from.
– By simply SURVIVING (or dying) and learning what risks actually exist you can better gauge what you can and cannot get away with.
– While you are travelling around, you can make “insta-undock” bookmarks at various stations you wish to visit in the future. “Safe spot” Bookmarks are another you can work on too.
If you are not familiar with either, go to youtube and look it up. It is pretty easy once you get the hang of it.
Learn how to PvP
– I have said it for years, and I’ll say it again: The best way to avoid PvP is to learn how to PvP.
– By learning how to hunt other players, what tactics are used to intercept, and how to effectively destroy player ships… a person can better hide, slip away, and give the finger to any predators that they come across.
– Sometimes the best way to learn how to PvP is by joining people that actively PvP.
I’m not talking about being an F1 monkey for a null-group. Look for small low-sec groups in Faction Warfare or longtime residents of Low-sec that don’t advertise themselves.
– Smaller PvP groups tend to be more involved with training a newcomer AND will generally give wide latitude in what their members can do (see: as long as you are fun to hang out with, your activities do not bring unwanted attention, and you shoot the people we don’t like… you can PvP or PvE as much as you want).
Control your expectations.
– It is possible to make a lot of money in low-sec. But it comes at the cost of having to be MUCH more mindful about… well… everything.
– You will have to start “small” until you get comfortable. This means you may run a “loss” in the short-run.
– You can certainly do everything solo, but be aware that this is basically “hard mode” in EVE. Especially in more “hostile” areas like low-sec, null-sec, and W-Space.
– Don’t be afraid to talk with people and make connections. Even with people who are actively hunting you. If you show yourself to be “competent” (in the sense that you are hard to kill) and are fun to hang out with, you might find yourself being invited to fly with your attackers. Or, they may point you to some of their industrial friends (every PvP group has an “industry” / “moneymaking” backbone).