[Loki, Loki Exploration]
Syndicate Damage Control
Power Diagnostic System II
Ballistic Control System II
Ballistic Control System II
Gist X-Type Large Shield Booster
Pithum A-Type Multispectrum Shield Hardener
Relic Analyzer I
Data Analyzer I
Pith B-Type Shield Boost Amplifier
Heavy Assault Missile Launcher II
Heavy Assault Missile Launcher II
Heavy Assault Missile Launcher II
Heavy Assault Missile Launcher II
Heavy Assault Missile Launcher II
Small Tractor Beam II
Covert Ops Cloaking Device II
Sisters Expanded Probe Launcher
Medium Capacitor Control Circuit II
Medium Capacitor Control Circuit II
Medium Hydraulic Bay Thrusters I
Loki Core - Immobility Drivers
Loki Defensive - Covert Reconfiguration
Loki Offensive - Launcher Efficiency Configuration
Loki Propulsion - Intercalated Nanofibers
Hobgoblin II x5
Core Scanner Probe I
Scourge Rage Heavy Assault Missile
Hello, I would like to try a Loki for some exploration in High Sec and maybe Low.
I do not intend to enter wormholes.
Does anyone have any comments or advice regarding this fitting?
Unless you’re looking to do combat sites that you probe down, it’s faster and cheaper to use an exploration frigate to do relic and data sites. Especially the T2 exploration frigates, if you can fly those, are nimble and much faster in warp and on grid than a T3C like your Loki.
Next, you may want a propulsion module when doing relic and data sites. While it’s possible to do without propulsion module and instead warp back and forth from a tactical bookmark you made just outside the site to the different containers, moving from one container to the next will go much faster with a propulsion module. And that ‘warping back and forth’ strategy, if you were to use it, would take much longer than necessary in a cruiser like the Loki as compared to T2 explorers.
Third, I see completely different price and tier ranges on your ship.
Syndicate Damage Control, 209M ISK, Gist X-Type Large Shield booster for 360M ISK?
Pythum A-Type Multispectrum hardener for 1.3B?! Those things, especially that last one should either be on very specialised fits, or on very expensive ships like supercarriers and titans.
It makes no sense to fit those on a Loki that also uses T1 hacking modules. Even if the hacking modules were T2, your Loki would be fit mostly for non-combat purposes (exploration), which means your ship could do the exact same at a tenth of the price.
My recommendation: grab a Helios, Cheetah, Anathema or Buzzard instead.
You are right, I didn’t check prices well enough there. However, a Helios or Buzzard does not have the same amount of bite, so I don’t quite understand your remark. I don’t want to go docking every time I encounter some rats.
For some reason nobody wants me to fly a T3, because everytime I ask people tell me I shouldn’t, so why do people fly T3 if they are all so bad for apparently everything and anything?
If you’re looking to do exploration and go after relic and data sites, you shouldn’t encounter any rats that you need bite for.
Exploration can and preferably should be done without any fighting at all. T2 explorers may not have any bite, but they’re the best specialist ships for non-combat exploration due to their warp speed, agility and sub-warp speed, which means you get more exploration loot over time.
T3 cruisers are fantastic ships, once you have the skills and know what you want to use them for. The reason people may advice you to fly other ships isn’t that T3Cs are bad. When you ask questions like in this thread, it shows that you do not yet have much experience in EVE and probably will have more success (and cheaper losses) if you first fly other non-T3 ships.
Even though I have the skills to fly T3Cs, I still wouldn’t use them for exploration relic and data sites, simply because they’re slower than T2 explorers. Only if my goal were to be to also fight any players that I come across while exploring would I consider a T3C.
Astero for exploration, gila or t3d for hisec DED, save the 3B ISK Loki with X-large x-type booster (if you can still cram them on cap stable with past few years’ changes) for serious losec/nulsec ded sites.
The Astero isn’t a bad option if you wish to fight other explorers.
But if you’re going for the loot, rather than the fights, T2 explorers warp faster, scan faster, warp safer (nullified) and are a fraction of the cost.
Save the Astero for when you want to chase other explorers.
Don’t know why all the hate on T3 Cruisers, in my opinion they’re still great ships, even after CCP’s constant nerfs.
To the OP, I use my bling fit Loki for both Exploration and Level 4 Epic Arcs.
For exploration the cloak is your best defense, always activate it and warp away from gates asap. With practice you can be very quick on the draw with it, making it nearly impossible for others to target you. Basically you cloak warp to a celestial object like a planet, decloak, launch probes, cloak warp to another celestial object and conduct your scans there while remaining cloaked.
Course for High Sec there’s a very limited amount of sites the T3 Cruisers can run, so you’ll probably want some combat Destroyers stashed away in various systems to run the lower sites, also have HAC or equivalent sized ships for the larger sites. Course this is just for Cosmic Signatures since Cosmic Anomalies don’t have any gates.
Along with the on-board Sub-System Hold, you can also carry 2x Small Secure Containers in your Cargohold to hold munitions and various mods, etc to help refit for those other sub-systems. Or anchor in safe spot to hold loot, etc.
For hacking I suggest using a custom mod that can access both types of sites, like a Zeugma Integrated Analyzer or equivalent so you can also fit a prop mod.
For missions / epic arcs, don’t bother with cloak, just go with full combat fit and switch to cloak fit when traveling.
Here’s some ‘OLD’ screenshots of my Loki fits for reference. I still need to update my screenshots. My current fits are similar to these ‘OLD’ screenshot fits, just a couple mods and implants have changed…
Yes, maybe I lack experience in some parts, but I do have the skills.
Btw, my last corp tried to shoot me down in space because I didn’t have the knowledge they wanted me to have. So instead of explaining things, they tried to attack me instead.
This is why I fly alone and chats like the help channels are useless, because you get the same reaction as in this forum: You don’t know what you are talking about, instead of a helpful explanation.
The Eve community is gatekeeping where it can.
So I will do as I always do, try on my own.
Thread can be closed. I will find a fit.
ps.: I was also told not to fly a Kronos for Missions. I do now and its fun. I wonder what agenda people have to discourage people from flying the ships they want.
Sounds like a bad corporation to me, I’m glad you left and found your own way!
My apologies, it’s not my intention to be gatekeeping.
If you wish to fly that Loki for exploration, go ahead!
I only answered your question about why other people seem to discourage you from flying T3Cs, which is on one hand is because you do not seem to be (but could nevertheless be) experienced with exploration yet.
On the other hand, my own reason to discourage you from flying T3Cs is because you wish to do exploration. In my own experience as explorer you make more ISK from exploration in a faster ship, like T2 frigates, rather than in a bigger ship like T3Cs.
Try a Pacifier and you’ll be zooming from site to site!
In my opinion that depends on what type of exploration you’re actually doing. A T2 Exploration Frigate isn’t going to do well in the mid to high level sites.
However I will say I do use my T2 Cheetah for event hacking sites. But for regular exploration I’ll just keep using my go-to exploration ship, my Loki. Especially since I’m a Nomadic Explorer.
What kind of mid to high level exploration sites do you need combat for?
Just wondering, I made my exloration money doing mainly relic sites in null sec, but the few data sites I did can too be completed in a frigate. Both non-combat.
Never risked gost sites yet (wrong module on my fit) but those are for frigates too, I think?
there are some combat hacking sites in low sec (and maybe null). i remember finding a few in placid, and they drop drug-manufacturing loot like skillbooks and drug blueprints. they’re worth running if you can tank the NPCs.
I was including all exploration sites when I said it depends on what type of exploration you’re actually doing. I ran all sites but made the majority of my ISK from running combat sites and their escalations.
As for Ghost sites, I highly doubt a T2 Exploration Frigate can survive them, unless it just hacks one can and warps out.
Anyway, if it’s just doing Hacking then yeah, a T2 exploration Frigate will be fine…
While other signatures like gas sites, wormholes or combat sites also can be scanned down, such sites may require a different setup.
I mean, you could slap a relic analyzer on a Venture and scan for both gas sites and hacking sites and call it ‘exploration’, but you’re going to be less efficient than if you were to specialise on either gas or relic/data sites. Likewise for slapping an analyzer on a ship fit for combat sites.
My recommendation to use T2 frigates is if you wish to make your money efficiently doing hacking only, not by doing combat sites and/or gas huffing on the side.
Isn’t that the whole purpose of those sites though, to hack on a timer and get out before the (worthless yet strong) NPCs warp in and blow up the rest of the cans?
Here is a Loki fit that I’ve been using for some scanning and MTU hunting. You can easily swap the covert ops rig out but it does give you the role bonus for scanning and data site hacking
[Loki, Explorer Loki]
Capacitor Flux Coil II
Ballistic Control System II
Damage Control II
Capacitor Flux Coil II
Large Shield Booster II
Cargo Scanner II
Multispectrum Shield Hardener II
Relic Analyzer II
50MN Quad LiF Restrained Microwarpdrive
Covert Ops Cloaking Device II
Sisters Expanded Probe Launcher
Salvager II
Heavy Missile Launcher II
Heavy Missile Launcher II
Heavy Missile Launcher II
Heavy Missile Launcher II
Heavy Missile Launcher II
Medium Capacitor Control Circuit II
Medium Capacitor Control Circuit I
Medium Capacitor Control Circuit II
If you’re not doing wormholes, you don’t need a combat fit. Kspace explo can involve combat sites, but it usually doesn’t.
T3s are still good for it. The advice about a cov ops frigate is fine, but if you’re going into low or null (where the real money is) then a T3 is quite good. Only ship that can be interdiction nullified AND cov ops cloak AND enough raw ehp to not instantly die to smartbombs. You have to screw up really badly to be caught by any gate camp with a t3.
I don’t think you know how ghost sites work if you think survival is an issue. When the NPCs show up, they instantly kill all remaining loot cans, so if you’re still there when they arrive, there’s no point to fighting anyway.
I never said anything about fighting the NPC’s in those sites. And I know exactly how Ghost Sites work and survival is definitely an issue. The last thing anybody wants is to lose their ship and loot when the NPC’s warp in and blow up the cans which have an AOE damage…
