I started playing Eve online in 2018, and I’ve been enjoying it since then. Although I’ve tried joining some player corporations, I seem to have the most fun just doing my own thing in NPC corps. With my schedule/family life/time zone, I tend to play during off peak hours- so it’s really hard to be on consistently with Corp mates.
Anyways, one of the activities that I enjoy is mining in Low Sec. I realize that the general consensus is that mining in Low Sec is not recommended- but I enjoy it. I think the fact that it’s so challenging only makes me want to do it more. I found a constellation away from FW, so it’s not too busy and several systems have ore anomalies- which is nice. Since i’ve only been playing for a year, I realize that I know very little about the game, so if you have any experience/suggestions on Low-Sec mining - I’d love to hear it. I don’t mind making less isk per hour, this game is about “fun per hour” for me; so suggesting that “I’ll make more isk if I move to null” is not going to persuade me.
Throughout the month, I’ll be providing updates of my (mis)adventures directly in this thread, so feel free to ignore if this topic doesn’t interest you. I’m curious to see how this goes, and if I end up meeting interesting people along the way (here or in game). Of course, if you want to swing by just to wreck my ship… well, I guess that’s okay too.
It’s a lot of fun IMO but it is tougher living with the added “stress”…if the system is too quiet then it also can be a bit dull…but you can make a mint down there…
Hey, I don’t mine but I can imagine if you use a second account at the same time with Pvp fit ship it could be a bit of fun.
If you get over the NPC Corp your welcome to join my Corp/Alliance , id expect nothing from you, and in my Alliance we will also expect nothing from you except keep doing what you are doing and have fun.
And if by chance we are online at the same time, I could come with you and have an Alt watching what comes in the system and an Alt cloaked next to you in case someone ganks. Could be fun
Which is where it falls apart. Your starting in 2018 coincided with moon mining in High Sec. Close enough. Every single ore you can get in Low Sec anoms can now be had from moon ore belts in 0.5. And these HS varieties are always higher yield than any version you can get in LS. This is why I no longer mine LS anoms.
The obvious targets that are still worth mining in LS are glare crust - found in any ice belt - and ninja mining of so-called R64 moons ie ones that yield loparite, xenotime, monazite and ytterbite. Like all moon ores these last four do not compress, making it tricky to ship ore for sale or processing. The glare crust does compress but finding access to compression in LS is most unlikely anyway. Unless you put up your own structure.
With R64 moons you can make good money in a prospect. Otherwise, fit a procurer with ice rig, and train for exceptional moon mining crystals II, and double up. Basically, scout with the prospect because you can warp when cloaked, then bring in procurer. Although, when I was doing this regularly, I left ships at three ice belt systems and just moved between assets. I still have a porpoise in LS but it gets a lot of attention.
The reason for the procurer is you have a good chance of splashing/ tanking the clone soldier NPCs in 0.4 (and 0.3) [with 0.2 a stretch]. Also, be aware that although the endurance is an “ice” boat, it will actually out-mine a prospect on ore if you fit it with mining lasers and use mining drones - prospect has no drone facility.
Day 1: I found an ice belt offering Glare Crust (I don’t believe this is available in high sec). I used the Endurance (Tech II mining frigate). I don’t trust my piloting skills to bring a mining barge into low-sec. When first entered the system, there was one other person. I picked up a procurer on D-scan, so I decided to mine while periodically checking D-scan. Procurer then left, leaving me alone in the system for a good 15 minutes.
For those of you that don’t know this, the Eve music changes as you go from high sec (uplifting) to low sec (unsetlling). I was pleasantly surprised to see that my 3 hobgoblin I’s were capable of taking out the ice rats.
So, there I am, mining away, when another person enters. I look up the pilot- oh good, they have a -1.2 Security rating… I then pick up a Tengu on d-scan and decide it’s time to dock up.
A fairly successful session overall, i’m 20% of the way to pay off my Endurance.
Do you have gas cloud harvesting available yet? It looks like mining the “good” booster gas clouds in lowsec is still decent money. The signatures don’t contain as much gas as they do in nullsec but I haven’t encountered any rats (at least while mining Amber Cytoserocin) and a covert cloak on a prospect makes you a slippery bugger since there aren’t any bubbles. Just remember to only mine the cytoserocin ONLY, the mykoserocin is pretty worthless. There should be a single type of anomaly that yields cytoserocin in each gas-producing region. https://wiki.eveuniversity.org/Gas_cloud_harvesting might be useful.
If you drop an MTU in the middle of a Gas Anom in c4+ Wormhole Systems , you can gas huff for roughly 15min before the NPC’s arrive, warp off to another Anom and do the same, drop another MTU you might get lucky and catch a mouse ( MTU popper ) in your trap. As the NPC’s will probably flatten your attacker.
Endurance (plus prospect, venture) speed tanks very successfully in LS. Orbit at 5 km, using best afterburner you can afford, and none of the regular rats will hit you. You will even be able to speed tank a clone soldier - but only after they have come close enough to you. Clones will do enough damage to you when still 60-70 km out that you will likely need to warp out. But, if you then warp straight back in, they will be at your old location and too close to hit you once you are speed orbiting again. This works well at 0.4 and 0.3 but after that they start getting tougher and you may not last trying to tank.
Don’t forget that Endurance can cloak and then move at full speed. That is move, not warp. If you cloak when anything enters you can still d-scan until you identify what they are and/or they leave. If you can see them on d-scan before you cloak they can also see you. A good way to judge if they are pirates is if they visit the ice belt after they may have identified you. My rough rule of thumb is it is a 50:50 bet that they will. That is also why I also “police all wrecks” as i go. If you dock up but leave wrecks behind you are signalling that “someone” has been working the belt, and recently. So, you risk getting another visit where they will both return to system and go straight to belt. But if you cloak and move (and definitely do not take the glare crust closest to the beacon) you will be fine.
OP, I’m an advocate of the do-what-you-want-to-do-and-who-cares-what-anyone-else-thinks-about-it approach to EvE so I’m glad you are enjoying whatever you choose to do ingane.
- however -
I highly encourage you to try other activities in EvE out as well. EvE has so many things to do in it (many that can be adapted to work with your RL situation as many other players have), maybe you’d like some.
Everything in EvE is more enjoyable with other players.
Thanks for your feedback. I want you to know, I actually agree with you. I have tried a lot of things in Eve, but I certainly haven’t tried everything. Low sec mining happens to be one of my “niche hobbies”.
But there’s one thing I like even more, and I haven’t found a Corp that does this. I like moving around - intentionally. I have lived in high sec (multiple spots), low sec (both rural and faction Warfare) null sec, Thera, Solitude - you get the idea…
I’ll live in each spot between 2 to 6 weeks, then I’ll pack up and move. It’s not because I’m not happy there, it’s because I like to experience different parts of new eden. For several of those places, I’d happily go back… eventually.
I want to try and keep my thread on the topic of low sec mining, but if you or anyone else have suggestions please feel free to message me in game.
I had another solid ice mining session. A few people jumping in/out of system, but nothing worth mentioning.
Unfortunately, I seem to have the opposite problem than I thought I’d have- the system is a bit too isolated. For the most part, I’m able to mine in peace within low sec.
I apologize to anyone following this, hoping for a more interesting story- although the mining has been good, it’s been pretty uneventful. I had intended to do this for a month, but I might end up cutting it short unless something interesting happens…
I mine to in low sec but mostly in a porpoise, lost 2 so far
I do take the Endurance to null to mine ice, the rats are bigger but then a battleship is not very good at hitting a small target orbiting at 500ms so had them shooting at me for 20 minutes or so while i filled the hold with ice, i could kill the lesser rats, around 100k bounty each, but with 3 drones it does take some time.
If you enjoy mining in LS go for it, it is more risky but also more fun.
