Alright, so lately when I solo (which is basically all I do these days), I’ve been putting a probe launcher onto a Venture, so that I can mine and make a bit of cash while I’m scanning down sites in the system
I found that, while you can slap a couple analyzers and a cargo scanner to the Venture, and they WILL work, trying to run Data/Relic sites in a mining frigate is less effective/harder than using a exploration frigate, so I get that
But tell me why more people don’t start mining some rocks, and scan down the sites while doing so, then take a Heron to clean 'em up? It’s like getting paid a base salary with the option of bonuses, so I’m not sure why I don’t see more people doing it/talking about it
Also let’s see your unorthodox fits/kits/things that shouldn’t work but they seem to
Update: apparently I’m not wrong, I’m just still scratching the surface of this game after years lol thanks folks
“Probe launchers on ventures” is extremely common in Lowsec where there is serious money to be made huffing gas sites. You’re probably not living in lowsec nor hanging out with the right folks to know how common this is.
a venture explorer & miner is super-useful in low sec since gas is worth alot. if you fit warp scramblers, you can also become an explorer-miner killer as well. any ore or gas that drops can be looted into your ore hold and give a nice bump to your bank balance.
the +2 strength to warp core stability also means that you can GTFO from alot of pvp situations. the ship is very under-rated.
my combat fit (incredibly cheap, about 1m isk. I use combat probes to find miners & explorers):
You’re not wrong mate. Usually the mids for ventures are fitted with an MWD or AB and a buffer or active tank in case of rat spawns so don’t usually one shot you compared to a paper tanked venture. Your fit will work just fine in most Highsec and Lowsec systems as a hybrid explo/mining frig. It’s complemented with a +2 warp core strength which can help in some situations where you may get gate camped by not so competent campers or tackled, allowing you to get off scot free. But if you intend to do this explo and mining in a specific area of two to three systems rather than roaming around, I’d suggest investing into an explo ship for a quick refit to allow you to hack better with greater success. Otherwise, this fit should work fine for a wandering explorer!