So, what do we know about Upwell Covert Research Facilities?

PvE Gameplay Center PvE Ships & Modules
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I apologize if there is another megathread regarding this.
First, I’m hearing that these sites are broken and are ‘much rarer than intended’. True?
What do we know about these? How hard are they? Are the ones in lowsec different than the ones in null? What do we know about damage types, resistance types, ewar?

Thank you, pilots

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Sites themselves aren’t too hard. You get Omni damage from a few waves of multiple ship classes from frigate to battlecruiser, and then need to tank 264 DPS (omni) and 30 Gj/sec neut pressure for the final boss.

The “hard part” is other players killing you in lowsec/null, because most of the time you are pointed by rats.

Garth

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As Garth Takeshi points out, the sites are okay, if you can tank it. Basic breakdown:

  • On the probe scanner window, the Upwell site will be shown, so no need to probe down.
  • When you warp to the site, it will put up a beacon that can be seen on regular overview, so anyone can now warp to you.
  • There are 4 waves of rats, with a 15 second delay from the last rat being defeated to the next wave spawning.
  • Rat wave composition is not static, mixture of ship sizes up to battlecruiser level.
  • The boss, called the Overmind, is a Battleship with a punchy Alpha and hefty neuting.
  • Once you’ve killed the Overmind, a ‘cloaked container’ decloaks. Lock it and kill it to get the BPCs.

Loot: Drops from the Overmind and the container only. The rats during the waves drop nothing and salvage gives T1 stuff.

Rats:

  • Waves are a mix of sizes, so you will be facing lots of E-War. Expect scrams, webs, long points, tracking disrupts, missile disrupts, and neuts.

  • If you try and keep range and kite them, they will microjump a few hundred km away, then jump back so they’re within 10km.

  • Rats are also labelled for your convenience:

  • A-type will apply EM damage, and be weak against EM damage

  • B-type will apply Thermal damage, and be weak against Thermal damage

  • C-type will apply Kinetic damage, and be weak against Kinetic damage

  • D-type will apply Explosive damage, and be weak against Explosive damage

  • Overmind will apply omni-damage, and have omni-resists

  • Rats will keep aggro for a long time, such that if you have to escape for whatever reason, then they will follow you for over 1500km from the site beacon (I got away because their scram dropped for a moment)

Tips I’ve applied throughout my runs:

  • Tanking damage isn’t too hard, a Deadspace MSB will tank it easily, including the alpha from the Overmind.
  • Try and be cap-stable, as these engagements can take a while.
  • Take a web or something for better application to frigates as they’re fast buggers.
  • Drones get chewed up by the rats fairly quickly, and the rats will come for your ship, not the drones.
  • I wouldn’t use anything bigger than a BC unless you can get your BS to give good application to frigates.
  • Recognise that your ship is lost the moment you decide to start one of these sites. Other people will drop onto your site because they want a fight/to mess with you. The beacon in the overview means they don’t even have to scan you down. If they jump on grid, you’re pretty much boned because you’re pointed by the rats, unless you have friends on overwatch.
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This is very informative. Thank you Charis_Braddock

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Not certain if Low Sec Pilots are even thinking about engaging a solo-site runner in low or null. The fact is that the Drones could suddenly lock their ships down just as easy as the solo-site runners ship gets locked down.

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@Omniwing: my pleasure. Forewarned is forearmed!

@DrysonBennington: Well, this is purely anecdotal, but the last 2 sites I’ve run have ended up in losing my ship to players dropping onto the site. Different systems, different pilots. One was possibly just because I was already running the site, the other was a hero tackle and then an Ishtar dropped in (which made me laugh).
If I was going to engage a site runner it’s easy enough, as they’re already pointed and scrammed. The aggro mechanics are such that the aggressor will have enough time to use their DPS to nuke down a PvE build, using the site drones as assistance, before the site drones recognise the aggressor as a threat and turn on them. In many ways, the site drones are your hero tackle, if you’re the aggressor.
It depends on how you build, but I tank for the site. I think if I’m going to do more sites, I might include a buffer as well as a rep, purely to withstand surprise PvP.

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i see every day many event sites in low sec and some npc null sec regions
they are not hard to do solo in a tanky HAC
answers to your questions (damages, etc) are easily found in videos and tutos using google
https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b&q=Upwell+Covert+Research+Facilities

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Those sites don’t seem to spawn anymore (as expected)
So where are now found the EDENCOM/Vorton skills/blueprints ?

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So this event is now over, and I ran my final Signal Source today.

I was running in a 60m t1 BC rather than something bling - as the major risk was being popped in lowsec. I got hotdropped twice - once was a Rapier with Cyno in lowsec and other was a thrasher gang + sabre in Nullsec. I also escaped three times (mjd ftw).

Nevertheless I made about 4b isk from this event which is far far more than any other event I’ve taken part in.

So my summary of positives and negatives:

Positive:

  • lowsec and Nullsec was fun. it gave content to roamers, added some pvp aspect to pve.
  • the escalation aspect was cool, I liked the chance of being able to run it again and having it in a random system meant you rolled the dice as to whether it was going to be busy or not, or go into Nullsec.
  • Pure ISK profit for this event was huge, which is a plus!
  • Theorycrafting a disposable ship that could still run both escalation parts and escape from gangs was fun.

Negatives:

  • loot on the signal source (third tier escalation) was consistently lower than first and second parts, but the difficulty of the end boss was higher. Not sure why that was.
  • got a bit repetitive after a while but then this is pve so not sure what I was expected there.
  • sometimes sites were quite hard to find, but not too bad overall.

Generally, a great event. I was confused by the storyline though. First part you fight drones entirely and then an overmind, then you fight drones but suddenly Triglavians are at the end (??) then you end up finding the “signal source” and it’s all Triglavians behind the whole thing?? Are the Triglavians using drones to attack EDENCOM structures? Perhaps @Ashterothi can help me here?

Looking forward to the next event!

Garth

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If you read DAV set of datastreams you can see that the Triglavians have brought some Rogue Drone hives under their control under the Detached Navka.

The Rogue Drones from the event were Navka Overmind Drones and the Triglavians are the Veles clade, known for working with the Rogue Drones

" as the flow of Vyraj brings communion of the Sobornost to those that may be fit for glorification, the flow shall cleave and cladistic proving shall begin anew in the ancient domains."

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