Yesterday I got ganked ... and you want to know why!

[Solecist_Project]

Hi, I am Sol!

Yesterday me and my friend @Black_Pedro transported a Raitaru through highsec. I was flying a mammoth, the equivalent of a Truck in EVE ONLINE, and he was commanding a fleet of seven outlaws (and/or soon to be) as my personal escort.

We went eighteen jumps to pick up the Raitaru, and another ten+ to our destination. A few jumps before we’ve reached it, we saw a small fleet of suicide gankers sitting at the gate, waiting … for us.

BOOM. My ship exploded.
Well deserved, I might say.

Now, the reason why my ship exploded was not because they were there, trying to make others pissed off. They did not even respond to me in local. It was because, despite being escorted, we were completely unprepared. It’s simply not enough to just have an escort.

One could say that an escort isn’t even necessary as long as you put enough brain into what you’re doing. Knowing your enemy is half the battle!

The outlaw’s fleet was composed of Coercers and … a capsule*. Their fleet were two Vexors using sentry drones and a Rupture sporting 720mm Artillery. We did not actually anticipate this. If we had spent time thinking about how they’re going to operate, we would have realized that the relatively short range fitted coercers wouldn’t actually have helped us.

Instead, what we would have needed, were long range weapons to make sure the escort can take out the drones faster than they can take out me. Sure, the fleet was spread around the in-gate, but one or two ships were close enough to do so.

The invulnerability timer would have allowed my escort to distract the gankers, to engage and destroy the drones and ultimately help me survive and getting away.

Next time we’re prepared!
And so will you!

Bonus Content: https://imgur.com/a/j0859Wo

*No, he did not explode on his way. He forgot his ship at departure.

[Ms_Steak]

Lack of scouts

poor tank and/or you forgot to turn on resists after the gate jump

logis/webbers in your support fleet might have saved your bacon

if you really wanted to be safe - you could have used an alt that isnt in a wardecced corp to transport valuables.

[Solecist_Project]

Yeah, we didn’t scout ahead.

Tank … well, no, actually they were turned, overheated, on the tick they engaged. I admit that the low slots could have been better and I could have filled that last rigslot, but the ship would have died either way.

Logi might have helped if there had been enough, but we hadn’t, so that’s a moot point. Most people won’t, which I admit is actually weird. It’s part of the “we didn’t quite think this through”.

@Ms_Steak

if you really wanted to be safe - you could have used an alt that isnt in a wardecced corp to transport valuables.

No where did I say that we wanted it safe. That never was the goal. We wanted it to not be boring and safe usually is pretty boring.

[Black_Pedro]

@Ms_Steak

Lack of scouts

Yes, in retrospect it would have been trivial to avoid if I had just sent the escort fleet through, first to look. They were in large part outlaws so they couldn’t really hang back, but at least checking out the other side of the gate first under gate cloak before the hauler jumped, especially in the popular ganking systems, would have been prudent. Also, knowing the fit of the ship I was escorting might have helped the decision making process.

We were blinded by the showmanship of it all I guess. But we have a story and a lesson and that is what Eve is all about, no?

[Tipa_Riot]

You are trolling us, right? Wrong ship? No cloak/mwd? Pointless escort? Somebody like you can’t be that stupid.

To the mods and Falcon: the posters are not new players and likely just trolling.

[Solstice_Projekt]

Stupid? What would you have done?

You would have fitted some heavily tanked ship, would have played all on your own or with an alt, would have moved the raitaru successfully and would be done.

You, and so many others, are really, really boring. Nothing else but boring.

When all you aim for is minimizing risk and maximizing your gains, then there’s not much of a game left. So instead I used what I had and let myself get escorted by a fleet of outlaws for over 30 jumps, though all kinds of security, and that was FUN! You don’t get to see this every day, or ever!

Next time we’ll be better prepared, and we’ll survive it. We’ll survive it not by doing the same boring, super safe and borderline cowardish things everyone else does. We’ll survive it, because we can outwit them, and because we don’t require the most safest way of doing it. Unlike, apparently, most other people around.

From the perspective of enjoying a game, you should ask yourself which one’s actually the stupid.

[Tipa_Riot]

Got my confirmation, you are trolling.

On a serious remark, I would have used my align-speed fit Prowler, and no scout/alt, I‘m playing true solo as you know … and the potential black screens or DC’s give me enough adrenaline while traveling.

Remark no.2, an escort is pointless for countering ganks on T1 haulers, only “coward” tactics, like changing the route, using cloaks, etc, will give you a chance.

[Solstice_Projekt]

@Tipa_Riot

an escort is pointless for countering ganks on T1 haulers

No, that’s not the case.

• In longer range ships they could have shot down the drones before I even decloaked.
• A bumper could bump the ships away (when they’re not vexors using sentry drones) before I decloak.
• The whole fleet could engage the gankers to distract them, with me trying to get away.
• Tracking disruption.
• ECM.
• There’s probably much more.

Remember: It was an escort fleet made of outlaws, or soon to be!

[Sara_Starbuck]

500M on basically untanked ship, you deserved it, use Mastodon next time

[Qia_Kare]

I’m glad some people are prioritizing fun over efficiency. Thanks for telling us a story we don’t hear every other day.

[Aedaxus]

Maybe have some shield/armor/struct rep ships (with drones) to counter their DPS. The freighter pilot can even duel the reppers (like he does webbers) so they don’t get bad standing.

The escort idea is awesome and extremely immersive. Thank you for sharing it with us!

Keep trying and one day EVE will be more exiting for everyone! A city made of dreams is buit in heaven!

[Aedaxus]

I tried out escort in null sec and the local content providers kept away from my orca filled with over a million in precious ores!
here’s the link: Just be carefull around 00m 40s and around 1 minute, I accidentaly touched the volume thingy as the music was running during the recoring I can’t undo it.

[DrysonBennington]

Everyone knows that there are two channels, Gank-Intel and Anti-Ganking that provide accurate reports of gankers in the region that your ship was ganked in.

No where did I say that we wanted it safe. That never was the goal. We wanted it to not be boring and safe usually is pretty boring.

Sounds like more trolling for CODE.