The Shuttle - a cheap and safe(ish) way to travel around high, low and null sec

I have written about this before but it is well worth repeating (i was reminded of it this week as i needed to either make a 59 jump journey or less than 20 by going through low sec):

If you are like me, the idea of flying outside of High Sec fills you with dread.

But, Eve is not Eve if you don't at least poke our nose outside of High Sec and eventually you may need to set up shop outside of High Sec to make your billions.

It took me a while to work this out but the easiest way (for me anyway) to fly from highsec to an NPC station (or any accessible station) in Low / Null sec is to fly the boring old starter shuttle.

Any player can fly any faction's shuttle.

They are the only ship that are naturally immune from warp bubbles.

Let that sink in.

Base time to warp is 2.22 seconds which, with skills of Evasive Manoeuvring and Spaceship Command, can be brought to below the critical 2 seconds.  Mine is at 1.73 seconds.

They only have 10m3 cargo - but still, can carry blueprints et al in that.  For sure, they can be caught in gate camps with smart bombs.  So i only use the shuttle to move myself from Point A to Point B rather than haul fancy pants blueprints on the cheap.  And when i am in systems that look crowded in low/null sec to don't fly directly from gate to gate.

So far. this has never failed me.

Getting into and around low and null sec so very easily - the shuttle

If you are like me, the idea of flying outside of High Sec fills you with dread.

That said, i am pretty sure i need to set up Trading locations in Low and Null Sec to grow my business more.

It took my a while to work this out but the easiest way (for me anyway) to fly from highsec to an NPC station (or any accessible station) in Low / Null sec is to fly the boring old starter shuttle.

Any player can fly any faction's shuttle.

They are the only ship that are naturally immune from warp bubbles.

Base time to warp is 2.22 seconds which, with skills of Evasive Manoeuvring and Spaceship Command, can be brought to below the critical 2 seconds.  Mine is at 1.73 seconds.

They only have 10m3 cargo - but still, can carry blueprints et al in that.  For sure, they can be caught in gate camps with smart bombs.  So i only use the shuttle to move myself from Point A to Point B rather than haul fancy pants blueprints on the cheap.  And when i am in systems that look crowded in low/null sec to don't fly directly from gate to gate.

So far. this has never failed me.

lesson to self: read the updates more carefully. Nullifiers are now an active model, not a passive ability

So, i am off flying around low and null sec in my Victorieux Luxury Yacht - when, wham, i run straight into a warp bubble and a well placed container de-cloaks me.

It appears that The Great Escape update in May 2021 turned the Yacht's passive nullification into a high slot module.  Fortunately another high-slot was added so i can still use this vessel for flying around low and null sec.

Unfortunately it is not that simple.  I need to activate the nullifier which will only last 30 seconds a jump and then i cant reactivate it again for another 30 seconds.  This is seriously going to crimp my ability to get around low / null sec.

So, i have started to train for it all and i will see how it goes.  But the days of me wondering into low/null sec will need to be re-appraised.

 

The only bit of good news here was that there was no-one there to watch me slow boat it through the warp bubble - though i did see a wreak or two!

Lesson to self: read the updates more carefully.

Explanation on how to use them here:

As an aside, the only ship that now has passive nullifier is the Shuttle!

Victorieux Luxury Yacht

I have finally decided on what ship to buy for Low and Null sec.

The entire aim is to get around in Low and Null Sec to buy blueprints and implants.  Nothing else.

In the end i opted for a ship that could cloak whilst warping and perhaps has sufficient HP to withstand a lucky smart bomb attack.

I like the idea of staying cloaked for as much time as possible rather than always having to hit the cloak button.

Hence, i went for the Victorieux Luxury Yacht.  Expensive fit at about 600m isk - so a days profit currently.


[Victorieux Luxury Yacht]

Shadow Serpentis Inertial Stabilizers
Shadow Serpentis Inertial Stabilizers
Shadow Serpentis Inertial Stabilizers
Inertial Stabilizers II

Covert Ops Cloaking Device II

Medium Low Friction Nozzle Joints II
Medium Hyperspatial Velocity Optimizer II

Medium Hyperspatial Velocity Optimizer II


Align time 1.99 seconds.
Warps at 9.13 AU/s
Hit Points 13k, ehp 19k
Signature radius 199m

Probably should put something in the Mid Slot.

Null / Low Sec ventures to date

I am still pondering where to set up my low/null sec trading location.  My current location in H-PA29 V in the Venal Region is not working as hoped.  Probably not yet made a billion of sales since i set up back Null Sec trading in August 2015 and hence it is not yet covering the set up costs.

That said, i have better news on my ability to travel in low/null sec.  Since i set up with the current ship below i have not been destroyed (famous last words, i am sure i will be nailed at some point).

Plenty of attempts made on me, all the damage has come from smart bombs as i warp to a gate.

I still get a small sense of victory as i warp through bubbles that spring up in front of me or gate jump having received damage from smart bomb attacks.

So far, so good - i have been able to go where i want.

[Taranis, Melchett UK's Taranis]
Damage Control II
Inertial Stabilizers II
Inertial Stabilizers II

Republic Fleet Medium Shield Extender
Republic Fleet Medium Shield Extender
Pithum C-Type Adaptive Invulnerability Field

Prototype Cloaking Device I

Small Low Friction Nozzle Joints II
Small Core Defense Field Extender II

A Close Call - attacked when about to jump through a gate

As ever, i was being careless.  I wanted to get to Altrinur from Jita and decided to go the route that took me through Low Sec.

I assumed that an empty Interceptor would not be bothered.  So i was warping from gate to gate.

I of course assumed wrong . . . . . . . . 

I warped off a gate, landed on the next gate ready to jump through . . . and wham, i am seeing my shields, armour and hull going red in a hurry.

The good news was that i got away with it (just).

Looks like my attackers got nailed by the gate guns as i made my escape.

In the next system i warped off to a safe spot and cloaked up as my shields repaired.

Not sure why i survived - may have something to do with my recent skill training:

Or my attackers may just have not been too accurate.

It is these little events that give me some confidence that i can operate in Low and Null Sec.

Current fit is:

[Taranis]

'Halcyon' Core Equalizer I

Inertial Stabilizers II

Inertial Stabilizers II

5MN Y-T8 Compact Microwarpdrive

EM Ward Amplifier II

Medium Shield Extender II

Prototype Cloaking Device I

Small Low Friction Nozzle Joints I

Small Low Friction Nozzle Joints I

Ganked at the warpgate in my Interceptor

Well, i have been working on travelling safe and fast in Low and Null Sec as i explore the place trying to work out how to make good ISK in there.

First off, i tried a Helios.  Worked ok but broadly i was getting taken out once every 4 round trips i made.  Main issue was not being able to warp off fast enough after a gate jump.  I can deal with the bubbles - being cloaked whilst warping is a big plus.  Never warping gate to gate gives me plenty of time to sort myself out if i hit a bubble in warp.  But, like i said, still vulnerable when warping away from a gate jump, even with almost insta-cloak.  Also, warping from gate to planet / customs office and then to gate can be slow when trying to go 26 jumps!

My Hellios fit was:

[Helios]
Inertial Stabilizers II
Nanofiber Internal Structure II
Nanofiber Internal Structure II

5MN Microwarpdrive II
Scan Acquisition Array I
Scan Pinpointing Array I
Scan Rangefinding Array I
Scan Rangefinding Array I

Covert Ops Cloaking Device II
Expanded Probe Launcher I

Small Gravity Capacitor Upgrade I
Small Gravity Capacitor Upgrade I


In a prior post i made about trading in Null Sec i had several bits of advice on what to do.

So, next step was to train up my Interceptor Skills and so i now run around in a Taranis.  In all, pretty good.  Bubbles no problem.  Pretty much inta-warp off gates.  If i have undock points then undocking is seemingly invulnerable.  Very fast travel.  Main risk though is landing on a gate with someone fast off the mark with a smart bomb - which is what happened to me the other day.


My Taranis fit is:

[Taranis]
'Halcyon' Core Equalizer I
Inertial Stabilizers II
Inertial Stabilizers II

5MN Y-T8 Compact Microwarpdrive
EM Ward Amplifier II
Medium Shield Extender II

Prototype Cloaking Device I

Small Low Friction Nozzle Joints I
Small Low Friction Nozzle Joints I



My kill reports (of my alt) nicely list where i have gone down in a one-sided blaze of glory.

In the latest one, the killer picked up a nice 75m ISK for their efforts.

So, my next step is to train enough skills to be able to put two shield extenders on the Interceptor - i suspect that should do the trick.

If that fails, i suspect i will try the Victorious Luxury Yacht.

Trading in Null Sec

After two years in Eve Online, and after much inspiration from Sugar Kyle's most excellent blog Low Sec Lifestyle and her ventures in creating a low sec trading venture, i have decided to try and set up a trading venture in Null Sec.

My business in High Sec is doing fine, making me 217bn ISK to date.  I hear that Null Sec is the place to be though i really have no idea about what is best . . . . . 



Research into travelling around in null sec

That, of course, meant going into null sec.  For the first time.  I had once ventured into low sec but never null sec.  Never seen a bubble.  Never had local open as a default.  Never felt the need to cloak.

One of the best pieces of research i found was on the forums, written by a player called Gummy Worm, titled Null Security Space Guide to Running Sites.  Seems to cover everything (at least everything i can think of):



Chosen ship and fitting to travel in null sec

I went for a Helios to travel around in null sec.

At gates, when i land, i do the warp and insta-cloak.

[Helios]
Inertial Stabilizers II
Nanofiber Internal Structure II
Nanofiber Internal Structure II

5MN Microwarpdrive II
Scan Acquisition Array I
Scan Pinpointing Array I
Scan Rangefinding Array I
Scan Rangefinding Array I

Covert Ops Cloaking Device II
Expanded Probe Launcher I

Small Gravity Capacitor Upgrade I
Small Gravity Capacitor Upgrade I


. . . . . not even sure why i have the scanning / Probe items to be honest.  If i could think if anything to replace them with that makes my survivability in null sec improve then i would go for it.



. . . . . . .  died a number of times

i believe the expression is podded.

Three times so far, all can be seen on zKillboard.  First one undocking in Scalding Pass, putting on the mwd to get distance and getting blasted by a battle ship.

Second time was in a bubble when coming through a gate.  A bit of bad luck, landed right next to a waiting ship so could not re-cloak in time.

Third time was not cloaking quick enough when warping after a jump - actually, this one i doubt i could survive if i did it again.  I thought i cloaked as quick as i could after starting the warp sequence.

Not annoyed about losing the ship and fittings, it is the implants that is annoying.  80m or so ISK to replace them all.

So far, lost about 360m in ships / fittings / implants.



Chosen Region

Firstly, i decided to go for only NPC stations - last thing i want is to be locked out of my items.

Secondly, i could have gone for a NPC station in a player owned region but instead i went for a NPC region (i don't know if that is a good idea, i will see).

That all said, for now i have gone for Venal.
I travelled all the way up to the ORE region and all the way as far south as Scalding Pass and Catch regions.

It is amazing how empty null sec can be.  Quite often, when i was wondering around, i would be the only person in the system.  Other times, the bubbles on gates were off the dials.



Hauling items to sell

Third party haulers, for sure.  Not a chance i am hauling my own items for now.

Costs me about 250m ISK to contract my items from Jita to my chosen station.  So far i am using New Evolution Express.

One of my characters is learning Jump Drive but has a way to go before fully able to use it for the best.



Chosen items to sell

I am starting with T2 fittings - no idea if this is a good idea, or how it will go.  I have posted 11.4bn of items for sale.  If it does not go to plan i will initially seek to find another region to sell in rather than change what i am selling.

It will cost me about 300m ISK every time i seek to move my items.



In Summary

I honestly have no idea if this will work and i very much suspect that i will be moving my goods from one null sec region to another until i find one that works.