There are Deadspace areas of space, connected by acceleration gates, that are inhabited by pirates and these are referred to as DED Sites. They contain challenges of varying difficulty (1 to 10) and located in all but wormhole space these sites are a challenge for pilots but can have very profitable rewards.
Last week I received a mail from my friend Bex who had recently started roaming around New Eden looking for High Sec DED sites to run. Previously he had run a few sites but never made a dedicated effort to find them but once he did he wasn't disappointed in the rewards he was given, so much so that he said the following:
As far as what sites to run, in high sec you'll find DED sites from 1/10 to 4/10 and it is the 3/10 and 4/10 DED's that should be your primary targets as they drop the best rewards. That's not to say that unrated or even Drone sites aren't worth doing, they are, and if they escalate you'll be showered with Faction Drops and Tech II hardwirings that can be sold for a very large profit.
Bex has followed one simple rule: if its a combat site that has to be scanned out, he scans it then runs it.
The only exception being those ones that only allows Frigates. He can't arsed reshipping to do those as he's often a very long way from home as his current ship, a Gila, is a mobile so he doesn't have to get stay in one location and can roam the byways and back roads of New Eden.
The best places to scan are off the beaten track. High sec systems that are hidden behind Low sec pockets are ideal as they get very little traffic. Bex often makes use of wormholes to move around and as a result sometimes their exits have led to a backwater system 40 jumps from anywhere but they have 4 DED sites in them, just waiting for someone to harvest them.
Kill: VVS Solt (Navy Vexor)
As a result Bex got a shiny afterburner as well as the Mid Range Crystal Gamma that dropped from Dread Gurista rat. Lesson here should be to complete sites faster and to secure the loot BEFORE anyone else.
In one twenty four hour period last week Bex was able to run sites that yielded not only bounties, salvage and Overseer Personal Effects but the following Deadspace items:
The rewards are random, of course, but you often get nice surprises. Like the unrated Drone site that dropped a Sentient Omnidirectional Tracking Link and the Guristas 4/10 that dropped a C-Type Invulnerability Field worth over 400 million ISK.
I'll certainly be having a look at DED Sites in High Se, I've avoided them in the past because I haven't thought I could do them. But from what I've written I'm certain two of my characters would have no issues scanning down and doing these sites.
I'm going to give it a try and should I get anything good you can be sure I'll write about it here.
Thank to Bex for the information and the round up of his experiences.
I am surprised how easy it is to make a living in HiSec.
- Apex Bex
Aiming Low
As far as what sites to run, in high sec you'll find DED sites from 1/10 to 4/10 and it is the 3/10 and 4/10 DED's that should be your primary targets as they drop the best rewards. That's not to say that unrated or even Drone sites aren't worth doing, they are, and if they escalate you'll be showered with Faction Drops and Tech II hardwirings that can be sold for a very large profit.
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| EVEopedia's comprehensive list of DED Complexes |
The only exception being those ones that only allows Frigates. He can't arsed reshipping to do those as he's often a very long way from home as his current ship, a Gila, is a mobile so he doesn't have to get stay in one location and can roam the byways and back roads of New Eden.
The best places to scan are off the beaten track. High sec systems that are hidden behind Low sec pockets are ideal as they get very little traffic. Bex often makes use of wormholes to move around and as a result sometimes their exits have led to a backwater system 40 jumps from anywhere but they have 4 DED sites in them, just waiting for someone to harvest them.
Selecting the Ship
Doing DED sites in High sec you really want a one ship solution, it can scan and find sites but also run them without the need for swapping ships or using a second character. As a result you see a lot of Stratios, Vexor/Navy Vexor, and Gila's being used for this.
Bex has taken the Gila fit I use for ratting in Curse and has tweaked it to have more gank than tank as primarily the DED sites (1/10 to 4/10) in High Sec contain frigates and more tracking and movement speed for the medium drones is a good idea. There is one thing he does consider essential and that is the Drone Navigation Computer, Medium drones are very slow and the 30% speed buff is very, very useful to getting to and from targets.
Of course it doesn't have bonuses, like some of the others, to scanning but with decent scanning skills (Level 4 at least) there's nothing you can't get 100% on.
[High Sec DED]
Core Probe Launcher, Sisters Core Scanner Probe
Light Missile Launcher II, Caldari Navy Scourge Light Missile
Light Missile Launcher II, Caldari Navy Scourge Light Missile
Light Missile Launcher II, Caldari Navy Scourge Light Missile
Light Missile Launcher II, Caldari Navy Scourge Light Missile
Large Shield Extender
10MN Afterburner II
Kinetic Deflection Field II
Thermic Deflection Field II
Drone Navigation Computer II
Sentient Omnidirection Tracking Link
Drone Amage Amplifer II
Drone Amage Amplifer II
Drone Amage Amplifer II
Omnidirectional Tracking Enhancer II
Medium Core Defense Field Purger II
Medium Core Defense Field Purger II
Medium Core Defense Field Purger II
2 x Valkyrie II
2 x Hammerhead II
4 x Salvage Drone I
1 x Vespa II
2 x Infiltrator II
He also carries a mobile depot and spare modules to be able to change and adapt his tank to the damage that he is expecting for each site. There is even fitting room for a 100MN Afterburner instead of the 10MN but this does lead to some issues around cap stability and really is overkill for the DED sites that will be found in High Sec.
You won't be the only person running DED sites and from time to time you will encounter people who will try to steal your site or will attempt to get you to attack them so as to start PvP. You won't be able to avoid it so its best to be prepared.
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| Looks, Mobility and Damage - the complete package |
[High Sec DED]
Core Probe Launcher, Sisters Core Scanner Probe
Light Missile Launcher II, Caldari Navy Scourge Light Missile
Light Missile Launcher II, Caldari Navy Scourge Light Missile
Light Missile Launcher II, Caldari Navy Scourge Light Missile
Light Missile Launcher II, Caldari Navy Scourge Light Missile
Large Shield Extender
10MN Afterburner II
Kinetic Deflection Field II
Thermic Deflection Field II
Drone Navigation Computer II
Sentient Omnidirection Tracking Link
Drone Amage Amplifer II
Drone Amage Amplifer II
Drone Amage Amplifer II
Omnidirectional Tracking Enhancer II
Medium Core Defense Field Purger II
Medium Core Defense Field Purger II
Medium Core Defense Field Purger II
2 x Valkyrie II
2 x Hammerhead II
4 x Salvage Drone I
1 x Vespa II
2 x Infiltrator II
He also carries a mobile depot and spare modules to be able to change and adapt his tank to the damage that he is expecting for each site. There is even fitting room for a 100MN Afterburner instead of the 10MN but this does lead to some issues around cap stability and really is overkill for the DED sites that will be found in High Sec.
Contesting Sites
You won't be the only person running DED sites and from time to time you will encounter people who will try to steal your site or will attempt to get you to attack them so as to start PvP. You won't be able to avoid it so its best to be prepared.
Try not to take your time, quickly and efficiently kill all targets and when you do see the Overseer or final loot dropping rat move as close as you can, as quickly as you can whilst killing them. Now, if you get the kill shot on any rat, it's your wreck, no one else can take it without going suspect, that way you can loot the wreck as soon as its dead and prevent anyone from stealing it.
Just in case though Bex suggests if you can spare the mid slot, fit a long point. It's the last thing any would be thief would expect. But use discretion and consider what you could potentially lose for the sake of a crappy faction hardener.
Bex, being the pirate inclined pilot he is, has actually stolen at least one site as they were being run, he warped in and obliterated everything in sight including the final Dread Gurista rat. As he killed it the wreck was white to him but yellow to the other guy in the site and he didn't take to kindly to this and he opened fire:
Just in case though Bex suggests if you can spare the mid slot, fit a long point. It's the last thing any would be thief would expect. But use discretion and consider what you could potentially lose for the sake of a crappy faction hardener.
Bex, being the pirate inclined pilot he is, has actually stolen at least one site as they were being run, he warped in and obliterated everything in sight including the final Dread Gurista rat. As he killed it the wreck was white to him but yellow to the other guy in the site and he didn't take to kindly to this and he opened fire:
Kill: VVS Solt (Navy Vexor)
As a result Bex got a shiny afterburner as well as the Mid Range Crystal Gamma that dropped from Dread Gurista rat. Lesson here should be to complete sites faster and to secure the loot BEFORE anyone else.
Rewards - 24 hours of Sites
In one twenty four hour period last week Bex was able to run sites that yielded not only bounties, salvage and Overseer Personal Effects but the following Deadspace items:
- Sentient Omnidirectional Tracking Link
- Pithi A-Type Small Shield Booster
- Pithum C-Type Adaptive Invulnerability Field
- Corpii A-Type Small Armor Repairer
- Dark Blood Small Focused Pulse Laser
- Dread Guristas Drone Damage Amplifier
- Pithum C-Type Explosive Deflection Amplifier
- Pithum C-Type EM Ward Amplifier
- Pithum C-Type Medium Remote Shield Booster
- Corpii A-Type Small Remote Capacitor Transmitter
The rewards are random, of course, but you often get nice surprises. Like the unrated Drone site that dropped a Sentient Omnidirectional Tracking Link and the Guristas 4/10 that dropped a C-Type Invulnerability Field worth over 400 million ISK.
Conclusion
I'll certainly be having a look at DED Sites in High Se, I've avoided them in the past because I haven't thought I could do them. But from what I've written I'm certain two of my characters would have no issues scanning down and doing these sites.
I'm going to give it a try and should I get anything good you can be sure I'll write about it here.
Thank to Bex for the information and the round up of his experiences.
I've spent time in a high sec pocket in Gurista space looking for the 4/10 sites. It's a lot of fun and was worth the time (I remember getting about 800m from one site one time...).
ReplyDeleteIf you can fly an Ishtar with sentry drones, it makes the Gurista 4/10 very easy and safe. Takes about 10 minutes from start to finish.
Delonewolf - https://www.youtube.com/user/delonewolf - has videos that might be helpful.
Good luck!