Buzzard - Exploration

[Mangala]

So recommend me a good fit please.  Just passed into Covert Ops heading for recons, and figured why not have one of these too.

[Bethor]

some basic info about exploration eve forum link

thought i had a good printable guide too will look for that and post it here.

if bebur didnt post his setup tonight when i get home, i will post mine (becouse they are the same)

[Bethor]

one of the guides i used, slightly better than the one on the eve forum.

includes skills you need, and how the whole thing works. also a bit about fitting etc.

i also know you might want a special JC for exploration, becouse there are a few implants (from sisters of eve i think) that make scanning go faster etc.

currently i do around 120 sec to complete a scan

[Jeremiah]

one of the guides i used, slightly better than the one on the eve forum.

includes skills you need, and how the whole thing works. also a bit about fitting etc.

i also know you might want a special JC for exploration, becouse there are a few implants (from sisters of eve i think) that make scanning go faster etc.

currently i do around 120 sec to complete a scan

There are the virtue implants from from Sisters of Eve, also the Poteque Pharmaceuticals from your local LP store.  For rigs you can go for the gravity capacitor upgrade.  The Sisters Probe Launcher is/was a must have for the serious explorer but there is some doubt about what's gonna happen to it after M10 so don't spend money/LP on those just yet as the price is volatile.  Generally a lot of people go for reducing scan time but in my opinion scan strength is just as important.  Again, all of this is up in the air after M10.

If you are looking for skills/ships to train after Frig V I would definately go for EW frigate - the Sentinel is about the funnest little frigate out there.

[bebur]

Well there is really not that much to it.

Just fit a launcher. Normal one is about 600sec base time. or fit one from sisters of eve. those have a basic cycle time of 450s.
Covert Ops Cloaking Device II one of those, very important else you will be cannon fodder.
A pair of Gravity Capacitor Upgrade I rigs to decrease scan time even more.

i have 2 cargoextrenders as well, just to bring more probes, but it doesn't really matter. i use it because i scan all sites. even sites i don't use. i just contract them to corp if i find them. there is always someone that wants it.
also fit a cargo and or survey scanner. so you can check if it's worth to get another ship to clear site.

then there are some implants that decrease scan time. dunno what ones to be honest, didn't really bother about them. since it doesn't really matter anymore if you have sisters launchers and high enough skills. it's only a few sec 4-5 in difference.

- Astrometrics IV you need this to use probes
- Signal Acquisition with this one it's the higher the better. decreases scantime\
- Astrometric Triangulation as high as possible. the higher this is the greater the chance you find something
- Astrometric Pinpointing the higher this the closer you get to target. so you need less probes. less time wasting in searching. also very important in recon scanning.

then you might want to get hacking for radar sites and archeology for magnetrometric sites. the second one is very hard to find though. so i wouldn't bother as long as your skills are not at least iv.

[Rubino]

Don't go for any implants at the mo - with M10 coming the whole skills/implants and their affects get changed with probing.

I have a fairly plain setup for mine:

[Buzzard]
Co-Processor II
Micro Auxiliary Power Core I

1MN MicroWarpdrive II
Small Capacitor Battery II
[empty med slot]
Micro Shield Extender II
Invulnerability Field II

Covert Ops Cloaking Device II
Sisters Scan Probe Launcher, Sisters Observator Deep Space Probe
Sisters Recon Probe Launcher, Snoop Scanner Probe I

Gravity Capacitor Upgrade I
Gravity Capacitor Upgrade I


One of the launchers is offline to maintain the fit within PG/CPU.

[Mangala]

Are the sisters launchers changing in M10 as the regular ones are - require next to no cpu/grid etc

[Rubino]

On one of my alts - I have this setup - mostly to handle getting jumped in an exploration site.

The alt scans down the site and then acts as point for the main to warp to at range.
The alt then sits cloaked at range (in the site just 150km+ away) while the main clears the site.  Should the main get jumped - the alt warps in and uses the ECM burst to break any scrams allowing the main to get away.  

[Buzzard]
Co-Processor II
Micro Auxiliary Power Core I

1MN MicroWarpdrive II
Small Capacitor Battery II
ECM Burst II
Codebreaker I
[empty med slot]

Covert Ops Cloaking Device II
Scan Probe Launcher I, Snoop Scanner Probe I
[empty high slot]

Gravity Capacitor Upgrade I
Gravity Capacitor Upgrade I


The sisters probe is replaced with the new recon probe launcher.  It's an in-place change - so you'll find the new launcher fitted instead of the sisters one.
It's unknown what the price will be of them at the mo - which is why there is wild speculation on the Sisters launchers on TQ.

[bebur]

are there any patchnotes yet?

[Bethor]

i usually just use my explore to find a site. so cloaked except when dropping a probe and entering and leaving a sys.

so also run it pretty bare.

when i find something i bring in the big guns to clear the site (if i can!!)

but i count on the cov ops cloak to keep me save