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EVE Evolved: Mining returns with Inferno

Brendan Drain — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Economy, Expansions, Game mechanics, Professions, PvE, Opinion, EVE Evolved, Sandbox

Inferno is right around the corner, with the Escalation to Inferno patch due to hit in two days on Tuesday, April 24th. The patch prepares EVE Online for the coming PvP apocalypse with titan balance tweaks, a new interactive status effect bar, and two very important changes to the NPC drop tables: Manufacturable tech 1 modules will be removed from NPC drop tables, and Rogue Drone NPCs will have their mineral drops replaced with ISK bounties. These are changes players have been suggesting for years, and together they have the potential to bring back mining as one of the most profitable professions in EVE.

If someone asked you where all the minerals come from to build the thousands of ships destroyed in EVE on a daily basis, you might say that you assume most of it comes from mined ore. Mining was originally the biggest source of minerals in the game and one of the most profitable professions, but over the years, that's changed. When level 4 missions added an infinite source of battleship-sized NPCs to high-security space, mission-running quickly overtook mining as the most profitable profession, and bizarrely, as a very good source of minerals. When the drone regions were later released, ratting there also became a huge mineral faucet far in excess of that produced through mining.

In this week's EVE Evolved, I look at the problems faced by mining as a source of minerals and speculate on what will happen to mining as a profession when the Inferno expansion hits.

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EVE Evolved: Mining returns with Inferno originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 22 Apr 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Evolved: Mining 101 -- The basics

Brendan Drain — Sun, 09 Jan 2011 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Game mechanics, Professions, PvE, EVE Evolved, Guides

Although it's not everyone's cup of tea, mining is one of EVE Online's oldest and most easily accessible professions. Sitting down to clear out a few asteroid belts or put a dent in a massive ice asteroid can be a very relaxing way to make ISK. Mining is a very low-activity process that can be done at the same time as other tasks, much in the same way that hauling items for trade or running courier missions can be done in the background. In all the time that the EVE Evolved column has been running, it struck me that I had never really written a guide for mining.

Mining can be a good way to make some extra ISK during a lull in corp activity or while you're busy doing other things. Busy EVE players will often set themselves up to mine solo while reading a good book or watching TV. On the other end of the scale, corporations and alliances will sometimes run large co-operative mining operations for war funds or personal profit. Mining as a group is usually a more efficient use of the time of each player in the group and can make a great bonding experience for a corporation.

In this week's EVE Evolved, I give a run-down of the basics of mining for new players. I look at the entry-level ship requirements for efficient mining and popular strategies for both solo and group mining.

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EVE Evolved: Mining 101 -- The basics originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 09 Jan 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hulkageddon III ends with an estimated 288 billion ISK in damage

Brendan Drain — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Culture, Events, in-game, PvP

Much to the dismay of miners everywhere, EVE Online's infamous Hulkageddon event made a return earlier this month. In this irregularly-scheduled fan-run event, ruthless pilots compete to kill as many mining barges as possible within a short period of time. While some kills are found in wormhole space and nullsec as part of a standard PvP roaming squad, most tend to be the result of suicide attacks carried out in high security space. As most miners stay in highsec, this is where most of the targets for the Hulkageddon are found.

Opponents of the event argue that it causes unnecessary hardship for ordinary EVE players who enjoy mining. The event's organiser, infamous pirate Helicity Boson, responds to critics with her belief that it's a perfectly valid way to play the game. In an exclusive interview with Massively before the event began, she suggested that any pilot paying attention could see the suicide attacks coming and would have plenty of time to escape. A significant portion of mining barge kills during the Hulkageddon are also believed to be macro-miners, adding another dimension to this already controversial issue.

The latest Hulkageddon ran from the 9th of July to the 18th, ending with an estimated 288 billion ISK worth of mining ships destroyed. To put that figure into perspective, it would cost you over $16,550 US Dollars to buy that much ISK legitimately by purchasing game time codes and selling them in-game for ISK. The prize-giving for the event was recently conducted, with a single ruthless player by the name of "Phil MacMannon" taking the vast majority of the prizes. With the event concluded, miners can finally breathe a sigh of relief and get back to eating every asteroid in sight.

Hulkageddon III ends with an estimated 288 billion ISK in damage originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 29 Jul 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Evolved: Wormhole piracy 101

Brendan Drain — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Culture, Game mechanics, Guides, Guilds, Professions, PvP, Raiding, Endgame, Tips and tricks, Player Housing, Hands-on, EVE Evolved

If it seems like I've gone wormhole crazy lately, that's because I have. The wormholes that arrived with the Apocrypha expansion have infiltrated and enriched many different aspects of EVE Online, from exploration and corporate goals to small gang PvP and piracy. In previous articles, I looked at preparing for an expedition, untangled the mystery of the Sleepers and told the story of a tense week for Total Comfort alliance in the Sleeper's den. After a week spent hunting wormhole-dwellers for fun and profit, this week's EVE Evolved is dedicated to the fine art of being an interstellar cut-throat as I delve into the world of wormhole piracy.

Wormhole piracy is one of the few professions where small gang warfare is most prevalent. While many pirates have already begun including wormhole systems in their roaming gangs, our corporation (and I'm sure others) have come across a much more effective method. By setting up your own pirate staging base inside a wormhole system, your corp can use its regular outgoing wormholes to wreak havoc in systems all across EVE. Using this method, it's possible to spring attacks on people without anyone even seeing you coming. Whether you're planning surprise attacks on 0.0 systems or hunting in the 2500 new unknown sleeper systems, wouldn't you like to run your own pirate way-station?

Read on for an informative guide on using wormholes to wreak havoc around EVE and make a profit in the process.

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EVE Evolved: Wormhole piracy 101 originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 16 Aug 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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