Katia Sae (Original)

“Aura, tell me again why I’m doing this.” I stated more than asked, already knowing the answer. It was a delaying tactic after all.

“Of course Katia,” Aura replied, “You have had several inquiries about your New Eden Explorer Series and when you were going to provide an interview about yourself. You added a reminder within my programming to alert you at an appropriate time. Since it has been some time since your last interview, I proceeded to…”

“Alert me. Yes, I know.”

“My apologies, Katia.” I could hear the programmed confusion in Aura’s voice. “If you already knew the answer to the question, then why…”

“Because I really hate talking about myself.” I sighed and wondered for a moment if it bothered Aura when I cut her off.

Katia Sae (Current)

“Shall I begin the questioning?” She asked, seemingly not bothered in the least about my lack of social decorum.

I sighed again.

“My apologies Katia, but I did not understand your reply.”

“Sure… alright… if you insist.”

“I did not mean to imply…”

“Just get on with it.” I grinned, getting some enjoyment from harassing my ships AI, even if it didn’t bother her.

“Very well then.” She replied with what seemed like a hint of pleasure. Did Aura feel she was getting me back? I shook my head at the thought, of course it didn’t feel. I think I’ve been in space without any human contact for far too long now. With many more months to go in Null Sec, I’m fearful I might just find myself out of my mind by the end of exploring K-Space.

I sighed again.

Tell us why you became a capsuleer. What was it that appealed to you to become a pilot in a dangerous and unforgiving environment? (What attracted you to EVE Online and how long have you played?)

Katia Sae Portrait by Mynxee

Because of my Grandfather, honestly. He saw in me, when I was a child, my fascination with the stars. My family are Achura from Saisio III in the Okomon Constellation, Forge region. It’s often said of our race that we are reclusive, introverted, care little for the material world and desire to unlock the ‘secrets of the universe’. Granted, generalizations are often not fair, but in my case, those descriptors are woven into my soul. My Grandfather saw that and it wasn’t until a few years after I completed my tour of duty for the Caldari State and became an explorer of New Eden, that I learned he was the person responsible for funding my application, clone creation, and schooling to become a capsuleer.

I owe him for making my dream come true, but sadly it was his passing and beneficiary of his will that provided the funds, so it’s kind of bitter sweet. I miss him and would love to know what it was he did to afford the kind of funding it takes to become a capsuleer. All I know is he served on ship as crew. I’ve heard it was a capsuleers ship, but don’t know for sure or who.

((OOC: Even though Katia’s journey began in December of 2009, my oldest character’s birthday is June 8th, 2003, so I’ve been playing Eve Online off and on since the beginning. I’m trying to remember specifically what attracted me to the game other than I’ve loved SciFi all my life in all mediums: Books, Movies, TV, Art, Games, you name it. I was playing Earth & Beyond and enjoyed it (they even had walking in stations! lol) but it seemed to not be taking hold with the players (and died a year or so later). EvE Online was starting up and the only other option really. So, I tried it, liked it, and here I am.))

What is your background as a pilot? Did you jump right into exploration, start in the military, hired by a corporation, or something else? (How would you describe your characters career path?)

At the time I didn’t know who had provided the funds for my becoming a capsuleer, nor how they had the connections and pull to get me accepted into the Caldari State War Academy, but I wasn’t about to question my good fortune and gladly accepted the terms of enrollment. I had to work hard, both mentally and physically, it was after all, still up to me to fully qualify for the capsuleer program and I knew it would be the only way I would ever be able to see the stars on my own. So, I graduated from the academy, served my tour of duty in the military then underwent the capsuleer transformation. I had enough funds left over from my unknown benefactor at the time (my Grandfather), to purchase my first exploration ship.

((OOC: Katia’s career path is straight forward: Master of Exploration and the ships she flys. My other characters are varied from industry, mining, hauling, and a pirate PvPer, granted I don’t take her out much, it’s really not me, lol. So, for the most part carebearish player, but not exclusive to High Sec.))

What attracted you to explore New Eden? What is your goal and have you achieved it? If not, are you still working towards your goal, do plan to continue, or what are you currently doing?

I look at the stars and wonder what’s out there. What beauty can be found? What terror lurks in the shadows? The universe is huge and it truly is a mix of beauty and the beast. I enjoy living on the edge, exploring, and being places where often times I’m not wanted. My goal is simple and yet enormous at the same time. It is to explore all of New Eden, one system at a time. To boldly go, sailing forbidden seas. I’m still at it after five and half years. You can see my stats on my blog in the upper right hand side as well as my flight log to see my progress.

What is the name of your favorite ship that you enjoy flying the most while exploring? Why is it your favorite? Would you mind sharing your fit?

Jester’s Trek at K-XJJT VIII, The Spire

Jester’s Trek. Named in honor of Ripard Teg, who retired a couple of years ago. A capsuleer and fantastic blog writer who had answered my call to the community for an exploration fit Tengu that I intended to fly in Null Sec. His is my favorite for that reason as well as turning out to be exactly what I needed after proving the fit by safely navigating 1,947 systems in Null Sec so far: escaping camps, bubbles, actively being hunted, and so on. That’s as many systems as there are in Empire Space. I haven’t lost him yet…

During your research and travels, what has been the most interesting fact, amazing sight, or other aspect of New Eden that surprised you?

The residents of New Eden. I’ve encountered the kindest hearts that have offered their support and encouragement of my exploration journey. Without them, I think I would have stopped long ago. As much as I am doing this for myself, for the memory of my Grandfather, I also do it for those that follow and hearten me. Of course, there can be no measure of the goodness that New Eden has to offer without having a darkness to compare it against and I have encountered that darkness.

I’ve been taunted, ridiculed, laughed at, targeted, shot at, chased, cornered, and trapped by those that would wish me harm. Some do it out of self-defense and a lack of understanding about my mission. That’s something I completely understand and even honor. I am, after all, an unwelcome visitor and honestly, I can’t take time to reach out beforehand entering a new area of space to ‘ask permission’. Mainly, for one, I can’t accept an answer of no. I believe space is free to be explored without limits or hindrances other than what nature herself has placed before us. I understand the risk and I accept them, fully taking responsibility for my own actions and that there will be those that will defend ‘their’ space. That’s fine.

But then there are those that are truly evil. There’s just no other word to describe them. Their only intention is to harm and destroy life and they’ll go out of their way to do just that. The depths of the darkness that they expose provide the necessary balance to the heights of goodness I’ve experienced. Odd as it sounds, I’m thankful.

What have you learned or what advice would you give to someone interested in exploring New Eden?

New experiences are often preceded with fear: fear of the unknown, fear your abilities will not suffice, fear of failure. The unknown is nothing but ignorance and ignorance can be overcome with knowledge. Old abilities can be strengthened, new abilities can be acquired – both physical and mental. Failure only comes if you give up. In anything you do, learn from your mistakes, ask for guidance when needed, and don’t give up.

Do you have a favorite image that you wouldn’t mind me posting and sharing from your explorations?

You’re joking, right? You want me to pick just one out of the over 30,000 plus that I have? You pick it from my gallery! This interview is over…

I dabble in a lot of things in EvE across multiple characters. Katia, however, is my main and always will be because of my love for exploring and sailing dangerous seas. My next New Eden Explorer guest is no stranger to the same philosophy with the exception that he doesn’t just dabble, he fully dives in and masters each area all the while sharing his experiences via his blog, EVE Lost and Found. Sven Viko VIkolander is an explorer, trader, hauler, PvPer, and I’m sure is in other areas I’m not aware of. I simply admire his goals which you can read on his blog – one of which, visiting every system in New Eden, is one that I fully appreciate.

Sven Viko VIkolander

Personally, it seems to me that successful long term EvE players are ones who have multiple characters specializing in specific careers. That way, if you become bored in one area, you can switch up and do something else for a while. Sven has found that to be true and I can’t think of too many bloggers that share all of their experiences in a single location. It makes sense for blog to be focused, but I like reading about a single players multi-character experience because that seems to accurately reflect a typical EvE player.

Oh, one last thing, Sven mentions his favorite ship the Confessor and just a little over a week ago he lost his first one (not his first ship ever, but his first Confessor, the first ship he had really grown attached to). Ouch! I hated reading that, because I know it means my time is coming… ack!

Be sure to check out EVE Lost and Found, there’s some really great tips across multiple careers to be found there.

What attracted you to EVE Online and how long have you played?

I first started EVE a little over 3 years ago on a whim, and immediately wished I had started sooner. From my days playing early MMOs, I had always wanted a game with real risk and the possibility of meaningful loss. EVE also suited me as a highly long-term game that rewarded knowledge at least as much as skills and items. Even though EVE is a time sink of epic proportions, it is also surprisingly well suited to “career” or “grown up” schedules than many other multiplayer games, which might help explain why many older individuals are attracted to EVE.

How would you describe your characters career path?

Like many players, I got hooked on many different activities in EVE largely through the community. I read blogs about all things EVE Online from the start and my list of goals in game—or at least things I wanted to try—grew exponentially, to the point that I soon wanted to try a bit of everything, and that’s where I still am today. From my early days on, I wanted to PVP, primarily solo, but I knew it would be a long road to not being terrible, but it has been a blast learning. In my first days in game, for instance, I heard about the “Not Red Don’t Shoot” policy in Providence, and I tried (and failed) to move there and live on my own. Sugar Kyle started her blog on low sec living right around the time I started playing, and that got me hooked on living in dangerous low security space. After dying to some very helpful pirates—another common experience—I joined Red Versus Blue to learn the basics of PVP. I stayed much longer than I expected—over a year, joining back up occasionally for their insanely fun free for all events—but in the meantime I found the exploration videos of JonnyPew and others on youtube. So, I created an alt and moved into an isolated area of low sec. That’s when I became obsessed with exploration almost as much as PVP, and decided to start blogging about both.

More recently, I’ve been branching out, trying new forms of PVP, getting into market trading and industry, but I still see myself in that learning phase of the game. My issue is that I enjoy everything I’ve tried and end up spending much more time in it than I expect, so even after 3+ years the majority of the game still “unknown” to me, including null sec and wormholes for the most part!

 

What attracted you to explore New Eden? What is your goal and have you achieved it? If not, are you still working towards your goal, do plan to continue, or what are you currently doing?

Exploring to me is much more than running exploration sites and making isk, and much more about exploring new areas, new regions, and meeting new people. The exploration and scanning systems are simply a good means to those ends. The goals I have are personal, and in some sense “completionist.” I am in the process of visiting every system in game, living in new regions in the process, joining lots of different groups, and PVPing in just about every ship and in just about every way/style.

What is the name of your favorite ship that you enjoy flying the most while exploring? Why is it your favorite? Would you mind sharing your fit?

My preferred exploration ship has changed over the years, and I’ve used and enjoyed almost all of the them. For a while, and maybe still, the Stratios was my favorite, but now, I’m in love with the new T3 destroyers. The Confessor can do almost everything incredibly well, particularly PVP at the frigate and destroyer level, but it is also great in PVE roles. There are a lot of decent fits for the Confessor, but two modules are key to its exploration role as I fly it:

Confessor

First, the Expanded Probe Launcher for using combat probes. T3 destroyers get a rare probe launcher fitting reduction, allowing them to use combat probes on almost any standard PVP or PVE setup. The expanded probe launcher allows you to scan down cosmic signatures, of course, and the Confessor can easily manage many of the lower end combat sites. The huge cargo bay on the ship opens up the possibility for carrying a mobile depot from which you can refit in space for specific sites, such as data/relic sites. However, the expanded launcher also lets you scan down POSes, mobile structures, drones, and of course other players, which opens up a new world of exploring. Some days you can find me out in my Confessor scanning down mobile structures; other days I’m out collecting drones left in a system; other days I am scanning down POSes and being nosy investigating them. And of course I’m often on the lookout for players I can probe down and…meet!

Second, a 10mn afterburner. The limitation of T3 destroyers as exploration ships is that they cannot fit covert ops cloaks, but a 10mn afterburner (combined with the speed bonuses in propulsion mode) is one of the best survival tools in game.

During your research and travels, what has been the most interesting fact, amazing sight, or other aspect of New Eden that surprised you?

I think it has been the way players and groups shape the places they live. Starting out in game, all the systems might seem relatively similar, but overtime you learn that it is the people—individuals and groups—who shape them. When a major group like Brave Newbies Inc. moves into an area, it completely changes the “game” in that system/region, but this happens even with individual players who can make their “mark” on a system. This is one of the best ways that EVE is a sandbox and unique among games available.

What have you learned or what advice would you give to someone interested in exploring New Eden?

My advice would depend on whether the player is interested in exploration primarily for making isk, or as a more general way of playing the game. To the former players, especially new pilots, I suggest they check out the great youtube videos and blogs about exploration to get a feel for how to find and run sites effectively, and to try and join a good corporation with experienced explorers. For players interested in exploration more generally: take risks! Go to dangerous places and try new things and meet new people.

Do you have a favorite image that you wouldn’t mind me posting and sharing from your explorations?

Sven’s Confessor, sadly recently lost…

Sugar Kyle

More than once I’ve been surprised while doing this series to learn of someone that enjoys exploration, whether on a main or alt character, seeking out new horizons or for treasure in the void like my next guest. Now, I’m not one that usually discusses money, politics, or religion among friends and rarer still on an open public forum, but I’m proud to say I voted for my next guest last year for CSM 9 and she definitely has my vote for reelection to CSM X this year. She’s proved to be one of the hardest working CSM representatives we have, Sugar Kyle.

So, how did an explorer like myself come to vote for a Low Sec representative? Simple, I’ve got a Stay Frosty Pirate alt, Yarr! 😉 Granted, I don’t take her out much, I’m really not a PvPer, lol, but I agreed with Rixx Javix and voted for her based on his recommendation that we needed a representative for Low Sec. Not only has she represented Low Sec as promised, she’s also taking time to listen, research, ask questions, and come to understand other areas of Eve Online with an open mind. That’s the kind of candidate I want.

Since this is one of those rare occasions I’m talking politics I’ll go on to say that I for one fully believe and support that you don’t have to be an “expert” in your area as long as you are willing to learn and offer a fresh perspective. Sometimes you can be too close to an issue, biased, stubborn, etc., and not see the bigger picture. How many times have you looked at an issue and couldn’t see the problem? Then someone comes up, looks over your shoulder, and points right at it. It was in front of you the whole time. I believe that’s the kind of perspective Sugar Kyle brings to the table.

The approved candidate list will be up tomorrow and voting begins on Wednesday, February 25th. Here’s a post about the details as well as a surprise this year from CCP. Also, Cap Stable Podcast has done, yet again, a fantastic job of doing candidate interviews and analysis shows. You can find them via this link. I just ask you to do your research and vote for those you’d like to represent you. (I promise and swear to you I didn’t time this interview with the elections. It just worked out that way and it’s a great way to bring attention to the upcoming CSM X!) Well, enough politics. You now know who’s at the top of my list. 🙂 (and if you do wish to know who else is on my list, just watch for Evoganda’s post tomorrow, it’s close to mine, just a slightly different order.)

Truth be told, I didn’t start following Sugar’s blog, Low Sec Lifestyle, until after the elections. So, it did come as a surprise while reading that I come to learn of her explorer’s ways. Well I’ll be…

What attracted you to EVE Online and how long have you played?

I started in November of 2011 and I’ve just passed my third birthday in the game. I found out about Eve from a cracked.com article about one of the Eve Bank scams and I thought it sounded amazing. A bit of looking into the game told me that it was an open world where other pilots could kill me to take my stuff. My first online game was a MUD that had open world like this and it sounded like it would be a great time.

What is your background as a pilot? Did you jump right into exploration, start in the military, hired by a corporation, or something else?

Exploration was one of the main ways that my corpmates made their ISK. This was pre-odyssey exploration where you had to scan the system to find out if there were signatures. I enjoyed the discovery aspect and then the hopeful hunt for treasure that followed after it.

What attracted you to explore New Eden? What is your goal and have you achieved it? If not, are you still working towards your goal, do plan to continue, or what are you currently doing?

I’m more a treasure hunter than one that seeks new horizons. I pillage and slink away to sell my goods on the market for whomever wants them. I’ve not had the time to go out in space and ply my wealth from the results of my scanner probes of late and I truly miss that activity.

Later, when I was elected to the CSM I started working to get some of the inconsistencies and broken bits fixed. It was a continuation of my campaign to bring low level DED complexes to low sec. This led to the rebalancing of escalations and anomalies which is something I am very proud to have been a part of.

But none of that beats spending my time slipping through space seeking what is hidden.

What is the name of your favorite ship that you enjoy flying the most while exploring? Why is it your favorite? Would you mind sharing your fit?

Legion

I settled on an exploration Legion in the end. I picked a T3 because I could nullify it. I often send my exploration character out to seek and seek until her cargo hold is full. She logs off in unknown systems and creeps, as unnoticed as possible, through the sovereign empires.

During your research and travels, what has been the most interesting fact, amazing sight, or other aspect of New Eden that surprised you?

Wormhole space relic and data sites have the most amazing structures. I’ve taken so many pictures of the shattered remains, oddly illuminated, cast in shadow and dust. They are beautiful monoliths and I understand why wormholes inspire their advocates. Wormhole space in general I have often found utterly enchanting due to the beauty and mystery. Just looking around Eve and taking pictures of nebula and planet can occupy hours and hours of my time.

What have you learned or what advice would you give to someone interested in exploring New Eden?

Take time to look at things and enjoy the scenery. One of the most gorgeous things I have ever seen was a lava planet in null. Read the descriptions and visit the monuments that you will find out in random systems.

For those who seek wealth, remember that it is not owed to you. You may seek but not find. Don’t be discouraged at a run of bad luck. You didn’t pick exploration for consistency but for that incredible payoff.

Do you have a favorite image that you wouldn’t mind me posting and sharing from your explorations?

What is the Eve Online Metagame? There are as many meanings for the word as there are capsuleers. For myself, I see it as the expanded Eve Universe created by players beyond the game itself. My definition includes the artist, fiction and non-fiction writers, roleplayers, bloggers, DJ’s, Podcasters, and many more as long as the central aspect of their creation is for the enjoyment and/or education of others centered on the Eve Universe.

Ashterothi

Obviously, I participate in the metagame as a writer of this blog, but I’m also a beneficiary. I read many blogs, gaze on some great art work, study the finer technical details of game play, and I listen to podcast, just to name a few. On that note, I’m very pleased to present Ashterothi as the next interview in my New Eden Explorer Series. There’s around ten or so podcast I listen to, but it’s the newest of the lot that has quickly attained the status of being my favorite and that’s Hydrostatic Podcast of which Ashterothi is one of the host. Interestingly enough, I’d have to say my second favorite podcast is High Drag, which Ashterothi is also a host. Coincidence? Hmm… perhaps. Must be something to it, huh?

Truth be told, both podcast are high quality, always have something interesting to listen to, and if you’re into the Lore of New Eden, then I can’t recommend Hydrostatic Podcast enough. They have an excellent segment on the lore. Give them a listen, it’s all good stuff and you won’t be disappointed.

What attracted you to EVE Online and how long have you played?

I joined thanks to a couple of friends of mine in real life. I was a scout in the military, so scouting and exploring came naturally to me. Cov ops was the first tech 2 I shot for, before that I actually scouted for my null group in a t1 frig for hours at a time. o.O

How would you describe your characters career path?

Exploration has always been a side venture for me. After my very brief stint in null I drifted around high sec corps for a while until I hit on Aideron Robotics. Once we joined FW, and I was promoted to COO, most of my focus has been on that.

What attracted you to explore New Eden? What is your goal and have you achieved it? If not, are you still working towards your goal, do plan to continue, or what are you currently doing?

Have you been out there? Its pretty, and there be gold in them there space lanes. My goal is to become “good” at EVE. I fear I may never achieve that goal, as I keep redefining what “good” is.

What is the name of your favorite ship that you enjoy flying the most while exploring? Why is it your favorite? Would you mind sharing your fit?

Stratios, it brings a tear to my eye. Beautiful, and does exactly what it was designed for. I never feel like I should have brought a different ship.

I experiment with fits, but at this exact moment my fit is:

[Stratios, Ashterothi’s]
Drone Damage Amplifier II
Drone Damage Amplifier II
Energized Adaptive Nano Membrane II
Corelum C-Type Medium Armor Repairer
Damage Control II

Stratios

Federation Navy Omnidirectional Tracking Link, Optimal Range Script
Medium Capacitor Battery II
Experimental 10MN Afterburner I
Cap Recharger II
Cap Recharger II

Sisters Core Probe Launcher, Sisters Core Scanner Probe
Covert Ops Cloaking Device II
Heavy Beam Laser II, Gleam M
Heavy Beam Laser II, Gleam M
Heavy Beam Laser II, Gleam M

Medium Nanobot Accelerator I
Medium Capacitor Control Circuit I
Medium Capacitor Control Circuit I

Hobgoblin II x6
Hammerhead II x5
Salvage Drone I x5
Ogre II x4
Garde II x6

During your research and travels, what has been the most interesting fact, amazing sight, or other aspect of New Eden that surprised you?

The lore and how everything in game links to the stories out of game. Realize that all the pieces may mean something, and that we may not understand it yet as players. *the truth is out there*

What have you learned or what advice would you give to someone interested in exploring New Eden?

Never make any decision based on killboard stats. EVER. That is actually good advice for anyone.

Do you have a favorite image that you wouldn’t mind me posting and sharing from your explorations?

I used to have this wonderful image, but I think I lost it. I finally decided to head out to the EVE Gate. While I was there I scanned down a WH. That WH had 9 planets, and was in the proper order to be Sol, except the 3rd planet was Barren. To this day in my heart I feel like I have found the reminance of home. Perhaps a causonary tale of our home.

Mynxee is one classy Lady and just how do I know that? Through personal experience. During the summer my Alt’s Alliance, A Band Apart, held a Summer Frigate Smackdown. In my very first match, Stray was paired to fight Mynxee. In my 11 years of playing EVE off and on, that fight had to be the most fun I’ve ever had. It started off with my first solo kill… ever. Then I danced with the Hellcat in the pale starlight.

What a great fight! Before we engaged in combat, I was nervous, scared, and knew for sure my impending explosion was soon to be. I hadn’t realize that Mynxee had gimped her fit in a way that had our characters very closely matched. We warped to our local safe spot in Ish, rushed at each other to close range. I scored first hits, watched her shields start to fall while not taking any damage myself. I began to wonder what was up. Then realized she was getting hit with some severe lag. It wasn’t long, however, before I started feeling the return hits.

Then I started seeing some of the craziest lights, and was like what kind of weapon is that? When I realized it was fireworks! LOL! So, it was quite a show! Both of us were deep in armor and hull when I thought I had her, she vanished, but no wreck. Then I saw she wasn’t in fleet anymore either, she had lost connection! Ack! So, I turned off my armor rep, stopped, and waited for her return.

After a little bit, she popped back in and we went at it again. At this point, my guns were already burnt out, but I still had my drones, but it didn’t take long before I was running out of cap. It came down to who was going to get the last armor rep in. She was down to 13% armor, 6% hull and I was down to 52% armor, 8% hull…. After I got my rep in and won the fight!

Simply awesome! Thanks Mynxee for a great memory and a fun fight that I’ll always remember.

As you’ll learn, she also has an explorer’s heart, runs a blog at “Outlaw Insouciant”, was a former CSM Chair, and is currently a scout for EvE-Scout, based in Thera.

Tell us why you became a capsuleer. What was it that appealed to you to become a pilot in a dangerous and unforgiving environment?

Mynxee

I have always had the soul of an explorer. Life as a capsuleer seemed to offer the right mix of excitement, opportunity, mystery, and freedom to follow my heart, see amazing things, control my own destiny, and answer to no one. I earned my pilot’s license in YC109 (2007). I will never forget the first time I undocked. I felt so small and New Eden so huge…I remember in my naiveté feeling nervous even about jumping from system to system in high sec, hoping I was “allowed” to go there. That sense that *anything* could happen created a persistent little frisson that hooked me right from the start and remains to this day.

How would you describe your characters career path?

My original character was drawn to exploration and casual industry. Within a couple of days in New Eden, I was enthralled by the game already and subscribed immediately. Soon after while mining in my starter system, I was approached by an experienced (2003!) pilot who was starting a corp and inviting rookies to join. Within a couple of days, I joined and then it became clear that the social element of the game made it even more fun–especially when you have the benefit of being able to ask a very experienced player about all the 10,000 confusing details involved in fitting ships, etc. He was a very friendly, patient, and funny guy…we are still friends to this day.

A few months down the line, I took a clueless shortcut through low sec (Basgerin) and was attacked by pirates. A local group of anti-pirates who used to be pirates rose to my defense and befriended me. Thus I learned all about a side of New Eden that I only had the most peripheral awareness of before: life as an outlaw. It was intriguing! So Mynxee was born and while training up basic fitting and pvp skills, I supported my other character’s work. Meanwhile, through my new friends I was introduced to others and so it goes!

When Mynxee finally was ready to begin her career as a pilot, my friends put me in touch with a former pirate corp they had belonged to, Death of Virtue, and I went to live in Decon and learn about life as an outlaw. I will never EVER forget my first solo kill in that system, some noob in a frigate. Not only was it my first experience of the PvP shakes, but my victim became a friend in game and went on to become an outlaw himself!

At that time, I was writing my blog Life in Low Sec which was fairly popular. I had been getting evemails from women readers regularly, especially newer players, who were interested in life as a pirate but weren’t sure where to start and wanted a mentor. Eventually, I decided there was a need for a women-only pirate corp that would nurture and provide a supportive environment for women players. So I founded Hellcats as a women-only pirate corp. Although the corp was never very big (intentionally), Hellcats became fairly well known in New Eden at the time and we had a great time terrorizing low sec and flying with many other notorious troublemakers: The Bastards, Tuskers, Python Cartel, and others.

In 2010, with the encouragement of many of my pirate and other friends, I ran for CSM5 on a “fix low sec” platform. Surprisingly, I received the most votes of any candidate which gave me the position of Chairperson (a role that current CSMs have done away with). The game and plans for its future were in a concerning state at the time, thus CSM5’s relationship with CCP was somewhat contentious and/or frustrating as we tried to fulfill the charter of stakeholder status as conferred by CCP and be a representative voice for the community. When that exhausting year was over, I decided to unplug for awhile and didn’t return to my spaceships until April YC116 (2014).

When I unplugged, I turned Hellcats over to one of its directors and the corp subsequently closed. But recently, an old friend and fan of the corp has opened Hellcats Reloaded. She is still deciding on the details for this new incarnation although “women and PvP” is the focus. I am offering advice as she wants it but will not be involved otherwise in the new venture.

What attracted you to explore New Eden? What is your goal and have you achieved it? If not, are you still working towards your goal, do plan to continue, or what are you currently doing?

Before I took my break from New Eden, I often used to simply wander to see the sights as a way of escaping the demands of being a CEO and serving on the CSM. It was relaxing and there is much to see in the cluster if one goes looking for it. When I returned to New Eden, I decided that I was not interested in agendas, drama, or politics. While I love PvP and remain a pirate at heart, my RL connection is via satellite internet due to living in a rural location with no other options. The latency makes PvP untenable and unfun for me. But I found that I was content just wandering around hopping through wormholes and doing hacking sites in low and null sec, all while playing or banking at Eve Online Hold’em (EOH) for ISK (admittedly, I am a poker junkie!).

Cheetah

Then Thera came along and I find myself enamored of that system and its many connections to the rest of New Eden. I have signed on to be a scout for EvE-Scout and enjoy helping people get into and out of Thera when I’m in system. Surprisingly, I find myself interested in the lore and speculations related to Thera and have spent time learning more about those.

My blog, Outlaw Insouciant, shares my new, more quiet adventures as a capsuleer. One thing I began doing is keeping a podjournal illustrating things I see in my travels. Recently, I have not posted any podjournal pages but I do plan to do more as a regular feature of the blog.

What is the name of your favorite ship that you enjoy flying the most while exploring? Why is it your favorite? Would you mind sharing your fit?

Astero

Cloaky ships are my favorite ships to fly, with frigates being my preference. Currently, I am in love with the beauty and fun of flying my Astero for doing hacking sites. However, the Cheetah offers a bigger scan probe strength bonus so I grudgingly use it for probing in Thera…it is so ugly though. I am very fond of the Hound and Rapier but don’t often fly them anymore due to the connection difficulties that so negatively impact my ability to PvP.

My fits tend to start off as standard fits lifted from Eve Uni’s wiki, then tweaked based on personal preference or intended use. My early skill training was all geared toward maximizing my ship fitting ability so I usually don’t have any trouble fitting T2; I rarely fit Faction gear (except for my Sisters of Eve probe launcher)…it’s not really necessary for what I do and typically beyond my wallet capabilities anyway 😛

During your research and travels, what has been the most interesting fact, amazing sight, or other aspect of New Eden that surprised you?

Thera has to take the prize as being the most amazing, interesting, and mysterious place I’ve been in New Eden. I look forward to seeing what else unfolds in the story about that place, Caroline’s Star, and the shattered wormholes. I love love love that so much about it remains to be discovered, that there is a sense we might never know the answer, and that this all combines to make New Eden feel big again, somehow–much bigger than capsuleers and our activities.

What have you learned or what advice would you give to someone interested in exploring New Eden?

Learn a few important basics: using a cov ops cloak, probing skills so that finding sigs isn’t an exercise in time-consuming frustration, how to avoid and/or navigate out of bubbles in null sec and w-space, how to use the d-scanner efficiently and what to be concerned about, how to set insta-undock bookmarks and why they are important in low/null/wh space. And share your journeys in a blog. Everyone sees things in New Eden with different eyes and gets to places by different routes. Share the emotions and wonder of your travels…the mechanics are the same for everyone and soon grow boring to read about unless they are intended to be instructional.

Do you have a favorite image that you wouldn’t mind me posting and sharing from your explorations?

Yes, here’s two recent images… of my Astero Pocket Rockets (my ships tend to have poker-related names) cloaked in Thera, and of it uncloaked flying past a planet in glorious light.

Pocket Rockets cloaked in Thera

Pocket Rockets planet flyby

One of the greatest privileges of doing this series has been getting to know my fellow capsuleer explorers. Some I have known of and a few that I haven’t which is the case with Sir Livingston, better known as JonnyPew. I know, I know! I must be flying under a rock to not have seen his amazing collection of nearly 150 videos that he’s put together. Many of which cover exploration around New Eden. I’ve only done two videos and I’m well aware of the hard work and effort that goes into each one and simply admire his dedication to our universe. All I can say is, I’m glad this series has lead me to find his work!

What attracted you to EVE Online and how long have you played?

JonnyPew

I started playing EVE Online in 2010 during the Dominion expansion. I’ve been subscribed ever since so…that’s about 4.5 years in total. A friend at work got me into the game. He started telling me of he and his corporation’s adventures in New Eden. This continued daily for a couple weeks. I liked hearing of this sci-fi universe so much that one evening I started a trial account. After undocking for the first time I knew this game was special, something I wanted to learn. I believe that is the key to my staying with the game for so many years. The desire to learn the game.

How would you describe your characters career path?

I’ve had a varied career in New Eden. I first joined a mining corporation and grinded my way through the belts of the Lonetrek region. It was during that time that I also first discovered exploration. I remember running a number of high-sec radar/magnetometric sites (pre-Odyssey data/relic sites with npc defenders) and realizing much more profitable exploration was in comparison to high-sec mining. It wasn’t soon after this that I left the corporation and began running missions and exploration sites throughout high-sec as a solo pilot.

8 months later I joined a null-sec corporation in Pure Blind. During my 4 month stay out there I ran combat sites, combat anomalies, participated in war efforts, home defense fleets, small null-sec roams, and did the best I could to learn how to survive.

After tiring of the null-sec life I joined a high-sec war corporation. I spent just a month with them, but I learned much about surviving high-sec wars and griefing.

Growing sick of high-sec, I decided to live in low-sec as a solo pilot. I spent about 6 months in the low-sec region called Aridia and again I learned how to survive.

Not soon after I left low-sec did I decide to go on a Tour of Null-Sec, a circumnavigation of empire space. 500+ consecutive null-sec jumps later with my ship still intact I docked up in the nearest station to conclude my adventure. It truly felt like a real adventure. And of course again I learned.

6 months later I decided to learn about Faction Warfare. I joined a FW corporation that based out of Black Rise low-sec. I spent the next 7 months learning about FW PvP and the various mentalities of FW pilots.

I started my own corporation later that year.

What attracted you to explore New Eden? What is your goal and have you achieved it? If not, are you still working towards your goal, do plan to continue, or what are you currently doing?

I used to do exploration in New Eden for the profits, but now that I have plenty of isk I simply explore because I like the nomadic existence it often allows. I’m currently running hacking sites in null-sec with an interceptor.

What is the name of your favorite ship that you enjoy flying the most while exploring? Why is it your favorite? Would you mind sharing your fit?

Currently my favorite ship is the interceptor explorer fit I designed for the Raptor. It’s extremely cost-effective and fun to zip around null-sec with.

Raptor

Inertia Stabilizers II
Inertia Stabilizers II
Nanofiber Internal Structure II

Limited 1MN Microwarpdrive I
Warp Disruptor II
Relic Analyzer II

Prototype Cloaking Device I
Core Probe Launcher II, Sisters Core Scanner Probe
150mm Railgun II, Caldari Navy Uranium Charge S
150mm Railgun II, Caldari Navy Uranium Charge S

Small Emission Scope Sharpener I
Small Gravity Capacitor Upgrade I

 

During your research and travels, what has been the most interesting fact, amazing sight, or other aspect of New Eden that surprised you?

I’ll never be able to learn all there is to EVE Online. For this reason I log on.

What have you learned or what advice would you give to someone interested in exploring New Eden?

Whether you’re in it for the profit or just the sake of doing something different, find the joy in it. Exploration is just 1 game within THE game.

You can follow JonnyPew on YouTube and Twitter via the links below!

JonnyPew’s YouTube Channel
Follow JonnyPew on Twitter

Here’s two of my favorite JonnyPew videos.

Getting old is not all that it’s cracked up to be. Sure there’s wisdom that comes with age and the desire that if only you could go back in time with what you know now and there’s the added aches and pains as well, but the one that really gets me is not remembering things. Ah, to be young again. Such as it is, I’ve been trying to remember how I discovered this particular capsuleer that held an explorer’s heart. I do remember being surprised by the discovery. Perhaps she made a tweet, or someone told me, but I knew before she made this particular post on her blog.

But I guess I really shouldn’t have been surprised as she’s a great supporter of the community and the person behind and responsible for the Angel Project, an Eve Online charity since 2012, that provides aid to new players. I certainly admire her efforts behind this monumental task of maintaining such a charity. I can’t imagine keeping up with the donations and then being able to weed out those who are trying to scam for assistance from those who are truly new and need help.

Thanks Sindel for all you do for the community and new players of Eve Online. I’m thrilled to include you in the New Eden Explorer’s series. (One day, I’ve got to find that named WH planet… 🙂 )

Sindel Pellion

What attracted you to EVE Online and how long have you played?

I started playing Eve Online at the behest of my then-boyfriend-now-husband. When we first started dating, we traded MMOs. I don’t think he ever would have imagined that I’d take to Eve as well as I did. I loved how there were no rules, no boundaries. I loved the freedom. Above all ,though, I loved how beautiful the game was. It’s been three years, and I have no intention of quitting.

What is your background as a pilot? Did you jump right into exploration, start in the military, hired by a corporation, or something else?

It was immediately decided that I’d move to null sec. By whom, I have no idea. I trained for 4 and a half months to fly a cloaky Loki, completing the SoE Epic Arc in the meantime, then met my corp in Omist. I’ve been out there ever since, with brief forays into low sec every now and then.

As far as my career path goes, two-thirds of my SP are in Spaceship Command, Navigation and Gunnery. I am very much a trained killer.

What attracted you to explore New Eden? What is your goal and have you achieved it? If not, are you still working towards your goal, do plan to continue, or what are you currently doing?

I’d always been interested in exploring New Eden, but there was just one problem: probing. I didn’t understand it and I got ridiculously frustrated every time I tried. Probing tutorials– both the videos and the written ones– didn’t help me at all. I learn by doing. Luckily, a very nice member of #tweetfleet sat down with me for an hour and walked me through the basics of probing. It only took an hour.

My goal is nowhere near as ambitious as yours! I just like seeing things that not a lot of people bother to look for. I also LOVE screenshots. The only real exploration goal I’ve ever had is finding Eyjafjallajökull, the only named planet in a wormhole. This goal was achieved six weeks after I started looking, with the help of No Holes Barred.

 

What is the name of your favorite ship that you enjoy flying the most while exploring? Why is it your favorite? Would you mind sharing your fit?

I can usually be found flying a Cheetah when I’m exploring. It has gone through a number of name changes, so right now its name is “Shhhhhhhhhhhhh!”. I also use a Tengu when exploring, but the Cheetah is more practical for someone like me because it’s cheaper to replace and people tend to shoot at me. My current fit is:

Cheetah

[Cheetah, Poke Around]
Sisters Expanded Probe Launcher, Sisters Combat Scanner Probe
Covert Ops Cloaking Device II
150mm Light Autocannon II
Scan Pinpointing Array I
Scan Acquisition Array I
Scan Rangefinding Array I
Limited 1MN Microwarpdrive
Nanofiber Internal Structure II (2)
Damage Control II
Small Ancillary Current Router 1 (2)

Is it a perfect fit? No. But it works for me. I can strike out alone and just explore, or I can assist my fleet when they need a strong prober (and whore on KMs).

During your research and travels, what has been the most interesting fact, amazing sight, or other aspect of New Eden that surprised you?

The thing that constantly surprises me is the attention to detail that CCP gives to even the most little things. The flames at The Bonfire move. The clouds blow across planets. The satellites rotate. The drones have moving parts. When you take the time to actually look– like Ctrl+F9 and LOOK– you see all kinds of intricate details. You fully appreciate the effort behind the game.

What have you learned or what advice would you give to someone interested in exploring New Eden?

The greatest advice I can give is to do your research and make sure you have the right tools for the job. I’d NEVER take the Cheetah into a Sleeper site, that’d be suicide. On the other hand, if I were going to see something like Titanomachy, I wouldn’t bring a Tech III ship; the chance of dying is too high to risk something so valuable, and a Cov Ops ship will work just fine. Adjust your fits and your ships based on what kind of exploration you’re doing.

Also, don’t be afraid to take risks. If you’re scared to lose your ship, or to venture into low/null, you’re missing out on some of the most beautiful things in Eve. Sure, you might die. But, at the end of the day, they’re just pixels, and they are worth risking.

Do you have a favorite image that you wouldn’t mind me posting and sharing from your explorations?

Here is a shot of my trusty Tengu (named Not a Tengu) and the planet Eyjafjallajökull:

Eyjafjallajökull

It’s great to see other Exploration blogs out there and Motoko Rei of “Into the Ether” is a great one to visit. What I like about Motoko’s blog is the wandering nature of a solo explorer from interesting High Sec sites to Low Sec, Null Sec, and Wormholes. He’s captured some fantastic images along the way and has certainly developed a piloting skill to be admired in order to navigate all that New Eden has to offer. Motoko has been flying the cluster since July of 2013, just a little over a year now, and through his blog he’s shared his experiences so far. Be sure to check out “Into the Ether” if you’re someone who’s interested in seeing New Eden. You’ll learn, as I’ve learned doing my own exploration, fear is no reason to deny your explorer’s heart.

Motoko Rei

What attracted you to EVE Online and how long have you played?

I read that Eve Online was complicated, which first peaked my interest. I like the idea that there needs to be some investment in order to fully experience the game. I next discovered the player community (bloggers at first) and thought that a game which can inspire such dynamic player creativity in terms of blogger output (stories, articles, critique, player experience) must have something special about it. I have been playing for over a year.

How would you describe your characters career path?

I started out running missions and mining in high security space for 2 or 3 months. It seemed like that gameplay was going nowhere fast so I decided to seek out a corporation that could accommodate my play schedule and help me get more out of the game. At the time, Touring New Eden was being advertised as a pacifist corporation – which did not especially draw me in, but it was something I didn’t mind trying out if there were other selling features. I joined Touring because it was also geared for solo pilots and it could teach people how to travel safely through hostile territory.

This is where the game opened up for me. Another corporation declared war and rather than having the newer pilots dock up – we were encouraged to head out into null-sec with our T1 frigates (after first reading up on how to do so, safely). I took a Magnate and headed out to an NPC station way out in Null-sec – completely prepared to have that ship destroyed – and to my surprise I made it.

What attracted you to explore New Eden? What is your goal and have you achieved it? If not, are you still working towards your goal, do plan to continue, or what are you currently doing?

After I found myself pretty far into Null-security space I first started to explore. I was checking out some local sites, then scanning down exploration sites and then scanning down wormholes. I really liked the feeling of discovering new places in the game for myself. Once I started I kept going. Wormholes are the most fascinating for me.
My goal is to continue exploring New Eden to its fullest. More specifically, that means learning more about wormholes first hand, seeing some of the notable sites out there, mining exotic ores and fullerenes. I hope to do all this with some pvp added to the mix.

Anathema

While doing all this exploring I found that I was severely lacking in the PVP aspect of the game. I was having trouble dealing with Sleepers and also wanted to be able to engage other capuleers in combat. So I left Touring New Eden and joined Open University of Celestial Hardship (OUCH). Here I was quickly taught the basics of pvp combat. I decided to join their Operations Department in order to continue to learn and enhance the pvp aspect of my game as well as teach others the introductory modules in the OUCH training program.

Lately my exploring has been making excursions to some of the interesting sites I have read about. I hope to visit Titanomachy next and some more wormholes.

What is the name of your favorite ship that you enjoy flying the most while exploring? Why is it your favorite? Would you mind sharing your fit?

It really depends on what my intent of the journey is. If I am site running or wanting to fly cloaked it’s the Anathema (for aesthetics). If I am going for a quick visit somewhere it’s usually the Ares (for the 4 low slots). Mining or gas excursions into wormholes was the Venture (I’m so excited for the ORE Expedition Frigate, the Prospect, to come out soon). I am working my way up to T3 Cruisers as well. I kind of feel like I have not found my favorite yet.

During your research and travels, what has been the most interesting fact, amazing sight, or other aspect of New Eden that surprised you?
The most amazing sites for me have been the wormhole nebula. They are varied and look absolutely incredible. I also really enjoy seeing Sleepers and Rogue Drones up close.

What have you learned or what advice would you give to someone interested in exploring New Eden?

I would advise anyone who was interested in exploring New Eden to learn some basic null-sec traveling from another capsuleer or corporation and then jump in. The basics are very easy to learn and then the whole of New Eden is yours to discover.

Do you have a favorite image that you wouldn’t mind me posting and sharing from your explorations?

I have many images I have taken that are favorites. If I have to pick one I’ll go with the cloaked Anathema floating before a wormhole nebula. It’s peaceful.

Cloaked Anathema floating before a wormhole nebula

This is a thrill for me to have the opportunity to interview Mark726 of EVE Travel. In all honesty, and I don’t think I’ve ever told him this, his blog was what inspired me to start my own and record my travels through New Eden. So first off, I wanted to take this opportunity and thank Mark726 for his inspiration, his support, and his fantastically well done blog.

If you’re not aware of or heard of EVE Travel, then there’s just no hope for you! Especially if you consider yourself an explorer or traveler of New Eden. Of course I jest, because I can’t imagine that there’s not a single capusleer who’s not, but you never know. There’s no comparison between our blogs, because I’ve always thought of Mark726’s site as the National Geographic of New Eden, where mine’s more like the Griswold Family Vacation! 😉 His level of professionalism and pure quality is something I strive to achieve with my own.

If you’ve not visited EVE Travel, then you’re in for a real treat, go check it out, find something that interest you, then go see it for yourself in game. You won’t regret it!

Mark726

What attracted you to EVE Online and how long have you played?

I’ve been a player since December 2007 (thinking about that depresses me at times, heh). I joined almost on a whim: I had seen a number of advertisements while at college that year. I did a bit of research (to confirm that it was, in fact, a game about space) and decided to try it as I got home for winter break. That delay ended up being a pretty good idea on my part: I just missed the boot.ini fiasco from the Trinity fiasco because of it. Other than that, I had no real idea what I was getting myself into.

How would you describe your characters career path?

I was always sort of a lone wolf. I stayed with the Center for Advanced Studies for quite awhile, plying the spacelanes on my own. A few friends I had met in various channels got me into their corp for a while, but even then I didn’t really do anything corp-related. I finally started my own corporation to help with Project Compass, part of the Arek’Jaalan initiative. Even after I finished my Project Compass analysis, I’ve stuck with Project Compass Holdings ever since.

What attracted you to explore New Eden? What is your goal and have you achieved it? If not, are you still working towards your goal, do plan to continue, or what are you currently doing?

EVE Travel started out pretty simplistically. I was bored one day and I wanted to see some sights. I tried searching for a comprehensive list, and couldn’t find one. EVE Travel spurred from there. My goal is to create a comprehensive catalog of all notable landmarks in game, be they mission sites, player-created sites, or things that CCP has put there. I intend to keep going until I can’t find anymore, and that hasn’t quite happened yet (though after 150 or so sites, the rate of discovery has definitely slowed to a trickle: if anyone knows anything I’ve missed please let me know!)

Buzzard

What is the name of your favorite ship that you enjoy flying the most while exploring? Why is it your favorite? Would you mind sharing your fit?

Depends on where I’m going. If I’m sticking in high or low sec, I stick with what is probably my more well-known ship: a Buzzard-class, Professor Science. It’s a quick little thing, excellent for exploration jaunts. If I’m heading to null sec, I swap to my Tengu-class, Scientia, to help me avoid bubbles.

During your research and travels, what has been the most interesting fact, amazing sight, or other aspect of New Eden that surprised you?

Tengu

It’s the little touches that are put into New Eden that really tickle me pink, so to speak. One of the lesser known sites (it’s not marked by a beacon) is the ship wash in Ashab (Planet 2, Moon 1). It makes total sense that capsuleers especially would often pride themselves on keeping their ships spotless and shiny. Would I, in a million years, ever have actually thought of making one? Nope. There are cargo pads with little boxes of goods, shipyards with moving hands that go up and down. There’s a whole UNIVERSE out there for people who are looking. It’s these small touches that keep drawing me back.

What have you learned or what advice would you give to someone interested in exploring New Eden?

Just go and do it. It doesn’t need to be a big to-do; even new players can see a lot of the sites that I profile since the largest chunk of them are in high security space. Just take something small and fast and go. Even in low sec, a small, fast ship will get you where you need to 9 times out of 10, even without a cloak. It’s an excellent change of pace!

Do you have a favorite image that you wouldn’t mind me posting and sharing from your explorations?

Oooooph choosing a favorite image is tough. I’ve seen a lot of awesome ones. But I always keep coming back to the Infested Comet Remains in the Contested Canyon of Rust in Alsottobier. It’s a derelict station inside a comet!

Infested Comet Remains, Contested Canyon of Rust, Alsottobier

Contemplation around Jolia III

When it comes to longtime supporters and old friends, Rhavas is one that I count among them. Though we’ve never shared experiences in game and have only known each other through the community and meta gaming, I believe his mindset and heart for exploration is similar to my own. It seems he’s got a knack for unknowingly encouraging me at just the right moments. More than once when I’ve doubted myself or my goal and wondered if anyone was even listening, Rhavas Tweets a simple comment or reTweets a blog post of mine. In so many ways, it’s a minor act, a simple thing, but it’s that support that has a huge impact and nudges me on. I’ve never said it directly or publicly, so I will now — Thank you Rhavas, your encouragement means a lot.

When I returned to EVE recently and was going through my old EVE mail, I had to laugh when I found a message from Rhavas that said Katia was mentioned in his will and he had left the game. Which on the 27th of June 2014 it will be exactly three years ago to the day. I had submitted an image to EON Magazine that was published (Issue #25, Postcards from the edge #2), as a tribute and farewell to Rhavas. The image is pictured above. The entry read as follows:

Rarely do New Eden’s elite have to face up to the reality of death, even when they themselves might be guilty of terminating dozens of lives with each ship they destroy. In this instance, a capsuleer takes a slow orbit around the plasma world of Jolia III during a period of quiet contemplation, having learnt of the loss of a close personal friend to a clone transfer accident. It is hoped the consciousness of the pilot will be able to be revived in the future.

From Katia’s perspective he had encountered a mishap and was forever “dead” so to speak. I laugh because now I have to explain his return in Katia’s mind and show her reaction. Which I plan to do so IC’ly (in character) in an upcoming blog story. It’s nothing big, lol, but it’s what we roleplayers do after all.

What attracted you to EVE Online and how long have you played?

Rhavas

I came for the spaceships! I’m very long-time sci fi fan and had heard a lot of intriguing things about EVE. I’ve been playing off and on since 2010 – I started right as Dominion was finishing and Tyrranis was getting ready to launch. I really wanted to be a smuggler, flying things past and around blockades for fame and fortune. Seeing there was even a ship called a “blockade runner” convinced me to sign up for a trial. Reading about the awesomeness of the (then famed) nano Vagabond made me go Minmatar.

How would you describe your characters career path?

As I mentioned, I wanted to be a smuggler. Then of course I found out that blockade runners aren’t actually for smuggling contraband and people don’t really pay – or recognize – smugglers that way in EVE. But cloaking did in fact look like the real deal, so I went straight for a CovOps. I also quickly realized that without a corp, the game would be very dull. I think I spent 10 minutes on mining. I saw a good ad and signed up for a little startup PVP corp called Lupus Vires, which was fun for a brief time but then imploded when its leadership idled out. From there I decided I needed a teaching corp that wasn’t as prone to failscade, so I joined EVE University for about 5 months, where I learned the ropes and met many of the people I still fly with today.

 My E-UNI buddies split mostly three ways when we graduated – some “serious PVP” guys went to Agony Unleashed, a few others formed the wormhole corp Future Corps (including their founder, CSM 8 member James Arget), and a handful of us decided to follow E-UNI FC Sto Lo into lowsec in a group called The Corporation of Noble Sentiments, who later linked with Future Corps to form the Sleeper Social Club alliance. We had a blast in lowsec but the sec status mechanics at the time were brutal, requiring more time to rat sec status than play the fun parts of the game. Coupled with some disappointments I had around the Arek’Jaalan project, I quit for about 8 months and while I was away, Noble Sentiments folded and rolled into Razor Alliance in sov nullsec.

 When I came back I knew I didn’t want to be in sov nullsec, so I joined the Future Corps guys and have been there ever since. I really enjoy wormhole life – and it matches really nicely to the exploration niche I found for myself.

What attracted you to explore New Eden? What is your goal and have you achieved it? If not, are you still working towards your goal, do plan to continue, or what are you currently doing?

Very early in my career – even before joining my first corp – I started my blog Interstellar Privateer. I didn’t have brilliant PVP expertise or brilliant game insight or fight stories to tell, so I started it as mostly a creative outlet for myself; the bulk of my early writing is fiction. This played out especially well because it forced me to learn the lore. While exploring that lore I learned about the Seyllin Incident and was fascinated by it. I decided to make Isogen-5, the shattered planets and wormhole lore my “thing” since it looked like there wasn’t much established expertise on that lore. That led me to kick off my goal of visiting every shattered planet in EVE, along with most of the worlds connected to the Seyllin Incident events.

The shattered planets are spread all over New Eden, which led me a journey of hundreds of jumps, especially when I added in additional sites of interest that linked to the Seyllin Incident story. The whole writeup is in the Shattered Datacore on my site and in the end it led to me joining Arek’Jaalan, writing the Evelopedia page for the shattered planets, and starting two exploration efforts. Unfortunately those efforts, Project Tesseract (investigation of and hunt for Isogen-5 in the game and attempt to recreate the Seyllin Event) and Project Catapult (hunt for Sansha Kuvakei’s wormhole-generating mothership) both died when Arek’Jaalan closed up and CCP essentially disavowed it.

What is the name of your favorite ship that you enjoy flying the most while exploring? Why is it your favorite? Would you mind sharing your fit?

I still fly my very first, original CovOps from 2010, Wraith (a Cheetah) as my primary exploration ship. She has seen me through thick and thin and while I’ve often been bubbled I’ve never been caught. Her fit changed a lot with the introduction of Odyssey and my move from exploring new systems to probing for wormhole signatures. I used to use her as a scout as well but these days I’m more likely to use a cloaky Proteus for that duty in wormholes.

Right now she’s rigged primarily for probing but with a bit of scouting and a bit of comedy on the side.

[Cheetah, Wraith]
High Power
1x Covert Ops Cloaking Device II
1x Sisters Expanded Probe Launcher (RSS Core Scanner Probes)
1x Festival Launcher (Copper Firework CXIV)

Cheetah

Medium power
2x Scan Rangefinding Array II
1x Scan Pinpointing Array II
1x Scan Acquisition Array II

Low power
1x Quantum Co-Processor I
2x Nanofiber Internal Structure II

Rig Slot
1x Small Polycarbon Engine Housing I
1x Small Gravity Capacitor Upgrade II

Cargo
Ammo (RF Phased Plasma S, snowballs, fireworks and Sisters combat probes)
Hero Tackle Re-Fit Components (Mobile Depot, Micro Auxiliary Power Core, Cap Recharger II, 200mm Autocannon II, Limited 1MN Microwarpdrive, Warp Disruptor II)

During your research and travels, what has been the most interesting fact, amazing sight, or other aspect of New Eden that surprised you?

Wow, there’s so many to choose from. Here is a selection of “mosts” instead.

Most impressive: The first time I laid eyes on the lone Class 5 Wormhole shattered planet (J115422 I). While I had seen all of the others already, this one was special – it had taken many months to find and in the end we risked several people on the word of a wormhole corp we didn’t know just to get a chance to look – and we were not disappointed by how bright and hot it looked. (Related linked post: “The Hidden Fire”)

Most amazing discovery: The discrepancy between the actual number of shattered planets in game when compared to the lore and the Apocrypha trailer – they don’t match, which gave me a whole new direction to explore. (Related linked post: “CONCORD’s Fine Print”)

Biggest disappointment: The EVE Gate – while pretty it was sort of anticlimactic. Everyone should go there on a pilgrimage, but if there was one piece of background art I think CCP could do even more with it would be that. It’s pretty much a Cataclysmic Variable background in k-space. I wanted to see the Gate itself! (Related linked posts: “Gates” and “Synchronicity”)

Best experience: Time spent in the now-defunct Arek-Jaalan program – a truly groundbreaking effort where we turned our exploration into real in-game research that culminated in an entire new site in space with all of our names and research on documents people can collect (go visit Antiquus in Eram to see it and collect your Project Tesseract and Project Catapult souvenirs!). (Related linked post: “Antiquus”)

What have you learned or what advice would you give to someone interested in exploring New Eden?

CovOps, CovOps, CovOps. Get a cloaky, flexible ship. For some uses and higher skillpoints, a cloaky nullified Tech3 cruiser is even better. Don’t panic when you’re caught in a bubble – zoom out, find a gap, align-MWD-cloak. As an explorer, you need to swallow your fear of loss and just go find things. Read the sites of the people Katia is profiling, especially Mark726’s EVE Travel, and go get a feel for it.

Do you have a favorite image that you wouldn’t mind me posting and sharing from your explorations?

This picture of J115422 I (noted above) has always been one of my favorites.

World on Fire