The Solo Combat Pilot's Guide to Good Roaming #1

Over the next few months I will be writing a series of roaming guides which are loosely based on my solo roams in and around the many different regions of New Eden. There's not many places on the starmap that I haven't visited and I hope that these guides will inspire you to follow in my footsteps! Some of the guides will be epic roams that span hundreds of systems and some will contain only a few 'pocket' systems. It will be a nice mixed bag of goodies.

The guides are geared towards the solo combat pilot, of course, there's nothing to stop you forming up a small gang and pillaging the space-lanes as a blood-thirsty group, should you wish.

Frigates are always the preferred space vessel unless stated otherwise. It is also worth noting that as a combat pilot with a security status of -10, it might not be to your tastes if you have a fear of that place called 'low-sec'. On the contrary, I hope these guides encourage new players to break out of the shackles of high-security space and explore the vastness of New Eden's wild-lands.

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First up. . . .

Amamake Town & District.

This is a short roam, a total of eight low-sec systems to explore and includes one high-security bridging system, therefore frigates or a nano-cruiser are advised for the route.

System 1 - Bosboger 0.3
 
Bosboger is three high-sec jumps from Rens - the main market hub of the Heimatar region. With that in mind, this is a great starting place for the novice Rifter (or any other frigate for that matter) pilot who is about to embark on his/hers first low-sec adventures.

Jumping into Bosboger from Dammalin should be relatively risk free, it is rarely a camped gate. However, it has been known in the past to have the lone opportunist battlecruiser ready to gank the odd hauler who fancies his chance of a short dash to re-stock the local markets, you should be safe enough in your nimble frigate.

There are twenty-six asteroid belts to explore, Bosboger is quite a large system and the first cluster you should scan as you sit cloaked on the gate is the VI cluster. If you are lucky and something pops up on scan you can be in warp and landing on top of your target before he even knows what day it is. After the VI cluster it is time to warp to the central cluster, initiate warp to the star and make a bookmark before you land. Warp to your bookmark and scan . . . (sorry, you obviously knew that already, right?)

From your star safe you will pick up the I, III, IV and V clusters and normally any faction warfare facilities that are active will usually be in this central cluster, scan these too for juicy prey. It is worth noting that you will pick up a lot of ships that permanently reside in the moon bases in here. You should memorise these ship names and ignore them, kind of difficult at first but once you visit the system a few times you will remember them.

Next up you can warp to the VII cluster where there are nine belts and then on towards the VIII and X belts, only two belts here but you never know what is lurking in these outer belts.

I find that Bosboger can sometimes be a very good hunting system. It is attractive to ratters straying in from the safety of high-sec for the low-sec bounties and I've even had plenty of mining barges fall to my auto-cannons in this system. The number of pilots in system can vary from just two or three to an average of about seven and can peak at around fifteen in the busier periods of the day. It rarely gets any busier than that and if you do see a higher total it could well mean a gang is active in the system.

There are two stations in Bosboger. The Republic Security Services Assembly Plant and a Quafe Company Factory. Both have repair facilities, neither have medical bays. Market facilities are minimal, you may find the ammunition you need is in stock but other than that I wouldn't hope for much.

System 2 - Lulm 0.3

Lulm is a small system and once you jump in from Bosboger you should know from scanning cloaked at the gate whether or not you may be able to get a fight. There are six asteroid belts situated in two clusters and there is also an Angel Creo-Corp Mining 2/10 site that attracts the attention of frigates like a blue-light does flies. If you get lucky warp on in and zap away.

Of the three stations in the system, The Quafe Company Factory has repair facilities and both the Tribal Liberation Force Logistic Support and the Poteque Pharmaceuticals Biotech Production have medical facilities, however the Poteque base does not have a repair facility. The market in here is generally stagnant, again maybe ammo and drones at a push.

The system rarely peaks above five or six members. With this we move on towards our next sytem . . .

System 3 - Gulmorogod 0.4

Gulmorogod is a system that I generally find to be quiet at most times of the day and rarely do I get fights in here on a regular basis, you might get lucky though, concentrate on scans from the IV cluster and X cluster. The chances of finding a fight can also be heightened at the Abandoned Battlefield and the Abandoned Mining Colony which are both in scan range from the star.

The four stations in the system offer up a good mix of services including repair and medical bays, the market in here is sometimes surprisingly quite good, I sometimes find everything but for a few parts needed for fitting a Rifter in here.

Moving on . . . .

System 4 - Amamake 0.4

What can be said about Amamake? Possibly one of the most famous pirate haunts of New Eden, home to many a man in hiding, men seeking their fortune, the brave, the stupid, the blobs, the cloakies . . . they all reside or pass in here. Just nine asteroid belts, but one of them - asteroid belt III-I is infamous for its ability to garner a fight by just sitting in there for any period of time. Be warned though, I wouldn't recommend it when numbers are high, that guy in his Thrasher usually has his Falcon or Rapier buddies cloaked nearby - that odd looking battlecruiser usually has a fleet hiding behind a gate, you get the picture.

There are lots and lots of stations in Amamake. Pator Tech School is often camped and should be on your avoidance list. The top station is also worth avoiding for obvious reasons, it is home to the local pirate community. If you have to dock up then have a look for one with minimal facilities. The market in Amamake can be good at times and you should be able to fit up a ship as a last resort. However, it is best not to linger in the stations for too long.

Numbers in here can vary wildly. Some say the best time to hunt in Amamake is when local is steady at around 10-15 pilots with just a few frigates on scan. This is rare and usually happens just after downtime. It makes for a good small frigate arena though, if you get lucky and find yourself active during an Amamake 'slow' period make the most of it, hunt down your prey and have fun. However, when it is busy, and it does get busy - sometimes 50+ to 80+ members or more can make for a scary place, stargates can become a hazard and just a quick blip on the 360 degree scan can reveal a frightening amount of ships. If that's the case it is time to move on . . . .

System 5 - Siseide 0.3

Siseide is usually a system that people just pass through on their way to bigger and better places, it is a junction to the various faction warfare systems nearby but that shouldn't put you off hunting in here. I find that it is occasionally a very good place to find a 1 v 1 with another frigate pilot, usually idling in the top belt or hopping between the belts in the VII cluster can be fruitful. Chance your arm and get lucky!

The three stations in here offer a good mix of repair and medical facilities but the market is pretty much basic. After having a play in here it is time to move on . . . .

System 6 - Egghelende 0.4

Egghelende is one of my favourite hunting systems. Depending on the time of day sometimes you can find around five people in here and on the busy periods anything up to thirty and above . . . 

It is sometimes frequented by mission runners so a probing alt might be useful, but what makes this system come alive is the amount of novice ratters who find they are drawn to its asteroid belts. It is one of the most frequented low-sec ratting systems and it is no surprise that it is also home to some pretty evil looking pirate corporations. Don't let that put you off though as they aren't always home/active. I've had plenty of kill streaks in here when it seems like ratters are throwing their ships at me. Enjoy but be alert for probes if you are using safes often to hunt, you might easily become the hunted!

The system is split into two main scanning clusters. A scan from somewhere around planet IV will reveal a good scope for all of the belts in the first half of the system, including the fabled top belt. The next scanning spot should be around the VII cluster, quick warps between the two should get you some nice kills over time.

There are five stations in Egghelende with good services, the University station is a good low-sec shopping stop-off for skill books, it can sometimes be camped, as you might expect. The market is pretty decent for some commodities but there aren't many ships available in here.

Sometimes the high-sec out-gates are heavily camped but that shouldn't be of any concern unless you go poking your nose into their business. Which I wouldn't advise you do.

System 7 - Aliette 0.4

Aliette is a backwater system that rarely attracts the crowds of Egghelende, numbers rarely exceed the ten mark and in fact you are more likely to find yourself alone more often than not. However, there are times when you will find somebody who has got too accustomed to the quietness of this system and if you sneak up on them just right you should be able to ruin their day quite easily.

The two stations offer repair facilities but there are no medical bays and the market is poor.

If there are people active in system and you can't find them in one of the eleven asteroid belts then use your system scanner to check for targets in the Serpentis hubs that often show up in here.


Moving on. . .

System 8 - Stegette 0.5 *HIGH-SECURITY*

This is the system where if you are flashy you don't want to see a gang of interceptors waiting for you upon jumping in. Blast through the system and make your way to . . .

System 9 - Fasse 0.4

The final system on the route is a system with no stations, if you see pilots in local in here the chances of them being active in space are pretty much high, unless they are in a pos, in which case, try and draw them out for a fight. Warp around, scan or just hit the belts in random fashion with all guns blazing - if you've made it this far without even a single fight to count then I'd suggest you were very unlucky.

I usually find this is a quiet system and is usually nice to chill in after your roam, wait for the ratters to come to you if you wish, you'll be surprised how many people randomly warp to top belt. Eager for more? You could repeat back on yourself or you could head on out into The Bleak Lands and beyond . . . but that's for another guide.


Happy hunting!


MB.