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Damar Rocarion
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Posted - 2010.03.24 08:22:00 -
[1]
What is plexing?
Factional warfare complexes, aka plexes are things which affect system occupancy in faction warfare. Occupancy only affects whose sides NPCs are inside said plexes. Unless you have roleplaying reason or want bragging rights, plexes have zero effect on your game experience, so lets get that out of the way right away.
To conquer a system, you need to take about 30 plexes without enemy getting any. This turns bunker vulnerable and can then be shot and occupancy changes in next downtime. As expected changing system occupancy is usually a long-term project though some systems are prone to "pile-ups" of plexes and can turn vulnerable very rapidly.
1: Finding a plex
To locate a plex inside a system, you will have to scan it. You can use ship scanner for this and scan on planets, star, bunker, etc. Ship scanner has range of 5 A.U and takes 30 seconds. Scanning a single system takes minutes if done like this.
Better way is to use probes, namely core scanner probes (astrometrics 1 required) to scan down whole system down in approximately 20 seconds. Ships which have a "spare" high-slot like Griffin, Cormorant or Thrasher are good for this and of course, you can always fit probe launcher to any ship and just re-fit before entering plex.
If FW plex is within scan range, it's always 100% accurate hit and you can warp there. This will open it in overview for everyone in the system to see. However, systems dont necesserily have any plexes so if you come up with no scan hits, dont think you are doing something wrong :)
If you wish to make sure your efforts help the general militia in regards where to defend/attack, you can set map to show "occupancy - defensive/offensive - my militia". Map is somewhat behind the real time events but is usually a good indication anyway.
2: How plexes function
Plexes are essentially isolated deadspace pockets (except that microwarp drives function) where entry is only gained by properly sized ships using the acceleration gate. For minor plexes (For example Caldari minor stronghold) you can only enter in t1 frigate or destroyer. Anything else will be stuck on gate.
Medium plex (Caldari stronghold for example) you can enter with t1 cruiser and t2 frigate. Major plexes are either "restricted" which have gates that allow battlecruiser and smaller.
Unrestricted plexes (major stronghold and major compounds) are ones where you enter with any ship, including capitals. In case you are worried about loopholes to system, it is not possible to cyno inside a plex (nor warp to other member). Smartbombs dont function while in range of acceleration gate so it's not possible to camp them that way. Faction ships count as t1 ship of their type so navy caracal enters medium plex, succubus gets to minor and so on
When warping to plex, best range to warp to gate is 10km. You will still land close enough to activate the gate but wont risk bumping into gate. These days, once you activate gate you are invulnerable and enter safely. I've not tested this much in practice myself much but I have been able to dodge sensor boosted thrashers at acceleration gates with cruisers so I assume this is the case. This does not mean there is no chance to be tackled though.
To capture or defend a plex, you have to fly to the timer inside the plex and stay within capture range (10-30km depending on plex size) for designated time (10-20 minutes). If you leave the capture area or war target enters capture range, timer is stopped and wont be started until enemy is driven off. In friendly plex, you only have to wait for timer to run down, in hostile plexes you get shot by npcs.
(continued)
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Damar Rocarion
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Posted - 2010.03.24 08:29:00 -
[2]
3: Fighting inside a plex.
When entering a plex, you (and enemies) always land about 2km of an entry point. This is perhaps closest thing to a "bubble" in low-sec. As such, it's a good place to put an ambush with tacklers and other ships being at optimal range. While entry is visible as cosmic anomaly, you can drop a can to mark it.
If you are alone in a plex with friendly npcs, then best bet is to use npcs as support (more on that later). Also, the timer is usually priority for enemies who do come to plex. It is best to place supporting ships and long range ships away from the button so war targets are forced to take range to them instead of closing in if they want to go to timer.
If you are being chased by pirates and war targets, plexes are also good ways to divide enemy fleet or to take sanctuary in as hostiles may have numerous ships who cannot follow you.
4: NPCs
When inside the plexes, the greatest tactical advantage are the NPCs on defenders side. Faction NPCs are basicly mission npcs with their appropriate damage types and Ewar. Amarr are Blood Raiders, Caldari are Guristas, Gallente are Serpentis and Minmatar are Angels.
General agreement seems to be that Caldari and Minmatar plexes are worst plexes for attackers. Unlike Amarr/Gallente, they cannot be easily speed tanked due to missiles which Amarr/Gallente dont have.
The NPC aggro differs a bit. Sometimes they attack right away when somebody enters, other times enemy has to get pretty close or even at range of the timer. Also, if a neutral (or even war target) has very high caldari standings, he wont be aggroed (working as intended according CCP, yeah right).
Plexes always have an initial spawn of 4-5 ships appropriate for plex size (major plex can have initial spawn of several battleships for example). If war target touches the timer, it starts an invisible countdown and causes 3-4 more spawns to appear in course of following minutes. These spawns appear even if wt is chased from the timer and as such, wt entering a plex can be the best thing that happens to you as you will soon have 20-30 npc ships supporting you.
In minor plexes, the support of npcs can be neglible, unless you have more than one spawn. In larger plexes, they really start to make a difference especially in case of Caldari and Matar npcs.
(continued)
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Damar Rocarion
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Posted - 2010.03.24 08:37:00 -
[3]
5: What do I get from plexing?
Right now, just standing with your militia. Once plex closes, everyone on the grid, no matter if there is 1 or 100 ships, receives standing. Every raw 1.0 standing gives you promotion which also boosts your factional standing*. First promotions require 3-4 plexes and from there on, the number keeps growing but 4.0 to 5.0 with militia is quite easy to acquire.
I had a habit of using barely trained alts to run defensive plexes in condors. When they reached high-enough standing with Caldari State (6.0), I went to Otomainen solar system and did a COSMOS mission offered by agent Zabon Michi which gives storyline mining implant (mining bonus +5%) worth hundreds of millions (plus bounties, plus other goodies).
I could have also taken the alt to brief journey to Amarr militia for Amarr standing as Otomainen also offers Amarr agent named Akemon that also gives valuable implant (+8% armor hitpoints). The funny part is that with buddy program, this actually becomes self-fuelled money maker as you get free play time and you get enough isk to buy game time.
With FW mission boost, such alts could be used to take missions and then speed tank them for you main if you want to use the usual two-man mission team for mission without risking your mains standings in case missions dont succeed for some reason.
If any Amarr/Gallente/Matar can enlighten us on their COSMOS missions, feel free to reply to this thread.
* Also derivative standing to Amarr, Mordu, Thukker, etc. friendly factions of your militia.
6: Last word on unrestricted plexes
Unrestricted plexes have entry point where you land if you warp to 0. However, if you warp at range you will fall to the grid on place determined by your angle of arrival. As such it is possible to land right on top of the timer (and surprise whoever sits there) if you happen to have a good warp in location.
Damar Rocarion Brigadier General
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praznimrak
Gallente Level Up
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Posted - 2010.03.24 20:48:00 -
[4]
Go get a life man... FW sucks stop playing it
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chatgris
Quantum Cats Syndicate
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Posted - 2010.03.24 21:00:00 -
[5]
Edited by: chatgris on 24/03/2010 21:00:58
Originally by: praznimrak Go get a life man... FW sucks stop playing it
So does your posting.
And yes, FW sucks: but it sucks less than the alternatives for casual gamers.
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Unctom
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Posted - 2010.03.24 21:55:00 -
[6]
It'd be nice if pirate faction ships could be changed to be considered t2 for the plexes. |
Ankhesentapemkah
Gallente
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Posted - 2010.03.25 09:06:00 -
[7]
Originally by: Damar Rocarion
I had a habit of using barely trained alts to run defensive plexes in condors. When they reached high-enough standing with Caldari State (6.0), I went to Otomainen solar system and did a COSMOS mission offered by agent Zabon Michi which gives storyline mining implant (mining bonus +5%) worth hundreds of millions (plus bounties, plus other goodies).
I could have also taken the alt to brief journey to Amarr militia for Amarr standing as Otomainen also offers Amarr agent named Akemon that also gives valuable implant (+8% armor hitpoints). The funny part is that with buddy program, this actually becomes self-fuelled money maker as you get free play time and you get enough isk to buy game time.
With FW mission boost, such alts could be used to take missions and then speed tank them for you main if you want to use the usual two-man mission team for mission without risking your mains standings in case missions dont succeed for some reason.
Funny how you denied this when I brought it up at fanfest, and trolled everyone that brought up your behaviour on the forums, and now admit to doing this.
Otherwise, good guide, I suppose. Although I still don't recommend participating in FW in the bugged state it remains in for years now... ---
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Hidden Snake
Caldari Inglorious-Basterds
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Posted - 2010.03.25 09:36:00 -
[8]
Originally by: Unctom It'd be nice if pirate faction ships could be changed to be considered t2 for the plexes.
"There is no honor in war, so do not seek it here" |
TooNu
Caldari Nefarious Activities
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Posted - 2010.03.25 09:45:00 -
[9]
I will be the first to say thanks for the guide, I am sure newer players to EvE and new Faction Warfare players would appreciate this
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Damar Rocarion
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Posted - 2010.03.25 10:19:00 -
[10]
Edited by: Damar Rocarion on 25/03/2010 10:19:05
Originally by: Ankhesentapemkah Funny how you denied this when I brought it up at fanfest, and trolled everyone that brought up your behaviour on the forums, and now admit to doing this.
um...what? I've never denied farming expendable alts, quite the contrary.
On the other hand, i've often mocked your untrue allegations that Caldari FW plexers can use this mechanism to:
a) Make hundredmillionbillion isk. Reality is closer to 800m with Mich implant and while Akemon increases this, it also increases amount of work needed
b) That farming standings takes few days (more like few weeks, depending on plex numbers)
Damar Rocarion Brigadier General
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Vladinka
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Posted - 2010.03.25 10:19:00 -
[11]
Thanks for the info Damar ! I have a question if you or anyone else can answer : I'm in the amarr militia. There is a system with Occupancy - Minmatar Sov - Amarr The system isn't contested. And i can't find any plex in it , so i can contest. Tried with the onboard scanner and covops with probes. There is another situation : Occupancy ; Amarr Sov : Amarr the system is contested. And again I can't find any plex , so i can defend it. Is there a timer for complex spawning or I'm missing something about game mecanics.
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Bad Messenger
Space Perverts and Forum Warriors United
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Posted - 2010.03.25 10:20:00 -
[12]
Funniest thing is that ex gallente militia members can only smack this good quide.
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Damar Rocarion
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Posted - 2010.03.25 10:23:00 -
[13]
Originally by: Vladinka And again I can't find any plex , so i can defend it. Is there a timer for complex spawning or I'm missing something about game mecanics.
As said, there is never a guarantee that plexes are there. Plexes spawn according to number how much both sides take them and throughout the day. If there is not much activity, then plexes wont spawn that much.
Only guaranteed time they do respawn is right after downtime, hence the often called "DT rush" when it comes to plexing.
Damar Rocarion Brigadier General
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Aerilis
Gallente Quantum Cats Syndicate
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Posted - 2010.03.25 11:19:00 -
[14]
Edited by: Aerilis on 25/03/2010 11:19:52
Originally by: Bad Messenger Funniest thing is that ex gallente militia members can only smack this good quide.
Lol pull your head out of your ass. For a so called "forum warrior" you seem to be very easily butthurt. It's Eve buddy, people are going to troll/flame your post regardless of how perfectly written and informative it is. You'd think you out of all people would know this. You have to realize it's not always about you. You're not special.
That said, good guide Damar.
------------------------------ [WTS] Dominix Navy Issues - 500M |
Turelus
Caldari 22nd Black Rise Defensive Unit OWN Alliance
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Posted - 2010.03.25 11:25:00 -
[15]
Awesome post Damar, lets hope it helps out the next generation of plex addicts. ---- ---- ---- ---- 22nd Black Rise Defensive Unit |
HeliosGal
Caldari
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Posted - 2010.03.25 12:25:00 -
[16]
bring on null sec npc space factional warfare both against low sec emprie militas and pirate factions ( might need gate changes and or wormholes between regions) Signature - CCP what this game needs is more variance in PVE aspects and a little bit less PVP focus, more content more varied level 1-4 missions more than just 10 per faction high sec low sec and 00 |
Commander Cross
Costolle Military Assistance Corporation
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Posted - 2010.03.26 06:12:00 -
[17]
Good Work damar C-MAC is currently recruiting PVP pilots. Check out our forums: Here |
Bhramin
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Posted - 2010.03.26 12:01:00 -
[18]
Great guide for newer players! At pain as I am to support Damar i've never seen him make any attempt to deny he recycled alts to make billions of isk.
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Syekuda
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Posted - 2010.03.27 00:26:00 -
[19]
good guide Damar. I didn`t check but I hope this guide is on Caldari FW Forums
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greg01
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Posted - 2010.03.29 18:13:00 -
[20]
Nice one Damar,
Its a good guide for new and experienced players of ALL factions. Thanks for putting the time into it.G
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Arkady Sadik
Minmatar Electus Matari
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Posted - 2010.03.30 13:31:00 -
[21]
Thank you for posting this! Very nice guide.
A few points we found out (with the usual "we are sufficiently sure of this, but we could be wrong" caveat):
1) All plex sizes seem to be equally "worthy" for occupancy. Minor, medium, major, unrestricted, doesn't matter. You need roughly 30 plexes of any size. (In one system, we did account for a total of 30 offensive plexes taken, while having lost one medium plex)
2) For capturing, you get 100 VP (the stuff that is displayed in the top stats). For defending, 150 VP. There is more to this, though - most people have "odd" numbers of VP.
3) When a plex is taken, it respawns in an "area", which seems to be a list of constellations. For the Amarr/Minmatar conflict, there are two such "areas", each side's two regions. Not sure about the Gallente/Caldari ones. Plexes are racial, and they always respawn. They can spawn in a system where they can't be found (hostile occupied or high-sec). During DT, CCP runs a script that reshuffles such "unfindable" complexes into systems where they can be found. That script was at one point adjusted to not fill those systems with too many plexes, though. This is the reason for the "post-DT plex rush" - if only a few or maybe even one system occupied in an "area", you are quite likely to only ever get plexes post-DT there, as taking the plexes moves them to other systems, where they are unfindable and only reshuffled during DT.
4) There is an equal amount of minor, medium and major plexes, where restricted and unrestricted majors count as the same size. You get roughly one of each size as a "normal" spawn in a system.
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Ralnik
Mutineers
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Posted - 2010.03.30 20:34:00 -
[22]
Nice guide.. I'm sure it will help many of the newer players joining FW and those older ones that don't really do much plexing like myself.. .....
FactionWarfare.com New forum dedicated to all four FW factions. |
Lord Zekk
Caldari 22nd Black Rise Defensive Unit OWN Alliance
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Posted - 2010.04.01 09:59:00 -
[23]
Great guide Damar, nice stuff. ----------------------------------------
We are recruiting. Visit us at http://www.22ndbrdu.com |
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