An interceptor would struggle immensely with the hacking mini-game, so you'd mostly just blow up the loot. If you're in NPC null or somewhere you are allowed to dock and switch ships though, having an interceptor to carry your loot out past gate camps can be quite useful.

I would like to add that cloak is not a necessity, only a luxury. I never use cloak and I spend the majority of my time exploring low sec. It is important to note that I also spent quite a bit of time wandering around systems until I found some that were normally lower populated. Also, learn to use a least used route back to your high sec home base. I average about 20 mil+per hour in low sec. I also run both relic and data sites. Blue prints are very profitable when you also take up some manufacturing. I've only ever lost 1 ship and it was because I got lazy. I replaced it within the hour.

One more thing about cloaks, and a reason to look at cloaking 4 before going for covert ops:

As people have said, t1 cloaks are basically only useful for going AFK in space because of the 90% velocity reduction. Even if your on a t1 ship, you may want to look into a t2 cloak and Microwarpdrive (if you can fit it). This allows you to pulse the mwd and activate cloak when entering a gate camp. If you cancel the cloak and warp when the mwd finishes you will warp instantly making it very hard to target you beforey ou get away. This works because t2 cloaks have a 75% velocity reduction instead of 90%. You ship can warp when it is at 75% of its full speed heading towards the destination. Microwarpdrives give a 500% speed boost. With a mwd and prototype cloak you will only be going at 50% of your full speed when the mwd cycle finishes, but with a t2 cloak you will be going at 125% of your normal speed allowing for the warp.

Obviously with covert ops ships, the covert cloak makes the point moot, but training t2 cloaks takes only three days or so, but training covert ops takes around two weeks.

It's pretty easy to get in a routine of being careless jumping gate to get in remote systems when it's off-hours, and then 4 hours of playing blows by and you're into peek time and you haven't checked the route that was quiet when you plotted it a while ago.

As a new player with low SP, I can focus in one of two directions, either solid at exploration relic/data, or toward combat. If I split, I'll be jack of all trades. At least this is how I understand things. A lot of my scanning skills should be pulled up to 3 or 4 first. (archaeology, hacking, the different astronometric ones).

even radar sites in highsec sometimes have battleships.

I'm just going to have to work on my bubble avoidance skills although I have been toying with the idea of escaping null by following multiple wormhole chains until I find a hi sec exit. Does anyone do it that way or is it even more dangerous than running a bubble camp? I don't plan on saying hi to any sleepers or residents while in WH space, just scanning down other WH's to attempt an exit into back into hi sec.

So manufacturing is worth investing the time in it if someone is a regular explorer, rather than just selling the blueprints?

Hmm. Might look into that.

So manufacturing is worth investing the time in it if someone is a regular explorer, rather than just selling the blueprints?

Hmm. Might look into that.

Ermm...no. Rats in high/low/null data and relic sites were removed in Odyssey. Wormhole space is the only place where rats spawn in these sites.

I have a whole container full of blueprints found exploring, about 30 or 40 of them. I have since changed the name of the container from "blueprints" to "Junk" because I cant seem to sell any of them even at half the price they are listed in contracts....

Manufacturing might be the only way to get rid of the bloody things short of scrapping them and I don't really want to do that, not after all the trouble I went through to get them.

T3 ship, best exploration ship. Fit an interdiction nullifier and laugh at warp bubbles, which is something T1/T2 exploration ships just can't do, don't bother futzing with WH routes in/out -- just slip right through the hisec->null entrance nearest you. :)

Also, with the right subsystems a T3 also gets the same virus strength & probing bonuses as an explo T2. (Which is where CCP failed miserably with the Stratios IMHO..why bother? But I digress...)

What I haven't figured out though is which region of null has the best / most un-run relic sites...stain and paragon soul seem 'ok', but I want moar juicy blueprint drops etc...

The T3 nullified stuff looks amusing, but it seems like a high price to pay to be a bit lazier in comparison to just running a cov ops

Haven't read all the comments, so if I repeat other advice, oh well... etc.

One extra thing to be worried about in Null Sec is that the corporations that control the space out there usually have intel-chat channels and voice com alert systems in place. You can run into it in low sec as well, but not as much, since people out there don't control turf the same way. So the corps out there will often be following your progress from system to system - and they may plan something for you if they feel inclined.

Another thing about low sec - Faction Warfare systems tend to have more PvP activity than non-Faction Warfare.

Speaking of PvP - and I suppose this is semi-related to exploration, I was wondering what particular PvP roles compliment an explorers skill set? It's obvious I'll have strong scanning skills, frigate and cov ops, probably fair navigation, decent electronics. I'm thinking I'll probably do some FW PvP eventually, but I don't know if any roles borrow from skills. I thought maybe stealth bombers if covops is high anyway , maybe with some added rocket skills?

Of course I'd start with FW in frigates. I don't want to make this a general fw/PvP thread.

Lots of good advice here already, just thought I would throw some extra pieces in.

My advice for training is progress from your t1 frig to a coops to a t3. When you have the skills for the covops take a few days and train for a gas mining venture. Start checking out the whs you scan down. You can easily ninja mine a good amount of high value gas from a nice empty system with a cheap ship. When you advance to the t3 you can start training combat skills and look at completing the combat sites you have been passing by and eventually even day tripping in whs.

Feel free to mail me with specific questions, I spent a long time doing explo in deep low and whs and found it to be both fun and insanely profitable :D.