Well I'll start on the 'is it profitable' part. Exploration is like playing at the craps table. You want to get as many rolls in, because its not a matter of IF you hit it, its just when it'll hit. On a per-site basis you'll crap out most of the time, but when you hit the jackpot it more tahn compensates for the bad rolls.

That being said, for high-sec you'll want to aim towards a Heavy Assault Cruiser (high sec 4/10 sites are favorites for a reason), and that ship is typically the most effective. An Ishtar, Cerburus is usually the go-to ship. That training path can also take you through Assault Frigates, which work great for the small sites (1/10 to 3/10). Also a good Tech1 Frigate/Cruiser can run the sites, you will just most likely lose if anyone else find its before you complete it. Vexor (cruiser) is a great little starter ship, and if you aim for an Ishtar (HAC) the training completely crosses over to the next ship.

Not only will you be aiming for a agile ship with great damage, but you'll also want to have at least lv4 in the basic scanning skills. Not only do you have to 'outrun' other explorers when you find the site, you will need to find them fast enough to even compete.

Probably be a good idea to do the Exploration tutorial from one of the Exploration Career Agents first.


DMC

Thank you all for your replies, I really appreciate it! That guide mentioned having an alt so would a scanning alt benefit me? Alt for scanning and ishtar/faction cruiser to do the sites?

I've managed to save up a bit of isk so getting a faction cruiser/hac shouldn't be a problem. What I'm wondering is if the cynabal/gila can be on-par with the ishtar or is it way more superior?

-Edit

Would one of the covert ops suffice? Really like the Anathema

Hmm. So an Ishtar with Sentries + CovOps alt would be better than a one man Stratios but the Stratios would be a bit more "chill" since it's only one character?

-Edit - fixed obvious spelling error.

From the discussions I've read so far the stratios is better for general purpose explo and is good for up to 5/10 combat sites. The ishtar needs you carrying a depot and refitting from travel fit (cloak + mwd + stabs) to all out combat once on site but can take 6/10 sites maybe even 7/10 (happy to be corrected here before I try that :D )

Which is the highest site number I can find in highsec? 7/10? I read somewhere that T3s can not enter highsec sites so I guess that those are out of the question. Why can't a Stratios do sites above 5/10? Not strong enough tank or lacking dps?

For high-sec Ishtar is overkill, but it works.

I like the arty-cynabal because if you are competing with someone, a well timed volley can decide who "owns" the wreck in the end. And bullets go faster than missiles in case of a 3/10 where you can volley the overseer instantly.

Kind of the problem I'm facing aswel is that sentries are a tad OP, which makes comparing ships to an ishtar kind a sad.

There are gate entry limits on the DEC sites but they vary depending on the level which is why I still use my algos for the 3/10's (though a vexor would be better/faster probably I still like my algos too much) I think you only get up to 4/10 in hisec which are doable in cruisers and relatively straightforward in a BC you can tale up to a BC into a 4/10 but not checked if T3's can enter so it is entirey possible they can't as such a site would be trivial to them.

All the high sec exploration combat sites can be done using an assault frigate, just pick the assault frigate with native resists for the NPC space you are targeting (Hawk works great in Caldari space and can run a nice tank).

This applies to Hideouts, Lookouts, Vigils, Watches and DEDs 1,2, 3 and 4.

The advantage of running an assault frigate is you can get in ALL the combat sites and never have to ship down.

Battlecruisers and HACs are just overkill for high sec exploration IMO.

How are you handling the Stasis Towers in Angel Vigil?
How are you managing the Angel DED4 rush to the Excavator?

As I am in Caldari FW I seldom venture to Minmatar High Sec space to do exploration, but I can say this:

I am not familiar with the distance to these towers in the Angel Vigil, but they are very easy to clear in the Guristas equivalent with a long range / light missile setup on the Hawk, or a rail setup on the harpy, or drones if you are in a drone ship.

Regarding the DED 4 comment, I am not familiar with the Angel DED 4, but if its anything like the Caldari DED 4 (Guristas Scout Outpost) the second room is far easier to tank than the first, I normally ignore all the NPCs and just shoot the loot telescope structure.

I guess it all boils down to the fact that if you have the correct hardener setup / native resists on your ship none of these high sec exploration combat sites should be presenting much of a challenge. Also some sites/complexes are more suited to a long range setup so be prepared to refit accordingly.

Have you ever run an Angel Vigil and/or Angel DED4 in an AF?

Are you even skilled enough to fly an Assault Frigate?

Yes, I probably have

I said they are doable in an Assault Frigate .. not that it is going to be easy for EVERYONE.

I am a 2005 player and have been doing exploration since 2008, running these sites in an Assault Frigate is easy for me .. people who have less skill points (or a 2 month old character such as yourself) may find it a lot harder.

Seriously it is not hard with correctly set up resists, using low signature tanking with an afterburner and a medium shield booster (Hawk has bonuses to shield boost amount).

So you can't say for certain that you have.
I think you probably have not.
Fair enough.

You can think what you like, it doesn't matter either way.

The problem has never been running the sites, the problem is and always has been taking too long which raises the chances someone else will find the site and compete with you for the loot.

Thanks for all the replies guys! Taking notes from all of this. I just have a question, how much dps can I expect out of these sites?

Thanks for all the replies guys! Taking notes from all of this. I just have a question, how much dps can I expect out of these sites?