Can I ask the experienced explorationist's if dual-boxing is advisible for exploration and what your experiences are?

My main just skilled up fly an Ishtar all-in-one exploration fit but I got a second account now with a beginner mini alt.
I am wondering what ship combos would work for exploration besides the obvious choice of Covop and Cane?
Or would it be even better to do exploration solo .. as originally planned .. because less multi-tasking when in lowsec and let the alt just do some independent missioning/mining?

Does anyone have some experience and feedback?

Thx, Sam

A great second account ship to train a brand new alt for is a stealth bomber, since it can fill the cloaky cheap scout role, as well as providing a good amount of extra DPS.

edit: dual boxing also lets you take advantage of Fleet bonuses from Leadership skills. I run a Tengu tank and a pure DPS Vindicator in general for secure null sec areas.

Can I ask the experienced explorationist's if dual-boxing is advisible for exploration and what your experiences are?

My main just skilled up fly an Ishtar all-in-one exploration fit but I got a second account now with a beginner mini alt.
I am wondering what ship combos would work for exploration besides the obvious choice of Covop and Cane?
Or would it be even better to do exploration solo .. as originally planned .. because less multi-tasking when in lowsec and let the alt just do some independent missioning/mining?

Does anyone have some experience and feedback?

Thx, Sam

In Empire, you'll fall behind anyone flying an exploration fit t3 (as long as they're doing it right ). In low/null however, you could use the alt to scan ahead for camps/ambushes while your ishtar clears a site, so I can see an advantage there.

[ I pretty much have an alt in a Covert ops who scans/scouts ahead. He also has the codebreaker/analyzed modules.

Main is in an Ishtar, fit for DPS.

My alt has far better scanning skills and can scan down the sites much faster (yay DSP).

I can also use the alt to pick up the loot while the main tanks (Main pulls all aggro, pops boss, alt scoops loot).

In low I can use the alt to watch cloaked for pirates warping to the site etc.

[edit]I have also heard that there are actually people who scan with 2 characters ... now i don't know i guess to cover empire regions or so it might work, but i personally wouldn't want to try it ^^[/edit]

Well ... that makes sense. But my main has trained up the skills for the Ishtar and scanning (Caldari shield & missile / Gallente Drones). I rather spontanteneously got my second alt and I am a bit reluctant to skill the alt to comparable scanning abilities. It seems to be duplication of expertise. The alt is a mini character, probs I should consider to train her gunnery skills and get her in a scouting/dps support role.

Thx for all the comments . Scouting/dps [ALT] and scanning/tanking/dps [Main] sounds good. With my main in an Ishtar, I can try different inexpensive support ships for my alt.

Dual-Tengu setup sounds really posh .. but this will take some time to accomplish.

I started an alt to do the things i didnt want to waste time on my main. Started him with haulers/noctis/PI etc. Now he can scan better than my main, fly covert ops, SB, Drake, and almost tengu.

Either way, you cant have too many good scanning toons IMO.

Remember that NPCs only target one ship at a time, so even if you have a Rifter or a Kestrel orbiting them at 100km, it means they won't be shooting at your other ship :)

o/ Sam

Dual boxing most things makes it more efficient, I know a reasonably tanked Harby can clear a lot of low level Null Sites with fighter support very quickly

Hhhmmmm .. you are right but does this not mean that the rifter needs to come closer to pull all agro in the roam? Can a fast rifter still survive this with the right fit (speed tank?)

Rifter is ok for entry level sites. But if you consider double boxing speed tank+DPS dealer I would recommend you Dramiel+Bomber duo. I have used it for long, long time. It is extremely efficient to run DED plexes in low sec. Dramiel capable speed tank Guristas 4/10, 6/10 and even 8/10 (0.0). And Manticore can clean 4/10 within 10 mins, 6/10 in about 30 mins and 8/10 takes a bit more then an hour.

Therefore, Dramiel (or any other frig class ship) can't speed tank Guristas 5/10 due to the presence of web towers, neither few other sites as well.

So, you should be quiet selective what kind of exploration and were you are going to do.

Another thing you need to think about is potential "guest" while you running for example 6/10. Typically it would be Tengu in PvE fit, but very capable to force you leave the site. Ofc, there are some countermeasures to this situation even with Drami/bomber setup, but it is completely different story.

Thanks a lot for sharing the great advice.

Using two Legions sounds like the top-end solution similar to double tengu . This will take some more time.

I probs need to consider to train up my new alt into covops and scanning rather than dps following all your feedback. Sam, my main, can here more easily optimize the Ishtar for dps skill-wise (sentry V) by droping the scanner role.

Hhhmmm, I just like to use deepspace probes, and Astronomy V and other scanning skills for the alt will take time, too.

Thx again, mates

Buy a load of salvaging destroyers, leave them scattered around the low sec near you. If you find a decent c3 with loads of anoms, mags, radars etc. then run it.