Originally by: Cpt Branko

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Edited by: Cpt Branko on 28/07/2008 10:09:09
Edited by: Cpt Branko on 28/07/2008 10:07:06

Originally by: Wimwyn

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I read all the time on the forums "all I do is PvP" then how do you pay for ammo, mods, ships, skill books etc etc - you paying a nice Chinese boy for the isk?

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Easy in principle. Kill/ransom way more then you lose. Generally, this means generally fighting when you have a advantage, or outnumbering the enemy (but not too much; you don't want to split loot many ways). While it might seem 'unfair', unless you want to mission run for your ISK, you've got to mostly pick fights you think you're likely to win, and killing haulers/etc is a good way to make cash provided you don't get blobbed/ganked. Naturally, if you fly cheap (say, frigates, I used to fly Rifters a whole lot) then you can be much less discriminative about what you engage because it takes less kills for the ship to pay for itself (in fact, ransom a noob in a cruiser for like 4-5M and you can go on and suicide your Rifter and still make a profit).

Generally, some practical tips:
- Fit your ships for maximum efficency at lowest cost. Meaning, for frigates, mix of T2/named, anything above is mostly T2 fit, BCs are OK with cheap rigs, BS require rigging. If you care about ISK efficency, don't even fly T2, unless it's absolutely crucial for your gang. Also, premium insurance.

- Outnumber your enemy only if you don't think you'll win solo. Don't outnumber your enemy by any more then you need to kill him without sustaining losses. Doing anything else is cutting your profit margins because you're scared.

- Think. A lot of low-sec is traps. If it doesn't look right, it is probably a trap. If it does look right, it still might be. Still, being overly cautious will miss you some kills, because sometimes it really IS a Hulk mining with a industrial alt AFK in Tama VI-I*.

- Learn the area and the regulars in systems you fly in. Saves you tons of losses.

- The bigger the ship, the more efficent you have to be to make a living with it. Generally, making a living flying frigs is trivial, flying cruisers/BC a bit harder but still fairly easy; doing it with battleships mean you'll be only flying in gangs with good scouting and support.

- Ransom ships if you want to make a bit of extra cash on them (many times a nubbin will only have 1-2M of loot on his cruiser, and he'll gladly pay 5), and if possible ransom pods (if it doesn't put you at any extra risk to sit there aligned).

*Tama VI-I is the 'post your bait here' belt. Shame the system is over-run by FW blobs.

Addition: don't think killing noobships and stuff at gates is lousy and unworthy. A mate of mine got 1.8B off a ibis. Another mate got 200M off a reaper, etc.

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