Security Information: Part 1 of 3

Check the basic Eve guide first for explanations on killrights and aggression timers/rights, security status, and using the Map.

Now, some of this stuff is going to seem pretty basic. It's mostly for newer players, though maybe anyone can learn something. All of it is gleaned from various forum posts, including Eve-online forums themselves. Basically, it is a general guide to security for all members of any corp. It includes tactics on fighting ore thieves and pirates, and safe traveling techniques, as well as using the scanner. Right off the bat I want to thank the Internet, and more importantly the Eve-Online character General Problem, for giving this knowledge so readily. The info is not new, but the words -are- original--nothing is plagiarized. Now on to the fun stuff.

Security is a concern of every member of Eve. It doesn't really mean PvP, it means keeping safe and secure--and keeping your cargo, ship and ore the same way. In the end, the security of a player is the security of the corporation--one player losing ore on a regular basis loses morale and loses assets that could help the corp. Put it this way--the corporation is made up of individuals, and when corpmembers lose, it loses too. The security division of a corporation is usually tasked with helping prevent losses of any kind to the corp, and isn't just concerned with PvP. The following guide will help you understand security, keeping safe and keeping your ship and valuables safe. A knowledgeable, cautious and aware Eve player is a great asset to any good corp, and an asset to themselves, so read on!

Part 1
Ore Thieves

For production and mining corps, the group of players is mainly concerned with two things: mining and traveling. Miners have to worry about one major thing: Ore thieves (piracy will be covered later). Ore thieves generally do not stay in one place for long. Professional ones will steal from one can, leave the system, steal from another can there, etcetera, and go twenty jumps away that night. However, any opportunist in any ship who spies ore lying in a field and decides to swipe it then also becomes an ore thief. There's a few things that can deter them, and a few things we can do to make ourselves safer. Remember, none of these are original ideas; this is common knowledge for the more experienced Eve-Online players, and it's all just packaged up neatly for new players here. Note: If you haven't yet, a good idea before reading this section would be to read the Mining Guide, so that you understand the terminology and basic procedures described here.

Tips:
1. If you encounter an ore thief, lower his security rating with you. Everyone should have a Notepad file called Ore Thieves, and should add any name they hear about or see stealing to that list. You may choose, within your corp, to corpmail (send a message to the Corp through your Eve mail system) the names of any new thieves, so that everyone is up to date. If you see an ore thief come into the system, haul your ore back to the dock asap. You *may* want to consider announcing the thief in local chat, so that perhaps he'll choose a different system to pirate (on the other hand it may "incur his wrath" so to speak, though you'll be doing other local miners a world of good). Bad ore thieves can be added to your address book so they'll be highlighted in your Local. It's also always a good idea to not leave too much ore out in the asteroid field to begin with; more ore will attract thieves, and less ore means you lose less if it does get stolen.

2. Mine in groups whenever possible. Large groups are more of a deterrant than one lone miner. Having at least one person on hand either hauling the ore in (so none is left in the asteroid belt) or guarding the miners with guns is a good idea--or both, if you have enough people.

3. Do not shoot at an ore thief. If you do, he will then be allowed to fire upon you. Even if he's blinking red, just don't do it, unless you feel hugely confident that you can kill him. His corpmates will not get rights on you unless you shoot at them too.

4. Do not steal your ore back if the thief steals it and dumps it into his own can. He will then get the right to fire on you--read tip 3. On the other hand, if you have a hauler available, a corpmate in a cheaper ship (and/or faster one) can try to switch the ore quickly from the thieves' can (can A) into your corp's can (can B). The thieves will be allowed to shoot at the small ship, but not the hauler (since the hauler did not "steal" from the thief). Then the hauler can then quickly take the ore from your can (can B) and haul it away, and the thieves will not get rights on him. Nicely enough, your hauler can then fly off into the sunset with your corp's ore, and be perfectly safe--even if your corp's "switcher" does get blown up (which is why a shuttle is a good idea for this!). Remember: if you're the switcher, jettison a bullet/1 unit of ore ahead of time and right beside your ore, so that you have a can to switch the ore in the thief's can to. Move the precious stuff first in case you die asap. Then run.

5. If a thief enters the system and approaches your can, you can do one simple thing to keep him away from it (it can be tricky, and a big and/or fast ship is much better at it). Just fly into the thief's ship as hard and fast as you can! Often (especially if you are using a micro-warpdrive or afterburner) you can shove him many kilometers away--certainly not close enough to open the can. In this case, unless you have backup (hauling or security) on the way, you may have to continue this until the patience of one of you runs out.

6. If mining alone, do NOT mine at the warp-in point. In other words, if you warp into the system, fly to the other side of the belt. This way if someone flies in, you'll have ample time to gauge their actions--if they begin to fly toward you, you'll know they're up to no good! Someone flying a hauler toward you should arouse your suspicion at once (a hauler coming for your ore where they haven't mined themselves should be a red flag) and you can either run off to get your own hauler or call for help from corpmates, etc. This goes for protecting yourself from piracy too--don't sit at the warp-in point if you are mining in low-security space, or pirates warping into the belt will drop right on top of you. Instead, fly to the other side of the belt, and if anyone flies into the belt you should have time to fly away. You should be aligned to somewhere where you can warp away, in this case, too, though mining in low-sec isn't usually recommended. Read more on low-security mining in the Piracy section that follows.

On to Part 2

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