Table of Contents

Smartbomb Ratting


Overview

There are two main targets for smart bomb ratting in Esoteria. Rock havens are done with a team of smart bombers (typically Machariels) and a catching ship (typically Nightmare) whereas Sansha and Sansha's Rally Points can be done with a single account. Havens spawn 10/10 escalations and Rally points lead to 6/10 escalations. While the Rally Points don't have great ticks, the escalations sell for ~100m each and the rally points are completed very quickly.

Havens

Overview

Many folks want to work on training into carriers to rat, and then look into super ratting or maybe into multiple vni accounts. All of those use drones and fighters, but I'd like to give you another option, cost wise along the same lines as a Rorqual but way under the cost of a super, and using 4-5 accounts. Perhaps you have some cyno or trade alts that with a few injectors could be pulling in 100-130mil ticks, plus loot and possible split of salvage ?

You can see the 6mil tick on the image to the right where I stopped for a few. This is on one character so to get the real number, multiply times 5, so you can see each tick I was making around. (Low of 89mil to 138.4mil ticks before taxes).

You will need a minimum of 3 smartbombing ships, and one “catcher”. The catcher ship will sit 5K off your other ships, and will have guns and web, and shoot anything that gets out of the range of the smartbombs. Primarily, this happens right at the beginning when you are getting setup.

Skills Required

Skill NameRequired LevelRecommended Level
Capacitor Management45
Capacitor Systems Operation45
CPU Management55
Weapon Upgrades45
Energy Pulse Weapons35
Powergrid Management45
Afterburner45
Cybernetics44
EM Armor Compensation44
Thermal Armor Compensation44
Repair Systems55
Hull Upgrades45
Mechanics45
Resistance Phasing44
Minmatar Battleship14
Gallente Battleship14

If you want to avoid using an implant, go ahead and train Weapon Upgrades to 5 or you will need a Genolution CA-2 implant.

Ship setup

The ships to use down here for your smartbombers are machariels. You can also roll cheaper ships, such as Amarr Battleships, but the convenience of the machariel (which is being firesaled a bit now and should still work fine afterwords) is its warp speed.

[Machariel, Smartbomb Ratting]

Corpus X-Type Large Armor Repairer
Corpus X-Type EM Armor Hardener
Reactive Armor Hardener
Capacitor Power Relay II
Capacitor Power Relay II
Capacitor Power Relay II

Imperial Navy Cap Recharger
Imperial Navy Cap Recharger
Imperial Navy Cap Recharger
100MN Y-S8 Compact Afterburner
Large Micro Jump Drive
Imperial Navy Cap Recharger

Imperial Navy Large EMP Smartbomb
Imperial Navy Large EMP Smartbomb
Imperial Navy Large EMP Smartbomb
Imperial Navy Large EMP Smartbomb
Imperial Navy Large EMP Smartbomb
Imperial Navy Large EMP Smartbomb
Imperial Navy Large EMP Smartbomb
Imperial Navy Large EMP Smartbomb

Large Capacitor Control Circuit I
Large Capacitor Control Circuit I
Large Capacitor Control Circuit II

If you want to make a bit more, you can juice it up with some implants. My suggestion is the smartbomb one, then ones that help with repair, cap, and armor. EO-60X, EP-705 (smartbombs), EM-80X, RP-90X, and HG-100X. They also might save you, along with the MJD, you get a dread spawn.

For your catcher ship, you could use a Nightmare. We are already trained into them already as it is.

[Nightmare, Nightmare Catcher]

Corpus X-Type Large Armor Repairer
Heat Sink II
Heat Sink II
Corpus X-Type EM Armor Hardener
Reactive Armor Hardener
[Empty Low slot]

Cap Recharger II
Cap Recharger II
Gist X-Type 100MN Afterburner
Dread Guristas Stasis Webifier
Sensor Booster II
Tracking Computer II
Large Micro Jump Drive

Mega Pulse Laser II
Mega Pulse Laser II
Mega Pulse Laser II
Mega Pulse Laser II
Cynosural Field Generator I
[Empty High slot]

Large Capacitor Control Circuit I
Large Capacitor Control Circuit I
Large Capacitor Control Circuit II


Conflagration L x4
Scorch L x4
Liquid Ozone x450
Sanshas Microwave L x4
Sanshas Multifrequency L x4
Imperial Navy Multifrequency L x8
Imperial Navy Radio L x4

And a few implants such as EO-60X, MR-70X, EM-80X, RF-90X and LE-1005 (damage) never hurt.

Bombing Havens

So once you have all this together, undock your fleet, turn on all your armor/repair/sebos/etc. Now find the nearest Sansa Haven that is a Rock Haven and warp your fleet to it. You will know these as when you warp in, they pop up with the message, while gas ones do not. Have all your smartbombers approach the Pirate Gate at 0 by activating their afterburner and fire up all the smartbombs. Tell your catcher to stay 5K off of the gate or one of your bombers, either works. Once the bombers are at the gate, you can turn off the afterburners. I add my smartbombers to fleet watch and sit on my catcher, web and shoot anything around 9-10K or more. In about 3-5 minutes you will be done. Then hit the next site.

If you want to drop an MTU, turn off all the smartbombs first! Keep in mind if a neutral comes in, you will have a weapons timer, so warping to a citadel and thinking you will be safe won't exactly work. So turn those bombs off and safe up early before you get caught.

If you can find a friend, either a newbie, bored person, spouse, etc.. offer to split loot/salvage with them if they will come and drop MTU's behind you and salvage. If they aren't doing anything its free money, and alot of it. In an evening you can loot/salvage half a bill or more and split that with a newbie who's willing to follow along dropping MTU's and salvaging, you will make them pretty rich in their eyes with just salvaging 3-4 and a hauler.


Guide by Emperor Pohjola

Sansha/Sansha's Rally Points

Overview

These sites can be completed solo. They spawn 6/10 escalations which can be farmed or sold for ~100m per site.

Ship Setup

[Machariel, SBing Rally Points]

Prototype Compact EM Armor Hardener I
Large 'Accommodation' Vestment Reconstructer I
Capacitor Power Relay II
Capacitor Power Relay II
Capacitor Power Relay II
Capacitor Power Relay II

Gist B-Type 500MN Microwarpdrive
Heavy Stasis Grappler II
Stasis Webifier II
Cap Recharger II
Cap Recharger II
Cap Recharger II

Imperial Navy Large EMP Smartbomb
Imperial Navy Large EMP Smartbomb
Imperial Navy Large EMP Smartbomb
Imperial Navy Large EMP Smartbomb
Imperial Navy Large EMP Smartbomb
Imperial Navy Large EMP Smartbomb
Imperial Navy Large EMP Smartbomb
Imperial Navy Large EMP Smartbomb

Large Capacitor Control Circuit II
Large Capacitor Control Circuit I
Large Capacitor Control Circuit I


Praetor II x4

Bombing Sansha's Rally Points

Sansha's Rally Points with the apostrophe are the preferred target. You warp into the site at smartbombing range, immediately start smartbombing. Grapple the final room battleships to ensure they don't get out of range. You do not need to kill the towers to complete the room.

Video guide:

Bombing Sansha Rally Points

These rally points require a two MWD pulse towards the centre of the blob of npcs. Start smartbombing. If ships get out of your range do not chase them, turn off your smartbombs and put your drones on them. Do not have your drones on auto-aggress because you don't want them coming back into range when the next wave spawns because you will initiate smart bombs again.

Video guide: