So you decided to become a pirate and want to make a living on this lifestyle?
Then you need to learn how to pick your targets. To be able to pick targets that yield much isk is very important since you might not have other source of income. Losing a ship for you may prove to be very expensive.
Maybe you caught this rifter on scanner and decided to pin him down to destroy him, you warp in and find a 5 day old character and decide to shoot. You render yourself criminal for 15 minutes and now you cant go to stations or gates without getting shot at during this time. Meanwhile a hauler passes through heading to high security space. Maybe he was carrying that wonderous BPO and other valuables?
Learn to pick your targets!
First of all, I'd like to mention that you will most likely shoot down a new guy one day or another. Dont feel to bad about it. It's not easy to be political correct and not attack "newbies" even though it's a good practise to be generally be nice and not rude to them. Heck, one day if havent been scared off from the game the first time you attack them they might get rich and you can ransom them for much more! (Win-Win situation for both there, aye?)
If you do find yourself in a situation where a new player is caught by your warp-scrambler, you should consider how much he'll be able to pay. Ask him for a reasonable ransom where you estimate his items to be very basic. If he's not able to pay what you ask, then ask him what he'd be able to pay.
Of course, it's a harsh universe and he was warned when he first entered 0.4 that he might be shot at by other players. In worst case scenario you might shoot him down but I really advise against it if you want to be a gentlemen pirate. Heck, I've had situations where there were NPC's shooting my target and I was nice and let him go.
"Do you remember your first cruiser you got?"
Now you may ask how to make sure this new player isn't just an alt of an experienced player?
It's hard to know, and if you've already made a practise of shooting all "possible" alts then it's hard to change your ways.
Sometimes you'll just simply have to stand down. Chasing alts arent really that necessary and most of the times they dont carry anything of value or are just there to scout. It'd just be a waste of security rating by attacking them. This way you reduce the chance of ransoming/attacking new players. Many times you can make sure that it's a new player by talking with them for a little while when you have them scrammed. Pin them down, ask for a ransom and lower your price if you notice that they really are new.
Generally haulers jumping through systems are fair game at gates. You wont have time to ask them for a ransom when the sentries are shooting you and the hauler tries to make way for the gate. Some signs on how to find out if it's an alt or not. Is the character very young yet already in a "non-starter" corporation? Is he using instas to get through a system? Or maybe he's even smacktalking you as you shoot. Most likely in this case he's an alt of a more experienced player.
Why ransom?
Cause there's a big chance you'll get more isk by ransoming than if you decide to shoot down that T2 fitted apoc.
Ask him for a nice ransom instead rather than risking to blow up all the good stuff in the end.
It's generally not a good form of piracy to simply kill for loot (except if they're haulers) since much is often blown up and ransoms generally yield more isk since most people want to avoid having to spend hours refitting a new ship even if that'd be cheaper.
How to pick good targets?
Generally you'll have to warp around in the system and use the scanner to see what's on range. (I wont go into detail on how to use the scanner, it'll be posted in another article) When you see something, you'll have to think if it's worth attacking. Is he alone? Is he in a better ship than you, then might he be setup to NPC rather than PVP? It's your choice and you'll learn by trail and error.
Usually somethings I've seen is that people flying battleships and NPC'ing most of the time will pay up a good ransom. Even cruisers mining will do so.
Never back down from a ransom unless there are specific reasons for it (eg. him being a total newbie who's getting his ass shot down by NPC's while you ransom). This is your reputation and you cant show weakness.
Ransoms will be respected, you will let him go if he pays up. Otherwise he'll get shot down and looted.
How much should I ask for then?
Generally half of the ships worth. Then you take a look at the characters age and add or withdraw isk from your ransom price based on his age. If he's old, he's more likely to have more isk and good stuff fitted which he'll want to save. If he's young he might have worked his ass off for five weeks just to get that ship and yet not have much isk.
Got any good suggestion for targets of opportunity?
- Most cruisers worth more than 4 million isk: Check age of character and base the price on my earlier suggestions.
- Mining barges (cause they often carry expensive strip lasers): Check the prices for modulated stripminers and think of a good ransom price.
- Battlecruisers: Ask for half the cost of the ship.
- Battleships: Ask for the cost of their insurance + a good amount of isk based on if they're new or not. Heck, if he's an old character you might want to ask for half the battleships cost on the market. I've personally been able to ransom for 60million isk or more!
- Heavy Assault Cruisers: These often prove difficult targets and I'd advise against attacking them unless you really know what you're doing. You can ask as much as full price for one of these babies. Check the market! Usually 60-100mill or more isnt uncommon since they are hard to get and wait time for orders are long.
What should I stay away from?
Mining operations where they have battleships unless you are fitted to take them on. Experienced pilots with support.
Ships that are specificly the "enemy" of your own ship-type.
Assault-frigs avoid attacking heavy assault-cruisers, Interceptors and some cruisers should avoid Assault-frigs. Interceptors should stay away from any type of "drone" or "nos/web" ship.
Dont ever attack infront of sentry guns in ships which arent tanked specificly to outlast the guns.
Will I get rich fast by piracy?
Most likely not. But if you're lucky you'll be able to afford that insurance for your brand new battleship.
Think of it this way, when you're in the BPO lottery you'll most likely not strike gold right away.
With time, lots of patience and luck you might eventually.
With this guide, I hope to improve your chances of making a fortune in EVE.
Good luck, pirates! I'll be seeing you out there.