Gas harvesting tips we asked for, and gas harvesting tips we did receive. It seems our burgeoning Just About EVE Online community is filled with huffing masters. We’ve received expert advice on location, bookmarking, bouncing, technique, fits, safety, expediency, and more.
This is the most rich and detailed advice that we’ve received so far, and it’s more illuminating than the EVE Gate itself. So thank you for all of your contributions.
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Where to huff: J-space vs K-space
The first step on any gas harvesting venture is warping off to a juicy gas site. That first means choosing between wormhole space and known space, which each bring their own risks and rewards.
There was disagreement on where best to harvest. **@MacGybo**, whose favourite industrial activity is gas harvesting, praises the profitability and safety of lowsec gas harvesting. **@waddenderas** agrees that the most valuable gas is found in K-space, “You can get yourself down to a nice quiet lowsec pocket and scan down a juicy little Nebula, you’ll be happily huffing away pulling in tens of millions of ISK per hour for the evening”. The greatest risk is shipping that full hold home. Fortunately, they’ve provided a ship fit, featured below, which is ideal for the job.
Despite the relative safety and profitability of known space, many, @waddenderas included, prefer the high-risk, high-ISK gas huffing of wormhole space. Wormhole gas huffing is more complex. Different gas sites contain different Fullerites (wormhole gases) which generally become more valuable in higher-class wormholes. The problem (aside from the ever-present J-space risk of another player arriving and popping you)? Rats. Here’s @waddenderas:
“The big challenge here is that at about 20 minutes after the first person warps into the site, NPC pirates (rats) warp into the site and blow up defenceless explorers and industrialists, so you’re then supposed to come back in combat ships and destroy them. This is easy enough for low-class sites but for the valuable gas, you need a fleet of faction battleships or a couple of marauders… not easy for anyone and almost impossible if you don’t live in the system!”
Bookmarking and bouncing
Once you’ve chosen your site, your first move is bookmarking all the clouds. This essential advice was given by every single contributor. However, bonus points go to **@Ben_Candian** for bringing a bit of Canadian cheer into the process:
“Now, here’s where you show your creative side – give those bookmarks names that’ll make even Bob crack a smile! How about “Timbit# 1” or “Double-Double #2,” eh? It’s like namin' your fave Timbits, only in space! And if you’re a wormholer, remember, the fancier the name, the happier ol' Bob is, eh? Right-click those clouds, save their locations, and put that stellar bookmark in your space backpack, eh?!”
How to huff safely
Harvesting safety is all about hiding and alignment. Be sure to take heed of the following pieces of advice, they were shared by nearly every contributor. The hiding comes first. Take shelter inside the cloud to get a jumpstart on any would-be attackers. The cloud volume will uncloak attackers on their approach, giving you vital time to flee.
As for alignment, get yourself in line with a station or celestial body. **@BrotherGrimoire** emphasised this with the appropriate number of capital letters, “ALIGN, ALIGN, ALIGN, ALIGN - Aligning to a safe spot or structure will decrease the amount of time it takes to get away, potentially saving you from those gankers.” For similar reasons, **@Schadsquatch** always has a Warp Core Stabilizer onboard.
“Scanning down the actual gas site requires patience and will benefit from training up your scanning skills. Lowsec space gas sites come with either two or three clouds. The ones with three clouds are slightly more difficult to scan. Repeatedly use your directional scanner to keep an eye on who’s out there. Make sure your overview has enemy ships showing. There’s a good chance that eventually, a strategic cruiser / Astero / Stratios will uncloak and try to kill you. Don’t make it easy for them.”
When you’re in lowsec, be sure to keep an eye on local chat too.
But let’s face it, no matter how carefully you toast your marshmallows, one day you’re going to get burnt. Both **@MacGybo** and **@Ben_Candian** gave the same two pieces of advice.
First up, deposit your haul in the station regularly. No prizes for guessing which of them said the following: “Don’t forget your ‘Tim Hortons’ run – regularly zip back to a nearby station and stash that gas, eh? That way, if your ship’s off to the great unknown, your gas stash ain’t goin” with it!”
Second, survival is a matter of a mistrustful mindset. In **@MacGybo**’s words “Assume that every other pilot in the system or passing through knows the location of the site too. Paranoia will help you survive.”
Other tips for expediency and effectiveness
If you don’t finish off a gas site, it won’t renew. So if you’re in it for the long haul, heed **@orikKado**’s advice:
“Collect all the gas. Remember that unfinished anomalies don’t regenerate. So, if you want to see more gas in your area soon, it’s best to extract everything regardless of its immediate benefit. There’s likely someone who needs what you don’t, and you could make some additional profit.”
They also added this worthwhile distribution advice, “Ensure that you distribute your ships and keep track of the remaining gas so that you don’t have empty cycles (cycles that finish without extracting anything).”
You should also read up on the different techniques available to you, especially when it comes to the more complex affairs of J-space huffing. **@waddenderas** concisely summarises three of the available options for dealing with rats in a manner that would befit the EVE Glossary.
“Ninja Huffing - Harvesting as much gas as you can before the rats spawn. As soon as they do, warp out never to return. Not great, but if you’ve got multiple gas sites in one system you can repeat this for an hour or two. Jedi Huffing - Using the size of the gas cloud and the speed of your ship to outrun the rats and stay out of range of the guns but orbiting the cloud while huffing. Excellent technique, probably the safest overall but if you get it slightly wrong, dead. Chameleon Huffing - AKA Nomad Scooping. Using the huge size of some of the most valuable gas clouds to sit, completely still, outside of the “acknowledgement” range of the rats. My personal favourite, but there is little content out there on it and it goes by different names, so head over to my channel where I have a video covering it!”
**@waddenderas** highly recommends a trip to YouTube for more detailed explanations (that is, until Just About EVE Online has guides covering them).
Huffing fits
Each contributor had different thoughts on ship fits. For **@BrotherGrimoire**, it’s all about survivability and cost effectiveness. “Fit your ship well! - Using modules to increase your EHP such as Multispectrums or Shield Extenders will give you a bit more survivability should you notice a bit too late that you are prey! I’ve had gas huffers escape me with only a little hull left because they fit well! Fit cheaply! - Fitting as cheap as possible will increase your profit/loss ratio and will make it hurt less when you are inevitably caught.
With the same priorities, here’s **@Ben_Candian**’s ship fit for a Canadian winter:
“Toss in modules like Multispectrums and Shield Extenders to give your ship more survivability, eh? Sometimes, even a hull survives a close call – just like bearin' through a snowstorm. Last but not least, don’t break the bank, eh? Keep that fit wallet-friendly – maximise your profit, minimise the loss. It’s like orderin' the value menu at the drive-thru, eh? It stings less when you drop a few pucks. So, all you hosers out there, get ready for some gassy adventures, eh? And guess what, I’m even throwin' in a cheap and cheerful fit for ya, just like extra bacon on your poutine! Enjoy, and may Bob be with you! Venture Damage Control II 5MN Y-T8 Compact Microwarpdrive Medium Shield Extender II Compact Multispectrum Shield Hardener Gas Cloud Scoop I Gas Cloud Scoop I Core Probe Launcher I Small Core Defense Field Extender I Small Core Defense Field Extender I Small EM Shield Reinforcer I Hobgoblin I x2 Core Scanner Probe I x16 ML-3 Scoped Survey Scanner x1
“For me, the best way to do this is in a Prospect. Sure the Venture is outstanding for gas huffing and absurdly cheap, but with decent skills the Prospect has an ore hold 140% the size on the Venture which, if you’re paying attention, should mean you can spend up to 140% more time just relaxing on a gas cloud before having to take the perilous journey to and from your home. Other benefits include the ability to use a Cov Ops cloak although you may need to have a probe launcher fitted if you’re exploring away from home. You can fit a Prospect well for ~40million at time of writing, which you can then earn back in about 1 hour of gas huffing. It’s a pretty small investment for an excellent return. I have provided an example fit I like to use below, but I’m afraid it is for Omega only and is T2, so perhaps is aspirational at this stage. Prospect Nanofiber Internal Structure II Nanofiber Internal Structure II Inertial Stabilizers II Inertial Stabilizers II Burst Jammer II Survey Scanner II 5MN Microwarpdrive II Gas Cloud Scoop II Gas Cloud Scoop II Covert Ops Cloaking Device II Small Low Friction Nozzle Joints II Small Low Friction Nozzle Joints II
Finally, **@orikKado** recommends a Porpoise, coupled with Covetors and Hulks for those with multiple characters:
“Equip your Porpoise with the Core and the Gas Cloud Compression module. This will allow you to work more comfortably without needing to leave the anomaly. Also, remember that the Burst Mining Laser Optimization Charge helps reduce the cycle time of the harvesters (every second you save means more ISK, don’t waste it!).”
An ‘alternative’ approach
Of course, if gathering gas is the objective, there are less friendly ways to ‘harvest’. **@ANTIJHINN**’s approach skips the middlemen entirely. After warping to a site and clearing out the rats, this is what they recommend:
“Slowly but surely Ventures and the like will start coming into the system. Good! Let them get cosy. Try not to spook them before harvesting. It’s important not to harvest too early. Make sure they have plenty of time to fill their holds. A couple might get away with full holds, but better than harvesting a Venture with an empty hold."
"In the harvesting phase, it’s important to remember a few things. The gas cloud will decloak you. The Venture has +2 warp core strength. It’s also considered polite to message any harvested Ventures and tell them how they could avoid you the next time. You should find yourself with a surplus of gas harvesting modules and gas shortly. I hope you find this guide engaging. I have found this to be the fastest way to accrue gas reserves."
N.B. Some text has been slightly amended for grammar and brevity. You can find the full texts in the *original bounty post*.
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