How to Earn ISK from PvP in Eve
All I do is PvP full-time inside of Eve Online. I've been negative ten for over 12 years and a full-time Pirate for just as long. I have no problem earning ISK from PvP activities and here are some proven tips to help you do the same.
• Fly Affordably - You'll often hear the advice, "Only fly what you can afford" and this is a bit of wrong thinking - only lose what you can afford to replace would be more accurate. If you don't lose a ship you don't need to replace it. But you will lose ships and managing those losses is critical since your entire career hinges on the tools of your trade. So be smart. Fly ships into combat with a plan from the beginning, know your ship and it's capabilities and plan accordingly. Every ship has a window of targets it is capable of engaging and expect to emerge victorious from combat engagements. Learning how to manage your costs is important, especially over the long haul.
• Loot - Crimson Harvest is something we Pirates look forward to every year. The loot drops are amazing. Just yesterday I made about 150 million isk in a matter of a few minutes from loot drops. I loot everything of value. I check wrecks for loot. The other day I saw five wrecks on scan and I found they had not been looted, I pulled several juicy faction mods from those wrecks. A nice pay day for almost zero effort. Anything of real value goes into a NPC station immediately, don't fly around with expensive loot in your cargo if you can avoid it.
What most people won't tell you is what happens afterwards. Organizing your loot and managing it properly is the most important thing. This takes time and experience to perfect, but dealing with what you find and getting maximum returns is just as important as winning fights.
• Take Everything - When I'm flying solo I loot everything of value. But loot is only the beginning, space is full of money making opportunities. There are literally millions of isk just hanging around in space waiting for you to steal it. For example, almost all of the drones I use are picked up from space. People just leave their drones everywhere. Drones are expensive and free ones cost nothing. I've stolen abandoned ships. I've stolen mission sites and the loot/rewards from them. A little imagination goes a long way towards lining your pocket.
• Ransoms - Sadly the days of making ISK from ransoming ships/pods is behind us, but I mention it here because it can often still happen. It is rare, but if you manage to tackle the right player at the right time it can still return a nice pay day. Typically the best pilots are those running missions in low sec space, as they often over-compensate by filling their heads with lots of juicy candy. (Implants)
• Bribery - This one takes some management, but it is possible to sometimes work out a deal with local entities who might want safe passage for a little kick-back action. Check with your CEO about this and make sure your Corporation is ok with any deals you might be working on, he might even appreciate a little something something in return. I know I do.
Be creative. And have fun. If you do it right you can make plenty of ISK from combat in Eve Online.
