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EVE Online

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Wadd Enderas's avatar
Wadd Enderas

Covert sites are where exploration and hacking becomes really fun!

Also known as 'Ghost Sites', these cosmic signatures combine the puzzle of hacking with the very real prospect of death and destruction and can offer huge rewards in return. They are Data sites that come in 4 primary flavours, unique to each security of space:

  • Lesser = High Security

  • Standard = Low Security

  • Improved = Null Security

  • Superior = Wormhole space

The expected loot improves with each level of site, capping out at a huge potential return in the Superior sites with a rare but very possible drop of a High-Grade Ascendancy Omega implant blueprint copy, worth in excess of 4 billion ISK. As you would expect though, the difficulty of the hack also increases with each level.

But with the high returns comes a catch.... in fact two catches.

    1. An invisible timer starts when an uncloaked ship initiates warp to the site, or a ship decloaks in the site.

    2. The timer is random and operates from around 30 seconds to a few minutes.

    3. Upon completion of the timer, a large NPC response fleet warps in and shoots all the cans, which in turn despawn explosively, dealing a huge amount of explosive damage, enough to one-shot a frigate.

    1. If a hack on any can is failed, even once, that can despawns explosively, dealing a huge amount of explosive damage, enough to one-shot a frigate.

    Enjoy!

    https://www.youtube.com/embed/V8n3bnkgYp8?feature=oembed

Wadd Enderas's avatar
Wadd Enderas
Wadd Enderas

Alex Sinclair I'm loving this Curated flag, that's a nice feature I hadn't seen before. And thank you so much for recognising my post!

Alex Sinclair's avatar
Alex SinclairMod
Wadd Enderas

Glad you like it! We want to give extra credit to members who go above and beyond! Thanks for the great entry

Luka Zaharin's avatar
Luka Zaharin

This video shows a trick for a very specific situation in scanning. Sometimes you have enough probe-strength to scan a signature, but even on 0.25 AU you still don't have the result. This technique allows to scan more difficult sites and warp to targets otherwise impossible to reach.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/DADB6Viz7vw?feature=oembed

S
Sumfin7

  1. Relic Sites:

    Relic sites in EVE Online are Cosmic Signatures that require scanning down. They contain cans that require hacking to access the contents, which are Tech 1 or Tech 2 salvage materials. Highsec relic sites are very easy to scan down (1-3 difficulty) and easy to hack, Lowsec relic sites are a bit harder to scan down(2-3 difficulty) and hack, and null-sec or wormhole relic sites are the hardest (3-5 difficulty). Generally, only null-sec or wormhole relic sites are profitable enough to be a stable income, although low-sec relic sites may pay well. Loot drops from relic sites are random, but generally, cans with a harder difficulty pay more. "Ruins" are red-difficulty hacks that have the highest payout ceiling. "Remains" cans are yellow-difficulty hacks that have a moderate payout. "Debris" and "Rubble" cans are green-difficulty cans with low payout. "Debris and "Rubble" are found in Hisec, "Debris", "Rubble" and "Remains" are found in Lowsec, and "Rubble," "Remains," and "Ruins" are found in null-sec and wormholes. Pirate relic sites (Relic sites that begin with a pirate faction's name) can be found in all known space and in Class 1-3 wormholes. Players usually refer to these sites when mentioning relic sites, as they can be a very stable form of income for new players and veterans alike. The salvage materials contained in the relic site cans vary based on which pirate faction the relic site belongs to. Drop tables can be found at https://wiki.eveuniversity.org/Relic_and_data_sites under the heading "Pirate Relic Site Loot." The most lucrative relic sites are the ones that can drop Intact Armor Plates, which are the Sansha faction relic sites. Sleeper Relic sites (Relic sites that begin with the word "Forgotten") should be avoided by new players, as these sites are equivalent to COMBAT sites one class higher. For example, a Sleeper relic site in a Class 3 wormhole will roughly equal the difficulty of a Class 4 combat anomaly.

mypets's avatar
mypets

Cosmic Signatures are points of interest that are hidden in space and can be discovered with scanning probes. Among other things, in the Cosmic Signatures are the Data Sites, which are exploration sites focused on hacking and which offer valuable rewards to those who manage to access them successfully. Covert Sites are high-risk, high-reward Data Sites; the difficulty is high but the reward is valuable items such as blueprints of Ascendancy implants.

yan57436's avatar
yan57436

Hacking is the resolution of a minigame to access containers and loot in Data Sites or Relic Sites. You will need to have a specific module and the hacking skills to operate.

Cosmic Signatures are the signals you'll need to scan to find hidden areas in space using probes.

Data Sites, you'll need to hack containers using a data analyzer, providing you with various loots, such as production schemes and materials.

Relic Sites is an archaeological loot focus, where you'll have to hack with a relic analyzer, providing you with artifacts and materials.

ND
Nth Dimensional
Limal's avatar
Limal

Exploration is a popular profession in EVE Online, and Data and Relic site hunting is an excellent way for beginners to earn significant ISK from day one.

But I spend a lot of time in wormholes and often come across new players broadcasting distress calls.

Reason is simple: there’s a critical difference between known space (high-sec, low-sec, and null-sec) and wormhole space. In known space, Data and Relic sites are typically non-combat and free of NPC guards. In contrast, most wormhole sites are heavily guarded by dangerous NPCs that can destroy fragile exploration ships like Asteros or Herons in seconds.

If you’re new to wormholes, always verify what your probes have scanned before warping to a site. If in doubt, consult the EVE Wiki or ask for advice in the Exploration public channel. Proper preparation can mean the difference between profit and disaster!

Sturmer's avatar
Sturmer

Data sites and hacking sites are essentially the same thing. One of the various in-game types of cosmic signatures is categorized as a DATA SITE (see full list of them).

To access the loot within these sites, you need to solve a puzzle using a DATA ANALYZER device, which requires the HACKING skill to operate.

While this overlap in terminology often causes confusion between "data sites," "hacking sites," and the related skills and equipment, it’s not a major issue—most players will still understand what you mean. However, knowing the difference can help you select the proper term for clearer communication.

JHenckes's avatar
JHenckes

Rogue Drone Relic Sites are a special class of exploration sites associated with the rogue drones, one of the hostile NPC factions in the game. These can be scanned down using exploration probes and actually are Relic Sites, meaning they are mostly hacking challenges that give valuable loot instead of combat.

Rogue drone combat sites are present in all regions of space though highest concentration is found in the "Drone regions" in north-east New Eden. Rogue drones are also present in the Pochven region, being a common enemy to EDENCOM, the Triglavian Collective and capsuleers alike.

The site typically contains scattered relic containers or structures (like wrecks or ruins) that need to be hacked using a Relic Analyzer module. Also, in true relic sites, you do not need to fight NPCs unless disturbed by other random players in the area. Rogue drones are only thematically connected to the site's origin. It should be noted that relic sites are categorized into 5 different levels of difficulty, ranging from I to V.

Y0EMINENCE's avatar
Y0EMINENCE

In EVE Online, covert sites or Ghost Sites are specialized areas for players to explore and hack for valuable loot.

Types:

Covert Research Facility (Ghost Sites): Found across all security levels, these data sites are named like “Covert Research Facility".

Besieged Covert Research Facility: A combat anomaly exclusive to low-sec, where you face off against Mordu's Legion.

Hacking: Players must hack fast due to an unseen timer; if it runs out, NPCs appear and destroy the loot. A failed hack can lead to an explosion, damaging your ship.

Loot: Potential rewards include Covert Research Tools, Villard Wheels for Ascendancy implants, among other valuable items.

Time Pressure: Hack quickly to avoid NPCs or time-out.

Risk: Failed hacks can explode, damaging your ship.

Ship Selection: Astero, Stratios, or tanky

Strategy : Use cargo scanners, external timers, and master hacking for success.

Covert sites in EVE Online combine exploration, speed, and risk for high rewards.

Luka Zaharin's avatar
Luka Zaharin
Y0EMINENCE

Hey, while it is interesting to read about Covert sites, I'm afraid Besieged Covert Research Facilities have got nothing to do with signatures, scanning or hacking. They are dangerous PvE sites in lowsec with warp-disrupting NPCs.

I just want to add some additional info as it would be a bit sad to see new players lose their exploration ships to a PvE activity :)

Y0EMINENCE's avatar
Y0EMINENCE
Luka Zaharin

Thank you!

orik Kado's avatar
orik Kado

Cosmic Signatures are locations in space that need to be scanned to determine their exact position within a system and their contents. To scan them, you must have the appropriate equipment (scan probes). The possible sites that can be identified include:

  • Relic Sites

  • Data Sites

  • Combat Sites

  • Gas Sites

  • Wormholes

FirestormGamingTeam's avatar
FirestormGamingTeam

I hope this is allowed :) That is a nice quick video.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/9DClsKJYolc?feature=oembed

A
ArlineKley

Sneak into the scanned down site, find the loot and get out.

If you can.

Sturmer's avatar
Sturmer

Hacking in EVE is the same deal but much more casual.

Luka Zaharin's avatar
Luka Zaharin

Hey, I wanted to do an explaining video on how to scan down difficult sites for the 1 minute tutorial bounty, but now I see there is a specialised exploration bounty here now too. Is it possible to submit the same video for both bounties?

Alex Sinclair's avatar
Alex SinclairMod
Luka Zaharin

Sorry Luka, it looks like our team missed this over the Christmas break! Do feel free to give one of us an @ tag to make sure it doesn't slip through the cracks next time :)

Luka Zaharin's avatar
Luka Zaharin
Alex Sinclair

Understood, thanks! And welcome back btw, hope you had a good time.

Alex Sinclair's avatar
Alex SinclairMod
Luka Zaharin

Thanks very much! I hope you enjoyed the holidays too!

Wadd Enderas's avatar
Wadd Enderas

Posted a submission instead!

Alex Sinclair's avatar
Alex SinclairMod
Wadd Enderas

Howdy Wadd Enderas - looks like you might have entered as a reply instead of a submission. o7

Wadd Enderas's avatar
Wadd Enderas
Alex Sinclair

It certainly does look that way! I think im rusty, thanks for the heads up!

Alex Sinclair's avatar
Alex SinclairMod
Wadd Enderas

Ha, no worries. I think we're all a bit rusty around this time of year

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