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MacGybo's avatar
MacGybo

Gas Harvesting is genuinely my favourite industrial / production activity, and probably the only one that I have enough experience in to offer advice.

I'll make the assumption that you have the appropriate skills and equipment. This post will be about technique only.

First up - location. Having tried huffing (harvesting) in wormholes, I've found low security space to be much more profitable and less risk.

Scanning down the actual gas site requires patience and will benefit from training up your scanning skills. Low Sec space gas sites come with either 2 or 3 clouds. The ones with 3 clouds are slightly more difficult to scan.

Once you scan the site down, there are some things you need to do.

  1. Assume that every other pilot in system / passing through knows the location of the site too. Paranoia will help you survive.

  2. Warp to the site and bookmark all the clouds. Name them Cloud 1 / Cloud 2 etc. Do this by right clicking them and choosing to save location. Then bounce out of the site (warp to another celestial) and then warp back to the cloud. This will save time and allow you to warp directly to that delightful gas!

  3. As you start to extract the gas, make sure you're aligned to the station / safe spot. 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 and kill you. Don't make it easy for them.

  4. Make regular trips to deposit the gas in a nearby station. That way if you lose your ship, you don't lose all your lovely gas!

As you're harvesting away, read up on Reactions. That's a good way to turn your gas into something even more profitable.

Good luck!

Alex Sinclair's avatar
Alex SinclairMod
MacGybo

This is an excellent and concise submission. Thanks, MacGybo!

Schadsquatch's avatar
Schadsquatch

When ninja-huffing gas in a wormhole, I make sure to have a warp core stabilizer on my mining ship and I approach the center of the cloud, prealigned to a celestial body. Being centered on a gas cloud will allow the gas to decloak anyone who lands on the cloud as the warp-in always land you inside of the gas cloud, but not at 0.

Of course, using d-scan is a must, but having friends also d-scanning will prevent your ninja's being de-ninjafied as well!

Good luck!

Alex Sinclair's avatar
Alex SinclairMod
Schadsquatch

The celestial alignment tip is a great one!

Brother Grimoire's avatar
Brother Grimoire

Gas Huffing has a few bits of advice that will set you up for success:

  1. Bookmark the clouds and sit inside them - This will allowed you to A) avoid slow burning to the cloud to huff and B) get a heads up on would-be gankers by using the volume of the cloud to decloak them

  2. Fit your ship well! - Using modules to increase your EHP such as Multispectrums, Shield Extenders, etc 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 let because they fit well!

  3. ALIGN, ALIGN, ALIGN, ALIGN - Aligning to a safespot or structure will decrease the amount of time it takes to get away, potentially saving you from those gankers

  4. Fit cheaply! - Fitting as cheap as possible will increase your profit/loss ratio and will make it hurt less when you are inevitably caught.

Alex Sinclair's avatar
Alex SinclairMod
Brother Grimoire

Well written and wise, thanks Brother Grimoire (also, cool name)

Ben Rush's avatar
Ben Rush

Sniffing Gaz you say? Time to put on your 'Canadian cautious' hat and follow these tips, just like sliding on ice:

Imagine every other pilot in the system knows about that gas site, bud.

  • In Wormhole : DScan is your best friend. Smach that "v" key like there's no tomorrow!

  • In Known Space : Local, then DScan are you best friends

  1. First off, warp your ship to that juicy gas site, eh?

  2. 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?

  3. Now, take a quick detour, like poppin' over to a friendly celestial hangout, and then swing back to the cloud. It's like circlin' the rink before that perfect slapshot, eh? You're savin' time and hittin' that gas sweet spot like a pro hockey puck!

As you start siphonin' that gas, make sure you're aligned to the station or a safe spot, eh? Keep an eye out for any party crashers on your trusty DScan, bud. Make sure your overview has 'enemy ships' on it, just in case a sneaky ship tries to crash your gas harvest, eh? Don't make it easy for those interlopers.

But hold your horses, there's more! "Gas Huffing" has got some 'eh-sential' tips that'll give you the upper hand, eh? Bookmark those clouds and cozy up inside 'em – just like takin' shelter from the cold. You'll have a jump-start on those sneaky attackers, usin' the cloud volume to catch 'em uncloaked, eh?

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!

And as you're peacefully harvesting away, take a gander at Reactions, eh? Turnin' your gas into somethin' even more valuable is like turnin' poutine into poutine with bacon – can't go wrong, eh?

Give your ship a 'Canadian winter' makeover – 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 – maximize your profit, minimize 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, Listen to the Beaver Show!]

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

Alex Sinclair's avatar
Alex SinclairMod
Ben Rush

Well this made me chuckle. Great submission, thanks Ben!

Ben Rush's avatar
Ben Rush
Alex Sinclair

Thank you! It took me a little more time than initially intended, but the Canadian vibe was strong with me yesterday!

Melicien Tetro's avatar
Melicien Tetro

When you notice a gas site in your home hole, it's polite to clear the rats out. Warp to the site, trigger the rats, and clear them. Slowly but surely ventures and the like will start coming in to system. Good! Let them get cozy. 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. 1:The gas cloud will decloak you. 2: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.

Alex Sinclair's avatar
Alex SinclairMod
Melicien Tetro

Skip the middle-men, I like it.

Melicien Tetro's avatar
Melicien Tetro
Alex Sinclair

I intended this as a bounty submission, but it looks like a regular ole reply XD

Melicien Tetro's avatar
Melicien Tetro
Alex Sinclair

That's because it WAS a reply. Pardon my double post.

Alex Sinclair's avatar
Alex SinclairMod
Melicien Tetro

No problem!

Melicien Tetro's avatar
Melicien Tetro

When you notice a gas site in your home hole, it’s polite to clear the rats out. Warp to the site, trigger the rats, and clear them. Slowly but surely ventures and the like will start coming in to system. Good! Let them get cozy. 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. 1:The gas cloud will decloak you. 2: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.

orik Kado's avatar
orik Kado

Gas harvesting is an activity that is often closely associated with Wormhole space (WH), but it's also an activity that can be done in Nullsec. In this case, here are my tips for gas extraction (remember that depending on the type of gas you need, you might have to travel to other areas to find it, or better yet, trade with others to stock up - remember that EVE is a team game).

  1. Identify the anomaly and make sure to mark both clouds to save time on travel.If you have multiple characters, my ideal setup is as follows: 1 x Porpoise, the rest in Covetor/Hulks.

  2. 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!).

  3. 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).

  4. If you don't have alts, invite your friends or corp/alliance members. This is undoubtedly a very relaxing activity to do in Nullsec.

  5. 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.

In conclusion, make sure to thoroughly educate yourselves about the activity you want to engage in. When it comes to gas, the mechanics change significantly when done in Wormhole space, with greater challenges to overcome (and possibly even more profit).

Wadd Enderas's avatar
Wadd Enderas

So, somewhat surprisingly, the most valuable gas is found in k-space. If you can get yourself down to a nice quiet low-sec pocket and scan down a juicy little Nebula, you'll be happily huffing away pulling in 10's of millions of ISK per hour for the evening, in relative safety while keeping an eye on local chat. The biggest risk comes when you actually fill your hold and what to take the gas back home. My assumption is that most readers of this do not live in low-sec, so shipping that gas to whatever part of New Eden you live in, is the real problem.

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 fro your home. Other benefits of course, 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 so pretty small investment for excellent return. I have provided an example fit I like to use below, but I am afraid it is for Omega only and is T2, so perhaps is aspirational at this stage.

But enough about k-space, we all know it is the inferior space and everyone should be spending their time in wormholes, so why even talk about it?

Gas harvesting in wormholes is a little more complicated and for some bizaare reason comes with a slightly slower return! If you don't know, there are gas sites that contain different Fullerites (the wormhole gases) that generally get more valuable as you move into the higher class wormholes. 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 defenseless explorers and industrialists, so the intention is that 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!

Luckily there are several of us out there that have found techniques that allow you to harvest in relative safety, depsite the rats. (Relative safety, hahahaha, relative to what?! This is J-space, at any moment another player could and will appear beside you and pop!)

Now, I have no idea if there is a character limit on Just About, but we will for sure hit it if I try and explain each of these techniques in detail, so I will list 3, give a one sentence summary and then recommend you head over to Youtube for a detailed descriptions. Or, of course, stay tuned on Just About when there may well be a future article covering these in detail!

  1. 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.

  2. 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 tecnhique, probably the safest overall but if you get it slightly wrong, dead.

  3. Chameleon Huffing - AKA Nomad Scooping. Using the huge size of some of the most valuable gas clouds to sit, completely still, outside of the 'aknowledgement' 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!

So... get out there and scoop some gas! It's great!

[Prospect, Just About]

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

Alex Sinclair's avatar
Alex SinclairMod
Wadd Enderas

It looks like a great video, but sadly we can't accept it in its current form for this bounty. That's not because it's an older video - as you say, it's all still relevant. It's just because it's too long (this bounty is for written or short-form video). If you'd still like to make a bounty submission, hit the edit button and add your new submission in its place. And you are more than welcome to cut some sections from the video above and include them!

Wadd Enderas's avatar
Wadd Enderas
Alex Sinclair

OK, thanks! I have edited to update the submission

Alex Sinclair's avatar
Alex SinclairMod
Wadd Enderas

Awesome, great work.

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