> For AI agents: the complete documentation index is available at /en/llms.txt, the full documentation bundle is available at /en/llms-full.txt.

# Null-Sec Ratting Guide

An alternative way to earn income in null-sec using traditional PvE fits.

## Introduction

Null-sec has many combat anomalies with NPCs that pay substantial bounties. With an appropriate fit, you can earn a steady income with a relatively inexpensive ship and simple controls. Ratting is an important part of null-sec life. Learning how to run sites and build an income stream helps new players establish themselves in the region.

## Ship fits

### Fitting principles

General-purpose ratting fits should be easy to fly, versatile, and cost-effective.

For weapons, a simple fit usually avoids turrets and missile launchers because they use ammunition. Drones do not need ammunition and require less frequent manual targeting. This does not mean turrets and launchers are ineffective for ratting, but drones are a common choice for general PvE in null-sec, so this guide recommends them for new players.

For defense, ratting is a sustained activity, so fits usually rely on active or passive tanking rather than buffer armor or structure. Shield and armor repair fits are both common, depending on the ship.

Considering these factors, a general-purpose null-sec ratting ship is often a cruiser with flexible controls, good value, a large drone bandwidth and corresponding bonuses, and enough mid slots for its tank. In practice, Gallente drone ships such as the **Vexor** and **Ishtar** are common choices. This guide focuses on those two ships.

Choose drones that match the ship's damage bonuses and the NPCs' weakest resistance. For example, Guristas NPCs are weakest to kinetic damage, so use Caldari drones. Then fill your drone bandwidth with the largest class you can use: heavy, then medium, then light. Use Tech II drones when your skills allow; otherwise, faction drones are generally preferred over Tech I.

### General fits

### Vexor fit

Basic new-player ratting fit provided by the corporation; adjust it as appropriate.

![Vexor ratting fit](/images/nullsec-farming/02-ship-fitting-01.webp)

### Ishtar fits

Basic full Tech II Ishtar fit ("YST"); adjust as needed.

![Basic Ishtar fit](/images/nullsec-farming/02-ship-fitting-02.webp)

Oversized-repair Ishtar (maximum tank).

![Oversized-repair Ishtar fit](/images/nullsec-farming/02-ship-fitting-03.webp)

## Skill requirements

### Entry-level skills

- Gallente Cruiser\* ■□□□□
- Drone Avionics\* ■■■□□
- Shield Operation\* ■■□□□
- Hull Upgrades\* ■■■■□
- Weapon Upgrades\* ■■■■□
- Drones\* ■■■■□
- Power Grid Management\* ■■■■□
- Drones\* ■■■■■
- Appropriate drone operation skill I

### Recommended skills

- Gallente Cruiser\* ■■■■□
- Tactical Shield Manipulation\* ■■■■□
- Shield Operation\* ■■■■□
- Drone Navigation\* ■■■■□
- Drone Sharpshooting\* ■■■■□
- Drone Interfacing\* ■■■□□
- Weapon Upgrades\* ■■■■□
- Appropriate drone operation skill IV

### Advanced skills

- Gallente Cruiser\* ■■■■■
- Heavy Assault Cruisers\* ■■■□□
- Drone Interfacing\* ■■■■□
- Appropriate drone operation skill V to use Tech II drones

### Fully trained

- Heavy Assault Cruisers\* ■■■■■
- Drone Interfacing\* ■■■■■

## How to run the sites

### Overview

Null-sec has many combat anomalies. Common ratting sites include Rally Points, Forsaken Rally Points, Dens, Forsaken Dens, Havens, and Sanctums. Most can be run in an Ishtar; the differences are mainly in efficiency and play style. Choose a site based on your preference and fit, or start with the general-purpose sites recommended below.

After clearing a combat anomaly, there is a chance you will receive a prompt announcing an escalation. Escalations are special PvE sites triggered by regular ratting. Their difficulty and rewards vary; rewards often include valuable loot and deadspace modules, and the site may require a different ship and piloting approach. New players can sell escalations to players who specialize in running them. The corporation buys escalations across all locations; see the relevant corporation guide for details.

Ratting bounties are generally paid in 15-minute "ticks." The first tick begins when you kill the first NPC; after 15 minutes, a new tick starts. Some bounty payments also go into the system's Encounter Surveillance System (ESS) and are paid to your account after a set period.

Income reference: an Ishtar doing about 640 DPS at a Small Haven earns around 8–15M ISK per tick.

### Vexor ratting at a Rally Point

A Rally Point, in this case a **Guristas Rally Point**, is a low-difficulty site with mostly medium NPC ships. Its direct bounty income is modest; much of the value comes from escalations to DED 6/10 complexes, which can be worth 100–200M ISK. The site has relatively few and weak NPCs, making it suitable for new players to practice ratting while earning income.

After warping in, look for the structure layout shown below. Orbit one of the structures, activate your afterburner and shield modules, and set your drones to **Aggressive**. In general, you only need to lock and attack one NPC at the start of the site; the drones will engage other and newly spawned NPCs on their own.

![Vexor ratting at a Rally Point](/images/nullsec-farming/04-operations-01.webp)

### Ishtar ratting at a Small Haven

Havens, in this guide, are **Guristas Havens**. The Large Haven has no acceleration gate and has different spawns and behavior from a Small Haven, so it requires additional procedures and is outside this guide's scope.

![Large Haven, which has no acceleration gate](/images/nullsec-farming/04-operations-02.webp)

A Small Haven is also called a gate Haven because its site contains an acceleration gate.

![Small Haven acceleration gate](/images/nullsec-farming/04-operations-03.webp)

Compared with the Large Haven, the Small Haven's NPCs are mostly battlecruisers and battleships. Bounties are higher, and the larger targets are easier for heavy drones to hit, which can make ratting more efficient.

In addition to warping in to check the structures and surroundings, you can tell the two sites apart by whether the confirmation prompt shown below appears when you select **Jump**.

![Small Haven jump confirmation prompt](/images/nullsec-farming/04-operations-04.webp)

When ratting a Small Haven in an Ishtar, orbit the acceleration gate at a short distance (usually 1–5 km) with your afterburner running; this helps avoid getting stuck on the structure. Launch your drones and enable Focus Fire. Usually, you only need to lock and attack one NPC at the start. The Ishtar's drones will continue attacking other and newly spawned NPCs without additional input. Small Haven NPCs generally do not switch aggro to drones. Still, watch local and intel channels, and warp out promptly when hostiles enter the system to avoid losing your ship.

## Notes

> Last edited by Cowell (10.14, 22:57).