Mission Running Guide

Missions are tasks offered by a non-player character(NPC) to a player which requires the player to accomplish a set of objectives in exchange for a set of rewards or loyalty points (LP) which can be exchanged for certain items. The NPC is called "the agent" and he or she describes the task and specifies the rewards for its completion.

There are 4 different kinds of agents, each with its own set of missions.

• Basic Mission - assignments of varying difficulty for mining, security (combat), distribution (hauling), R&D (research), and locator (bounty hunter).
• Epic arc - a linked series of missions that tells a story and provides a substantial reward.
• Storyline (if available) - these special missions are assigned periodically as you gain standing with a faction.

Under Basic Missions there are 3 types of missions. Encounters are mostly given by security agents, Mining given by mining agents, and Courier given by distribution agents.

• Encounter missions are combat-focused. The job is usually to kill pirates, retrieve stolen goods or to destroy strategic targets. These missions have the highest rewards but they are also slower and involve a risk of dying. (Note that Security agent missions will occasionally ask you to transport something to another station, or to fly out and mine some ore. See declining missions below if you are unable or unwilling to do these tasks.)
• Mining missions are given out by Mining agents and require you to mine an asteroid or set of asteroids and bring the ore back to the agent's station. There is a risk of combat in mining missions, though the "belt pirate" NPC hostiles that show up are usually rather weak. Note that Mining missions pay off in ISK and Loyalty points, you do not get ore from Mining missions.
• Courier missions require shipping cargo from one station to another. Except for some L1 missions, Distribution missions never require combat unless you are sent into low/null-sec space, in which case you may encounter PvP combat on the way to your destination. Courier missions are the fastest mission type to run so they are sometimes used for fast standings gains.

Mission Levels

Mission levels go from 1 to 5. As your corporation and faction standing increases, you'll gain access to higher level missions. Each new level of mission generally require that you have better skills and access to bigger ships. Higher level missions also increase ISK and LP rewards. The level of a Mission Agent tells you the level of missions that the agent will offer. Each agent offers only one level of missions.

• Level 1 - The most basic type. All three types can be run by basic frigates. Only the most basic piloting skills are required.
• Level 2 - While Mining and Courier may be run in frigates, Encounter is designed for cruiser hulls. You are expected to improve your abilities and learn how to fit out new ships.
• Level 3 - As you specialize, you will need a battlecruiser, mining barge, or a medium-sized industrial ship. These missions go faster if you have trained for better ships and at least some Tech 2 fittings.
• Level 4 - These require a Battleship, an Exhumer, or a large industrial ship. These missions can be time-consuming, but they offer large rewards.
• Level 5 - Special security missions designed for groups of players or capital ships and are exclusively located in Low Security space.