This is Spectral Guide 3 - Guide to Mission Running
Mission running is deceptively simplistic, however there is in fact much depth and knowledge involved in becoming good at running missions in Eve online.
The corporation I recommend you run missions for is Ministry of Internal Order as this is the corporation you will need 5.0 standing with to be qualified to run the level 4 Amarr epic arc further on in your mission running career.
The nearest agents of this corporation to HQ (Ronne) with safe highsec routes are
Level 1: Shasha Hifa at Sasoutikh VI - Moon 3 - Ministry of Internal Order Logistic Support
Level 2: Anayoud Hehyoorath at Gheth VIII - Moon 8 - Ministry of Internal Order Logistic Support
Level 3: Dasa Pure at Mehatoor I - Ministry of Internal Order Logistic Support
Level 4: Edami Dantan at Penirgman IX - Moon 3 - Ministry of Internal Order Assembly Plant
In honesty, level 1 missions don't pose much of a challenge at all and can be easily completed even in a poorly fitted ship, so I'm not going to dwell too much on this.
Mission running can be problematic for you in level 2 missions if you are not in a properly fitted ship - see SG-4 on recommended basic mission running fits.
This career begins to become challenging at level 3 and 4 where it is realistically no longer viable to simply go into the missions with any random ship and fit and expect to be able to run them consistently or within a reasonable timeframe.
You not only need a properly fitted ship and adequate skills, but also an understanding of how damage types and resistance works in Eve online.
You see; different weapons load different ammo which deal different types of damage out of the four options of damage types (EM, Thermal, Kinetic and Explosive).
Different rats (pi-rat-es, get it? ) deal different proportions of these damage types and are also weaker to certain damage types than others.
It becomes important to keep this in mind as you run your missions, as if you warp into a mission site where the rats shoot kinetic damage to you but your ships resistance modules are geared for explosive - this is going to be problematic for you as the explosive resistance is completely useless against the incoming kinetic damage.
A very good website to look up what kind of damage you will face and also what kind of damage you should aim to shoot is https://eve-survival.org/wikka.php?wakka=missionreports.
You can look up your mission, lets take https://eve-survival.org/wikka.php?wakka=AngelExtragavanza4 as one example.
You can see from the information "Damage dealt: Explosive/Kinetic", and "Recommended damage dealing: Explosive/Kinetic".
This tells me that the rats in this particular mission will shoot explosive and kinetic damage at me, but they are also weak against explosive and kinetic damage, so I should change my ships resistance modules to fight against explosive and kinetic - and if at all possible load explosive or kinetic damage to shoot against them.
For a full list on NPC weaknesses, you may head here to see specific ratios of this https://wiki.eveuniversity.org/NPC_damage_types.
For example, suppose I'm flying the following ship
Medium I-a Enduring Armor Repairer
Medium I-a Enduring Armor Repairer
Experimental Enduring Thermal Armor Hardener I
Experimental Enduring Kinetic Armor Hardener I
AE-K Compact Drone Damage Amplifier
AE-K Compact Drone Damage Amplifier
50MN Cold-Gas Enduring Microwarpdrive
Large Compact Pb-Acid Cap Battery
Large Compact Pb-Acid Cap Battery
Denny Enduring Omnidirectional Tracking Link
Alumel-Wired Enduring Sensor Booster
Drone Link Augmentor I
Drone Link Augmentor I
[Empty High slot]
[Empty High slot]
[Empty High slot]
Medium Capacitor Control Circuit I
Medium Capacitor Control Circuit I
Medium Capacitor Control Circuit I
Hornet I x8
Vespa I x6
Warden I x4
Scan Resolution Script x1
Targeting Range Script x1
Optimal Range Script x1
Tracking Speed Script x1
running level 3 missions. You can see in the low slots I have an Experimental Enduring Kinetic Armor Hardener I and an Experimental Enduring Thermal Armor Hardener I.
What I also have in my cargohold however is the other two variations of armor hardener (the EM and explosive variants) so that I can swap out those specific resistance hardeners for specific resistance against the particular mission I'm running.
You can also see the Hornet I's and Vespa I's deal kinetic damage (found in the attributes tab at the bottom). If I am fighting against an NPC who is weak to EM however, I may consider swapping to the Amarr drones (Acolyte I and Infiltrator I). As a side note, the Warden I's in that fit are drones you do not want to swap out as they are there for the purpose of being long range sniper drones, but this is another topic.
It's very important to check out the damage types used in missions for every mission and swap out your hardeners for each mission (particularlly in level 3 and 4).
To improve the pay you get from mission running, you can train Negotiation to get a 5% increase in payment per level and Security Connections to get a 10% LP (Loyalty Point) increase in payment per level.
You can also train Connections to increase your standing with NPC corporations so you can move on to higher level missions faster.
This guide is predominantly aimed at newer players with its basic T1 fitted ships, however I have also included advanced level 4 fits for more skilled players.
I have a recorded class on PVE Fitting Theory which all the below fits are based on. If you would like to learn the theory behind these fits as well as learning how to improve your own, head to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Ick5f4RCOk.
Although I have kept all of the modules on the basic fits to T1, the reality is you will not be able to solo level 3 and 4 missions with just full T1 fitted ships and little in the way of skill training.
It is important to make sure that you train good skills alongside your ship and modules - upgrading to t2 modules when you can. For a good tailored skillplan to follow for your ships, you can click on any of the ships. I will take the Drake as an example. Head to the 'Mastery' tab and you can follow the levels.
One important thing to note about the mastery tabs is they can occasionally have skills you wouldn't use or train, so use common sense when following them. E.g: the Drake under medium missiles has both Heavy Missiles and Heavy Assault Missiles in it... but if you are only going to use Heavy Missiles then obviously don't train Heavy Assault Missiles.
Small I-a Enduring Armor Repairer
Upgraded Multispectrum Coating I
AE-K Compact Drone Damage Amplifier
5MN Quad LiF Restrained Microwarpdrive
Eutectic Compact Cap Recharger
Denny Enduring Omnidirectional Tracking Link
125mm Compressed Coil Gun I
125mm Compressed Coil Gun I
125mm Compressed Coil Gun I
125mm Compressed Coil Gun I
125mm Compressed Coil Gun I
[Empty High slot]
[Empty Rig slot]
[Empty Rig slot]
[Empty Rig slot]
Hornet I x12
Antimatter Charge S x5000
Iron Charge S x5000
Tracking Speed Script x1
AE-K Compact Drone Damage Amplifier
Medium I-a Enduring Armor Repairer
Medium I-a Enduring Armor Repairer
Prototype Compact Thermal Armor Hardener I
Prototype Compact Kinetic Armor Hardener I
50MN Y-T8 Compact Microwarpdrive
Medium Compact Pb-Acid Cap Battery
Medium Compact Pb-Acid Cap Battery
Denny Enduring Omnidirectional Tracking Link
Dual 150mm Compressed Coil Gun I
Dual 150mm Compressed Coil Gun I
Dual 150mm Compressed Coil Gun I
Drone Link Augmentor I
Medium Capacitor Control Circuit I
Medium Capacitor Control Circuit I
Medium Capacitor Control Circuit I
Hornet I x9
Vespa I x8
Antimatter Charge M x2500
Iron Charge M x2500
Tracking Speed Script x1
Medium I-a Enduring Armor Repairer
Medium I-a Enduring Armor Repairer
Experimental Enduring Thermal Armor Hardener I
Experimental Enduring Kinetic Armor Hardener I
AE-K Compact Drone Damage Amplifier
AE-K Compact Drone Damage Amplifier
50MN Quad LiF Restrained Microwarpdrive
Large Compact Pb-Acid Cap Battery
Large Compact Pb-Acid Cap Battery
Denny Enduring Omnidirectional Tracking Link
Alumel-Wired Enduring Sensor Booster
Drone Link Augmentor I
Drone Link Augmentor I
[Empty High slot]
[Empty High slot]
[Empty High slot]
Medium Capacitor Control Circuit I
Medium Capacitor Control Circuit I
Medium Capacitor Control Circuit I
Hornet I x8
Vespa I x6
Warden I x4
Scan Resolution Script x1
Targeting Range Script x1
Optimal Range Script x1
Tracking Speed Script x1
Large I-a Enduring Armor Repairer
Large I-a Enduring Armor Repairer
Experimental Enduring Kinetic Armor Hardener I
Experimental Enduring Thermal Armor Hardener I
AE-K Compact Drone Damage Amplifier
AE-K Compact Drone Damage Amplifier
AE-K Compact Drone Damage Amplifier
500MN Quad LiF Restrained Microwarpdrive
Large Compact Pb-Acid Cap Battery
Large Compact Pb-Acid Cap Battery
Alumel-Wired Enduring Sensor Booster
Denny Enduring Omnidirectional Tracking Link
Drone Link Augmentor I
Drone Link Augmentor I
Drone Link Augmentor I
425mm Prototype Gauss Gun
425mm Prototype Gauss Gun
425mm Prototype Gauss Gun
Large Capacitor Control Circuit I
Large Capacitor Control Circuit I
Large Capacitor Control Circuit I
Garde I x6
Hornet I x5
Vespa I x5
Warden I x6
Antimatter Charge L x1000
Iron Charge L x1000
Scan Resolution Script x1
Targeting Range Script x1
Optimal Range Script x1
Tracking Speed Script x1
Drone Damage Amplifier II
Drone Damage Amplifier II
Drone Damage Amplifier II
Large Armor Repairer II
Large Armor Repairer II
Kinetic Armor Hardener II
Thermal Armor Hardener II
500MN Y-T8 Compact Microwarpdrive
Large Compact Pb-Acid Cap Battery
Large Compact Pb-Acid Cap Battery
Sensor Booster II
Omnidirectional Tracking Link II
Drone Link Augmentor I
Drone Link Augmentor I
Drone Link Augmentor I
350mm Railgun II
350mm Railgun II
350mm Railgun II
Large Capacitor Control Circuit I
Large Capacitor Control Circuit I
Large Capacitor Control Circuit I
Garde II x5
Hornet II x9
Vespa II x8
Warden II x5
Javelin L x5000
Spike L x5000
Lead Charge L x5000
Scan Resolution Script x1
Targeting Range Script x1
Optimal Range Script x1
Tracking Speed Script x1
Magnetic Field Stabilizer I
Magnetic Field Stabilizer I
5MN Quad LiF Restrained Microwarpdrive
Small Clarity Ward Enduring Shield Booster
Eutectic Compact Cap Recharger
125mm Compressed Coil Gun I
125mm Compressed Coil Gun I
125mm Compressed Coil Gun I
125mm Compressed Coil Gun I
125mm Compressed Coil Gun I
125mm Compressed Coil Gun I
125mm Compressed Coil Gun I
[Empty High slot]
[Empty Rig slot]
[Empty Rig slot]
[Empty Rig slot]
Antimatter Charge S x5000
Iron Charge S x5000
Ballistic Control System I
Ballistic Control System I
Pro-Nav Compact Missile Guidance Enhancer
Mark I Compact Reactor Control Unit
10MN Monopropellant Enduring Afterburner
Large F-S9 Regolith Compact Shield Extender
Large F-S9 Regolith Compact Shield Extender
Enduring Kinetic Shield Hardener
Enduring Thermal Shield Hardener
XR-3200 Heavy Missile Bay
XR-3200 Heavy Missile Bay
XR-3200 Heavy Missile Bay
XR-3200 Heavy Missile Bay
XR-3200 Heavy Missile Bay
Medium Core Defense Field Purger I
Medium Core Defense Field Purger I
Medium Core Defense Field Purger I
Hornet I x2
Scourge Heavy Missile x2500
Ballistic Control System I
Ballistic Control System I
Type-D Restrained Shield Power Relay
Type-D Restrained Shield Power Relay
10MN Monopropellant Enduring Afterburner
Large F-S9 Regolith Compact Shield Extender
Large F-S9 Regolith Compact Shield Extender
Enduring Thermal Shield Hardener
Enduring Kinetic Shield Hardener
Missile Guidance Computer I
XR-3200 Heavy Missile Bay
XR-3200 Heavy Missile Bay
XR-3200 Heavy Missile Bay
XR-3200 Heavy Missile Bay
XR-3200 Heavy Missile Bay
XR-3200 Heavy Missile Bay
[Empty High slot]
Medium Core Defense Field Purger I
Medium Core Defense Field Purger I
Medium Core Defense Field Purger I
Hornet I x5
Scourge Heavy Missile x2500
Missile Precision Script x1
Ballistic Control System I
Ballistic Control System I
Ballistic Control System I
Pro-Nav Compact Missile Guidance Enhancer
Pro-Nav Compact Missile Guidance Enhancer
X-Large Clarity Ward Enduring Shield Booster
Enduring Kinetic Shield Hardener
Enduring Thermal Shield Hardener
Stalwart Restrained Shield Boost Amplifier
Alumel-Wired Enduring Sensor Booster
Large Micro Jump Drive
100MN Monopropellant Enduring Afterburner
'Arbalest' Cruise Launcher I
'Arbalest' Cruise Launcher I
'Arbalest' Cruise Launcher I
'Arbalest' Cruise Launcher I
'Arbalest' Cruise Launcher I
'Arbalest' Cruise Launcher I
Drone Link Augmentor I
Large Capacitor Control Circuit I
Large Capacitor Control Circuit I
Large Capacitor Control Circuit I
Hornet I x5
Warden I x2
Scourge Cruise Missile x1000
Scan Resolution Script x1
Targeting Range Script x1
Ballistic Control System II
Ballistic Control System II
Ballistic Control System II
Missile Guidance Enhancer II
Missile Guidance Enhancer II
X-Large Shield Booster II
Kinetic Shield Hardener II
Thermal Shield Hardener II
Shield Boost Amplifier II
F-90 Compact Sensor Booster
Large Micro Jump Drive
100MN Y-S8 Compact Afterburner
Cruise Missile Launcher II
Cruise Missile Launcher II
Cruise Missile Launcher II
Cruise Missile Launcher II
Cruise Missile Launcher II
Cruise Missile Launcher II
Drone Link Augmentor I
Large Processor Overclocking Unit I
Large Capacitor Control Circuit I
Large Capacitor Control Circuit I
Hornet II x5
Warden II x2
Scourge Fury Cruise Missile x2500
Scourge Precision Cruise Missile x2500
Scan Resolution Script x1
Targeting Range Script x1
Small I-a Enduring Armor Repairer
Upgraded Multispectrum Coating I
Extruded Compact Heat Sink
5MN Quad LiF Restrained Microwarpdrive
Eutectic Compact Cap Recharger
Dual Anode Light Particle Stream I
Dual Anode Light Particle Stream I
Dual Anode Light Particle Stream I
Dual Anode Light Particle Stream I
Dual Anode Light Particle Stream I
Dual Anode Light Particle Stream I
Dual Anode Light Particle Stream I
Dual Anode Light Particle Stream I
[Empty Rig slot]
[Empty Rig slot]
[Empty Rig slot]
Multifrequency S x8
Radio S x8
Medium I-a Enduring Armor Repairer
Medium I-a Enduring Armor Repairer
Experimental Enduring Kinetic Armor Hardener I
Experimental Enduring Thermal Armor Hardener I
Type-D Restrained Capacitor Power Relay
Extruded Compact Heat Sink
50MN Quad LiF Restrained Microwarpdrive
Medium Compact Pb-Acid Cap Battery
F-12 Enduring Tracking Computer
Focused Anode Medium Particle Stream I
Focused Anode Medium Particle Stream I
Focused Anode Medium Particle Stream I
Focused Anode Medium Particle Stream I
Focused Anode Medium Particle Stream I
Medium Capacitor Control Circuit I
Medium Capacitor Control Circuit I
Medium Capacitor Control Circuit I
Hornet I x8
Multifrequency M x5
Radio M x5
Tracking Speed Script x1
Medium I-a Enduring Armor Repairer
Medium I-a Enduring Armor Repairer
Experimental Enduring Thermal Armor Hardener I
Experimental Enduring Kinetic Armor Hardener I
Extruded Compact Heat Sink
Extruded Compact Heat Sink
50MN Quad LiF Restrained Microwarpdrive
Medium Compact Pb-Acid Cap Battery
Medium Compact Pb-Acid Cap Battery
F-12 Enduring Tracking Computer
Heavy Modulated Energy Beam I
Heavy Modulated Energy Beam I
Heavy Modulated Energy Beam I
Heavy Modulated Energy Beam I
Heavy Modulated Energy Beam I
Heavy Modulated Energy Beam I
[Empty High slot]
Medium Capacitor Control Circuit I
Medium Capacitor Control Circuit I
Medium Capacitor Control Circuit I
Hornet I x5
Warden I x2
Multifrequency M x6
Radio M x6
Standard M x6
Optimal Range Script x1
Tracking Speed Script x1
Large I-a Enduring Armor Repairer
Large I-a Enduring Armor Repairer
Experimental Enduring Thermal Armor Hardener I
Experimental Enduring Kinetic Armor Hardener I
AE-K Compact Drone Damage Amplifier
AE-K Compact Drone Damage Amplifier
AE-K Compact Drone Damage Amplifier
500MN Quad LiF Restrained Microwarpdrive
Large Compact Pb-Acid Cap Battery
F-90 Compact Sensor Booster
Denny Enduring Omnidirectional Tracking Link
Drone Link Augmentor I
Drone Link Augmentor I
'Arbalest' Cruise Launcher I
'Arbalest' Cruise Launcher I
'Arbalest' Cruise Launcher I
'Arbalest' Cruise Launcher I
'Arbalest' Cruise Launcher I
Large Processor Overclocking Unit I
Large Capacitor Control Circuit I
Large Capacitor Control Circuit I
Garde I x6
Hornet I x5
Vespa I x5
Warden I x6
Scourge Cruise Missile x1000
Scan Resolution Script x1
Targeting Range Script x1
Optimal Range Script x1
Tracking Speed Script x1
Large Armor Repairer II
Large Armor Repairer II
True Sansha Thermal Armor Hardener
True Sansha Kinetic Armor Hardener
Drone Damage Amplifier II
Drone Damage Amplifier II
Drone Damage Amplifier II
500MN Y-T8 Compact Microwarpdrive
Large Compact Pb-Acid Cap Battery
Alumel-Wired Enduring Sensor Booster
Omnidirectional Tracking Link II
Drone Link Augmentor II
Drone Link Augmentor II
Cruise Missile Launcher II
Cruise Missile Launcher II
Cruise Missile Launcher II
Cruise Missile Launcher II
Cruise Missile Launcher II
Large Processor Overclocking Unit I
Large Capacitor Control Circuit I
Large Capacitor Control Circuit I
Garde II x6
Hornet II x5
Vespa II x5
Warden II x6
Scourge Fury Cruise Missile x2500
Scourge Precision Cruise Missile x2500
Scan Resolution Script x1
Targeting Range Script x1
Optimal Range Script x1
Tracking Speed Script x1
Counterbalanced Compact Gyrostabilizer
Counterbalanced Compact Gyrostabilizer
5MN Quad LiF Restrained Microwarpdrive
Small Clarity Ward Enduring Shield Booster
Eutectic Compact Cap Recharger
250mm Light Carbine Howitzer I
250mm Light Carbine Howitzer I
250mm Light Carbine Howitzer I
250mm Light Carbine Howitzer I
250mm Light Carbine Howitzer I
250mm Light Carbine Howitzer I
250mm Light Carbine Howitzer I
[Empty High slot]
[Empty Rig slot]
[Empty Rig slot]
[Empty Rig slot]
EMP S x1000
Proton S x1000
Ballistic Control System I
Ballistic Control System I
Pro-Nav Compact Missile Guidance Enhancer
Mark I Compact Power Diagnostic System
50MN Quad LiF Restrained Microwarpdrive
Large F-S9 Regolith Compact Shield Extender
Large F-S9 Regolith Compact Shield Extender
Enduring Kinetic Shield Hardener
Enduring Thermal Shield Hardener
XR-3200 Heavy Missile Bay
XR-3200 Heavy Missile Bay
XR-3200 Heavy Missile Bay
XR-3200 Heavy Missile Bay
Medium Core Defense Field Purger I
Medium Core Defense Field Purger I
Medium Core Defense Field Purger I
Hornet I x4
Vespa I x2
Scourge Heavy Missile x2500
Ballistic Control System I
Ballistic Control System I
Pro-Nav Compact Missile Guidance Enhancer
Type-D Restrained Shield Power Relay
Type-D Restrained Shield Power Relay
50MN Quad LiF Restrained Microwarpdrive
Large Azeotropic Restrained Shield Extender
Large Azeotropic Restrained Shield Extender
Enduring Kinetic Shield Hardener
Enduring Thermal Shield Hardener
XR-3200 Heavy Missile Bay
XR-3200 Heavy Missile Bay
XR-3200 Heavy Missile Bay
XR-3200 Heavy Missile Bay
XR-3200 Heavy Missile Bay
Shield Command Burst I
Drone Link Augmentor I
Medium Core Defense Field Purger I
Medium Core Defense Field Purger I
Medium Core Defense Field Purger I
Vespa I x5
Scourge Heavy Missile x2500
Shield Extension Charge x600
Ballistic Control System I
Ballistic Control System I
Ballistic Control System I
Large I-a Enduring Armor Repairer
Large I-a Enduring Armor Repairer
Experimental Enduring Thermal Armor Hardener I
Experimental Enduring Kinetic Armor Hardener I
500MN Quad LiF Restrained Microwarpdrive
Alumel-Wired Enduring Sensor Booster
Large Compact Pb-Acid Cap Battery
Large Compact Pb-Acid Cap Battery
Missile Guidance Computer I
'Arbalest' Cruise Launcher I
'Arbalest' Cruise Launcher I
'Arbalest' Cruise Launcher I
'Arbalest' Cruise Launcher I
'Arbalest' Cruise Launcher I
'Arbalest' Cruise Launcher I
Drone Link Augmentor I
Large Capacitor Control Circuit I
Large Capacitor Control Circuit I
Large Capacitor Control Circuit I
Hornet I x5
Warden I x4
Scourge Cruise Missile x2500
Missile Precision Script x1
Missile Range Script x1
Scan Resolution Script x1
Targeting Range Script x1
Ballistic Control System II
Ballistic Control System II
Ballistic Control System II
Large Armor Repairer II
Large Armor Repairer II
Thermal Armor Hardener II
Kinetic Armor Hardener II
500MN Quad LiF Restrained Microwarpdrive
Sensor Booster II
Large Compact Pb-Acid Cap Battery
Large Cap Battery II
Missile Guidance Computer II
Cruise Missile Launcher II
Cruise Missile Launcher II
Cruise Missile Launcher II
Cruise Missile Launcher II
Cruise Missile Launcher II
Cruise Missile Launcher II
Drone Link Augmentor II
Large Capacitor Control Circuit I
Large Capacitor Control Circuit I
Large Processor Overclocking Unit I
Hornet II x5
Warden II x4
Scourge Fury Cruise Missile x2500
Scourge Precision Cruise Missile x2500
Missile Precision Script x1
Missile Range Script x1
Scan Resolution Script x1
Targeting Range Script x1
Fly safe