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While you can technically explore in any ship, there are hulls that are either specifically designed for exploration or lend themselves well to it despite not having direct exploration bonuses. With over two dozen such options to choose from, every option has its place depending on what you want to do. Depending on your needs and budget, you might get more value out of a relatively cheap Anathema than a blingy Pacifier, or you might get more out of shelling out for a Strategic Cruiser. Repeatedly losing a cheap ship stings a lot less than losing a really expensive one even once, but if you know what you’re doing, you’re less likely to lose the expensive ship in the first place.
Here’s an overview of the most common options:
- T1 exploration frigates are very cheap and don’t require high skillpoints, but lack effectiveness and survivability.
- Navy exploration frigates are slightly more expensive and aren’t any better at scanning, but can easily fit expanded probe launchers and are much tougher.
- T2 covert ops frigates require higher skills and are very flimsy, but are very effective scanners without being too expensive.
- The Pacifier is a T2 covops frigate that warps much faster and is a strong combat ship while also being extremely expensive.
- The Metamorphosis and Astero are solid picks for explorers who don’t have very high ship skills and want additional utility or combat capabilities, respectively.
- The Stratios and Strategic Cruisers are great for explorers looking to run combat sites as well.
- There are other viable exploration ships like Fleet Interceptors, but they’re usually not worth using over other options.
Alphas can’t use T2 ships, so that limits them to T1, navy, and pirate ships.
T1 Exploration Frigates: Heron (Caldari), Imicus (Gallente), Magnate (Amarr), Probe (Minmatar)
The cheapest exploration ships money can easily buy, these little rust buckets are an entry-level option for capsuleers who don’t yet have the skills or ISK for a better ship, or who want to fly cheap for the fun of it. They can also make for entertaining PVP ships with the right fit (especially the Heron), but that’s outside the scope of this guide. All 4 options are pretty similar: they have a per-level scan bonus topping out at 37.5%, can’t use covert ops cloaking devices (so they can only cloak on grid and get a velocity penalty for doing so), and are pretty thin. Their main difference is slot layout: the Heron gets the most mid slots at 3/5/2 (high/medium/low), the Magnate gets the most lows at 3/3/4, and the Imicus and Probe are somewhere in-between at 3/4/3. Unless you really know what you’re doing (and probably don’t need this guide), don’t even try to fit these ships for defense or combat. Your best defenses are your agility, speed, and cloak.
If you’re just getting started, I recommend the Heron: its 5 mid slots allow it to fit more scan arrays than the others, which are mid slot modules that boost scan stats and help compensate for low skills. Its mid slots also let it mount a decent shield tank for Sleeper Caches, which are rare difficult-to-scan sites that function more like puzzles than other exploration sites. However, the Heron only has 2 low slots, which can make it harder to get a fast align time (you know, the thing keeping your ship unexploded) and keep you from fitting things like cargo expanders for more loot or a warp core stabilizer to have a better chance of escaping from a hunter. The Magnate’s the opposite: it has a full 4 low slots, but struggles with mids.
The key thing to remember about these ships is that you will eventually die in one. They’re just not that good at scanning, hacking, or escaping from bad situations. Also, people tend to not take these ships seriously when they see them roaming around. That can be a good thing (people pay less attention to what you’re doing) or a bad thing (people think you’re easy pickings and go after you). While I think the Heron’s the best option for getting started, you can easily cross-train into another T1 frigate if you don’t like it. Racial frigate skills train quickly.
The bottom line: use these if you’re just getting started and can’t use anything else or just for fun. Upgrade to another exploration ship when you can. Also, a lot of corps/alliances offer fully fitted T1 exploration frigates to new members for free. Check if your group’s one of them.
Navy Exploration Frigates: Heron Navy Issue (C), Imicus Navy Issue (G), Magnate Navy Issue (A), Probe Fleet Issue (M)
A bit pricier than their base T1 counterparts, these navy exploration frigates were added to the game pretty recently and are a direct upgrade over their T1 variants. They retain the same probe strength (37.5% at racial frigate 5) and hacking bonuses as their counterparts, but gain improved defenses, proper combat bonuses, and a whopping 99% reduction to probe launcher CPU usage, letting them easily fit expanded probe launchers for combat probing shenanigans. People also tend to assume they’re fit for combat, so you’re a bit less likely to get bothered than in a T1 frig. You could of course fit one for combat yourself and try to attack other explorers or fight off hunters.
T2 Covert Ops Frigates: Anathema (A), Buzzard (C), Cheetah (M), Helios (G)
More skill-intensive and expensive versions of the T1 frigates, these “covert ops” frigates trade any semblance of tank or combat ability for stronger scan bonuses (50% extra scan strength when fully trained along with a stronger hacking bonus and potentially a hefty scan deviation bonus). They also have a big advantage in being able to warp cloaked thanks to having access to covert ops cloaking devices, which also don’t have any penalties (and the reactivation delay’s reduced to a measly 5 seconds on these ships). And if that wasn’t enough, they can also ignore warp interdiction bubbles by being able to fit an Interdiction Nullifier in their high slots. Basically, they’re a straight upgrade where exploration is concerned.
However, these ships are decently skill-intensive. You need a few weeks of training just to sit in one, and you can’t use a covops cloaking device without training Cloaking IV, which takes another few days. Their scan bonus is also tied to the Covert Ops skill (10% probe strength per level), which means they only get a better scan strength than T1 explo frigates at Covops IV.
As for differences between each hull, it’s less about slot layout like with their T1 versions and more about fitting resources and whether they get a scan deviation bonus. All of these ships also have tight fitting, especially where powergrid is concerned. The Buzzard and Anathema get a powerful scan deviation bonus (basically making your probes more accurate), while the Cheetah and Helios get a less useful bonus to on-grid velocity while cloaked. The Buzzard and Helios have 5 mid slots and 3 lows, while the Cheetah and Anathema get 4 of each. You’ll probably need to use one of the Buzzard’s rigs for powergrid just to be able to online all your modules, which compensates for the extra mid and deviation bonus. The Anathema doesn’t usually need a fitting module or rig and has the deviation bonus, but doesn’t have the extra mid. The Helios has the mid and good fitting, but lacks the deviation bonus. And the Cheetah has neither the deviation bonus nor extra mid, and also struggles with fitting. Overall, I’d say that the Buzzard is the best of the bunch, followed by the Anathema, Helios, and Cheetah. Of course, it depends on what exactly you want. Maybe you value the Cheetah’s extra cloaked speed, or prefer the Helios’ extra mid and good fitting.
Their big downside is that if T1 exploration frigates are made of tinfoil, these things are made of toilet paper (and not the good kind). If you get caught in one, you’re probably going to die even if the attacker’s flying a badly fit Imicus. However, as your skills develop, you’ll find yourself getting caught less and less, and covert ops frigates have a lot of features that help you do exactly that. They also aren’t that expensive- the Buzzard costs under 30 million ISK as of writing, which means you can buy 4 for the price of one Astero. That doesn’t include any modules you fit on it, but you really shouldn’t be blinging covops frigates anyway. That’s what the next ship’s for.
Pacifier (CONCORD)
While technically a Tech 2 covert ops frigate like the ones above, the Pacifier gets its own section because of its unique bonuses (and pricetag). The Paci combines the scan and hacking bonuses and nullification of the other covert ops frigates with strong combat bonuses and an even higher warp speed. This makes the Paci the best ship money can buy for “standard” exploration. Mind you, that’s a lot of money: Pacifiers cost over 250 million ISK just for the hull as of writing. That’s more than 2 Asteros! However, the Pacifier is well worth its price for experienced explorers and is arguably the best exploration ship in the game, especially if you fit expensive equipment like a Zeugma integrated analyzer and use a full set of Virtue implants with a Blackglass. Overall, the Paci’s an amazing ship, but you really shouldn’t use one unless you’re very confident in your abilities.
Metamorphosis (Society of Conscious Thought)
Another recent addition, the Metamorphosis is really flimsy and only has 3 of each slot, but has fixed scan strength and deviation bonuses, making it very friendly to characters with low SP. In fact, flying it requires no skills at all! It can also easily instawarp (aligning to warp in under 2 seconds, which makes you unlockable by most fits) even if you’re an alpha, and has access to covert ops cloaks. It can also easily fit an expanded launcher and has a special hold for mobile depots, though the benefit of that’s kind of questionable. To top it all off, it has 2 extra points of warp core strength, making you very difficult to hold down without a dedicated fit. However, it’s more expensive and less good at scanning than the T2 frigates, and can’t fit a nullifier. It’s also over twice as expensive at roughly 80 million ISK as of writing.
Overall, it’s a great choice for pilots with ISK and confidence who are looking for an upgrade without being skilled into T2 covert ops frigates yet. It’s also good for scan and wormhole seed alts and probably the best option for alphas with a lot of ISK to throw around. Also, it’s a solid option for lowsec exploration, where there are no bubbles to worry about (aside from the odd corrupted system) and being able to instawarp with decent reflexes is enough to keep you safe from most people trying to attack you.
Astero (Sisters of EVE)
It’s like a Meta in terms of being an expensive frigate that doesn’t require high skills and can easily instawarp, but the similarities end there. Instead of having a lot of utility, the Astero has strong combat and tank capabilities rivaling those of dedicated combat frigates. It also has a huge drone bay and can also be fit to handle most Sleeper Cache rooms, tank Ghost Site explosions, and scare off other explorers.
Unfortunately, it lags behind other options for explorers skilled into using them. This isn’t really an issue with the Astero; it’s just that other ships have been introduced or given additional tricks over time. Asteros can’t use nullifiers, warp slower and scan worse than covert ops frigates, and can’t run a lot of combat sites that the Stratios and Strategic Cruisers can. Covert ops frigates are generally a better pick for exploration in null and wormholes, and the Pacifier’s better still. That said, it’s still great at engaging other explorers and hunters, and like the Metamorphosis, is an excellent choice for lowsec exploration due to its main weaknesses not being as relevant there.
Stratios (SOE)
The big brother to the Astero, this cruiser shares the same scanning and hacking bonuses but is tougher with a bigger cargohold and dronebay and pumps out more damage. It’s also slower and gets worse align times, and still can’t fit a nullifier. However, it also doesn’t require really high skills and can handily run up to 5/10 DEDs and C2 wormhole anomalies in addition to regular exploration sites. It can also tank Ghost Sites and Sleeper Caches. Unfortunately, the Stratios is mostly inferior to and somehow around as expensive as Strategic Cruisers, so there’s not much point using one if you’re skilled into T3Cs.
Strategic (Tech III) Cruisers: Legion (A), Loki (M), Proteus (G), Tengu (C)
Flexible, powerful, skill-intensive, and expensive, T3Cs can tackle most PVE content in the game. What makes these ships so unique is that they have subsystems: you pick 4 subsystems to put on your ship that change its functionality, slot layout, and bonuses. For example, with a Covert Reconfiguration subsystem, these ships get a probe strength bonus on par with covops frigates and can fit a nullifier. They can also choose between warping very fast with nullifier bonuses and aligning very quickly depending on the propulsion subsystem. The Proteus even gets a unique Hyperspatial Optimization subsystem that makes it both warp and align like a covert ops frigate! T3Cs can also be fit to run a wide range of combat sites, from C3 wormhole anomalies to Sleeper Caches to DEDs.
The bad news is that you’ll need months of training just to sit in one, without even going into all the other skills you’ll need trained to actually use it effectively. And if you’re not planning to run any combat sites, using a Strategic Cruiser instead of a much cheaper covops frig is questionable.
As for which specific T3C you should choose: the Legion can use lasers or missiles and drones and has a lot of low slots, the Loki can use projectile turrets or missiles and has a balanced slot layout, the Proteus can use drones or hybrid turrets and drones but struggles with mid slots, and the Tengu can use missiles or hybrid turrets and has a lot of mid slots. I personally like the Proteus because of its Hyperspatial subsystem and the fact that drones don’t need ammo, but every T3C’s very strong in its own right.
Fleet Interceptors: Ares (G), Crow (C), Malediction (A), Stiletto (M)
Each empire has 2 Interceptors: a Combat Interceptor with strong weapon bonuses and a Fleet Interceptor that can fit an interdiction nullifier. While they can’t cloak, Fleet Interceptors are still a decent if unusual choice for exploration thanks to their fast align times (easy to fit for instawarp) and nullifier bonuses. People who see you on dscan might also assume that you’re just passing through, since Interceptors are popular travel ships. “Exploceptors” used to be a lot more popular back when nullification was something baked into a ship and not tied to a module. Now, they’re arguably just worse than covert ops frigates
Sunesis, Gnosis, Praxis (SoCT)
Unlike the Metamorphosis, these other SoCT ships aren’t explicitly designed for exploration (and lack a hacking bonus). However, these 3 ships all have a fixed 37.5% probe strength bonus and require no skills to fly. They’re mainly used by lower-SP players interested in running combat sites.
The Sunesis is a destroyer with a lot of cargo space and decent weapon bonuses, and can easily be fit to instawarp. This makes it an excellent hisec and lowsec hauler. It’s also capable of running low-level DEDs (up to 4/10) and scaring other explorers off of lowsec sites. You’ll see a lot of these during events with lucrative lowsec exploration sites like Crimson Harvest, but it’s not a typical choice for general exploration.
The Gnosis is a battlecruiser and the Praxis is a battleship. Both are solid options for low-SP characters running combat sites: the Gnosis can handle a lot of lowsec sites and the Praxis sees a lot of use in up to C3 wormholes. However, I can’t suggest either for typical exploration. They’re both very sluggish due to their size and don’t have any hacking or cloaking bonuses.
Weird Stuff
There are other ships you could technically use, like the Nestor (the battleship version of the Astero and Stratios) or the Zephyr (it’s so bad at exploring that even Sleepers won’t target it). You can also technically use Force Recons (T2 cruisers that have covops cloaks but no scan bonuses) or Combat Recons (T2 cruisers that have no scan or cloak bonuses but can’t be detected on dscan). Tech 3 Destroyers (particularly the Hecate) are also sometimes used for lowsec sites due to strong combat capabilities and fast align and can easily fit expanded launchers, but have no actual exploration bonuses. T2 black ops battleships can jump to special covert cynos and have a bonus to velocity while cloaked, and see use in high-level DED combat sites. The point is that just because you can use something doesn’t mean you should, especially if you’re new. For experienced players, however, “I want to” is always the best reason you can give for flying something off-meta.
As you can see, there isn’t really a single “best” option when it comes to exploration ships. With so many options available, it’s up to you to figure out what you want from your ship and what you’re comfortable with. And remember the golden rule: don’t fly what you can’t afford to lose (and replace).
In the next part of this guide, we’ll talk about actually fitting one of these things.
Exploration Guide Index