EVE Online x Doctor Who Crossover Event: A Beginner’s Guide

In an ad video, BBC invites Whovians to create a new character in EVE Online and start their journey to conquer New Eden. To make their transition to one of the hardest MMOs to learn smoother, CCP has kicked off a new in-game event called the Interstellar Convergence.

Although the event is specifically aimed at new players, much of the content can’t be accessed/beaten by newbros due to higher skill point requirements. The Interstellar Convergence crossover event runs until February 1, so there’s plenty of time for EVE Online players to reap all the rewards offered by CCP and hunt down any collectibles that might never be available outside this event (skins, apparel, commodities).

Since several known EVE Online streamers have been given access to the event earlier so that they can create content that would teach new players how to tackle the challenges of the crossover event, I’m not going to go through all that. Ashterothi, Erstschlag, Rushlock, and other EVE Online aficionados are doing much better at teaching new players to play the game, so I’ll add a couple of relevant videos at the end of this story.

However, I will try to give both new players and veterans a few tips that I believe haven’t been covered in these videos. I don’t pretend to have won EVE Online, but these things worked for me and don’t cost you anything to try them out. Not to mention that you can always improve on these ideas and make them work better for you.

The Exploration

My first advice for those tackling the new Dr. Who event is to get rid of the data analyzer module. This piece of hardware will not be needed in any of the activities involving the event sites, so you can replace it with anything you think would be beneficial for your playstyle.

Personally, since I’m using a covert ops ship (Cheetah) that has a rather small capacitor, I have freed two mid-slots and slapped in two small compact batteries. It helps a lot with moving from can to can inside the exploration sites (more on this later on). You can only take exploration frigates and covops ships inside event sites that require a filament.

To take part in the event, all you have to do is start hacking the new relic sites called Warp Matrix Convergence. As far as scanning difficulty goes, they are considered level 1 relic sites, so they are very easy to pinpoint and scan down. Level I cosmic signatures can be scanned down even by ships that have no innate bonuses in that respect, but I would strongly advise using an exploration ship.

Once inside one of the new Warp Matrix Convergence sites, which can be found anywhere in New Eden (highsec, lowsec, nullsec, and wormholes), your cloak will be disabled, and you won’t be able to use it. The good news is after you hack the first can, the site will disappear from the “probe scanner,” so unless someone scanned the site before you and is camping it 10-20km away from the field, that renders the cloaking device useless, you should be safe.

All event sites (exploration and combat) have two types of anomalies inside: red and blue. They look like bubbles and appear on the overview with these colors. Going through them will give you buffs and debuffs. You’ll always want to go through the blue anomalies that give you more speed, improved capacitor recharge time, and several other bonuses. The red anomalies will give your ship the opposite. Buffs and debuffs last for 1 minute, and the anomalies disappear once you go through them.

All cans inside Warp Matrix Convergence sites are very easy to hack, just like those appearing during the Winter Nexus event. They are made easy to allow new players to participate in the event without having to invest heavily in exploration skills.

The loot inside these relics I sites might feel disappointing at first glance, but all the “strange matter” items that you find inside are actually very valuable. They are used to manufacture filaments that will send you inside abyssal-like pockets where you’ll find the real loot. If you’re not into exploration, you can sell all the “strange matter” items for quite a lot of money. Aside from that, all event sites drop so-called “Peculiar Data Collection” items that can be sold to NPCs for 10K a piece. I know it might not seem much, but they pile up very, very fast. You can find these NPCs in just about every system since they’re not only bought by DED corps.

Now, if you’re willing to go all the way and actually gather all the materials to manufacture the filaments for exploration and combat event sites, you can actually make a lot of money. I encourage all players to enter at least the level I exploration site for which you’ll need to manufacture a Curious Warp Matrix filament. Not for the loot, but the folks at CCP have done an amazing job turning these abyssal-like pockets of space into something marvelous, so you’d be missing a lot even if you’re not a Doctor Who fan.

The difficulty of these level 1 exploration sites has been designed with new players in mind, so, once again, these are very easy to run. The main difference between these and the Warp Matrix Convergence sites is that these have a 30-minute timer, which should be plenty even for the most inexperienced players. The only major would be the fact that the abyssal pocket is a bubble of probably 100km in diameter, so you’ll have to spend a lot of time moving from can to can. That could be a problem if you have a small capacitor, but if you’re using my advice and add 1-2 small compact batteries, you should be able to keep your MWD (micro warp drive) enabled 100% of the time if you want without running out of cap.

As far as the loot goes, you’ll have a higher chance to find skins and apparel inside level 1 exploration sites than in the regular Warp Matrix Convergence sites. Also, you’ll get even more “strange matter” to either sell or make more advanced filaments. Based on difficulty, there are three different filaments for exploration sites: Curious Warp Matrix, Enigmatic Warp Matrix, and Mysterious Warp Matrix. Anything above level 1 (Curious Warp Matrix) is not really aimed at new players, and it is, in fact, content for veterans. However, that doesn’t mean that new players shouldn’t try at least level 2 exploration sites, since you can leave them whenever you wish if you run out of time, or you think it’s too difficult.

The level 3 exploration sites that require Mysterious Warp Matrix filaments are really difficult. You have 30 minutes to hack 21 cans (11 cans in level 1 and 16 cans in level 2), and most of the cans have red cores with 120HP. While I recommend using a Zeugma Integrated Analyzer + Blackglass implant combo for these top-tier sites, I’ve managed to do them without it.

With Archeology skills maxed out, I managed to hack all cans and still have around 9 minutes left (on average). I didn’t count the number of level 3 exploration sites I ran until now, but it’s been more than 10, and I only failed two cans. This is an indication that anyone with Archeology skills at V can run these sites with a little bit of patience. I truly find them soothing, but then again, I’m an exploration guy.

Obviously, the higher the level of the site, the better the loot. If you’re looking to make money, I wouldn’t recommend selling the “strange matter” you find inside these exploration sites. Instead, try to manufacture as many filaments as possible, then run more and make even more filaments that you can sell on the market.

To manufacture the filaments, you need minimum skills in Industry, but keep in mind that you’ll have to wait between 30 and 60 minutes for higher-tier filaments if you’re not skilled enough in Industry. Also, make sure you have some minerals on the station where you plan to manufacture the filaments since some of them require small amounts of Tritanium, Pyerite, Mexallon, and Isogen.

The Combat

Unlike exploration event sites, combat sites require a bit of money investment to be successful. As many of you already know, you can only enter the combat event sites with the following T1 cruisers: Omen, Caracal, Thorax, Stabber, Maller, Moa, Vexor, or Rupture. The Navy Issue variants of any of the T1 cruisers listed are not allowed in the combat event sites. On the bright side, you can take one friend with you, and you can leave whenever you feel like you’re overwhelmed and can’t finish the site.

To enter one of the Doctor Who combat sites and murder Daleks, you’ll need one of these four filaments: Precarious Warp Matrix, Hazardous Warp Matrix, Dangerous Warp Matrix, and Perilous Warp Matrix. The first one is the easiest and can be done by new players without any problems. I won’t be giving advice concerning Precarious Warp Matrix sites because they’re very easy and don’t require high-level combat skills.

The objective of these combat sites is to kill the boss, so it’s just one very large room with three types of enemies. Level 1 has 2 NPCs and the boss, which you should orbit around to avoid being hit. If you’re not a combat-oriented player, this might take a while since the boss has around 22-24K HP. If you’re thinking of running higher-tier combat sites, you’ll need a better fit, so you’ll need to invest a little bit of money in modules and ammo.

My initial investment was quite high because I intend to run level 3 combat sites, but I’m sure there are much cheaper fits out there. One thing that I would advise against is to use passive tanking for level 2 and above with low combat-oriented skills. It can be done, but it’s much easier with active shield/armor tanking. Make sure you have something against “neuts” and make use of the blue bubbles that give you major buffs. They are very important in higher-tier combat sites.

I hope I’m not spoiling the fight by saying that enemies in level 2 and up combat sites respawn. In fact, there’s a chance that a new wave of enemies will pop up after 1 or more minutes. The higher the combat site you run, the higher the chance, so it’s a race against time. Bringing a friend with you makes level 3 and 4 combat sites easier, but make sure you kill the most dangerous enemies first.

My most important advice would be to run low-level combat sites until you get the feel of the fight and then move on to higher tiers. One trick that you should definitely make use of is the “teleport” move. Whenever you reach the end of the pocket room, you can now push over it (without taking any damage) and be teleported to the opposite side. It’s a nifty mechanic that will help you reach far away enemies in the blink of an eye.

If you’re aiming for level 4 combat sites, I strongly recommend watching Erstschlag’s video, where he recommends an expensive (150+ million ISK) Stabber fit. Ashterothi has an interesting Caracal fit, too, if you’re into Caldari ships.

The Loot

Obviously, the main question that an EVE Online player will ask is if it’s worth running the new event sites. Is the new event as profitable as the previous Winter Nexus event? The short answer is “no.” The long answer is also “no.” However, if you’re looking for skins, apparel, and Doctor Who collectibles, which might not be obtainable in the game in the future, you’ll love this event.

I’m not saying you can’t make money out of it; you definitely can. It’s just that it requires a little bit of grinding. If you’re determined to get rich, here are some tips that helped me make around half a billion ISK in the first two days of the event.

First off, let me say that the loot from the Warp Matrix Convergence sites might feel underwhelming. Aside from the typical “strange matter,” there’s a small chance that you’ll find a new “Convergence” skin, which by the way, looks gorgeous, or a new type of booster that gives you various exploration-oriented bonuses for a limited time. You’ll also get some cheap items that usually drop in level 1 relic sites and Peculiar Data Collection, which you can sell at NPCs for 10K a piece.

The most important items that drop in the event sites, besides the “strange matter” required for filaments,” are the blueprints for these filaments. They drop quite often, but they’re very RNG dependent, so if you’re lucky, you could get one in the first Warp Matrix Convergence site that you hack. If you’re not lucky, you could see the first blueprint after 10-20 sites.

My initial “investment” in the event was 50 million ISK and was used to buy certain rare “strange matter” that I needed for level 3 exploration filaments. Once I managed to manufacture and run a few Mysterious Warp Matrix sites, I no longer needed to buy anything. These sites drop blueprints, skins, apparel, boosters, and even more “strange matter.”

Based on the few dozen exploration sites that I have run until now, here is an estimation of the loot based on the level of the site:

• Curious Warp Matrix – 500k-2 million ISK
• Enigmatic Warp Matrix – 4-5 million ISK 
• Mysterious Warp Matrix – 30-40 million ISK

The same values are valid for combat sites too, but I can’t confirm the value of the loot for levels 3 and 4. The difference is that you get a lot more skins, boosters, and apparel from exploration sites. Also, combat sites will reward you more Peculiar Data Collection than exploration sites, which is in fact the main income you obtain from them. The rest will be "strange matter" and sometimes skins, boosters or apparel items. I did not include the Intact Amor Plates that have a low chance to drop since they heavily influence the overall value of the loot.

The values above only come from the regular EVE Online items that you find, like Intact Armor Plates, Logic Circuit, Power Circuit, and so on. In addition to this loot, you will always find skins, apparel, blueprints, and boosters inside these sites. Of course, the higher the level of the site, the more of these you get. I typically end up with 2-5 skins, 3-5 boosters, 1-2 Interstellar Convergence t-shirts, and loads of “strange matter” that I use to manufacture even more filaments. Also, you get a few or several hundred Peculiar Data Collection (sometime more than 1,000) items from each site, so you get quite a lot of ISK just from selling these.

I have so many blueprints and materials that I started to sell filaments because I didn’t have enough time to run them. I made a few hundred million ISK just from selling Enigmatic Warp Matrix and Mysterious Warp Matrix filaments, which sold for around 40 million and 70 million, respectively, per piece.

If you’re not an exploration person and can’t run level 3 exploration sites, you can still find a good amount of ISK by running level 2 sites. If you’re just relying on combat, then that’s too bad because the loot is nowhere near close to what you can get from an exploration site of the same level. Yes, the value of the loot overall is the same, but the amount of “strange matter” and variation is not on par. I might be wrong on this since I haven’t run level 3 combat sites, but I have the feeling that you won’t be able to manufacture the same amount of filaments with the materials you loot from a combat site.

If you can’t be bothered to manufacture filaments, you can always sell the “strange matter,” which, depending on the type, can be worth quite a lot. The bottom line is that you can definitely make money participating in the EVE Online x Doctor Who crossover event; it’s just that you have to decide what you want to do and grind a bit. It requires a little bit of more work if you don’t want to sell everything you get from the basic Warp Matrix Convergence sites, but I’d say it's worth it.

Conclusion

I’m well aware that many EVE Online players have been against this crossover due to the lore, but I think that after February 1, we can all forget it existed if that’s what we really want. Signs that it happened will remain in the form of skins, apparel (I have 20+ Interstellar Convergence t-shirts, what the hell, give me the scarf already), and Doctor Who commodities (I love the Tardis and the Snow Globe).

If you absolutely hate the idea of a crossover, feel free to continue to play the game as you wish, but you’ll be missing a lot. Even if you’re in just for the ISK, it’s well worth the time. Personally, I love a little bit of chang,e and I’m having a lot of fun hacking this event site, also making money in the process.

I’ve seen several Doctor Who episodes, but I’m certainly not returning because of the event. It’s simply not my type of sci-fi, but I can definitely understand those who love the universe. Here is hoping that we’ll have more crossovers in the future.