Horizons Skimmer missions.

I am doing some skimmer missions, but some of them with very high payouts are with settlements with +++ high security. I have been doing the easiest ones with high payouts.

I would like to know if I took on the high risk ones, (I did 1 before but it was very hard) I have read that you can scour the area for wanted skimmers, so if I did that, would I have to look out for the blue circle poi`s for the targets around the camp?

Thanls
 
so if I did that, would I have to look out for the blue circle poi`s for the targets around the camp?

this, exactly. i actually enjoy scouting the pois.

there ARE people who can solo +++ settlements, i'm not one of them (not only because i prefer to fly small ships)... but the general direction is a) disable thrusters of small security ships with out destrioying them, so they don't respawn ---- or get a spawn with a large ship like python, they will have problems hitting you in the SRV. my problem is, that i manage to do this and that, but i always fail at some point :).

an alternative is hit and run tactics in a srv ... works fine for skimmer missions, if the settlement has some hiding.

also missiles/mines against skimmers.
 
Two things:

Firstly, you can land a few km away from the base and just cruise around. Before long, you'll find "wanted" skimmers guarding a stash. You can find about 12 per hour doing that. It's best to drive in a general direction rather than cruising randomly because you might end up back at the same stash with no skimmers.

Secondly, if you can find the base's generator, you can fly in and blast it before you take much damage from the turrets. Killing the generator stops all the base ground defences. At first, you can fly in and have about 10 seconds before the trespass timer goes off, but after several visits, they open fire as you approach, so you have to go straight for the generator. You need a ship with good shields to use this method. Also, there will be patrolling ships guarding the base. They don't bother you until the trsepass timer goes off or you open fire, so, with good shields, you can tank them while you do your business. To summarise, you fly in, blast the generator, blast the skimmers, turn around and boost out of there, which takes about 30 seconds for your 12 skimmers/stingers. You only use dumfire missiles to blast the generator and skimmers.

Method 1 gets you 70 million an hour when allied. Method 2 gets you an average of 170 milion an hour. That's assuming that there's plenty of skimmer missions being offered at the station. Method 2 puts an increasing bounty on you. I went up to about 500k bounty after taking about 5 billion for kiling the skimmers, which meant that I kept getting interdicted by bounty hunters for a week afterwards, which slows you down in whatever you're doing.
 
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Thanks got it :D, direct assault puts a bounty up and get annoying with ships interdicting you for the bounty, I found a few crash sites around the area with 2 to 3 skimmers around, it didnt take long the get all the missions and with no bounty, next time il try and locate the site with the ship instead of driving lol
 
in some systems you dont evan have to be on the same planet....
Ive been running these in a system that the next planet over counts, so you can stack 3 missions for 1 base, 1 planet with 2 skimmer bases (one heavily defended, next planet over 1 skimmer base on it)

6mil payout for 12 skimmers, not bad :D
 
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in some systems you dont evan have to be on the same planet....
Ive been running these in a system that the next planet over counts, so you can stack 3 missions for 1 base, 1 planet with 2 skimmer bases (one heavily defended, next planet over 1 skimmer base on it)

6mil payout for 12 skimmers, not bad :D

skimmers need to be from the appropriate minor faction in system, so, as long as it has a base on any planet in system, pois around that base will spawn skimmers and they will count.
 
I have seen 1 ship at a penal colony, the camp was stationed on the edge of a creator, I used the hole for cover, the ship took no notice of me.
 
Some notes:
Strange enough, but It seems that "landed" ship in most cases just ignore you if not directly attacked (and if the are not really in proximity of a POI)
"Settlements's proximity" in the posts above usually means minor faction influence sphere - as far as ~400 km around a given settlement
 
Is there always a ship near the skimmer-protected defense perimeter?

No. It depends on the security of the base. I was doing a +++ medium security base. On approximately 50% of occasions, there was at least one ship there. Sometimes the ship was a hauler, so took no interest. Sometimes the ships there waked out after I started shooting. Sometimes the ship/s started shooting me. They could be anything from a Sidewinder to an Anaconda.
 
No. It depends on the security of the base. I was doing a +++ medium security base. On approximately 50% of occasions, there was at least one ship there. Sometimes the ship was a hauler, so took no interest. Sometimes the ships there waked out after I started shooting. Sometimes the ship/s started shooting me. They could be anything from a Sidewinder to an Anaconda.

So far - strictly speaking - presense of the ships is dependent on the following parameters:
1) partucular base type/variation (defined by size/type/security). Those parameters further define define probability curve of type/number of ships for a given base in a given instance.
2) RNG defined by rules in (1)
general rules as consecuences:
if a given base have a landing pad then at least one ship will be present
There is no direct relation between npc-ships presense and "fence" and/or security. L3H (large scientific) normally have no ships at all, L2H (large exploration) also except some rare occasions. While 4-5 ships around an L4H (military) base is pretty normal. Type of a given base - the first factor that really matters.
 
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