The Winter Nexus event is in game and some have been having problems getting to grips with it so here are some notes and guidelines to get you going. There are a number of different challenges and ways to earn event points: snowball challenges, exploration sites, combat sites and mining sites. Don’t forget the Chilling Spree for extra skill points and items as well!
Snowball Challenges
Use any ship with hardpoints to fit a Festival Launcher, load snowballs and it’s ready to rumble. The first challenge is to hit a station. Any NPC station will do so just target it, fire one snowball, and it’s done.
The second challenge is to hit an NPC. Any belt rat, or even a faction Navy or CONCORD ship will work. The snowballs don’t do any damage. Again, one snowball is all you need.
The third challenge is a little more difficult. You need to hit 3 player characters. I’m doing this using 2 accounts and 6 characters, but any players will do and it might invite shenanigans, so even better! Completing all 3 unlocks a further bonus: kill 4 Sansha BS for an extra 50 points. This is the boss of the combat sites.
Chilling Spree
The Chilling Spree events are similarly snowball orientated, so keep that ship fitted up. Currently, only SP is rewarded for Chilling Spree completion. However, CCP did mention there would be trinkets (i.e. non-useful collectibles) which would be rewarded for the completion of the Chilling Spree. Keep your eyes peeled for when this occurs!
Metaliminal Ice Storms
The others challenges require traveling to a storm region. These can be found by opening the in-game map, going to Geography > Statistics > Metaliminal Storms. You can also track Volatile Ice Storms near you using the New Eden Post Weather Tracker or in-game channel #rahnestorm to eliminate any of the normal storms.
The ones you need are the Ice Storms, of which there are 32 and they move slowly. The storms have an eye and run out to 3 jumps from the center. The center has more sites and they all respawn at a much quicker rate to allow for the expected demand as systems can be very busy.
The easiest sites are the high sec sites, then the null sec sites, and the low sec sites are the hardest. Volatile Ice storms do not spawn in wormholes or Abyssal space (filaments or Pochven). There are 13 high, 13 null, and 6 low sec sites.
Agency Progress
All the challenges give some points towards Agency Progress as seen below. The mining sites might reset on a daily basis but the others seem to give constant points and a cycle of challenges. These give good rewards: Brainfreeze Cerebral Accelerators and the new Aurora Universalis skins.
This page can be easily accessed via the bottom left of the Neocom from the Flag icon.
Exploration Challenges
These need a little thought and a few skills. There are 3 classes of site: Wightstorm Communication Relay in HS, Wightstorm Strategic Node in LS and Wightstorm Cryptographic Array in NS. These sites need scanning down and are Level IV so an alpha may have problems but can scan them with care.
The core can vary, and it can be a difficult hack, but it’s worthwhile. In all cases the best chance of good loot is in LS and all the types of site can drop the various types of loot: standard data site loot, modules, even faction ones, filaments, BPCs, and Brainfreeze Cerebral Accelerators plus lots of Glacial Drift skins.
With the data sites there is only one can. Slow boat over and hack it. The fit blow should work fine for an alpha, depending on skills. Be careful about the hack and follow the Rule of Six. The rule is if a node has six edges leading away, in other words a complete hexagon, then that node must have either no Defensive Subsystems in it, or be adjacent to the System Core. You can use these squares to move through the board, and if you hit a Defensive Subsystem, then you are almost on top of the System Core. The following fit should be fine for alpha characters but you might need to upgrade to Sisters Probes and maybe a launcher for more scan points.
[Heron, Wightstorm]
Nanofiber Internal Structure I
Nanofiber Internal Structure I
Data Analyzer I
Scan Rangefinding Array I
5MN Microwarpdrive I
Scan Acquisition Array I
Relic Analyzer I
Core Probe Launcher I
Small Gravity Capacitor Upgrade I
Small Emission Scope Sharpener I
Core Scanner Probe I x16
Combat Challenges
Combat sites in highsec can be run with a Gnosis or equivalent. A Praxis can do them, as well, for alpha characters. Again, there are three types of site: Wightstorm Forward Base in highsec (1 wave), Wightstorm Muster Point in lowsec (3 waves), and Wightstorm Transit Site in nullsec (2 waves). The lowsec site is the hardest, but all sites have waves of random Sansha NPCs and a Sansha Battleship boss at the end. The boss is tanky and can take a while to kill if your ship is low on DPS.
The recommended ship is at least a T1 Battleship with T2 resists, a cap battery, and good sustain. Gila can run the sites, but drone aggro is heavy, and will require some management. The rats are Sansha with enhancements and deal out omni-damage, but are weak to EM and Thermal. They do scram and neut, so be careful! Some sample fits follow but you will need to check and compare for skills.
[Brutix,Event Brutix]
Damage Control II
Medium Armor Repairer II
Multispectrum Energized Membrane II
Magnetic Field Stabilizer II
Multispectrum Energized Membrane II
Magnetic Field Stabilizer II
1MN Monopropellant Enduring Afterburner
Large Compact Pb-Acid Cap Battery
Tracking Computer II
Stasis Webifier II
Heavy Ion Blaster II
Heavy Ion Blaster II
Heavy Ion Blaster II
Heavy Ion Blaster II
Heavy Ion Blaster II
Heavy Ion Blaster II
Armor Command Burst II
Medium Explosive Armor Reinforcer II
Medium Auxiliary Nano Pump II
Medium Auxiliary Nano Pump II
Hobgoblin II x15
Rapid Repair Charge x300
Caldari Navy Thorium Charge M x5720
Null M x5000
Void M x5000
Optimal Range Script x1
[Praxis,Torp PVE Armor Praxis]
Multispectrum Energized Membrane II
Multispectrum Energized Membrane II
Core C-Type Large Armor Repairer
Thermal Armor Hardener II
Kinetic Armor Hardener II
Ballistic Control System II
Ballistic Control System II
Imperial Navy Cap Recharger
100MN Y-S8 Compact Afterburner
Imperial Navy Cap Recharger
Imperial Navy Cap Recharger
Missile Guidance Computer II
Missile Guidance Computer II
Missile Guidance Computer II
Prototype 'Arbalest' Torpedo Launcher
Prototype 'Arbalest' Torpedo Launcher
Prototype 'Arbalest' Torpedo Launcher
Prototype 'Arbalest' Torpedo Launcher
Prototype 'Arbalest' Torpedo Launcher
Prototype 'Arbalest' Torpedo Launcher
Auto Targeting System I
Large Auxiliary Nano Pump II
Large Capacitor Control Circuit I
Large Capacitor Control Circuit II
Hobgoblin II x5
Federation Navy Hammerhead x5
Federation Navy Ogre x4
Caldari Navy Mjolnir Torpedo x1000
Caldari Navy Scourge Torpedo x5216
Missile Range Script x3
Missile Precision Script x6
Caldari Navy Inferno Torpedo x1000
Caldari Navy Nova Torpedo x1000
Mining Challenges
These challenges are pretty chilled, excuse the pun. You are asked to mine 7 units of ore , then 3 lots of 7 for the next. It is ice mining so alphas cannot do these. The sites are gated to only allow industrial ships in, which makes hisec ones relatively safe and unless someone is hunting in a battle Procurer, even lowsec and nullsec might be reasonable.
The only rats are normal belt rats so a few drones can handle them easily. Mine the ice and exchange it in the Orca Ice Processor in the site itself. Make sure you complete the mining challenge before you do, as the exchange is another challenge.
These seem to accrue a limited number of points but can still be farmed for ORE Salvage boxes. The following fit could be downgraded to T1 and be reasonably quick to skill into:
[Procurer, Winter Nexus]
Ice Harvester Upgrade II
Ice Harvester Upgrade II
ML-3 Scoped Survey Scanner
5MN Quad LiF Restrained Microwarpdrive
Multispectrum Shield Hardener II
Medium Azeotropic Restrained Shield Extender
Ice Harvester II
Ice Harvester II
Medium Thermal Shield Reinforcer I
Medium Core Defense Field Extender I
Medium EM Shield Reinforcer I
Salvage Drone I x5
Acolyte II x5
Conclusion
That’s all for the Winter Nexus challenges and Volatile Ice Storms! Don’t forget to claim items in the daily login campaign and stay tuned for more live event information as the Winter Nexus continues!
Have fun!
Annisir Kaugan, Third Eye Analytics
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