Industry in Eve Online
Almost everything you buy and use in Eve Online is player generated, either by gathering, looting or manufacturing. Industrial activity is a vital part of the game with the great alliances being both military and industrial powerhouses. For the purposes of this basic industry guide, I will only discuss the activities that can be performed through the industry tab of the game. for more specific guides you should look for guides that detail the particular aspect of the industry you are interested in.
Industry in Eve Online can be divided into manufacturing and research. Manufacturing consisting of tech 1, tech 2 and tech 3 production (both modules and ships) and research consists of ME and TE research, blueprint copying, invention, and reverse engineering.
Blueprint ME and TE Research
I want to start by discussing ME and PE research. ME stands for Material Efficiency and PE stands for Production Efficiency. Every blueprint in Eve Online has a ME and PE value from 0 to 10. This value represents the reduction of materials needed in the case of ME and the shortening of production time in the case of PE.
For each level of ME the material cost of a product is reduced by 1% rounded up and for each level of PE the production time is reduced by 2% rounded up. This means a fully researched blueprint has a 10% reduction in material cost and a 20% reduction in production time.
To research a blueprint, you simply need to place it in the square on the industry tab as shown below. Press the ME or PE research tab (ME is the one currently highlighted in the image) and chose the number of job runs you wish to run concurrently. The number of ME levels raised is the same as the number of jobs completed.
From the image, you can see that this blueprint requires no input materials which is true for most Tech 1 blueprints. You also see that the job duration is just over 4 days and 3 hours. The time it takes to run each job increases exponentially as the ME/PE level increases, so going from ME 0 to ME 1 takes much less time than going from ME 8 to ME 9 as shown in the image. Finally, the total job cost is just above the start button which is the price in ISK it takes to complete the number of runs selected.
Effect of Skills on Blueprint Research Jobs.
The skill Metallurgy increases the research speed by 5% per level for ME research and the skill Research increases the research speed by 5% per level for PE research. Advanced Industry also reduces all research times by 3% per level.
You can also have multiple jobs running simultaneously. To do so you need to train the skill Laboratory Operation to get one additional research slot per level followed by Advanced Laboratory Operation which also gets you one additional research slot per level.
Finally, the skill Scientific Networking will allow you remote access to research facilities.
Manufacturing
To be able to manufacture anything in Eve Online you need to possess a blueprint of the item you wish to produce. There are two forms of blueprints to produce from. One is original blueprints or BPO’s for short, which are blueprints that last forever and are sold on the market. The other is blueprint copies or BPC’s for short and can be found in contracts and acquired through invention, copying of BPO’s, looted or as rewards.
As with ME/TE research, you need to place the blueprint into the square in the industry tab to be able to manufacture with it. When you have done so you get a list of materials needed to produce the desired number of items. Some blueprints require certain skills for production in which case the start button will be red if your character does not have those skills.
As the image above shows you need six different minerals to produce this item. For tech 1 items the materials are almost always the base minerals. For tech 2 you would need different materials which are produced via moon mining and/or planet mining. You can also see that the rest is similar to the ME/TE research screen, where you can increase the number of job runs, you can see the total job duration and the total cost of the job.
There is a limitation on the maximum number of concurrent job runs. For ME/TE the max number of runs is always 10, but for manufacturing the limit is only the amount of job runs that can be completed in 30 days or a single run if the production time for it is more than 30 days.
I should also mention that since the game always rounds up it is possible to get some savings by manufacturing larger batches. For example, the BPO shown in the image needs 2 zydrine and 12 megacyte for a single run, but 100 concurrent runs would only need 184 zydrine and 1104 megacyte and these savings on minerals really rack up over time.
Effect of Skills on Manufacturing Jobs.
- Industry – 4% reduction in manufacturing times per level
- Advanced Industry – 3% reduction in manufacturing and research times per level
- Mass Production – one additional manufacturing slot per level
- Advanced Mass Production – one additional manufacturing slot per level
- Supply Chain Management – allows for remote operation of industrial facilities
If you are interested in manufacturing you should read this more detailed Eve Online Manufacturing guide.
Blueprint Copying
If you own an original blueprint (BPO) you can use that to create copies. By placing the BPO into the square in the industry screen and choose the copy tab you can simply choose the number of blueprint copies you want and how many runs each of those copies has. The ME and PE values of the copies will be the same as the BPO so researching the blueprints beforehand makes sense. As before the cost and time for the job is shown as well.
You can also make copies of Tech 2 BPO’s. It’s a little bit more complicated as you will need datasheets and a few other components for each copy you make. In the image above I have an 800mm Reinforced Steel Plate II ready to make 5 copies with each copy having 10 runs, but I need 50 databases and 2250 datasheets to start the job. Every blueprint copy can be either used for manufacturing, sold with contracts or used as a part of the invention process.
The skill Science increases you copying speed by 5% per level.
Blueprint Invention
In Eve Online, invention is the action of changing T1 blueprint copies into T2 blueprint copies. To do so you must use the invention tab in the industry window and place the blueprint copy you intend to change into a tech 2 version into the blueprint square. To be able to make an invention run you need to have at least two different types of data cores and you can add to the job a decryptor to change the ME, PE or number of jobs on the finished tech 2 blueprint product.
Contrary to the other industry activities, invention is a somewhat skill-intensive activity to get into. The skills you need are
- “Racial” Encryption Methods to level I + every pre-requirement
- “Datacore I” Engineering
- “Datacore II” Engineering
- Plus the prerequisites.
The outcome of inventing is also chance-based, with a higher probability of success with an increase in these skill levels. Some decryptors can also increase the chance of success. To see the effect of skills and decryptors you can use this invention chance calculator.
Because it is chance based it is best to consider invention profit in the long run. You can emphasis inventing blueprints and selling them on contracts or you can manufacture from the blueprints. Either way, you need to consider the cost of inventions when calculating the profitability of a blueprint.
If you are interested in invention then here is a more detailed invention guide.
The Cost of Industry Jobs
The cost of industry jobs is also worth mentioning as it has an effect on your profitability, albeit a small one. The cost is varied between stations and job types and is mostly determined by the number of jobs of any type being performed at a particular station, there are a few other parameters but the “popularity” of a station has the greatest effect. For example, the costs in Jita are very high while the industry costs in some remote area like Arshat is next to nill.
If you are running jobs that will have a small profitability margin, then you should go to the outer systems, but if you are running high profitable jobs then you can probably run them in trade hubs. You can always see the cost of the entire job you are about to run on the industry screen.
Cybernetic Implants
Finally, don’t forget that there is a range of industry-based cybernetic implants that can reduce manufacture or research time. These implants are all available on the market and need to be fitted into implant slots 6,7 and 8.
Now if you liked this Eve Online industry guide then be sure to share it with your friends and allies and feel free to check out my other Eve Online guides.