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Field Manual · ISK Pathfinder

Build a wallet that supports the game you came to play.

There is no universal best income activity. Start with your available time, replacement capacity, attention, risk, and preferred gameplay—then choose the next rung you can actually use. Income methods and markets change — please send feedback if something is off or missing.

Find my path Live signals Budget check Build an income plan Compare activities
The useful version of “best way to make ISK”

What can you start, sustain, and still enjoy?

A returning pilot with a thin wallet and thirty interrupted minutes needs a different answer than a corporation member with replacement ships and several uninterrupted hours. Start with the constraints of the session you can actually play.

Local-only decision aid

Describe the session you can actually play.

Choose as many answers as are useful. Recommendations update in the browser; nothing is submitted or saved.

Current position
Available session
Replacement capacity
Attention level
Loss and space risk
How you want to fly
What sounds enjoyable?
Best current matches

Flexible starting routes

Choose answers above to make these recommendations more specific.

Current cached economics

Use live signals to choose what deserves a closer look.

These are shortlists from KillSync's local market, LP, and industry caches—not guaranteed trades or universal income rankings. Open the full tool before committing capital.

Prices Oct 4, 2026 07:23 UTC Orders Oct 4, 2026 07:23 UTC
Market income

Jita station-trade candidates

Open scanner
  1. Gravimetric-FTL Interlink Communicator BlueprintBuy order → sell order
    827M ISK/unit160.4% after fees
  2. Genetic Structure Repairer BlueprintBuy order → sell order
    620.3M ISK/unit85.9% after fees
  3. Cormack's Modified Multispectrum Energized MembraneBuy order → sell order
    69.9B ISK/unit271.6% after fees
  4. Tobias' Modified Stasis WebifierBuy order → sell order
    125.3B ISK/unit434,366% after fees
Conservative public trade profile, both sides of the station order book, at least 20 units of tracked market volume.
Gathering economics

Raw ore refine model

Open scanner

No positive raw-ore model rows are available in the current price cache.

Example model: Jita weighted sell purchase, 76.4% refine, immediate Jita buy-order exit, and 2% sales tax. Use your own profile in the full scanner.
Price what you actually found

Check loot, gas, ore, salvage, modules, or materials.

Searches KillSync's cached Jita market snapshot by item name or type ID. PLEX uses its global market snapshot.

Replacement budget

Can you afford to operate it more than once?

This local calculator separates the first undock from the reserve needed to repeat the activity after a loss. It is a planning aid, not a mandatory wallet rule.

First undock0 ISK
Replacement reserve0 ISK
Total committed0 ISK
Wallet after commitment0 ISK

Enter your wallet and expected costs to test the plan.

Personal income plan

Turn a target purchase into a sustainable route.

Define what you are funding, protect the reserve that keeps you flying, and compare the required pace with your own logged sessions.

Log in to save this plan The projection works now; login adds cross-device saving and session history.
Your actual sessions

Measure the route you really run.

Use one consistent definition of session time. Gross value minus direct costs and losses becomes the net result.

Progression, not one magic activity

Climb the ISK ladder without skipping the foundation.

The next rung is useful when it makes losses recoverable, unlocks enjoyable content, or reduces the amount of repetition required.

  1. 1
    Restore cashflow

    Get enough liquid ISK to fit and operate something inexpensive today. Guided rewards, starter missions, salvage, exploration, gas, or group opportunities can all serve this purpose.

  2. 2
    Establish a bankroll

    Separate the next purchase from the reserve that keeps the activity running after a loss, bad sale, or poor session.

  3. 3
    Unlock one repeatable activity

    Choose a method whose setup, session length, and attention fit your real schedule—not merely its advertised peak.

  4. 4
    Add a complementary income mode

    Combine active play with something that has a different rhythm: production, PI, market orders, opportunistic gas, salvage, or corporation projects.

  5. 5
    Compound access, knowledge, and capital

    Better groups, buyers, standings, blueprints, logistics, locations, and judgment often scale income more reliably than simply buying a larger hull.

Before trusting an ISK/hour claim

Ask which clock and which costs were counted.

KillSync does not publish fixed income rankings because market conditions, access, fit assumptions, losses, and pilot execution can change the answer substantially.

Gross rate

The value created during the successful part of the activity. This is usually the impressive number quoted in chat.

Net rate

Gross value after ammunition, filaments, repairs, taxes, required LP inputs, hauling, and other operating costs.

Session-adjusted rate

Net value after travel, scanning, forming a group, finding content, waiting, hauling, and selling are included.

Risk-adjusted rate

Session value after occasional ship and cargo losses are treated as part of the activity rather than an unrelated accident.

ISK per attention

How much concentration and interruption-free time the activity consumes. A lower rate can still be the better leisure-time choice.

Operational comparison

Income activity library

These cards describe entry conditions, payout shape, volatility, scaling, and the main trap. They intentionally avoid pretending one activity has a permanent universal hourly value.

Restore cashflow

Career Agents and AIR rewards2

Restore

Use guided goals, supplied ships, mission rewards, and AIR milestones to rebuild basic liquidity while refreshing core mechanics.

Entry
Very low
Session
Short or interrupted
Attention
Low to active
Payout
Mostly immediate rewards
Volatility
Low
Scales through
Transitions into other activities rather than scaling forever
Start now

Open the AIR Career Program, claim any completed rewards, and finish useful Career Agent chains you have not completed.

Build next

Choose the activity branch you enjoyed most and train the ship, fitting, and support skills needed for its next repeatable version.

Watch

Treat this as a launch platform. Starter rewards are useful, but they are not designed to remain your long-term economy.

New Pilot Roadmap Career Agents Fitting Basics
Repeatable PvE

Missions and LP conversion3

Bankroll

Run accessible agents, improve standings, and treat Loyalty Points as inventory that still needs an intelligent conversion and sale plan.

Entry
Low
Session
Short to medium
Attention
Low to active
Payout
ISK, loot, salvage, and LP
Volatility
Low to medium
Scales through
Standings, higher-level agents, better LP conversion, and group content
Start now

Use Agent Finder to locate agents you can access near a practical origin, then run a small sample before relocating your whole operation.

Build next

Improve relevant standings and Social skills, then compare LP offers by required items, market depth, and realistic sale value.

Watch

LP is not liquid ISK. Offer cost, required items, hauling, taxes, and sale time determine whether the conversion was actually good.

Agent Finder Mission Hub Intel LP Store Intel LP Store Browser
Low-cost opportunity

Relic and data exploration

Bankroll

Scan signatures, hack sites, and let navigation knowledge and site selection do more work than the price of the hull.

Entry
Low
Session
Flexible
Attention
Active
Payout
Loot that must be transported and sold
Volatility
High
Scales through
Scanning, hacking, route knowledge, survival, and access to less crowded space
Start now

Use an inexpensive exploration frigate, practice scanning and hacking, and sell often enough that one cargo loss does not erase several sessions.

Build next

Improve scanning strength, hacking consistency, route selection, bookmarks, and the ability to operate beyond crowded starter routes.

Watch

A cheap hull can carry expensive loot. Session value is not realized until the cargo reaches a buyer.

Probe Trainer Hacking Trainer Wormhole Guide Appraisal
Accessible gathering

Gas harvesting

Bankroll

Use a relatively inexpensive harvesting hull to pursue gas whose value depends on the cloud, location, route, and current market demand.

Entry
Low to medium
Session
Medium or long
Attention
Low until danger appears
Payout
Harvested material sold or used in production
Volatility
Medium to high
Scales through
Better site access, scanning, hauling, reactions, and organized harvesting
Start now

Learn which gas family you are harvesting, price the actual output, and keep the first hull inexpensive enough to replace.

Build next

Improve scanning and survival, establish buyers or reaction use, and learn the logistics of moving low-volume, high-value material.

Watch

The profitable cloud may be in dangerous space, may require scanning time, and may be contested before the hold is full.

Gas Field Guide Probe Trainer Live Map Appraisal
Steady gathering

Ore, ice, and moon mining

Bankroll

Trade volatility for a more predictable extraction loop, then improve the result through material choice, compression, refining, hauling, and group boosts.

Entry
Low
Session
Flexible
Attention
Low to active
Payout
Material with several possible sale forms
Volatility
Low to medium
Scales through
Better material access, boosts, compression, refining, hauling, and multiple roles
Start now

Choose the material and sale exit before undocking: raw, compressed, refined, buyback, or direct market sale.

Build next

Improve yield only after improving survival, hauling, compression, and the price actually received for the output.

Watch

More yield does not automatically mean more wallet growth. Travel, idle time, loss exposure, and poor sale choices can dominate the result.

Mining Field Guide Ice Guide Moon Ore Guide Refine Scanner
Combat with economic purpose

Faction Warfare4

Repeatable

Earn LP through warzone activity while learning navigation, capture mechanics, target selection, and how to lose inexpensive ships productively.

Entry
Low to medium
Session
Short to medium
Attention
Active to intense
Payout
Primarily LP plus combat outcomes
Volatility
Medium to high
Scales through
Warzone knowledge, fleet access, ship selection, and LP conversion
Start now

Enter with a replaceable ship, understand the current warzone state, and choose whether the session goal is LP, fights, learning, or all three.

Build next

Develop a small stable of affordable hulls and improve LP conversion rather than measuring success only by ships destroyed.

Watch

Operational state affects rewards and activity. LP still needs a conversion path, and ship losses are part of the operating model.

Faction Warfare Intel LP Store Intel Ship Explorer Fitting Basics
Compact high-attention PvE

Abyssal Deadspace5

Repeatable

Run timed instanced combat with a clear beginning and end, accepting that fit knowledge and execution matter more than a casual interruption-friendly schedule.

Entry
Medium
Session
Compact but uninterrupted
Attention
Intense
Payout
Loot carried out of the pocket
Volatility
Medium to high
Scales through
Pilot execution, fit refinement, tier progression, and cooperative frigate or destroyer fleets
Start now

Begin at a difficulty your ship, skills, and experience can comfortably support, then record what actually threatened the run.

Build next

Improve consistency before increasing tier or fit value. Keep a replacement reserve separate from the next upgrade.

Watch

The pocket is timed and cannot be paused. Failure to exit destroys the ship and capsule, so it is a poor match for unpredictable interruptions.

Fitting Basics Damage & Resists Ship Explorer Appraisal
Social multiplier

Homefronts and organized group PvE6

Repeatable

Use group content to reach activities whose coordination, role specialization, and shared knowledge are more valuable than flying a larger solo ship.

Entry
Low to medium
Session
Scheduled medium sessions
Attention
Active
Payout
Activity-dependent shared rewards
Volatility
Medium
Scales through
Better groups, specialized roles, access, and reliable scheduling
Start now

Find a group that explains the role, fit, payout rules, and expected session length before you buy anything specialized.

Build next

Train a dependable role that groups repeatedly need, then use those relationships to access better organized content.

Watch

Formation time and group reliability are real costs. A high payout claim is irrelevant when the fleet never forms during your play window.

Pilot Path Finder Fitting Browser Agent Finder Discord Sync
Hunting PvE opportunities

Combat anomalies, escalations, and DED sites8

Repeatable

Use visible anomalies, scanned combat signatures, and escalations as a progression path where site selection and rare drops matter as much as raw completion speed.

Entry
Medium
Session
Medium to long
Attention
Active
Payout
Bounties, loot, and occasional rare drops
Volatility
High
Scales through
Site identification, access, scanning, ship selection, escalation handling, and survival
Start now

Use a ship matched to the site class, begin below the edge of the fit, and price the loot rather than treating every drop as liquid ISK.

Build next

Improve site recognition, scanning, route control, damage application, and access to less-contested space before committing more hull value.

Watch

A lucky deadspace drop is not a normal hourly rate. Competition, travel, escalation distance, sale time, and losses belong in the result.

Damage & Resists Ship Explorer Live Map Appraisal
Access and knowledge economy

Wormhole PvE

Repeatable

Turn scanning, chain control, site knowledge, hauling, and a willingness to operate without Local into higher-upside PvE opportunities.

Entry
Medium to high
Session
Long and setup-heavy
Attention
Active to intense
Payout
Loot and salvage requiring extraction and sale
Volatility
High
Scales through
Home access, chain control, site class, fleet roles, hauling, and knowledge
Start now

Learn bookmarking, polarization, mass, statics, and escape planning before treating a combat fit as the main barrier.

Build next

Join or establish reliable access, maintain replacement reserves, and learn which sites match the actual fleet rather than a quoted peak rate.

Watch

Scanning, rolling, travel, interruptions, hostile contact, hauling, and losses belong in the session cost. A hull alone does not unlock the income.

Wormhole Field Guide Probe Trainer D-scan Trainer Appraisal
Capital and judgment

Station trading

Compound

Use spreads, fees, turnover, and patience to make capital work without requiring a long uninterrupted flight session.

Entry
Low skill, capital-sensitive
Session
Short and interruptible
Attention
Low to active
Payout
Realized only when orders complete
Volatility
Medium
Scales through
Capital, order capacity, fee efficiency, research, and market breadth
Start now

Choose a small number of items with actual turnover, calculate fees, and learn how quickly orders move before increasing position size.

Build next

Improve trade profile, capital allocation, order maintenance, and the ability to distinguish a real spread from a stale market.

Watch

Displayed margin is not realized profit. Taxes, broker fees, competition, repricing, and low volume can trap capital for a long time.

Station Trader Trade Profile Market Depth EVE Market
Margin plus logistics

Regional trading and hauling

Compound

Move goods between places where they are valued differently, treating route risk, cargo value, volume, and sale speed as part of the trade.

Entry
Medium
Session
Medium to long
Attention
Active
Payout
Delayed until transport and sale complete
Volatility
Medium to high
Scales through
Capital, cargo efficiency, route knowledge, standings, and market coverage
Start now

Move a small test quantity first. Confirm that the destination buys the item at meaningful volume after fees.

Build next

Improve route discipline, cargo-value limits, market selection, and the ability to carry more without making one loss catastrophic.

Watch

The route is part of the trade. A profitable spreadsheet can become a loss through poor volume, slow sales, or an avoidable gank.

Regional Trader Hauling Guide Gank Check Appraisal
Background compounding

Industry and planetary production

Compound

Convert planning, materials, facilities, blueprints, planets, and sale discipline into output that can progress while you are away from the keyboard.

Entry
Medium
Session
Interruptible planning with periodic logistics
Attention
Low to active
Payout
Delayed until jobs finish and output sells
Volatility
Medium
Scales through
Blueprints, characters, facilities, material sourcing, planets, reactions, and buyers
Start now

Choose one small product chain and calculate material source, job cost, taxes, transport, and realistic sale price before installing the job.

Build next

Track completed jobs and unsold inventory, then expand only where capital turns over reliably.

Watch

Manufactured value is not profit, and unsold output is not wallet growth. Industry can quietly consume liquidity while appearing productive.

Production Planner Production Ledger PI Visualizer Blueprint Estimator
A valid time-versus-money choice

PLEX is the official shortcut when grinding is not how you want to spend leisure time.

CCP allows players to purchase PLEX through official channels and sell it on the in-game market for ISK.1 That does not make it the right choice for everyone, but it is a legitimate answer for a player who values limited playtime more than the in-game earning loop.

Use income as infrastructure

The goal is not to become good at grinding.

The useful wallet is the one that replaces the ships you enjoy flying, supports experiments, and lets a bad session remain a story rather than a financial shutdown.

Find my path Choose a wider pilot path Appraise what I own

References

  1. CCP Support — ISK and PLEX: official overview of ISK activities and exchanging PLEX through the in-game market.
  2. CCP Support — AIR Career Program: current career paths, goals, and rewards.
  3. CCP Support — Loyalty Points: sources of LP and how LP-store purchases require ISK and sometimes items.
  4. CCP Support — Factional Warfare: operational states and LP reward differences.
  5. CCP Support — Abyssal Deadspace: entry formats, timed danger, and ship-loss conditions.
  6. CCP — Corporations Enhanced: Homefront Operations as cooperative introductory fleet content.
  7. CCP Support — Real Money Trading: third-party ISK purchasing rules and penalties.
  8. CCP Support — DED Complexes: combat complex difficulty, scanning, expeditions, and deadspace-module drops.
🧭 Begin here

Continue from ISK Pathfinder.

Move in order when the path is useful, or open the academy map and branch wherever your next problem points.

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