Don't Know Much Biology

Boosters get a bad rap and its hard figuring out why. Even CCP mentioned how boosters seem to be an untapped resource. Who can say why? CCP imagines the influence of some anti-drug education at work in the galaxy ... could they be right?!

Nah, boosters just have the mystique of the black market around them, making them is no easy task so the supply comparatively small when compared to modules and implants which offer similar boosts. Finally, like many, many things in Eve, boosters have the reputation of something that only those leet 0.0 pilots use.

All we need is some basic info to clear the air (someone been smoking?). Combat Boosters are pretty simple. They're a drug that works like a temporary implant. Just like implants, hardwiring, and modules, they give you a boost to one of many different attributes. And just like implants, hardwiring, and modules, boosters come in different strengths offering greater boosts.
But in Eve, there's always a price. The other shoe I hear dropping is side-effects. I have found that people are terrified of the potential side-effects. But don't let fear get the best of you.

Like named tech 1, named, and tech 2 modules, boosters come in different strenghts. Every type of booster comes in Synth, Standard, Improved, and Strong varieties. Synth is your basic version. It offers the smallest boosts but there is ZERO chance of side-effects and synth boosters are legal in empire. Standard strength and above offer increasing boosts but also come with some risks. First, besides synth, these boosters are illegal contraband in Empire space. But this is a pretty meaningless obstacle, one easily overcome. Second, standard and above carry a risk of a side-effect which gives you a penalty in some stat or attribute. The greater the strength of the boost, the greater the chance of a bigger side-effect. The devil's in the details ... in future posts, I'll examine those pesky numbers.

One last thing, boosters are easy to use, requiring just a few basic skills. Unlike tech 2 modules, you don't need a lot of skillpoints to get a good drug habit going. The basic skill required to use boosters is Biology, a level 1 skill. The only pre-requisite is Science I. Each level of Biology gives you a 20% boost to booster duration. The more you know, the longer the high. All told, you could be using the highest grade booster with a 5-6 hours investment in Biology training.

There are 2 other booster specific skills. These skills work to make your booster high a pleasant experience. Nanite Control is a level 2 skill requiring Science IV. Every level of Nanite Control reduces the severity of any side-effect, IF one even occurs in the first place. The other skills is Neurotoxin Recovery, a level 5 skill requiring Nanite Control I as a prerequisite. This skill reduces the chance of side-effects occurring.

A bit of training and you're ready to get into the hard stuff without big risk of side-effects .. who could ask for anything more?!

Stay Tuned .. coming up: "Need to Get it Up? Booster Effects and You" and "And They Call Me a Criminal! Booster, Implant, and Module Prices Compared"

And as always ... need a boost? drop me a line ...