[Top 5] Eve Online Best Exploration Ships

5. The Heron (Best Starting Exploration Ship)

The Heron, it has been said that when someone thinks of EVE Online, they cannot help but think of the Heron. The best and cheapest T1 Exploration ship, you can’t go wrong with this piece of fine Caldari Engineering if you’re beginner explorer.

Why the Heron is a Great Exploration Ship:

• Cheap
• Good Bonuses for a T1

Ship Details:

• Caldari Frigate
• Exploration & Scanning boat
• Non-combat frigate

How to get a Heron:

• Train Caldari Frigate I
• Train Scanning, Relic, and data skills
• Buy off starter system market

4. Anathema (Best Early Game Exploration Ship)

The Anathema is the quintessential exploration ship in EVE Online for anyone who played before the Sisters of EVE line of ships were released. Equipped with a covert-ops cloak and a Sisters of EVE Probe launcher this ship is more than capable of meeting any and all of your exploration needs.

Why the Anathema is a Great Beginner Exploration Ship:

• Covert Ops Capable
• Spare Power Grid for Relic and Data Analyzers 
• Fast & Light Frigate 

Ship Details:

• Covert Ops Frigate
• Bonuses to Scanning
• Amarr Tech II Frigate

How to get an Anathema:

• Train Amarr Frigate V
• Train Cloaking V
• Max out scanning, relic, and data skills

3. Astero (Best Early-Mid Game Exploration Ship)

The Astero is the frigate in the line of Sisters of EVE (SOE) ships released with the Rubicon expansion, an expansion that totally revamped exploration. Besides the price tag, the Astero is a fantastic ship for exploration, sporting great native bonuses both for scanning and running data and relic sites.

Why the Astero is a Great Early-Mid Exploration Ship:

• Can fit a covert-ops cloak
• Great bonuses for exploration
• Fast and light

Ship Details:

• SOE Frigate
• Exploration Ship
• Faction Frigate (expensive)

How to get an Astero:

• Train Amarr & Gallente Frigate to at least IV
• Save up for a faction frigate
• Max out Scanning and Hacking Skills

2. Stratios (Best Late Game Exploration Ship)

The Astero’s big brother. The Stratios is the Cruiser in the line of SOE ships released for scanning exploration. With similar bonuses to the Astero, this ship has all the exploration usefulness of an Astero while also being capable of holding it’s own in a fight.

Why the Stratios is a Great Late Game Exploration Ship:

• Covet Ops Capable
• Excellent Bonuses to Scanning
• Can Defend itself

Ship Details:

• SOE Cruiser
• Exploration & Combat Ship
• Faction Cruiser (Very Expensive)

How to get a Stratios:

• Save up for a faction cruiser
• Train Amarr & Gallente Cruiser to V
• Max out scanning and hacking skills

1. The Loki

Once again, with Tech III’s being extremely modular subsystem based platforms, you can do a lot with just the one package. Scanning and exploration are just one of the many fittings for a Loki, and it’s made possible by the Emergent Locus analyzer subsystem. However, the real selling point of a Tech III, in my opinion, is the Interdiction Nullifier, which ensures you won’t get trapped in cheeky bubble camps. This combination of subsystems makes for an extremely difficult to lose exploration ship.

Why the Loki is the Best Exploration Ship:

• Best Bonuses in its class
• Nearly uncatchable if flown correctly
• Fast Warp Speed

Ship Details

• Tech III Cruiser (High-SP)
• Can fit subsystems to alter ship bonuses and therefore the purpose
• Cannot be caught in warp interdiction bubbles

How to get a Loki:

• Train Minmatar Cruiser V
• Train Electronic and Offensive Subsystems to V (at least)
• Max out scanning and hacking skills