I was going to just edit the last post, but it all got a bit complicated, so here's a whole new post! Last post, I was bitching about how long it would take the brand new player (or fresh alt), to grind out the required Faction Standing to take part in Factional Warfare. Well, several commenters came to my rescue, most notably Bremen's tip-off about the Graduation Certificate missions.
So, I've spent an evening following up on that, and seem to have worked out an optimal route to the magical 0.5 standing:
- Make new character: 0.00 Standing
- Work through the tutorial: 0.07 Standing
- Visit the first of your race's three data centres: These are listed here, are all in safe space. Identify the agent that has the Graduation Certificate mission - one at each. Do his job, a short courier mission that can be completed in any ship: 0.11 Standing
- Follow up his lead to the named Event agent: This agent has a multi-part story mission, which was quite novel and interesting in it's own right. A top-end Frigate with reasonably picked combat skills will work here - did mine in an Autocannon-Fit Rifter and was never in any danger. (Note: Remember the name of the moon when the pop-up tells it to you - you won't be told again and there are lot of moons out there!)
- Do these missions: Part of the story chain has an extra mission within it, which you should do to take you instantly to: 0.22 Standing
- Finish the last part: 0.23 Standing
- Visit the other two Data Centres and do the other two Graduation Certificate missions: 0.27 Standing, 0.33 Standing. (These two will refer you to the same person you just did the multi-parter for, who will not give it to you again.)
Well over half way there, and a triple honours graduate to boot! Now, look up your factions ally Data Centres. i.e. If you are Minmatar, visit the Gallente ones; if you are Caldari, visit the Amaar ones (or vice versa).
- First Ally Graduation Certificate mission: 0.36 Standing. (The increases are lower here, as you're working for the ally, not your own faction, but all adds up!)
- Follow that referral to another Event agent, for another multi-parter. (Interestingly, the Gallente contact actually takes your certificate here, while the Minmatar one didn't seem to do any checking on my CV!)
- Again, there is an extra mission inside the main chain, which will take you to: 0.38 Standing
- Finish the main multi-part again: 0.40 Standing
- Visit the remaining two ally Graduation Certificate chaps and do their jobs: 0.44 Standing, 0.48 Standing
- One set of visits; the Data Transportation Circle Agents. These give you short courier jobs to do, including the occasional 'Important' task; (the one I found on the Minmatar circuit added 0.1, but other races may vary): 0.58 Standing - job done!
(The wiki there seems to be missing entries for all races for these, so you may need to scoot round the full circle to find the one you need. If you do, do update the wiki!)
Total after all that mucking about: 0.58 Standing and also about the same with your Ally Faction, which may come in handy later on if you want to swap Militias. On the other hand, that lot will put you at about -0.27 Standing with the enemy bloc, making life difficult if you want to switch sides to those. You also now have six degrees, which is six more than I ever managed in Real Life!
(Note that enlistment appears to not register correct standing immediately - you may need to push the button a few times, or wait a few minutes for the last increase to go through.)
The above was all done starting as Minmatar and moving to Gallente; I suspect the Caldari/Amaar route will be very similar.
The whole thing takes two, maybe three sessions, can be comfortably done in the kind of frigate the tutorial gave you, and with the skills you got out of character creation, (which if you're gunning for FW, should probably be mostly combat-based to begin with!)
There's a fair amount of leg-work involved, but it's not nearly as bad as banging out 400 Level 1 Agent Missions and gives you time to cram a few Rank 1, Level I skillbooks into your head, and in my case, write this post, listen to two Virgin Worlds podcasts, and dabble with Photoshop, coming up with this rather busy and exceedingly cliched poster!
Next stop, the recruiting office...