Drone Herd
Drone Herd is an unrated combat site belonging to the Rogue Drones faction. It can be found via exploration as a cosmic anomaly in low-security and null-security systems across New Eden. As an ungated complex, the limitations as to which ships can complete this site are tied to the security rating of the system where the anomaly spawns (T2 Battleships for high-security systems, and up to Titans in low-security and null-security systems). This combat site has a chance to spawn a Sentient commander rogue drone, which drops rogue components and may drop faction drone modules and items. There are two minor variations with slightly different wave compositions.
Quick answersAccessFaction threat profileNPC rosterPayoutGo deeperEscalationsSources
Quick answers
Where is the Drone Herd in EVE Online?
The Drone Herd spawns in low-sec and null-sec. How you find it: combat anomaly (on-board scanner, no probing).
What spawns in the Drone Herd?
The Drone Herd has 11 waves and about 34 NPCs: 7 battleships, 14 battlecruisers, 8 cruisers and 5 destroyers. Killing the trigger ship spawns the next wave; the trigger is Defeater / Enforcer Alvatis.
What should I tank and shoot in the Drone Herd?
Rogue Drones deal Varies by site — low-tier lean EM/Thermal, high-tier lean Explosive/Kinetic damage and are weakest to EM / Thermal.
Does the Drone Herd escalate?
Completing the Drone Herd can escalate to Outgrowth Rogue Drone Hive (5/10).
What does the Drone Herd drop?
Bounties plus a chance of a faction/commander spawn. No structured drop data banked yet — wave and loot detail is exactly what the verified-on-camera tier exists to fill.
Access C Single-source / unverified
- Ship restrictions
- Not recorded
Faction threat profile C Single-source / unverified
- EWAR used
- None
Faction-level profile, not site-specific. Tank their damage, shoot their weakness.
NPC roster C Single-source / unverified
Community-maintained wave list from the site's own wiki page — counts and triggers vary between spawns; treat as the shape, not gospel.
Asteroid Colony — Initial spawn 2 ships
| Qty | NPC | Hull |
|---|---|---|
| 2-3 | Strain Atomizer / Bomber / Disintegrator / Nuker Alvum | C |
| 2-3 | Defeater / Enforcer Alvatis | BC |
Asteroid Colony — First spawn 2 ships
| Qty | NPC | Hull |
|---|---|---|
| 2-3 | Strain Atomizer / Bomber / Disintegrator / Nuker Alvum | C |
| 2-3 | Crippler / Striker Alvatis | BC |
Asteroid Colony — Second spawn 2 ships
| Qty | NPC | Hull |
|---|---|---|
| 2-3 | Crippler / Defeater / Enforcer / Exterminator / Siege / Striker Alvatis | BC |
| 2-3 | Alvus Controller / Swarm Preserver Alvus | BS |
Asteroid Colony — Third spawn 3 ships
| Qty | NPC | Hull |
|---|---|---|
| 3-4 | Dismantler / Marauder / Predator / Ripper / Shatter Alvior | D |
| 3-5 | Defeater / Enforcer Alvatis TRIGGER | BC |
| 1-2 | Domination / Spearhead Alvus | BS |
Asteroid Colony — Fourth spawn 2 ships
| Qty | NPC | Hull |
|---|---|---|
| 2-3 | Atomizer / Bomber / Disintegrator / Nuker Alvum | C |
| 2-3 | Domination / Spearhead Alvus | BS |
Asteroid Colony — Commander spawn 1 ship
| Qty | NPC | Hull |
|---|---|---|
| 0-1 | Sentient Alvus Controller / Swarm Preserver Alvus Drops drone components and possibly faction modules. | BS |
Ancient Ruin — Initial spawn 2 ships
| Qty | NPC | Hull |
|---|---|---|
| 1-3 | Predator / Ripper Alvior | D |
| 2-3 | Crippler / Striker Alvatis | BC |
Ancient Ruin — First spawn 2 ships
| Qty | NPC | Hull |
|---|---|---|
| 2-3 | Bomber / Atomizer / Disintegrator Alvum | C |
| 1-3 | Siege / Exterminator Alvatis | BC |
Ancient Ruin — Second spawn 2 ships
| Qty | NPC | Hull |
|---|---|---|
| 1-2 | Dismantler Alvi | D |
| 1-3 | Domination Alvus / Spearhead Alvus | BS |
Ancient Ruin — Third spawn 2 ships
| Qty | NPC | Hull |
|---|---|---|
| 2-3 | Enforcer / Exterminator / Striker Alvatis | BC |
| 1-3 | Domination / Spearhead Alvus | BS |
Ancient Ruin — Commander spawn 1 ship
| Qty | NPC | Hull |
|---|---|---|
| 0-1 | Sentient Domination Alvus / Sentient Spearhead Alvus Drops drone components and possibly faction modules. | BS |
Payout C Single-source / unverified
Bounties plus a chance of a faction/commander spawn. No structured drop data banked yet — wave and loot detail is exactly what the verified-on-camera tier exists to fill.
Go deeper
Drone Menagerie (Tier 6) Drone Squad (Tier 8) Drone Patrol (Tier 9)
Escalations
- Outgrowth Rogue Drone Hive (5/10) — Chance to escalate to Outgrowth Rogue Drone Hive (5/10) (DED 5/10 Infested Starbase) on FULL completion — community-estimated low single digits to ~8%, never published by CCP; see the Escalations & Expeditions page C Single-source / unverified
Sources
- EVE University wiki: Combat site C Single-source / unverified retrieved 2026-08-19
- EVE University wiki: NPC damage types C Single-source / unverified retrieved 2026-08-19
- EVE University wiki: Drone Herd C Single-source / unverified retrieved 2026-08-26
Last reviewed 2026-08-19 · game version: Cradle of War (Jun 2026). Spot an error? Corrections land fastest via the channel.