How do I improve my experience to energy ratio. I've seen mention that the goal is 4 exp/energy? Or is that just for npcs?
Do I need to increase my attack? Does rank effect it at all?
Thanks

the only way to increase this is:
going human
use neural interface
use RSL memory implant
when NPCing, increase NPC attack

the reason that NPC attack boost the ratio is that there is a bundle of exp when the NPC is killed. if you kill NPCs with less shots, that bundle get spread across a smaller amount of energy, which means the extra exp per energy is bigger from the kill.

Rank does have an effect, as some NPCs are matched, it will take more attack power to maintain the same exp/energy ratio as you rank up

if u can kill npc with minimum shots the disable reward+ NI effect would be best and allow you to auto rank with out really needing to much NRG. Having a RSL is nice but Do to the fact there rare I would aim for a grate Exp to nrg ratio with out it. human I fond to be a waited race are Drannik gave me more of a boost. As drannik I can auto rank with off npc with like 20% of my max NRG saved more missions , when as human I was unable to auto rank at all. this was back when I was rank 600+ I think lower ranks can do the same.

Npc offer the best EXP and killing them with less shots with the disable bonus will give you a better Ratio then a per-shot kinda bonus.

drannik doesnt help though once you start hitting the caps on npc's. at that point inergon or human is better. if you actually are auto ranking inergon over human as you get more done per rank, but if you are just trying to rank quickly human will get you up faster as inergon has no effect on recharged energy.

Most lower rank are not going to be able to hit the limit with out it , and once they start auto ranking they will need the boost to keep it out. I know of VERY VERY few people who can inergon or human auto rank for more then a few times and there ship tend to be tin cans from it. going drannik or koquil is far better and smarter for lower ranks. They dont have the AP to keep up Auto rankings for long with out that boost. I would go drannik and farm npc's you will have the easiest way to auto rank and the NPC's you farm will enrich your planets way faster then any RACE can. Giving even more of a bonus . As drannik at the end of every rank you should have a bit of NRG left over to do your missions so if u do 4 ranks a day 1 full bar can be used on missions to letting you get them done to if you use your NRG wisely . When I was doing this at a lower rank than what im at now I fond drannik to be the best way, then when I had the ATK I needed I went Konquil . after that I when laz fixer as I had all the atk/NRG i needed to kill them and auto rank. I still can make a temp flux or several purgers at the end of every rank up. 25% of my nrg goes to missions .

All thought killing npc with out needing the boost should be a goal I dont see any lower ranks doing it for long , and I dont see lower ranks auto ranking for long with out noc boost do to VERY low AP. later in the game human or inergon can work well. But I strongly recommend lower ranks go for an ATK boost and kill NPC and use excess nrg for there missions.