If you haven’t heard yet, Eve Online has transitioned to a free-to-play model, making it an ideal moment to dive into this massive MMO. However, mastering Eve Online can be quite challenging, given its thirteen years of continuous updates and enhancements that have contributed to its reputation as one of the most intricate and, at times, perplexing single-player MMOs available. Nevertheless, if you’re ready to invest the effort, you’ll discover a wealth of enjoyable experiences, including massive space battles featuring thousands of players. Alternatively, you can choose a more tranquil path as a miner. With a variety of options available, it’s a fitting experience for a game that’s nearly as expansive as the universe itself.
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To ensure your entry into Eve Online is as smooth as possible, I set out on my own adventure through the extensive tutorial and a bit further, all to provide you with this beginner’s guide.
Factions in Eve Online
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From the outset, Eve Online presents you with a significant choice, allowing you to select from four distinct races: Caldari, Amarr, Gallente, and Minmatar. If you plan to play without a subscription, you will be restricted to the ships and weaponry associated with your chosen race, making this choice more impactful. Fortunately, the selection of a bloodline has minimal influence on gameplay, aside from determining the NPC Corporation you will automatically be a part of after the initial stages of the game.
In general terms, Amarr vessels are designed to utilize energy-based weaponry, providing them with infinite ammunition but restricting their damage potential. Minmatar ships, on the other hand, are equipped with traditional firearms that deliver different damage types, necessitating careful consideration of ammunition selection for optimal performance. Gallente and Caldari ships are armed with hybrid weaponry, with Gallente ships excelling in high damage output during close-range encounters, while Caldari ships are adept at engaging targets from a distance. Additionally, both Caldari and Minmatar ships are equipped with missile systems, whereas Gallente and Amarr ships can utilize combat drones.
Many of these distinctions won’t be apparent until you progress further in the game. Therefore, if you want to dive in right away, choose the race that appeals to you the most. You can always set up several free accounts to try out various weapon types.
Eve Online User Interface
MMOs often feature complex menus, and Eve Online’s user interface stands out as especially challenging. With countless interfaces available simultaneously, failing to close them manually after use can quickly clutter your screen, which is far from ideal during intense combat situations.
Luckily, the majority of menu tasks will take place in the secure environment of a space station, allowing you ample opportunity to manage open windows without the need to be on high alert. Typically, right-clicking on various elements will reveal the option you need. If you find yourself unsure of what to search for, don’t hesitate to reach out to the Rookie channel in the chat tool, where a host of experienced players are usually ready to respond to any inquiries you might have, regardless of how trivial they might appear.
It’s important to remember that menus and processes can sometimes freeze. If you find yourself frustrated with Aura, your ship’s AI, because her instructions aren’t showing up in the menus, consider trying the process again or closing and reopening the problematic windows before resorting to searching for ways to disable her.
Using Eve Online’s user interface can be particularly challenging on a 4K monitor, as the standard 100% UI scaling is often difficult to read. To improve this, go to the settings menu, select the Display Setup tab, and adjust the UI Scaling to 150%. While this may still be somewhat hard to read from a distance, it is the maximum scaling option and should significantly enhance your overall experience.
Eve Online warfare
Eve Online introduces players to combat gradually by providing very easy targets to defeat in the tutorial. It also outlines a straightforward procedure for engaging any enemy: lock on, orbit, and activate your weapons. You only need to activate each action once for each target, so there’s no need to repeatedly press the weapon buttons, as doing so will only toggle them on and off, resulting in no damage dealt.
You can initiate manual flight by utilizing the arrow keys. While it can be more challenging to master, it proves to be incredibly advantageous in player-versus-player encounters, where experienced opponents can take advantage of the predictability of your flight path. Just make sure to target an enemy ship instead of a distant asteroid.
A display showing the objects and foes you are targeting will pop up in the top-right corner of the screen, simplifying the process of switching between targets. If you notice that your weapons are not switching to the new target, consider reactivating them, as I encountered this issue multiple times while battling groups of enemies in the tutorial. Additionally, the tutorial provides you with a repair module, so ensure that you have it installed and activated on your ship during combat; this will allow you to withstand significant damage while equipped.
Eve Online Employment Agents
Once the tutorial phases are completed, you are essentially free to venture into space, shoot at asteroids, and admire the Blade Runner-esque space designs. However, to continue advancing, you should look for a Career Agent. It’s important to remember that the missions offered by NPC Career Agents are still integral to the tutorial, but at this stage, you are vulnerable to attacks from other players. This means the safety nets are gone, so make sure you don’t take a ship you can’t afford to lose.
The game will recommend an Agent for various careers in sectors such as industry, business, exploration, and the military. You will need to choose one, although your goal will be to eventually experience all of them. From the Eve Help window, you can navigate to their station and complete their ten missions. While going through each Career Agent can be a lengthy process, the benefits you gain are among the finest available during Eve Online’s tutorial phase, offering a substantial amount of ISK (in-game currency), ship blueprints, and valuable resources.
Unsure about where to begin? The Industry career path will familiarize you with the fundamentals of mining, refining, and the production of goods. By completing this path, you will receive a complimentary Venture mining frigate. Engaging in business missions will grant you access to the intricate market of Eve, enabling you to generate profits while safely docked at a space station. You will also acquire skills in transporting cargo between trade hubs and receive a standard industrial ship as a reward for your efforts. The Military career path will essentially revisit the skills you acquired in the tutorial, teaching you how to destroy targets, salvage the wreckage, and sell the loot for profit. Your reward for this path will be a Tech I military frigate specific to your race.
Exploration missions stand out as some of the most intriguing and unique experiences in the game, allowing players to earn money by uncovering valuable locations such as wormholes, archaeological sites, and deadspace pockets. As a reward for your endeavors, you can expect to receive a new explorer-class frigate. Additionally, there is the Advanced Military career path, which offers a more challenging and complex alternative to the standard Military path. While you will gain access to exciting new modules and ships through this path, it is advisable to pursue it last, as it presents the greatest difficulty. Also, remember to insure any ships you receive during the Advanced Military career, as certain missions may require you to sacrifice your vessel to complete them.
Eve Online piloting techniques
One of the most perplexing aspects of beginning your journey in Eve Online is determining your destinations and the routes to take. While it may be appealing to rely on the Autopilot for your travels in the early stages, it’s important to note that this method can be time-consuming and may expose you to the risk of pirate attacks once you leave the tutorial.
In the upper right section of the display, you’ll find the Overview window. When you’re not docked, this window will display all the points of interest in your vicinity, including nearby ships, Stargates, and asteroid fields. Yellow markers indicate your mission objectives, so simply right-click on these colored markers and warp to them to navigate through Eve Online.
Why consider using Autopilot? While this feature is undeniably convenient, allowing you to traverse long distances while engaging in other activities like showering, dining, or tidying up after your pet, it does come with drawbacks. The primary concern is its sluggishness: Autopilot can transport you between Stargates, but it will leave you approximately 12 kilometers away from your destination. This not only prolongs your journey but also provides ample opportunity for pirates to scan your vessel for valuable goods, putting you in jeopardy and jeopardizing your hard-earned ISK.
Eve Online Organizations
This is the thrilling aspect, yet it is also the most fulfilling element of the game, which has contributed to its longevity. Although it’s not a requirement, player-operated Corporations are the epicenter of excitement in Eve Online, offering exhilarating experiences such as participating in massive raids with a thousand players against the fortress of an opposing Corporation.
There is a wide variety of Corporations available, ranging from large to small, and from formal to informal. Since these Corporations are managed by players and provide incentives for loyalty, they often seek to understand the individuals they are looking to recruit. You can explore Corporations within the game by using the Recruitment chat channel. However, be cautious: many Corporations will request access to your API Key (Application Programming Interface) and other information about your character during the application process. To create an API Key, you will need to log in and navigate through the menus to ensure that the information a Corporation is requesting is accessible. After you have done that, you can submit it as part of your application to the Corporation. This information is typically used to investigate any unusual ISK transactions that could indicate the presence of a spy. For further information about API Keys, refer to the video guide provided by CCP below.
For clear reasons, refrain from sharing your account information with anyone.
When considering joining a Corporation, you have a wide array of choices, so avoid settling for the first one that accepts you or feeling obligated to join a Corporation aimed at newcomers. If you don’t find anything that interests you, you have the option to establish your own Corporation!
