2020.07.14
Note: This is a guide that I initially wrote for the Pandemic Horde NBI program, as a first, introductory guide to how to survive in EVE Online.
Hi, newbean! You have likely just joined Pandemic Horde and need some guidance on how to get around this massive game.
What follows is a guide that will teach you the following topics:
Bad: Your mission-running Megathron, filled with loot and PLEX.
Good: A cheap shuttle, or tech 1 frigate.
Best: An interceptor, fitted with enough Inertial Stabilizers or Low-Friction Nozzle Joints to achieve a < 2.00s align time (e.g. insta-warp, almost impossible to catch).
All systems have a security rating. 0.5 - 1.0 is high security space (high-sec). 0.1 - 0.4 is low security space (low-sec). 0.0 and below is null security space (null-sec).
Basic attributes of these systems:High-sec: MOST people cannot shoot you without getting deleted by CONCORD police. The exception are people who have declared war on Horde, more on that later.
Low-sec: People can shoot you, but they will be shot at by security guns at gates.
Null-sec: Anything is fair game. Horde will not attempt to kill you once you have joined, but keep your wits until you are safe.
All systems in EVE are connected by stargates that send you to adjacent systems. You must be close to that gate to activate it (2,500m). After you jump a gate, you have a 1 min cloak that goes away once you move, which can give you time to make your next move.
If you right-click on a system name, you will see the option to Set Destination. Doing so will set your route, and you will see a list of systems you need to jump to in order to reach your "desto."
Tip: Click on the "A" icon in the top left, and set your preferred route to: Shortest. This is the default for a nullsec pilot, as there is no real reason to avoid lower security space.You may notice you have an autopilot on your ship. Do not use it! Doing so is less efficient, as it lands you 10km away after every warp, and also gives potential enemies time to target and kill you. Always manually warp to your next system, which should be highlighted in yellow if you have set a destination.
EVE Online is a multiplayer game, and thus, other players will want to "interact" with you any chance they get. Here are some instructions on how you should travel to keep yourself safe, depending on what security space you are in.
Local chat is a very important informational tool. If you see neutral or hostile targets in local, you know you need to keep your guard up and behave differently. Always have your local chat window visible in a corner of your screen.
Problem: How many bad guys know I'm here?
Solution: There are 2 neutrals in system with me, I know I should be relatively ok.
Solution: There are 5 flashy red wartargets in system with me, I may need to dock up to avoid them.
Press the V key (default) to open your Directional Scanner. This is essentially a radar that returns a list of objects near you (up to 14.3 AU away, between 5 - 360 degrees). If you set the angle to a narrow angle, point your game camera at a stargate less than the set distance away, and hit scan, you can get a list of whether there are ships within your scan cone. Try it out in a safe system first to get a hang of it.
Problem: You suspect some of the people in system may try to kill you on the next gate.
Solution: Warp NEAR a gate you want to go through, such as to a nearby asteroid belt. Point your d-scan and scan the gate. No ships? No problem… usually. See some spooky looking ships? Think twice before warping to that gate.
Gankers are people who will suicide via CONCORD in order to kill you. If they can kill you in a throwaway ship before CONCORD gets them, and then scoop your loot, they can profit from your wreck and your tears. CONCORD responds more slowly in 0.5 than in 1.0. Solution: Avoid carrying a ton of precious stuff in a weak ship.
Wars are very inconsequential for a null-sec alliance, EXCEPT that it will allow some people in high-sec to shoot you without consequence. Watch for the flashing skull icons next to their names in local chat.
When CONCORD is not a concern, players will camp gates in order to try to catch players coming through. Unless you are insta-align (less than 2.00s align) as mentioned above, there is a chance you will be warp-disrupted ("pointed") and killed.
Solution: Check https://eve-gatecheck.space/eve/. It is a website that, given a route, will tell you if there have been any killmails generated along your route. If a system looks dangerous, find another way around.
An uncommon, but dangerous kind of gatecamper. These players sit on top of gates and run their smartbombs when they think you're going to warp to them. You will get splashed with damage, and if you are in a small ship, might die instantly. Solution: Use dscan often, and consider bouncing to celestials like asteroid fields before going straight to the next gate.
In null-sec, this one additional method of keeping a player from warping exists. If you are in a bubble, you will not be able to activate your warp drive until you are out of the bubble. Bubbles also catch people coming out of warp, so if there is a bubble between you and the gate, you will be caught in it.
Solution: Avoid warping directly to gates when there are neutrals that could have placed a bubble to catch you.
Solution: If you are caught in a bubble, you can turn on your afterburner or microwarpdrive and attempt to get back to the other side of the gate. This can be safer than attempting to run the other way.
Solution: Maledictions, Stilettos, Ares, and Crows (Interceptors) are immune to bubbles.
Once you've clicked the Join button and are in Pandemic Horde, Inc. (THXFC), you have access to a bunch of our channels, our communication services like Discord and Mumble, but most importantly, you are now set to good standings towards the rest of the alliance. Horde players will appear "blue" to you, and vice-versa. This means you should not fear getting attacked by your allies.
Additionally, joining Horde means you can access our Ansiblex network. Ansiblexes are player-made jump gates that can shortcut you across two linked systems. We use Ansiblexes to create strategic networks that allow our members to travel more easily.
Open your in-game Map, click in the top-left, and select to show Jump Gates with Access. You will see green lines representing all Ansiblexes you have access to.
https://pgsus.space/route - One of our directors created this route planner, which will insert Ansiblex routes into a trip between two systems in order to find you the shortest route. E.g. a trip from Paala to R1O-GN will tell you to jump to LXQ2-T, take the Ansiblex to RQOO-U, then jump to R1O-GN.
http://qymm.space - This is another resource for if you want a more detailed map of our Ansiblex network. Be warned, it is thorough, and very information dense.
Our current staging system is R1O-GN, in The Kalevala Expanse. There is a Keepstar there called R1O-GN - B E A N S T A R. Most fleets fly out of R1O-GN, so you are expected to make your home there.
Once a year, you are allowed to change the location of your medical clone or "death clone" remotely. If you want to avoid the trip, you can open your Clone Bay window in any station/structure with a clone service, click Change Station, and Set Home Station to R1O-GN - B E A N S T A R. Then kill yourself (in-game of course) to appear in R1O-GN.
I don't see players as different colors in local, how do I tell if they are friendly or not?
EVE's default overview leaves a lot to be desired. Consider going to the in-game channel Z-S Overview and following those instructions to install theirs, one of the most popular overview systems in the game. Enemies will show up red, neutrals will show up gray, friendlies will show up blue.
I don't see [this kind of object] on my list of things in space.
Sometimes, player structures do not show up by default, depending on your overview settings. Right click in space, scroll down to structures, and warp to that structure, like an Ansiblex or Keepstar. If it still does not show up on your overview, right click the structure and say "Add [Missing Thing] to Overview."