New Player Index: Difference between revisions

This page serves as an entry point for players who are new to EVE Online. It gives a very brief overview of the most important concepts for new players, with links to more detailed pages about the core aspects of EVE.  

Complementary pages:  

EVE Online's universe is composed of about 8000 star systems, connected by [[stargates]] and [[wormholes]]. Ships can travel within star systems (using sub-lightspeed or warp-speed propulsion), and jump between star systems (through stargates and wormholes), but they cannot travel to any arbitrary point in space between star systems. The in-game [[Star Map|star map]] helps players to navigate both inside and between star systems.  

* Asteroid fields, ice fields, and gas clouds, which can be [[mining|mined]] for [[Asteroids and Ore|ore]], [[Ice harvesting|ice]], and [[Gas cloud harvesting|gas]].  

Systems have a [[System Security|security level]], which gives an indication of how hazardous a system is, and what activities are permitted there.  

When in space, player characters are housed in one-person pods called [[capsule]]s, which can fly through space (but not do much else) on their own, or which can attach themselves to larger [[ship]]s (in which case the player will be piloting the ship directly). Ships are the main tools through which players interact (be it travelling, fighting, transporting, supporting, and much more) with the universe of EVE Online. There are over three hundred different types of ship in EVE, ranging from small and nimble [[frigate]]s to enormous, lumbering [[titan]]s; each ship type has strengths and weaknesses. Furthermore, [[modules]]s and [[rig]]s can be [[Fitting Guidelines|fitted]] to ships to give them additional capabilities or change their characteristics.  

Combat is conducted over a range of kilometers in a fully three-dimensional environment. This means that the relative position and motion of the target ship (as well as the characteristics and capabilities of the two ships) play an important role in combat.  

Combat is sometimes differentiated by whether one is fighting NPC-controlled ships ([[PvE]]) or player-controlled ships ([[PvP]]). Players can fight battles by themselves, or they may group up with other players to form [[fleet]]s, with potentially hundreds of players acting together.  

One of the defining aspects of EVE is its emphasis on player-versus-player (PvP) combat. Unlike in some other MMO games, in EVE you can attack or be attacked by other players almost anywhere and any time you're in space; only when your ship is docked inside an NPC-controlled station are you completely safe (but playing a spaceship game without ever going out into space isn't much fun!).  

In star systems with a high [[System Security|security level]], [[CONCORD]] (NPC-controlled "police") punishes anyone who breaks the law (for instance, attacking another player without due cause) by destroying their ship—but not necessarily before they've destroyed their target. Knowingly losing one's ship in exchange for the destruction of an attractive target is known as [[Suicide ganking#Suicide Gank|suicide ganking]]. The lower the security level, the slower the CONCORD response - until it stops altogether in systems with a security level of 0.4 or below (referred to as [[low-sec]]), where free-for-all combat becomes more prevalent.  

Nearly all ships, modules and items (and even some space stations) in EVE were constructed by players. Manufacturing scales from individuals making ammunition for their weapons, to large groups of players working together for months to build a [[Citadels|Citadel]] space station or a [[Capital_Ship|Supercapital]] ship. The raw materials for manufacturing come from (amongst other) players [[mining]] asteroids in space, [[Planetary Industry|extracting resources]] from planets, and [[salvaging]] destroyed ships.  

Players can buy and sell items and ships in [[#Star systems|stations]], using the in-game currency [[ISK]]. With a few exceptions, the market is entirely player-run, with players manufacturing the items for sale, and buyers and sellers together determining the price through market forces. Markets are local - you can only sell something that you currently have stored in that station, and the buyer must pick it up in the same station - so there is a significant demand for [[hauling]] goods around the universe. There are even a non-trivial number of players who spend most (or even all) of their time buying and selling items to make a profit.  

The in-game item [[PLEX]] ("Pilot's License Extension") can be used (among other things) to pay for a month's worth of game time. It can be bought for real-world money, as well as bought and sold for in-game money (ISK). This means that it offers players the possibility of either paying for their game subscription with ISK, or obtaining ISK in-game by paying real-world money.  

* Completing [[missions]] given by NPCs  

Player-run corporations are groups of players who are working together on mutual goals, similar to "guilds" in other MMO-type games, but with many more possibilities. Corporations can be small or enormous (thousands of players), with a wide variety of goals and structures. Players in corporations have access to corporation resources such as shared hangars, but (most importantly) to a community of (hopefully) like-minded players. A number of corporations (notably [[EVE University]], although there are, of course, others) specialise in teaching new players how to better play EVE.  

* You can pay no subscription fee, but you will only be able to fly cruiser-sized ships (or smaller) of your character's race, and only be able to use certain modules and train certain [[#Skills|skills]] (precluding you from using, amongst others, advanced ("Tech 2") modules). Characters taking this option have the "Alpha" clone state.  

== Getting help == <!-- Create a redirect to this -->  

** EVE University's main chat channel [[EVE University Chat Channels#Public Channels|E-UNI]]  

* [[Campuses]] in many locations, which specialize in teaching activities relevant to those locations