Creating an Alt Orca Pilot

Main article: Alternate characters

This is a guide to train an alt from newly created to being able to sit in an Orca. An Orca pilot alt has a variety of use-cases, but the two examples that this skill plan emphasizes are hauling Incursions pirate battleships from focus to focus and suitcasing belongings in a wormhole. The skill plan for training the alt into an Orca requires only one Multiple Character Training license. Additionally, there are skills for either moving the pirate battleships or suitcasing wormhole goods. This plan is not intended for use as a mining booster.

Those who only need to ferry battleships, and not smaller ships or a lot of gear, would probably be better off with a valet alt.

A suitcase is a ship that holds a bulk of items and ships in the event of relocating to a new wormhole system or a wormhole eviction. An Orca has a base capacity of 40k m3 in the fleet hangar (fittings, packaged ships), 400k m3 in the Ship Maintenance Bay (fitted ships), 150k m3 in the mining cargo hold (ore and gas), and 30k m3 in the cargo hold. While a freighter can hold more items than an Orca, the Orca is uniquely good for suitcasing because it can fit through large wormholes typical of C2 and C3 wormhole systems whereas a freighter is dependent on having an extra large connection to k-space to get it out.

Skill plan

This plan has two main parts, the support skills and the ship skills. It uses the yearly re-map for the ship skills, but no re-map on the support skills. The base skill plan outlined below only requires one remap to Willpower-Charisma-Perception for the leadership skills. If you are training your Orca pilot alt to ferry Incursions battleships, you'll want to add those battleship skills at the end of your skill plan. If you are training your Orca pilot alt to to suitcase, you'll want to add those support skills to the other support skills before remapping for leadership skills.

Notes:

• If your alt is Amarr, Gallente or Minmatar you will already have Hull Upgrades III and Mechanics III as starting skills
• This plan covers Tank skills, Navigation & Cap skills, Misc, Leaderships skills and Orca ship skills below.

Phase 1: Support skills

Orca support skills

No remap for this part, add option 2 to this list for suitcasing
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Tactical Shield Manipulation II
Tactical Shield Manipulation III
Tactical Shield Manipulation IV
Shield Management II
Shield Management III
Hull Upgrades III
Hull Upgrades IV
Mechanics III
High Speed Maneuvering II
High Speed Maneuvering III
Warp Drive Operation II
Warp Drive Operation III
Acceleration Control II
Acceleration Control III
Jury Rigging I
Shield Upgrades II
Energy Grid Upgrades II

Cybernetics

All new characters start with Cybernetics I which enables you to use implants. Plug in +3 implants of all types at the start. The skill plan cannot be completed within 30 days without the +3 implants.

Tank skills

The Orca hull tanks with a secondary shield tank. Hence Hull Upgrades IV and Mechanics are key for a proper Orca tank.

• Tactical Shield Manipulation IV (4x) (3 days, 15 hours, 26 minutes)
• Shield Management III (3x) (11 hours, 35 minutes)
• Hull Upgrades IV (2x) (1 day, 19 hours, 43 minutes)
• Mechanics III (1x) (3 hours, 10 minutes)

Navigation skills & Cap skills

An Orca really needs an MWD to reduce its align time from 30+ seconds to 10 flat. This requires being able to fit the MWD and have sufficient cap skills so a pilot doesn't cap out after a few jumps of MWD assisted aligns. With the skills in this plan the pilot should be able to use the MWD & DC for every warp. The Active Shield modules can't be constantly run due to cap issues, but can be used in emergencies to buy extra time for CONCORD to arrive. Adding Navigation or Evasive Maneuvers would be a bit beneficial though do not add anything new to the plan, just allow it to do things better.

• High Speed Maneuvering III (5x) (19 hours, 19 minutes)
• Warp Drive Operation III (1x) (3 hours, 51 minutes)
• Acceleration Control III (4x) (15 hours, 27 minutes)
• Jury Rigging I (2x) (14 minutes)

Misc.

• Shield Upgrades II (2x) (1 hour, 22 minutes)
• Energy Grid Upgrades II (2x) (1 hour, 22 minutes)

Phase 2: Leadership and ship skills

Remapping (active) : i17 p19 c19 w27 m17

This is where to use the remap in the plan.

Leadership & ship skills

Remap before adding these skills, add option 1 to this list for Incursions ferrying
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Leadership I
Mining Foreman I
Mining Foreman II
Mining Foreman III
Mining Foreman IV
Mining Foreman V
Mining Director I
Spaceship Command IV
Spaceship Command V
ORE Hauler I
ORE Hauler II
ORE Hauler III
Industrial Command Ships I

Leadership skills

The Orca Requires the following leadership skills to be injected. This is where most of the training for the Orca comes from.

• Leadership I (1x) (6 minutes, 45 seconds)
• Mining Foreman V (2x) (9 days, 14 hours, 37 minutes)
• Mining Director I (5x) (33 minutes, 47 seconds)

Orca ship skills

• Spaceship Command V (1x) (4 days, 15 hours, 32 minutes)
• ORE Hauler III (4x) (14 hours, 24 minutes)
• Industrial Command Ships I (8x) (54 minute, 3 seconds)

Phase 3, option 1: Pirate battleship skills

For this section the pilot needs to train the two racial ship skills needed for the pirate battleship of their choice.

Gallente/Minmtar - Pirate battleship skills

Make sure you read the notes below
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Gallente Frigate I
Gallente Frigate II
Gallente Frigate III
Gallente Destroyer I
Gallente Destroyer II
Gallente Destroyer III
Gallente Cruiser I
Gallente Cruiser II
Gallente Cruiser III
Gallente Battlecruiser I
Gallente Battlecruiser II
Gallente Battlecruiser III
Gallente Battleship I
Minmatar Frigate I
Minmatar Frigate II
Minmatar Frigate III
Minmatar Destroyer I
Minmatar Destroyer II
Minmatar Destroyer III
Minmatar Cruiser I
Minmatar Cruiser II
Minmatar Cruiser III
Minmatar Battlecruiser I
Minmatar Battlecruiser II
Minmatar Battlecruiser III
Minmatar Battleship I

Notes:

• For the sake of this example, we're using Gallente and Minmatar (for the Vindicator and Machariel), but for the Nightmare, you will want to replace these with the Caldari and Amarr skills.

• Gallente Frigate III (2x) (7 hours, 12 minutes)
• Gallente Destroyer III (2x) (7 hours, 12 minutes)
• Gallente Cruiser III (5x) (18 hours, 1 minute)
• Gallente Battlecruiser III (6x) (21 hours, 37 minutes)
• Gallente Battleship I (8x) (54 minutes, 3 seconds)
• Minmatar Frigate III (2x) (7 hours, 12 minutes)
• Minmatar Destroyer III (2x) (7 hours, 12 minutes)
• Minmatar Cruiser III (5x) (18 hours, 1 minute)
• Minmatar Battlecruiser III (6x) (21 hours, 37 minutes)
• Minmatar Battleship I (8x) (54 minutes, 3 seconds)

With the +3 implants, this finishes the training in just under 29 days. Without +3 implants, this train is over 33 days.

Phase 3: option 2: Suitcase

These skills will help provide better tank and utility needed to safely get goods to k-space or a new wormhole system.

Suitcase support skills

Add to support skills
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Shield Upgrades IV
Mechanics IV
Cloaking I
Cloaking II
Cloaking III
Astrometrics IV

• Shield Upgrades IV (2x) (7 days, 18 hours, 21 minutes, 28 seconds)
• Mechanics IV (1x) (17 hours, 59 minutes, 51 seconds)
• Cloaking III (6x) (23 hours, 10 minutes, 56 seconds)
• Astrometrics IV (3x) (2 days, 5 hours, 59 minutes, 39 seconds)

With +3 implants, this plan will finish in under 28 days. Without the implants, the plan will take nearly 33 days.

Orca fits

Orca: Incursion Hauler

EFT

[Orca, Incursion Hauler]

500MN Cold-Gas Enduring Microwarpdrive
Multispectrum Shield Hardener II
Multispectrum Shield Hardener II
EM Shield Hardener II
Thermal Shield Hardener II

Damage Control II
Reinforced Bulkheads II

Large Hyperspatial Velocity Optimizer II
Large Hyperspatial Velocity Optimizer II
Large Hyperspatial Velocity Optimizer II

FITTING DIFFICULTY

EVE VERSION

2023.12.23

ALPHA CAN USE

NO

EFT

SKILLS

NOTES

RECOMMENDED SKILLS

NOTES

• The Large Hyperspatial Velocity Optimizer II rigs can be replaced by Large Transverse Bulkhead II rigs to add additional tank at the expense of cargo capacity.

Orca: Suitcase

EFT

[Orca, Suitcase]
Improved Cloaking Device II
Core Probe Launcher I

500MN Y-T8 Compact Microwarpdrive
Multispectrum Shield Hardener II
Multispectrum Shield Hardener II
Large Shield Extender II
Large Shield Extender II

Damage Control II
Reinforced Bulkheads II

Large EM Shield Reinforcer II
Large Thermal Shield Reinforcer II
Large Core Defense Field Extender II

Sisters Core Scanner Probe x16

FITTING DIFFICULTY

EVE VERSION

2023.12.23

ALPHA CAN USE

NO

EFT

SKILLS

NOTES

RECOMMENDED SKILLS

NOTES

• This fit requires Shield Upgrades IV and Cloaking III. The cloak is intended for warping to a safe and cloaking up for safety.
• Shield tank rigs, damage control, and the reinforced bulkhead modules can be replace with cargo expanders in order to increase cargo capacity at the expense of survivability.