Basic skills

These are basic skill recommendations. None of these skills have prerequisites above level III, and are thus easily accessible to new players. They will provide a solid foundation upon which to develop more advanced skills and fit more advanced modules.

The list has been grouped to match the in-game Skill categories. Some of the skills below are useful in your early days only to use some basic modules; others will increase your ship's performance directly and should be trained up to level II or III relatively fast. Where applicable which races of ship commonly benefit from a skill are included in parenthesis, but understand that the racial bonuses of a ship are not always a limiting factor of advanced player choices.

Take a look at the skill descriptions to see how they would help you, but understand that the description text does not always reveal the variety of useful skills and modules it unlocks as you train higher. Try using an application like EVE Fitting Tool that lets you see how a ship's attributes are affected by skills. EveMon is another popular program that will let you plan skill training for your character. These and other useful programs and websites are linked in the 3rd Party Tools article.

Read more on Support Skills and Core Skills in our wiki articles, which also describe many advanced skills not listed in the basic recommendations below.

Armor

• Hull Upgrades : 5% bonus to armor hit points per skill level.
• Mechanics : 5% bonus to structure hit points per skill level.
• Repair Systems : 5% reduction in repair systems duration per skill level.

Drones

• Light Drone Operation : 5% Bonus to drone damage of light drones per level.
• Medium Drone Operation : 5% Bonus to drone damage of medium drones per level.
• Drones : Can operate 1 drone per skill level.
  • This is a crucial "gateway" skill, and training to level III is required for the Light and Medium skills mentioned above. Levels IV and V open up a wide variety of other crucial support skills.
• Drone Avionics : Drone control range increased by 5000 meters per skill level.

Electronic Systems

• Electronic Warfare (Caldari) : 5% less capacitor need for ECM and ECM Burst systems per skill level.
• Frequency Modulation : 10% bonus to falloff for ECM, Remote Sensor Dampeners, Tracking Disruptors,Tracking Links, Remote Sensor Boosters and Target Painters per skill level.
• Long Distance Jamming : 10% bonus to optimal range of ECM, Remote Sensor Dampers, Tracking Disruptors, Tracking Link, Remote Sensor Boosters and Target Painters per skill level.
• Propulsion Jamming : 5% reduction to warp scrambler, warp disruptor, and stasis web capacitor need per skill level.
• Sensor Linking (Gallente) : 5% less capacitor need for sensor link per skill level.
• Target Painting (Minmatar) : 5% less capacitor need for target painters per skill level.
• Weapon Disruption (Amarr) : 5% less capacitor need for weapon disruptors per skill level.

Engineering

• Capacitor Systems Operation : 5% reduction in capacitor recharge time per skill level.
• CPU Management : 5% Bonus to ship CPU output per skill level.
• Electronics Upgrades : 5% reduction of CPU needs for all modules requiring Electronics Upgrades per skill level.
• Energy Grid Upgrades : 5% reduction in CPU needs of modules requiring Energy Grid Upgrades per skill level.
• Power Grid Management : 5% Bonus to ship's PowerGrid output per skill level.
• Weapon Upgrades : 5% reduction per skill level in the CPU needs of weapon turrets, launchers (aka missiles) and smartbombs.

Gunnery

• Gunnery : 2% Bonus to weapon turrets' rate of fire per skill level.
• Controlled Bursts (unnecessary for projectile weapons) : 5% reduction in capacitor need of weapon turrets per skill level.
• Motion Prediction : 5% bonus per skill level to weapon turret tracking speeds.
• Small Energy Turret (Amarr) : 5% Bonus to small energy turret damage per level.
• Small Hybrid Turret (Caldari and Gallente) : 5% Bonus to small hybrid turret damage per level.
• Small Projectile Turret (Minmatar) : 5% Bonus to small projectile turret damage per level.
• Rapid Firing : 4% bonus per skill level to weapon turret rate of fire.
• Sharpshooter : 5% bonus to weapon turret optimal range per skill level.

Leadership

• Leadership : Allows command of a squadron. Increases maximum squadron size by 2 members per skill level, up to a maximum of 10 members. Grants a 2% bonus to fleet members' targeting speed per skill level.
  • Leadership III is also an important skill for missioners, as a gateway to Security Connections.

Missiles

• Missile Bombardment : 10% bonus to all missiles' maximum flight time per level.
• Missile Launcher Operation : 2% Bonus to missile launcher rate of fire per skill level.
• Missile Projection : 10% bonus to all missiles' maximum velocity per level.
• Rapid Launch : 3% bonus to missile launcher rate of fire per level.
• Light Missiles : 5% Bonus to light missile damage per skill level.
• Rockets : 5% bonus to rocket damage per skill level.
• Target Navigation Prediction : 10% decrease per level in factor of target's velocity for all missiles.

Navigation

• Acceleration Control : 5% Bonus to Afterburner and MicroWarpdrive speed boost per skill level.
• Afterburner : 5% reduction to afterburner duration and 10% reduction in afterburner capacitor use per skill level.
• Evasive Maneuvering : 5% improved ship agility for all ships per skill level.
• Fuel Conservation : 10% reduction in afterburner capacitor needs per skill level.
• High Speed Maneuvering : 5% reduction in MicroWarpdrive capacitor usage per skill level.
• Navigation : 5% bonus to sub-warp ship velocity per skill level.
• Warp Drive Operation : Each skill level reduces the capacitor need of initiating warp by 10%.

Neural Enhancement

• Cybernetics : Allows the use of cybernetic implants.
  • Cybernetics can be trained up to level I only, as this gives access up to +3 attribute implants which is sufficient for a new pilot's early career and wallet.
• Infomorph Psychology : Allows 1 jump clone per level.
  • Having multiple jump clones is readily accessible to new players by joining corporations with jump clone standings.

Planet Management

• Command Center Upgrades : Each level in this skill improves the quality of command facility available to you, in turn allowing for a greater number of connected facilities on that planet.
• Interplanetary Consolidation : For each level in this skill, you may install a command center on one additional planet, to a maximum of 6 planets.

Production

• Advanced Industry : 3% reduction in all manufacturing and research times per skill level.
• Industry : 4% reduction in manufacturing time per skill level.
• Mass Production : Ability to run 1 additional manufacturing job per level.

Resource Processing

• Mining : 5% bonus to mining turret yield per skill level.
• Mining Upgrades : 5% reduction per skill level in CPU penalty of mining upgrade modules.
• Reprocessing : 3% reduction in reprocess waste to all ore and ice types per skill level.
• Salvaging : 100% increase in chance of salvage retrieval per additional level. Only affects Salvager modules, not Salvage Drones.

Rigging

• Jury Rigging : Allows makeshift modifications to ship systems through the use of rigs. Required learning for further study in the field of rigging.
  • Rigging skills are no longer necessary to train to install rigs, however they are important to reduce the various drawback penalties that rigs cause. Level III of this skill is the gateway to training the remainder of the skillbooks.

Scanning

• Archaeology : Gives +10 Virus Coherence per level.
• Astrometrics : +5% scan strength, -5% max scan deviation, and -5% scan probe scan time per level.
• Hacking : Gives +10 Virus Coherence per level.
• Survey : 5% improvement per level in the scan speeds of ship, cargo and survey scanners.

Shields

• Shield Management : 5% bonus to shield capacity per skill level.
• Shield Operation : 5% reduction in shield recharge time per skill level.
• Shield Upgrades : 5% reduction in shield upgrade powergrid needs.
• Tactical Shield Manipulation : Reduces the chance of damage penetrating the shield when it falls below 25% by 5% per skill level.

Social

• Connections : 4% Modifier to effective standing from friendly NPC Corporations and Factions per level.
• Social : 5% bonus per level to NPC agent, corporation and faction standing increase.

Ship Command

• Spaceship Command : The basic operation of spaceships. 2% improved ship agility for all ships per skill level.
• Amarr Frigate
• Amarr Destroyer
• [[Skills:Amarr Industrial]]
• Caldari Frigate
• Caldari Destroyer
• [[Skills:Caldari Industrial]]
• Gallente Frigate
• Gallente Destroyer
• [[Skills:Gallente Industrial]]
• Minmatar Frigate
• Minmatar Destroyer
• [[Skills:Minmatar Industrial]]

Targeting

• Long Range Targeting : 5% bonus to targeting range per skill level.
• Signature Analysis : 5% improved targeting speed per skill level.
• Target Management : +1 extra target per skill level, up to the ship's maximum allowed number of targets locked.

Trade

• Broker Relations : 5% reduction in the costs associated with setting up a market order per skill level.
• Contracting : For each level of this skill the number of outstanding contracts is increased by four.
• Marketing : Each level increases the range from the seller to the item being sold.
• Procurement : Level 1 allows for the placement of orders within the same solar system, Level 2 extends that range to systems within 5 jumps, and each subsequent level then doubles it.
• Retail : Each level raises the limit of active orders by 8.
• Trade : Active buy/sell order limit increased by 4 per level of skill.

Recommended basic skill plans

Here you will find some compiled skill plans from the basic skills listed above. The idea is to provide a good starting point for new players who are interested in PvP or general combat. In order to use these skillplans you need to download the associated zip-file, extract the plans from those files (using 7zip or similar) and then import the skillplan into EVEmon.
Also keep in mind that the Eve University Skillbook Program provides most of these skills for free.

NB: The skill lists for both skillplans have been updated to reflect the changes in Kronos (June 2014), but the associated downloads have not.

Minimum recommended skillplan

In this plan you will find alot of different skills, ranging from shield and armor tanks, active and passive, to e-war skills, gunnery and missile skills, navigation skills ect. The idea is to provide all skills you need in order to be able to fly ALL races frigates somewhat effectively. Any character will have some of the skills included in this trained already, but there is a good chance that you're missing at least a few of them. So you could just import this plan into EVEmon and see what you are missing. Also, if you want to, you could of course ignore specific skills (if you plan on only flying armor tanked ships you could ignore the shield skills for example). Once you trained all skills in this plan you should be able to fly all T1 frigates in all roles quite well. At that point you can try out different things, see if you find something you really like to do and then focus on that.
You can download the minimum skillplan here

All skills in the minimum plan

Armor EM Armor Compensation Explosive Armor Compensation Hull Upgrades Kinetic Armor Compensation Mechanics Repair Systems Thermic Armor Compensation Drones Drones Light Drone Operation Electronic Systems Electronic Warfare Frequency Modulation Long Distance Jamming Propulsion Jamming Sensor Linking Target Painting Weapon Disruption Engineering Capacitor Emission Systems Capacitor Management Capacitor Systems Operation CPU Management Electronics Upgrades Energy Grid Upgrades Power Grid Management Weapon Upgrades Gunnery Controlled Bursts Gunnery Motion Prediction Rapid Firing Sharpshooter Small Energy Turret Small Hybrid Turret Small Projectile Turret Surgical Strike Trajectory Analysis Missiles Auto-Targeting Missiles Light Missiles Missile Bombardment Missile Launcher Operation Missile Projection Rapid Launch Rockets Target Navigation Prediction Navigation Acceleration Control Afterburner Evasive Maneuvering Fuel Conservation High Speed Maneuvering Navigation Warp Drive Operation Science Science Shields Shield Compensation Shield Management Shield Operation Shield Upgrades Tactical Shield Manipulation Spaceship Command Amarr Frigate Caldari Frigate Gallente Frigate Minmatar Frigate Spaceship Command Targeting Long Range Targeting Signature Analysis Target Management

Advanced recommended skillplan

In this plan you will find all the skills that are in the minimum plan, but most of them trained to a higher level and also some additional skills that are not in the minimum skillplan at all. The idea for this plan is to provide a solid skillset to be able to fly all races T1 frigates very efficiently, though not yet maxed out. Training all these skills will take a much longer time but will provide a very good base from which you can move on into bigger and/or more specialized ships.
You can download the advanced skillplan here

All skills in the advanced plan

Armor EM Armor Compensation Explosive Armor Compensation Hull Upgrades Kinetic Armor Compensation Mechanics Repair Systems Thermic Armor Compensation Drones Light Drone Operation Drone Durability Drone Interfacing Drone Navigation Drone Sharpshooting Drones Advanced Drone Avionics Salvage Drone Operation Electronic Systems Electronic Warfare Frequency Modulation Long Distance Jamming Propulsion Jamming Sensor Linking Signal Dispersion Signal Suppression Signature Focusing Target Painting Turret Destabilization Weapon Disruption Engineering Capacitor Emission Systems Capacitor Management Capacitor Systems Operation CPU Management Electronics Upgrades Energy Grid Upgrades Nanite Interfacing Nanite Operation Power Grid Management Thermodynamics Weapon Upgrades Gunnery Controlled Bursts Gunnery Motion Prediction Rapid Firing Sharpshooter Small Energy Turret Small Hybrid Turret Small Projectile Turret Surgical Strike Trajectory Analysis Missiles Auto-Targeting Missiles Guided Missile Precision Light Missiles Missile Bombardment Missile Launcher Operation Missile Projection Rapid Launch Rockets Target Navigation Prediction Warhead Upgrades Navigation Acceleration Control Afterburner Evasive Maneuvering Fuel Conservation High Speed Maneuvering Navigation Warp Drive Operation Rigging Armor Rigging Astronautics Rigging Drones Rigging Electronic Superiority Rigging Energy Weapon Rigging Hybrid Weapon Rigging Jury Rigging Launcher Rigging Projectile Weapon Rigging Shield Rigging Science Science Shields Shield Compensation Shield Management Shield Operation Shield Upgrades Tactical Shield Manipulation Spaceship Command Amarr Frigate Caldari Frigate Gallente Frigate Minmatar Frigate Spaceship Command Targeting Long Range Targeting Signature Analysis Target Management

EFT characters

If you want to you can download these characters and import them into EFT. These characters will have all the skills of their associated skillplans as listed above. You could use these to see how training these skills would affect any ship setup you might have in EFT and also you can easily compare the effects of training up from the minimum plan to the advanced plan.
You can download these EFT characters here