Difference between revisions of "Careers"

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Once players have completed the [[Tutorial]] they need to find their own way in New Eden. EVE is a sandbox and players will soon find they need to make their own entertainment and income. This brief guide intends to describe some of the typical options that many EVE players pursue, together with the likely income from them.
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{{related class|Careers (CORE class)}}
{{Related class|EVE Careers 101}}
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Once players have completed the [[Tutorial]], they need to make their own way in [[New Eden]]. EVE is a sandbox, and players will soon find that they need to make their own entertainment and income.
  
==Administrative and Meta Careers==
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This guide briefly describes some typical options that many players pursue, together with likely incomes from them where estimates are possible.
  
These careers involve either organising players or providing services for other players to assist them in playing the game.
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== Combat ==
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Combat is a core part of EVE Online. Many players thrive on honing their combat skills, either against other players or against NPCs.
  
===Corporate Executive===
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=== Mission running ===
{{main|Corporation#Forming_a_Corporation|Forming a Corporation}}
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{{main|Missions}}
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Missions are one-time jobs offered to players by NPC agents. There are various types of basic missions, including combat, mining, and courier tasks. Many mission-runners focus on combat ("Security") missions. There are also more advanced missions called [[COSMOS]] missions, [[Epic arcs|Epic Arc]] missions, and [[Anomic missions]].
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Completing a mission is rewarded with ISK, [[Loyalty Points]] and standings with the agent and NPC corporation involved. Some missions also give a time bonus and some give items (particularly the [[Career Agents]] missions).
  
Corporations often need a lot of manpower to run successfully. People are need to advertise the corporation, recruit members, set policies, conduct diplomacy with other corporations, arrange logistics and ensure that everything runs smoothly. Available roles will depend on your corporation and their needs. Players can even start their own corporation, although this is often suited to more experienced players who are able to use their experience in game to build a successful corporation. Starting a corporation often requires a large amount of starting capital - more so if the corporation will own structures like [[Citadels]] or [[Engineering Complexes]].  
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There are various levels of mission, which are increasingly more difficult to complete. Level 1 missions are easy for [[Alpha clones]] or very new players but have low rewards. Level 2 missions can be done in a basic Tech 1 cruiser, Level 3s expect a battlecruiser, and Level 4 missions are suited to a sensibly-fit battleship. Level 5 missions only appear in low security space, and can normally only be done as part of a fleet, or with a [[carrier]]. Players will need to work up to high standing with agents to be able to request higher level missions.
  
{{euninote|[[EVE University]] members should see [[Helping EVE University]] for ways they can start to help out.}}
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{{euninote|Mission-running is a popular activity for [[EVE University]] members at the [[Hi Sec Campus]]; mission-running is also possible at the [[Null-Sec Campus|nullsec campus]].}}
  
{{Color box|color=black|border=#888888| [[File:Wallet.png|32px]]'''Average Income:'''
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{{Color box|color=black|border=#888888| [[File:Wallet.png|32px|link=]]'''Average Income:'''
There is no such thing as an average income as it varies so widely depending on the size of the corporation and the taxes/fees charged
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* Level 1 missions: 1M per hour
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* Level 2 missions: 2-4 M ISK per hour
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* Level 3 missions: 5-10 M ISK per hour
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* Level 4 missions: 30 - 200 M ISK per hour (very dependent on skills, fit, type of missions, LP conversion)
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* Level 5 missions: Variable (low sec only - as above very dependent on skills, fit, mission)
 
}}
 
}}
  
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=== Ratting ===
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{{main|Ratting}}
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As well as other players, New Eden is full of hostile NPCs which are nicknamed "rats" by players. These spawn at asteroid belts, in cosmic anomalies, and at [[stargates]]. Destroying rats earns direct ISK payments as bounty, as well as loot and salvage from their wrecks. Some rats drop items known as [[Security tags]] which can be valuable. Blowing rats up is called "ratting".
  
===CSM member===
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The rewards vary depending on the security level of the system. In highsec, the income is normally not high enough to justify ratting as a primary way to earn ISK. Lowsec ratting can generate money, but mostly through the specialized activity of hunting Clone Soldiers for [[security tags]]. Efficient ratting in nullsec systems can be lucrative, if monotonous, and can be done using a Tech 1 cruiser as an entry-level ship. [[Wormholes]] contain challenging rats who yield valuable loot, and offer a chance to combine exploration and combat skills.
  
EVE Online has a player-elected council known as the [[Council of Stellar Management]] (CSM), who provide feedback to CCP about the game and raises any concerns players have. New CSM members are elected once per year and attend meetings with CCP in Iceland as well as participating in online discussions about the direction of the game. They are required to sign a legal 'Non Disclosure Agreement' before they start their term as a CSM member.
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{{euninote|[[EVE University]] members at the [[Null-Sec Campus|nullsec campus]] often make some of their money by ratting.}}
  
{{Color box|color=black|border=#888888| [[File:Wallet.png|32px]]'''Average Income:'''
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{{Color box|color=black|border=#888888| [[File:Wallet.png|32px|link=]]'''Average Income:'''
CSM members are unpaid, but their real life expenses are reimbursed (e.g. travel expenses).
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* In High sec: 1-3 M ISK per hour
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* In Low sec: 10-20 M ISK per hour
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* In Null sec: 25+ M ISK per hour
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* In Wormhole space:
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** C1 holes: 20-50 M ISK/hour
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** C2 holes: 20-50 M ISK/hour
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** C3 holes: 60-200 M ISK/hour
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** C4 holes: {{co|lightblue|<no data>}}
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** C5 holes: 180-250 M ISK/hour
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** C6 holes: {{co|lightblue|<no data>}}
 
}}
 
}}
  
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=== Incursions ===
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{{main|Incursions}}
  
===EVE journalist===
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Incursions are high-end PvE content, in which fleets of players repel NPC invaders. Incursions appear in various systems around New Eden, so incursion runners tend to be nomadic, moving from system to system following incursion areas. Incursions are rewarded with ISK and [[Loyalty Points]], though payouts are only made to a limited number of people on grid at the same time. For this reason, it is particularly important that each member of the fleet is effective in their role, and so they tend to fly [[battleships]] and T2 [[Logistics|logistics ships]]. <br />
  
There are many third party sites and podcasts dedicated to EVE Online. Many of them accept submissions and guest slots by players. This would particularly suit a player with good communication skills who has a unique perspective on the game. CCP also sometimes needs players to act as presenters for official events such as the [[Alliance Tournament]] and [[Fanfest]].
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{{euninote|For [[EVE University]] members, our [[EVE University Incursion Community]] always needs players to act as scouts or pickets, and this role does not require any specific skills or experience. In return for keeping the incursion fleet safe, they will provide tips, which can be a very lucrative income for a new player. However, note that this is specific to our community, and not a role that all incursion communities use.}}
  
{{Color box|color=black|border=#888888| [[File:Wallet.png|32px]]'''Average Income:'''
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{{Color box|color=black|border=#888888| [[File:Wallet.png|32px|link=]]'''Average Income:'''
Most of these opportunities will be unpaid.
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* Vanguards: 60 - 120 M ISK/hour
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* Headquarters: 150 - 300 M ISK/hour (heavily influenced by fleet composition and CONCORD LP-conversion)
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* Scouting or picketing: 30 - 60 M ISK/hour
 
}}
 
}}
  
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=== Abyssal running ===
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{{main|Abyssal Deadspace}}
  
==Business careers==
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The Abyss is a mysterious area of space that can only be reached by using special "[[Abyssal filaments|filaments]]" which teleport your ship into it. On entering the Abyss, players find themselves in a sequence of three pockets of space linked by gates and guarded by dangerous enemies. If players successfully defeat all the enemies and escape within 20 minutes, they can bring back valuable loot. If the 20-minute timer runs out, anyone in the Abyssal Deadspace loses both their ship and their pod ("capsule").
  
Business careers focus on moving and selling goods to make a profit. They make use of New Eden's player to player market.
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Abyssal Deadspace has significant elements of randomization. The enemies found in the Abyss vary with each run. The difficulty of the Abyssal and the nature of its different [[Abyssal Deadspace#Weather Effects|environmental effects]] can be roughly controlled by players by using different types of filament. Abyssal pockets also contain [[Abyssal Deadspace#Localized Effects|local hazards]] which players either avoid, or use against the NPCs. Up to three players can run an Abyssal together; some players accept a higher risk for higher rewards, and fly alone into Abyssals designed for three pilots.
  
===Hauling===
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Abyssals offer another type of challenging PvE combat with high risks and high rewards. The enemies found in Abyssal Deadspace are tough, often fast, and use electronic warfare on players, making them opponents who behave a bit more like hostile players than like many of the NPCs encountered in normal space. Pilots should plan their fits carefully and be aware of the risks of the Abyss before experimenting with Abyssals. Approached with a properly-fitted ship and a well-researched plan, however, Abyssals can be profitable experiences that also teach players more about core elements of combat in EVE.
{{main|Hauling}}
 
  
Logistics is vital in EVE Online, and haulers move items from point A to point B. It can be profitable to buy items cheaply in one place and sell them elsewhere, where there is greater demand. Other players will also often pay well for the service of moving their items through 'courier contracts'. The skills required to fly a basic industrial ship are low, but the amount of cargo it can carry is fairly small and it is vulnerable to attack, particularly in lower security areas. Players can train to fly a range of specialised hauling ships to carry bigger loads or to haul in lower security space. There are entire corporations dedicated to fulfilling courier contracts for a price.<br />
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{{euninote|EVE University doesn't have a dedicated community for running Abyssals, but plenty of members run them and are happy to offer advice.
 
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}}
{{euninote|It is not advisable to haul with a character in [[EVE University]], since we are at war most of the time. For those who wish to try hauling as a career, we would strongly recommend [[Creating an Alt Hauler]] instead.}}
 
  
 
{{Color box|color=black|border=#888888| [[File:Wallet.png|32px|link=]]'''Average Income:'''
 
{{Color box|color=black|border=#888888| [[File:Wallet.png|32px|link=]]'''Average Income:'''
* Courier contracts: Approx 50 - 70 M ISK/hour
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* T0 Abyssals: 10–20 M ISK per hour
* Hauling goods for sale: {{co|lightblue|<no data>}}
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* T6 Abyssals: 175–300 M ISK per hour (some fits for this can be over 2b ISK)
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Other tiers of Abyssal lie between these values.
 
}}
 
}}
  
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=== PvP ===
  
===Skill Farming===
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'''Player versus Player combat''' ("PvP") is a fundamental part of EVE Online. Players can attack or be attacked by anyone at any time. Many players make PvP their main profession, and spend their time preparing and hunting for fights.
{{main|Skill Farming}}
 
  
{{dothis|'''Skill farming'''}} is a [[Careers|career]] in [https://www.eveonline.com/signup?invc=26a9b526-f13a-498a-9b03-81e48bcc8d9f EVE Online] that uses a [[Accounts#Characters|character]] to train [[Skills_and_learning|skills]] solely to [[Skill_trading#Extracting_skills|extract]] and sell their [[Skills_and_learning#Training_skills|skill points]], creating a passive income stream.
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PVP can be done in large fleets, in small gangs, or solo. It encompasses everything from [[frigate]] brawls to apocalyptic clashes between [[Supercarriers]] and [[Titans]]. Depending on a fleet's composition and purpose, players can fill many roles, including [[Tackling|tackler]], damage dealer, scout, bait, stealth bomber, [[EWAR]], [[Logistics|repairing other ships]], and fleet command. To thrive in PvP, players benefit from a good tactical mind and a solid knowledge of game mechanics, but it is cheap and easy to make first steps in PvP; given the right tools and tactics, [[Alpha clones]] and very new players can fight successfully.
  
{{Color box|color=black|border=#888888| [[File:Wallet.png|32px|link=]]'''Potential Income:'''
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The act of fighting itself tends to cost more ISK than it generates in loot. However, money can be made via PvP indirectly. Rank-and-file pilots flying with large, organised sovereign alliances in player-owned nullsec space often have their losses and costs covered by their alliance. Some players fight for pay as mercenaries: mercenary groups in New Eden range in type from small teams of pilots specialized in disrupting target corporations and settling small scores in highsec, to larger groups hired to add their weight to nullsec wars.
{{co|lightblue|After initial preparations are completed, {{dothis|'''skill farming'''}} has the potential to return 3,044,500,000 ISK every 30 days (or 4,200,000 ISK per hour) on an investment of 1 day of game time.}}
 
}}
 
  
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Some players choose to become pirates, and hunt down their victims to either pillage their goods or demand a ransom for their ship or pod. Hunting nullsec [[Careers#Ratting|ratters]] who use expensively-fitted ships and "[[Gate camps|gatecamping]]" chokepoints on trade routes can be particularly lucrative<br />
  
===Trading===
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{{euninote|[[EVE University]]'s [[EVE University Rules#Rules of Engagement|rules of engagement]] permit members flying anywhere outside highsec space to engage anyone not allied with the University at will (so-called "Not Blue, Shoot It" rules). University pilots must uphold honesty and respect for others before, during, and after battle, but are welcome to learn PvP by doing. PvP opportunities are part of daily life at the [[Null-Sec Campus|nullsec]] and [[Wormhole Community|wormhole]] campuses, with fleet doctrines designed to make even characters with few skillpoints effective, and more-experienced pilots on hand to guide newcomers. Many types of ship loss in University fleets are covered by the University's [[Ship Replacement Program]], suitable ships are available nearly for free for new pilots, and for strategic operations the University provides free, pre-fitted ships.}}
{{main|Trading}}
 
 
 
EVE Online has a complex player-driven market, which is studied by students of economics. By investing their ISK correctly, players can make a profit from buying and selling goods. This requires some starting capital and a good grasp of supply and demand. Some traders focus on buying and selling goods in the same station, while some will buy items with a view to selling them elsewhere for a higher price. Trading can be very competitive, especially in high traffic areas such as [[Trade Hubs]], which can drive down profits. However, if a player finds a suitable niche it can yield a high income.  
 
  
 
{{Color box|color=black|border=#888888| [[File:Wallet.png|32px|link=]]'''Average Income:'''
 
{{Color box|color=black|border=#888888| [[File:Wallet.png|32px|link=]]'''Average Income:'''
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}}
 
}}
  
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=== Faction Warfare ===
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{{main|Faction Warfare}}
  
==Combat careers==
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In EVE lore there are four factions: Amarr, Caldari, Gallente and Minmatar. These factions are perpetually engaged in a struggle for power, and fight for control over certain areas of low security space. Players can join one of the factions and fight players from opposing factions in order to earn [[Loyalty Points]] and standings with their faction.
  
Combat is something that us unavoidable in EVE Online. Many players thrive on honing their combat skills, either against other players or against NPCs.
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Participating in faction warfare means that players can be attacked by members of their opposing faction anywhere, so it is a dedicated profession. Players are not restricted on which faction they join and can even join a different faction to their character's race, provided they have sufficient standings with that faction. There are many dedicated faction warfare corporations.
  
===Faction Warfare===
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Some aspects of faction warfare involve complexes which are limited to specific small ships, making it a slightly more approachable way to experiment with PvP for new players. <br />
{{main|Faction Warfare}}
 
  
In EVE lore there are four factions: Amarr, Caldari, Gallente and Minmatar. These factions are perpetually engaged in a struggle for power, and fight for control over certain areas of low security space. Players can join one of the factions and fight players from opposing factions in order to earn [[Loyalty Points]] and standings with their faction. Participating in faction warfare means that players can be attacked by members of their opposing faction anywhere, so it is a dedicated profession. Players are not restricted on which faction they join and can even join a different faction to their character's race, provided they have sufficient standings with that faction. There are many dedicated faction warfare corporations. <br />
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{{euninote|[[EVE University]] does not participate in faction warfare as a corporation, though members are free to participate as individuals through direct enlistment. The University's high-security hub in Stacmon is perched on the edge of faction warfare space.}}
 
 
{{euninote|[[EVE University]] does not participate in faction warfare as a corporation, though members are free to participate with their alts.}}
 
  
 
{{Color box|color=black|border=#888888| [[File:Wallet.png|32px|link=]]'''Average Income:'''
 
{{Color box|color=black|border=#888888| [[File:Wallet.png|32px|link=]]'''Average Income:'''
{{co|lightblue|<no data>}}
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* Variable (depending very much on your approach to engaging in PvP or just "farming" the FW sites for LP)
 
}}
 
}}
  
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== Exploration ==
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New Eden is vast and contains many secret sites with hidden valuables, as well as [[wormholes]]. Explorers probe out such sites and wormholes and hunt through them for valuables.
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=== Scanning ===
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{{main|Exploration}}
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Players can use their onboard scanner together with a probe launcher to [[Probe scanning|scan down]] cosmic anomalies and signatures. These will contain either groups of pirate NPCs, resources such as gas clouds or asteroid belts which can be mined, secure containers or ruins with loot in them, or wormholes.
  
===Incursions===
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Ruins and secure containers can be opened using archaeology and hacking skills in a [[hacking]] minigame. Lower-security areas tend to yield the most valuable loot and resources.
{{main|Incursions}}
 
  
Incursions are high end PVE content, involving repelling NPC invaders as part of a fleet. Incursions appear in various systems around New Eden, so incursion runners tend to be nomadic and move from system to system following the incursion areas. Incursions are rewarded with ISK and [[Loyalty Points]], though payouts are only made to a limited number of people on grid at the same time. For this reason, it is particularly important that each member of the fleet is effective in their role and so they tend to fly battleships and T2 logistics. <br />
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[[Exploration]] is easy to begin, requiring little ISK investment and only basic skills. There is an element of random chance in the contents of each site, but exploration sites can be a good source of income, especially for a new player. Exploring in dangerous systems or in [[wormholes]] teaches useful situational awareness skills, and the probing techniques used to scan sites down are transferable into combat probing for PvP. Seasoned explorers might want to try living permanently in wormhole space.
  
{{euninote|For [[EVE University]] members, our [[EVE University Incursion Community]] always needs players to act as scouts or pickets, and this role does not require any specific skills or experience. In return for keeping the incursion fleet safe, they will provide tips, which can be a very lucrative income for a new player. However, note that this is specific to our community, and not a role that all incursion communities use.}}
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{{euninote|EVE University members can practise exploration at any of the university's campuses. Exploration will be more lucrative, but potentially also more dangerous, at the [[Null-Sec Campus]]. The [[Wormhole Community]] revolves around long-term, advanced exploration-driven PvE and PvP.}}
  
 
{{Color box|color=black|border=#888888| [[File:Wallet.png|32px|link=]]'''Average Income:'''
 
{{Color box|color=black|border=#888888| [[File:Wallet.png|32px|link=]]'''Average Income:'''
* Vanguards: 60 - 120 M ISK/hour
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* In high-sec and low-sec: up to 1M per site
* Headquarters: 150 - 300 M ISK/hour (heavily influenced by fleet composition and CONCORD LP-conversion)
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* In null-sec: Up to 25M per site
* Scouting or picketing: 30 - 60 M ISK/hour
 
 
}}
 
}}
  
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=== Wormhole Living ===
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{{main|Living in Wormhole Space}}
  
===Mission running===
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Pilots with the resources and resourcefulness necessary can set up bases in a wormhole system, exploiting the system's resources for PvE and mining, and using the randomly-generated connections to other systems to find more resources and opportunities for PvP combat.
{{main|Missions}}
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The probing skills and knowledge of [[Wormholes|wormhole mechanics]] gained from scanning transfer well to this more advanced flavour of exploration. Wormhole life tends to involve some of many aspects of EVE: PvE and PvP combat, small-scale [[Careers#Manufacturing|manufacturing]] and [[Careers#Hauling|transport work]] all built on a core set of scanning skills. Because the destinations of the wormholes that open up are randomly determined, life in a wormhole system changes from each day to the next, providing fresh experiences and challenges that some capsuleers relish.
  
Missions are one-time jobs offered to players by NPC agents. There are various types of basic missions, including combat, mining and courier. There are also more advanced missions called COSMOS and Epic Arc missions. Completing a mission is rewarded with ISK, [[Loyalty Points]] and standings with the agent and NPC corporation involved. Some missions also give a time bonus and some give items also (particularly the [[Career Agents]] missions). There are various levels of missions, which are increasingly more difficult to complete. Level one missions are easy for [[Alpha Clones]] or very new players to complete, but the rewards are low. In contrast, level five missions only appear in low security space and can normally only be done as part of a fleet. Players will need high standing with agents to be able to request higher level missions.
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{{euninote|EVE University's [[Wormhole Community]] ("WHC") is based in a wormhole. Pilots who meet the WHC skill requirements can move there and experience flying from a wormhole base. The University also arranges excursions which let other students visit the campus and learn about wormhole living.}}
  
 
{{Color box|color=black|border=#888888| [[File:Wallet.png|32px|link=]]'''Average Income:'''
 
{{Color box|color=black|border=#888888| [[File:Wallet.png|32px|link=]]'''Average Income:'''
* Level 1 missions: 1M per hour
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* Class 1 holes: 20-50 M ISK/hour
* Level 2 missions: 2-4 M ISK per hour
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* C2 holes: 30-60 M ISK/hour
* Level 3 missions: 5-10 M ISK per hour
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* C3 holes: 100-200 M ISK/hour
* Level 4 missions: 30 - 200 M ISK per hour (very dependent on skills, fit, type of missions, LP conversion)
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* C4 holes: {{co|lightblue|<no data>}}
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* C5 holes: 50-150 M ISK/hour (Server Bank site only)
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* C6 holes: {{co|lightblue|<no data>}}
 
}}
 
}}
  
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== Industry ==
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[[Industry|Industrial careers]] are focused on gathering resources and creating ships and items (in some other MMORPGs equivalent activities are called "crafting"). As almost all of New Eden's economy is player-driven, many of the ships, items of equipment, and space stations used by players have to be made by someone.
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Industrial careers can be pursued alongside many other activities, but they can synergize well with [[Careers#Trading|trading]].
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=== Salvaging ===
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{{main|Salvaging}}
  
===PvP===
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Each time a player or NPC ship explodes, it leaves a wreck. The wreck sometimes contains loot, but the wreck itself can also be salvaged for useful parts. Salvaging enable a player to collect those parts, with a view to either selling them or processing them into [[rigs]] for ships.
  
'''PvP''' is a fundamental part of EVE Online. Players can attack or be attacked by anyone at any time. Many player make PVP their main profession, and spend their time hunting for fights. PVP can be done either solo, in a small group or part of a huge fleet. It encompasses everything from frigate brawls to huge [[Titans]]. There are also various different roles players can fill, including tackler, damage dealer, scout, stealth bomber, EWAR pilot, logistics and fleet commander. To thrive in PVP players will benefit from a good tactical mind and a quick trigger finger, but it is easy to get into and can be done by [[Alpha Clones]] and very new players. Some players will go one step further and become a mercenary, who can be hired to do PVP for a price. Alternatively some players decide to become bounty hunters, and hunt down players who have an active bounty. Some players choose to become pirates, and hunt down their victims to either pillage their goods or demand a ransom for their ship or pod.<br />
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Salvaging can be a profitable early side career, normally alongside either mission running and/or PvP (to create wrecks) and/or industry (to use the salvaged parts). New players can also tag along with mission fleets to help with salvaging. The salvage is normally split between the fleet members, so it can be a good income for relatively little effort, with low character skill requirements.
  
{{euninote|[[EVE University]] members must follow the [[EVE University Rules]] at all times, including our rules of engagement, honesty and respect for others.}}
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Players can use tractor beams to pull wrecks towards them for faster salvaging, and there a is even a specialised salvaging ship, the [[Noctis]]. Alternatively, players can use a [[Mobile Tractor Unit]] which collects the wrecks in one place.
  
 
{{Color box|color=black|border=#888888| [[File:Wallet.png|32px|link=]]'''Average Income:'''
 
{{Color box|color=black|border=#888888| [[File:Wallet.png|32px|link=]]'''Average Income:'''
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}}
 
}}
  
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=== Mining and refining ===
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{{main|Mining}}
  
===Ratting===
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Asteroid belts spawn throughout New Eden, and they must be mined to feed EVE's player economy. In addition to asteroids, players can use specialised equipment to mine ice from ice belts and harvest gas from gas clouds.
  
As well as other players, New Eden is full of hostile NPCc which are known in short as 'rats'. These spawn at asteroid belts, in cosmic anomalies and at stargates. Destroying rats earns a ISK payment in return for the bounty, as well as any loot or salvage which is dropped in the wreck. Some rats drop items known as [[Security tags]] which can be valuable. Some tags can be used to increase a player's [[security status]]. The rewards vary depending on the security level of the system, but the income is normally not high enough to justify it as a sole career, it is often something use players use to supplement their income and boost their security status when needed.
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The mined ore, ice and gas can either be sold in its raw form, or refined into minerals. In general, rarer and more valuable resources are found in lower security space, with very valuable mining possible in nullsec and wormholes. Miners exploiting resources in low- or null-security space and in wormholes can use cunning to avoid detection (sometimes called "ninja-mining"), or they can join the player groups who own most of nullsec and who live in some wormholes.
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Mining has a low entry barrier, but mining efficiency can be substantially improved by training the right [[Mining#Skills|skills]] and [[Mining#Implants|implants]], and using more advanced equipment and [[Mining#Ships|ships]]. [[Alpha clones]] can mine, although the only specialized mining ship they can use is the [[Venture]]. Players can mine either alone or as part of a mining fleet, and can produce a stable income stream doing an undemanding activity which is usually calm. However, miners are always vulnerable to attacks by other players as well as, in high-sec space, [[Can flipping|can flippers]], so it can be a risky profession.<br />
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{{euninote|For [[EVE University]] members, the [[Amarr Mining Campus]] specialises in mining. Members also mine at the [[Null-Sec Campus]] and the [[Hi Sec Campus]]. Some people mine at the [[Wormhole Community]], though they chiefly harvest gas and sometimes ice.}}
  
 
{{Color box|color=black|border=#888888| [[File:Wallet.png|32px|link=]]'''Average Income:'''
 
{{Color box|color=black|border=#888888| [[File:Wallet.png|32px|link=]]'''Average Income:'''
* In High sec: 1-3 M ISK per hour
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* Mining Ore:  
* In Low sec: 10-20 M ISK per hour
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** solo mining (no boosts): {{co|lightblue|<no data>}}
* In Null sec: 25+ M ISK per hour (depends on the security level: the lower security the harder rats the higher income)
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** fleet mining (with boosts) {{co|lightblue|<no data>}}
* In Wormhole space:
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* Harvesting Ice: {{co|lightblue|<no data>}}
** C1 holes: 20-50 M ISK/hour
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* Harvesting Gas in known-space: {{co|lightblue|<no data>}}
** C2 holes: 20-50 M ISK/hour
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* Wormhole mining with boosts (eg Gneiss): up to 100M ISK/hour
** C3 holes: 60-200 M ISK/hour
+
* Harvesting Gas in wormholes:
** C4 holes: {{co|lightblue|<no data>}}
+
** low level gas sites (Barren, Minor, Ordinary, Sizeable, Token): 15-20 M ISK/hour
** C5 holes: 180-250 M ISK/hour
+
** mid-level gas sites (Vital and Bountiful): up-to 30-40 M ISK/hour
** C6 holes: {{co|lightblue|<no data>}}
+
** high-level gas sites (Instrumental and Vital): up-to 50-70 M ISK/hour}}
}}
+
 
 +
=== Planetary Industry ===
 +
{{main|Planetary Industry}}
 +
 
 +
New Eden has thousands of planets, and players can [[Planetary Industry|establish a colony on a planet]] in order to produce resources. The resources (or 'commodities') which are produced can either be sold in their raw form, or combined with other commodities to make more complex products. Ultimately these can be used to make fuel and parts for structures, boosters and components.
 +
 
 +
Planets in lower-security areas tend to yield more valuable commodities. Planetary Industry has a low entry barrier, although through training skills players can increase the number of planets and the efficiency of their colony. Planetary Industry does not normally require much active management once the colony is established, though it might require some hauling, and most players will use it as a passive supplement to their other income.
  
==Exploration careers==
+
{{Color box|color=black|border=#888888| [[File:Wallet.png|32px|link=]]'''Average Income:'''
 +
* High-sec planet:  {{co|lightblue|<no data>}}
 +
* Low-sec planet: {{co|lightblue|<no data>}}
 +
* Null-sec planet:  {{co|lightblue|<no data>}}
 +
* Wormhole planet: 4-6M per planet per day with daily monitoring}}
  
New Eden is vast and contains many secret sites with hidden valuables. Exploration is about tracking down those sites.
+
=== Manufacturing ===
 +
{{main|Manufacturing}}
  
===Exploration and hacking===
+
Blueprints can be used to produce items from minerals, which can either be refined or bought from the market. Manufacturers may create items for personal use, or to sell on the market for a profit. Although the basic skills required to manufacture items can be trained quickly, increased skills will greatly improve efficiency.
{{main|Exploration}}
 
  
Players can use their onboard scanner together with a probe launcher to scan down [[Cosmic Anomalies]] and [[Cosmic Signatures]]. These will contain either groups of pirate NPCs, resources like gas clouds or asteroid belts, hackable containers with loot or wormholes. Hacking and archaeology involve a mini-game to break into the container. Lower security areas tend to yield the most valuable loot and resources, but players are vulnerable when doing exploration which is why it's best to use a ship that can cloak. Exploration is easy to get started with and can be a potentially lucrative source of income, especially for a new player. [[Wormhole sites]] are a more advanced form of exploration in more hostile space.
+
Players need a base to start manufacturing, which could be an NPC station or a friendly player-owned structure such as an [[Engineering Complexes|Engineering Complex]]. Manufacturing can yield a good income, but some items cost more to manufacture than they are worth, so it is possible to make a loss too: industrialists must stay alert to the market. Industry can also be highly competitive, driving down profits in high traffic areas.
  
 
{{Color box|color=black|border=#888888| [[File:Wallet.png|32px|link=]]'''Average Income:'''
 
{{Color box|color=black|border=#888888| [[File:Wallet.png|32px|link=]]'''Average Income:'''
* In high-sec, low-sec and null-sec: up-to 1M per site
+
{{co|lightblue|<no data>}}
* Wormhole sites:
 
** C1 holes: 20-50 M ISK/hour
 
** C2 holes: 30-60 M ISK/hour
 
** C3 holes: 100-200 M ISK/hour
 
** C4 holes: {{co|lightblue|<no data>}}
 
** C5 holes: 50-150 M ISK/hour (Server Bank site only)
 
** C6 holes: {{co|lightblue|<no data>}}
 
* Ghost sites: 30-60 M ISK per site, reported cases with up to a few hundred million ISK per site
 
 
}}
 
}}
  
 +
=== Research and Invention ===
 +
{{main|Research}}
 +
{{main|Invention}}
  
===Salvaging===
+
Manufacturing in New Eden ultimately relies on blueprints. Players can carry out research to improve the efficiency of blueprints, making them more valuable, and they can also develop limited-run blueprints for much more advanced ("Tech 2") ships and equipment. Players work with dedicated research agents to obtain [[Datacore farming|datacores]], which can then be used in invention.
{{main|Salvaging}}
 
  
Each time a player or NPC ship explodes it drops a wreck. The wreck sometimes contains loot, but the wreck itself can also be salvaged for useful parts. Salvaging enable a player to collect those parts with a view to either selling them or processing them [[rigs]] for ships. Salvaging can be a profitable side career, normally alongside either mission running or PVP. Salvaging is quick to train into and can be done by a new player, often as part of a mission fleet. The salvage is normally split between the fleet members, so it can be a good income for relatively little effort. Players can use tractor beams to pull wrecks towards them for faster salvaging, and there a is even a specialised ship, the [[Noctis]]. Alternatively, players can use a [[Mobile Tractor Unit]] which collects the wrecks in one place.
+
Well-researched blueprints can be valuable to the right people, and can be sold in their own right. Experienced characters with developed expertise in research and invention can find other opportunities: many large organizations in EVE also need people to manage and improve their libraries of blueprints and oversee their internal production.
  
 
{{Color box|color=black|border=#888888| [[File:Wallet.png|32px|link=]]'''Average Income:'''
 
{{Color box|color=black|border=#888888| [[File:Wallet.png|32px|link=]]'''Average Income:'''
Line 175: Line 223:
 
}}
 
}}
  
 +
== Business ==
  
==Industrial careers==
+
Business careers focus on moving and/or selling goods to make a profit. They make use of New Eden's player-to-player economy, which is large and complex enough that it has been studied by academic economists.
  
Industrial careers are focused on gathering resources and creating ships and items. This is often referred to in other games as "crafting".
+
=== Hauling ===
 +
{{main|Hauling}}
  
===Manufacturing===
+
Almost every ship and item in EVE Online must be physically moved around New Eden in a cargohold: individual pilots cannot magic their assets around at will. This creates a reliable demand for haulers to move items from point A to point B. Other players will often pay well for the service of moving their items through courier [[contracts]]. Hauling is an activity which can synergize well with [[Careers#Trading|trading]].
{{main|Manufacturing}}
+
 
 +
The skills required to fly a basic industrial ship are low, but the amount of cargo it can carry is fairly small and it is vulnerable to attack, particularly in lower security areas. Haulers usually begin their careers running courier contracts in high security space. In the medium and long term, players can train to fly a range of specialised hauling ships to carry bigger loads, or to haul in lower security space. The most advanced hauling ships can carry titanic loads, or travel while stealth-cloaked, or teleport across vast distances from one region to another rather than using the usual network of stargates.
 +
 
 +
There are entire corporations dedicated to fulfilling courier contracts for a price and able to link members up with profitable work. Any large-scale alliance will also need specialized freighter pilots. Hauling is much more than clicking "warp to gate at 0" repeatedly: experienced haulers understand safe and dangerous routes, can judge profitability precisely, and maintain tight secrecy around their favoured staging systems to keep their precious cargo secure. <br />
  
Almost everything in New Eden is created by players. Blueprints can be used to produce items from minerals, which can either be refined or bought from the market. Manufacturers may create items for personal use, or to sell on the market for a profit. Although the basic skills required to manufacture items can be trained quickly, increased skills will greatly improve efficiency. Players need a base to start manufacturing, which could be an NPC station or a player owned structure such as an [[Engineering Complexes|Engineering Complex]]. Manufacturing can yield a good income, but some items cost more to manufacture than they are worth so it is possible to make a loss also. It can also be highly competitive, driving down profits in high traffic areas. In addition to manufacturing, players can carry out [[invention]] to create more valuable T2 items, and conduct [[research]] to improve the efficiency of blueprints, making them more valuable. Players can work with dedicated research agents to obtain [[Datacore farming|datacores]], which can then be used in invention.
+
{{euninote|It may not be advisable to haul with a character directly in [[EVE University]], as the university is subject to intermittent highsec wars. For those who wish to try hauling as a career, we recommend trying it out by [[Creating an Alt Hauler]].}}
  
 
{{Color box|color=black|border=#888888| [[File:Wallet.png|32px|link=]]'''Average Income:'''
 
{{Color box|color=black|border=#888888| [[File:Wallet.png|32px|link=]]'''Average Income:'''
{{co|lightblue|<no data>}}
+
* Courier contracts:  Approx 50 - 70 M ISK/hour
 +
* Hauling goods for sale: {{co|lightblue|<no data>}}
 
}}
 
}}
  
 +
=== Trading ===
 +
{{main|Trading}}
  
===Mining and refining===
+
EVE Online has a complex player-driven market. By investing their ISK correctly, players can make a profit from buying and selling goods. This requires nothing more than a little starting capital, a head for figures, and a grasp of supply and demand,
{{main|Mining}}
 
  
Asteroid belts spawn throughout New Eden and can be mined to extract ores. In addition to ores, players can use specialised equipment to mine ice from ice belts and harvest gas from gas clouds. The ore, ice and gas can either be sold in its raw form, or refined into minerals. In general rarer and more valuable resources are found in lower security space. Mining has a low entry barrier, though mining efficiency can be substantially improved by training the right skills and implants and using more advanced equipment and ships. [[Alpha clones]] can mine, although the only specialised mining ship they can use is the [[Venture]]. Players can mine either alone or as part of a mining fleet, and can produce a stable income stream. However, miners are always vulnerable to attacks by other players as well as [[Can flipping|can flippers]], so it can be a risky profession, particularly in lower security areas.<br />
+
Many players dabble in trade, if only to sell manufactured goods or loot from PvE and PvP combat more profitably, but some make it their profession. Some traders focus on buying and selling goods in the same station; in extreme cases, a character might make significant profits without ever undocking. Other traders will buy items with a view to selling them elsewhere for a higher price, combining the work with [[Careers#Hauling|hauling]].
  
{{euninote|For [[EVE University]] members, the [[Amarr Mining Campus]] specialises in mining.}}
+
Trading can be very competitive, especially in high traffic areas such as [[trade hubs]], which can drive down profits. However, if a player identifies a suitable niche, it can yield a high income. Experienced traders are alert to the changing political and industrial currents which affect New Eden's economy, and manage hundreds of buy and sell orders. A specialized sub-group of traders sustain markets in parts of New Eden remote from normal trade hubs, earning significant profit margins in the process.
  
 
{{Color box|color=black|border=#888888| [[File:Wallet.png|32px|link=]]'''Average Income:'''
 
{{Color box|color=black|border=#888888| [[File:Wallet.png|32px|link=]]'''Average Income:'''
* Mining Ore:
+
{{co|lightblue|<no data, but skilled traders are very wealthy>}}
** solo mining (no boosts): {{co|lightblue|<no data>}}
+
}}
** fleet mining (with boosts) {{co|lightblue|<no data>}}
 
* Harvesting Ice: {{co|lightblue|<no data>}}
 
* Harvesting Gas in known-space: {{co|lightblue|<no data>}}
 
* Harvesting Gas in wormholes:
 
** low level gas sites (Barren, Minor, Ordinary, Sizeable, Token): 15-20 M ISK/hour
 
** mid-level gas sites (Vital and Bountiful): up-to 30-40 M ISK/hour
 
** high-level gas sites (Instrumental and Vital): up-to 50-70 M ISK/hour}}
 
  
 +
=== Skill Farming ===
 +
{{main|Skill Farming}}
  
===Planetary interaction===
+
Skill farming is a [[Careers|career]]  that uses a [[Accounts#Characters|character]] to train [[Skills and learning|skills]] solely to [[Skill trading#Extracting skills|extract]] and sell their [[Skills and learning#Training skills|skill points]], creating a passive income stream.
{{main|Planetary Interaction}}
 
  
New Eden has thousands of planets, and players can establish a colony on a planet in order to produce resources. The resources (or 'commodities') which are produced can either be sold in their raw form, or combined with other commodities to make more complex products. Ultimately these can be used to make fuel and parts for structures, boosters and components. Planets in lower security areas tend to yield more valuable commodities. Planetary interaction has a low entry barrier, although through training skills players can increase the number of planets and the efficiency of their colony. Planetary interaction does not normally require much active management once the colony is established, and most players will use it as a passive supplement to their other income.
+
{{Color box|color=black|border=#888888| [[File:Wallet.png|32px|link=]]'''Potential Income:'''
 
+
{{co|lightblue|Income relies on the price of a series of interconnected products (PLEX, skill injectors, skill extractors), some of which can occasionally be subject to sales in the New Eden Store. As a result skill farming income is very variable, however at times it can be as much as 2Bn ISK every 30 days with a supporting market and taking advantage of the sales.}}
{{Color box|color=black|border=#888888| [[File:Wallet.png|32px|link=]]'''Average Income:'''
+
}}
* High-sec planet:  {{co|lightblue|<no data>}}
 
* Low-sec planet: {{co|lightblue|<no data>}}
 
* Null-sec planet:  {{co|lightblue|<no data>}}
 
* Wormhole planet: 4-6M per planet per day with daily monitoring}}
 
  
==Outlaw Careers==
+
== Deception and Crime ==
  
Unlike many other games, being a criminal is a viable career option in EVE Online, and not against the EULA. Many players find that crime does pay, quite handsomely.
+
Theft, trickery, and scamming can be a viable career option in EVE Online, and are not against the EULA. Away from the higher-profile combat exploits of mercenaries and pirates, the game has a vibrant underbelly of scammers. Note that harassment and real-life threats '''are''' forbidden, and players should remember the difference.
  
===Can Flipping===
+
=== Can Flipping ===
 
{{main|Can flipping}}
 
{{main|Can flipping}}
  
Players can jettison items into space, creating a jetcan which can be opened not just by the player who created it, but by anyone. A common reason for players to do this is when they are mining, to store their ore for later retrieval. Some players use this as an opportunity to steal the ore inside the jetcan, which is known as 'can flipping'. Sometimes this is done purely for the goods inside, but it is often done to provoke the miner into trying to attack the person stealing their ore. This will set off a combat timer, allowing the 'can flipper' to switch into another ship and shoot the miner with no retaliation from CONCORD (since they are technically acting in self-defense from the point of view of the game).
+
Players can jettison items into space, creating a jetcan which can be opened not just by the player who created it, but by anyone. A common reason for players to do this is when they are mining, to store their ore for later retrieval. Some players use this as an opportunity to steal the ore inside the jetcan, which is known as "can flipping".
 +
 
 +
Sometimes this is done purely for the goods inside, but it is often done to provoke the miner into trying to attack the person stealing their ore. This will set off a combat timer, allowing the 'can flipper' to switch into another ship and shoot the miner with no retaliation from CONCORD (since they are technically acting in self-defense from CONCORD's point of view).
  
 
{{euninote|Can flipping is prohibited for [[EVE University]] members under the [[EVE University Rules]].}}
 
{{euninote|Can flipping is prohibited for [[EVE University]] members under the [[EVE University Rules]].}}
Line 235: Line 282:
 
}}
 
}}
  
 +
=== Suicide Ganking ===
 +
{{main|Suicide ganking}}
  
===Scamming or theft===
+
When a ship attacks another ship in high-security space, [[CONCORD]] arrive soon--well, ''relatively'' soon--and destroy the aggressor. Some of the items that need to be [[Careers#Hauling|transported]] around New Eden are very valuable, far more valuable, in fact, than some reasonably powerful combat ships.
  
Scamming others out of their ISK or luring them into traps can be an exciting way for some people to play the game. Such scams take many forms. Some of the most common are misleading contracts, selling goods for much more than they are worth, "ISK doubling" scams, making players an offer that is too good to be true for the purpose of leading them into an ambush, requesting ISK in return for joining a corporation, infiltrating a corporation for the purposes of emptying their corporate resources. It will suit a certain kind of player who thrives on the chase and has the confidence and personal skills to pull it off. The income can potentially be huge, there have been some very high profile corporation thefts of many billions.<br />
+
The combination of these two facts means that it is sometimes profitable for players to blow up hauling ships, accept the loss of their own ship(s), and then loot the hauler wrecks for valuables worth much more than the ships they lost. This is informally known as "suicide ganking".
 +
 
 +
Suicide ganking is a legitimate activity within the game rules of EVE Online. Some corporations and alliances—including EVE University—ban member characters from doing it; other groups specialize in it. Skilled suicide gankers cunningly design fits which deliver the highest frontloaded damage (sometimes called "alpha strike") rather than damage-per-second, for the lowest ISK costs. They must also cultivate a fine-grained sense of market value, and study the most efficient transport routes and chokepoints. These skills are, ironically, very like those necessary for successful transport pilots.
 +
 
 +
{{euninote|Suicide ganking is prohibited for [[EVE University]] member characters under the [[EVE University Rules]]. Players are not prohibited from suicide ganking using alternate characters with no connection to the University.}}
 +
 
 +
{{Color box|color=black|border=#888888| [[File:Wallet.png|32px]]'''Average Income:'''
 +
{{co|lightblue|<no data, but publicly-available [[killmail]]s suggest that some suicide gankers make significant profits>}}
 +
}}
 +
 
 +
=== Scamming and theft ===
 +
 
 +
Scamming others out of their ISK or luring them into traps can be an exciting way for some people to play the game. Such deception can take many forms, and the wiki maintains [[Scams in EVE Online|a list of the most common]]. These include misleading contracts, selling goods for much more than they are worth, "ISK doubling" scams, enticing players into ambushes, requesting ISK in return for entry to a corporation, and infiltrating a corporation for the purposes of stealing their corporate resources.
 +
 
 +
Such work can require few character skills, but does need confidence and strong persuasive abilities. The income can potentially be huge: there have been some very high-profile corporate thefts with earnings running to many billions of ISK. The same skills can be used for inter-corporate or inter-alliance espionage, and some players, especially in nullsec, work as spies, infiltrating opposing organisations not for profit but to further the strategic interests of their real employers.<br />
  
 
{{euninote|Scamming and theft are prohibited for [[EVE University]] members under the [[EVE University Rules]].}}
 
{{euninote|Scamming and theft are prohibited for [[EVE University]] members under the [[EVE University Rules]].}}
  
 
{{Color box|color=black|border=#888888| [[File:Wallet.png|32px]]'''Average Income:'''
 
{{Color box|color=black|border=#888888| [[File:Wallet.png|32px]]'''Average Income:'''
Nothing all the way up to many billions for a high profile corporation theft.
+
From nothing all the way up to many billions for high-profile corporation theft.
 +
}}
 +
 
 +
== Administrative and Meta Careers ==
 +
 
 +
These careers involve either organising players or providing services for other players to assist them in playing the game. They tend to require few character skills, but significant personal skills from players themselves, alongside time and energy. Sometimes such work can be profitable in ISK terms, but often the real benefits are intangibles: friendship, experience, and connections throughout New Eden to allies and respected opponents.
 +
 
 +
=== Corporate Executive ===
 +
{{main|Corporation#Forming_a_Corporation|Forming a Corporation}}
 +
 
 +
Corporations often need a lot of manpower to run successfully. People are needed to advertise the corporation, recruit members, set policies, conduct diplomacy with other corporations, arrange logistics, and ensure that everything runs smoothly. Available roles will depend on your corporation and their needs.
 +
 
 +
Players can even start their own corporation, although this is often suited to more experienced players who can use their knowledge of the game to build a successful corporation. Starting a corporation often requires a large amount of starting capital, especially if the corporation will own structures like [[Citadels]] or [[Engineering Complexes]].
 +
 
 +
{{euninote|[[EVE University]] members should see [[Helping EVE University]] for ways they can start to help out within the University. Such work is good preparation for corporate management elsewhere in New Eden.}}
 +
 
 +
{{Color box|color=black|border=#888888| [[File:Wallet.png|32px]]'''Average Income:'''
 +
There is no such thing as an average income, as it varies so widely depending on the size of the corporation, the taxes/fees charged, and intangible benefits.
 +
}}
 +
 
 +
=== CSM member ===
 +
 
 +
EVE Online has a player-elected council known as the [[Council of Stellar Management]] (CSM), who provide feedback to CCP about the game and raises any concerns players have. New CSM members are elected once per year and attend meetings with CCP in Iceland as well as participating in online discussions about the direction of the game.
 +
 
 +
CSM membership raises a player's profile and might set up high-level connections with other influential players, but the role is primarily a service to the community, CSM members are required to sign a legal "Non Disclosure Agreement" before they start their term.
 +
 
 +
{{Color box|color=black|border=#888888| [[File:Wallet.png|32px]]'''Average Income:'''
 +
CSM members are unpaid, although their real life expenses (e.g. for travel) are reimbursed.
 +
}}
 +
 
 +
=== EVE journalist ===
 +
 
 +
There are many third-party sites and podcasts dedicated to EVE Online. Many of them accept submissions and guest content from players. Such activity particularly suits players with good communication skills and unique perspectives on the game. CCP also sometimes needs players to act as presenters for official events such as the [[Alliance Tournament]] and [[Fanfest]].
 +
 
 +
{{Color box|color=black|border=#888888| [[File:Wallet.png|32px]]'''Average Income:'''
 +
Most of these opportunities will be unpaid, and are done for their own sake rather than to generate ISK.
 
}}
 
}}
  
==See also==
+
== See also ==
  
* http://slides.eveuniversity.org/?slidesID=270 - Slides for the Introduction to EVE Careers class
+
[[Careers (CORE class)|EVE University's CORE class on careers]] and [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1uAs1btCP10Bnvn6FjsKYpHJKpCJUQoIo/view?usp=sharing the associated slide deck].
* https://myeveguide.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/eve-wtd.jpg - A plan showing how different careers interact with each other
 
* http://content.eveonline.com/CareerGuide/EVECAREERSGUIDE.pdf - EON magazine's EVE careers guide (as per the Apocrypha expansion in 2009)
 
  
 
[[Category:Getting Started]]
 
[[Category:Getting Started]]

Latest revision as of 16:27, 29 June 2024

E-UNI Emblem.png EVE University offers
a class on:

Once players have completed the Tutorial, they need to make their own way in New Eden. EVE is a sandbox, and players will soon find that they need to make their own entertainment and income.

This guide briefly describes some typical options that many players pursue, together with likely incomes from them where estimates are possible.

Combat

Combat is a core part of EVE Online. Many players thrive on honing their combat skills, either against other players or against NPCs.

Mission running

Main article: Missions

Missions are one-time jobs offered to players by NPC agents. There are various types of basic missions, including combat, mining, and courier tasks. Many mission-runners focus on combat ("Security") missions. There are also more advanced missions called COSMOS missions, Epic Arc missions, and Anomic missions.

Completing a mission is rewarded with ISK, Loyalty Points and standings with the agent and NPC corporation involved. Some missions also give a time bonus and some give items (particularly the Career Agents missions).

There are various levels of mission, which are increasingly more difficult to complete. Level 1 missions are easy for Alpha clones or very new players but have low rewards. Level 2 missions can be done in a basic Tech 1 cruiser, Level 3s expect a battlecruiser, and Level 4 missions are suited to a sensibly-fit battleship. Level 5 missions only appear in low security space, and can normally only be done as part of a fleet, or with a carrier. Players will need to work up to high standing with agents to be able to request higher level missions.

E-UNI Emblem.png Mission-running is a popular activity for EVE University members at the Hi Sec Campus; mission-running is also possible at the nullsec campus.
Wallet.pngAverage Income:
  • Level 1 missions: 1M per hour
  • Level 2 missions: 2-4 M ISK per hour
  • Level 3 missions: 5-10 M ISK per hour
  • Level 4 missions: 30 - 200 M ISK per hour (very dependent on skills, fit, type of missions, LP conversion)
  • Level 5 missions: Variable (low sec only - as above very dependent on skills, fit, mission)

Ratting

Main article: Ratting

As well as other players, New Eden is full of hostile NPCs which are nicknamed "rats" by players. These spawn at asteroid belts, in cosmic anomalies, and at stargates. Destroying rats earns direct ISK payments as bounty, as well as loot and salvage from their wrecks. Some rats drop items known as Security tags which can be valuable. Blowing rats up is called "ratting".

The rewards vary depending on the security level of the system. In highsec, the income is normally not high enough to justify ratting as a primary way to earn ISK. Lowsec ratting can generate money, but mostly through the specialized activity of hunting Clone Soldiers for security tags. Efficient ratting in nullsec systems can be lucrative, if monotonous, and can be done using a Tech 1 cruiser as an entry-level ship. Wormholes contain challenging rats who yield valuable loot, and offer a chance to combine exploration and combat skills.

E-UNI Emblem.png EVE University members at the nullsec campus often make some of their money by ratting.
Wallet.pngAverage Income:
  • In High sec: 1-3 M ISK per hour
  • In Low sec: 10-20 M ISK per hour
  • In Null sec: 25+ M ISK per hour
  • In Wormhole space:
    • C1 holes: 20-50 M ISK/hour
    • C2 holes: 20-50 M ISK/hour
    • C3 holes: 60-200 M ISK/hour
    • C4 holes: <no data>
    • C5 holes: 180-250 M ISK/hour
    • C6 holes: <no data>

Incursions

Main article: Incursions

Incursions are high-end PvE content, in which fleets of players repel NPC invaders. Incursions appear in various systems around New Eden, so incursion runners tend to be nomadic, moving from system to system following incursion areas. Incursions are rewarded with ISK and Loyalty Points, though payouts are only made to a limited number of people on grid at the same time. For this reason, it is particularly important that each member of the fleet is effective in their role, and so they tend to fly battleships and T2 logistics ships.

E-UNI Emblem.png For EVE University members, our EVE University Incursion Community always needs players to act as scouts or pickets, and this role does not require any specific skills or experience. In return for keeping the incursion fleet safe, they will provide tips, which can be a very lucrative income for a new player. However, note that this is specific to our community, and not a role that all incursion communities use.
Wallet.pngAverage Income:
  • Vanguards: 60 - 120 M ISK/hour
  • Headquarters: 150 - 300 M ISK/hour (heavily influenced by fleet composition and CONCORD LP-conversion)
  • Scouting or picketing: 30 - 60 M ISK/hour

Abyssal running

Main article: Abyssal Deadspace

The Abyss is a mysterious area of space that can only be reached by using special "filaments" which teleport your ship into it. On entering the Abyss, players find themselves in a sequence of three pockets of space linked by gates and guarded by dangerous enemies. If players successfully defeat all the enemies and escape within 20 minutes, they can bring back valuable loot. If the 20-minute timer runs out, anyone in the Abyssal Deadspace loses both their ship and their pod ("capsule").

Abyssal Deadspace has significant elements of randomization. The enemies found in the Abyss vary with each run. The difficulty of the Abyssal and the nature of its different environmental effects can be roughly controlled by players by using different types of filament. Abyssal pockets also contain local hazards which players either avoid, or use against the NPCs. Up to three players can run an Abyssal together; some players accept a higher risk for higher rewards, and fly alone into Abyssals designed for three pilots.

Abyssals offer another type of challenging PvE combat with high risks and high rewards. The enemies found in Abyssal Deadspace are tough, often fast, and use electronic warfare on players, making them opponents who behave a bit more like hostile players than like many of the NPCs encountered in normal space. Pilots should plan their fits carefully and be aware of the risks of the Abyss before experimenting with Abyssals. Approached with a properly-fitted ship and a well-researched plan, however, Abyssals can be profitable experiences that also teach players more about core elements of combat in EVE.

E-UNI Emblem.png EVE University doesn't have a dedicated community for running Abyssals, but plenty of members run them and are happy to offer advice.
Wallet.pngAverage Income:
  • T0 Abyssals: 10–20 M ISK per hour
  • T6 Abyssals: 175–300 M ISK per hour (some fits for this can be over 2b ISK)

Other tiers of Abyssal lie between these values.

PvP

Player versus Player combat ("PvP") is a fundamental part of EVE Online. Players can attack or be attacked by anyone at any time. Many players make PvP their main profession, and spend their time preparing and hunting for fights.

PVP can be done in large fleets, in small gangs, or solo. It encompasses everything from frigate brawls to apocalyptic clashes between Supercarriers and Titans. Depending on a fleet's composition and purpose, players can fill many roles, including tackler, damage dealer, scout, bait, stealth bomber, EWAR, repairing other ships, and fleet command. To thrive in PvP, players benefit from a good tactical mind and a solid knowledge of game mechanics, but it is cheap and easy to make first steps in PvP; given the right tools and tactics, Alpha clones and very new players can fight successfully.

The act of fighting itself tends to cost more ISK than it generates in loot. However, money can be made via PvP indirectly. Rank-and-file pilots flying with large, organised sovereign alliances in player-owned nullsec space often have their losses and costs covered by their alliance. Some players fight for pay as mercenaries: mercenary groups in New Eden range in type from small teams of pilots specialized in disrupting target corporations and settling small scores in highsec, to larger groups hired to add their weight to nullsec wars.

Some players choose to become pirates, and hunt down their victims to either pillage their goods or demand a ransom for their ship or pod. Hunting nullsec ratters who use expensively-fitted ships and "gatecamping" chokepoints on trade routes can be particularly lucrative

E-UNI Emblem.png EVE University's rules of engagement permit members flying anywhere outside highsec space to engage anyone not allied with the University at will (so-called "Not Blue, Shoot It" rules). University pilots must uphold honesty and respect for others before, during, and after battle, but are welcome to learn PvP by doing. PvP opportunities are part of daily life at the nullsec and wormhole campuses, with fleet doctrines designed to make even characters with few skillpoints effective, and more-experienced pilots on hand to guide newcomers. Many types of ship loss in University fleets are covered by the University's Ship Replacement Program, suitable ships are available nearly for free for new pilots, and for strategic operations the University provides free, pre-fitted ships.
Wallet.pngAverage Income:

<no data>

Faction Warfare

Main article: Faction Warfare

In EVE lore there are four factions: Amarr, Caldari, Gallente and Minmatar. These factions are perpetually engaged in a struggle for power, and fight for control over certain areas of low security space. Players can join one of the factions and fight players from opposing factions in order to earn Loyalty Points and standings with their faction.

Participating in faction warfare means that players can be attacked by members of their opposing faction anywhere, so it is a dedicated profession. Players are not restricted on which faction they join and can even join a different faction to their character's race, provided they have sufficient standings with that faction. There are many dedicated faction warfare corporations.

Some aspects of faction warfare involve complexes which are limited to specific small ships, making it a slightly more approachable way to experiment with PvP for new players.

E-UNI Emblem.png EVE University does not participate in faction warfare as a corporation, though members are free to participate as individuals through direct enlistment. The University's high-security hub in Stacmon is perched on the edge of faction warfare space.
Wallet.pngAverage Income:
  • Variable (depending very much on your approach to engaging in PvP or just "farming" the FW sites for LP)

Exploration

New Eden is vast and contains many secret sites with hidden valuables, as well as wormholes. Explorers probe out such sites and wormholes and hunt through them for valuables.

Scanning

Main article: Exploration

Players can use their onboard scanner together with a probe launcher to scan down cosmic anomalies and signatures. These will contain either groups of pirate NPCs, resources such as gas clouds or asteroid belts which can be mined, secure containers or ruins with loot in them, or wormholes.

Ruins and secure containers can be opened using archaeology and hacking skills in a hacking minigame. Lower-security areas tend to yield the most valuable loot and resources.

Exploration is easy to begin, requiring little ISK investment and only basic skills. There is an element of random chance in the contents of each site, but exploration sites can be a good source of income, especially for a new player. Exploring in dangerous systems or in wormholes teaches useful situational awareness skills, and the probing techniques used to scan sites down are transferable into combat probing for PvP. Seasoned explorers might want to try living permanently in wormhole space.

E-UNI Emblem.png EVE University members can practise exploration at any of the university's campuses. Exploration will be more lucrative, but potentially also more dangerous, at the Null-Sec Campus. The Wormhole Community revolves around long-term, advanced exploration-driven PvE and PvP.
Wallet.pngAverage Income:
  • In high-sec and low-sec: up to 1M per site
  • In null-sec: Up to 25M per site

Wormhole Living

Main article: Living in Wormhole Space

Pilots with the resources and resourcefulness necessary can set up bases in a wormhole system, exploiting the system's resources for PvE and mining, and using the randomly-generated connections to other systems to find more resources and opportunities for PvP combat.

The probing skills and knowledge of wormhole mechanics gained from scanning transfer well to this more advanced flavour of exploration. Wormhole life tends to involve some of many aspects of EVE: PvE and PvP combat, small-scale manufacturing and transport work all built on a core set of scanning skills. Because the destinations of the wormholes that open up are randomly determined, life in a wormhole system changes from each day to the next, providing fresh experiences and challenges that some capsuleers relish.

E-UNI Emblem.png EVE University's Wormhole Community ("WHC") is based in a wormhole. Pilots who meet the WHC skill requirements can move there and experience flying from a wormhole base. The University also arranges excursions which let other students visit the campus and learn about wormhole living.
Wallet.pngAverage Income:
  • Class 1 holes: 20-50 M ISK/hour
  • C2 holes: 30-60 M ISK/hour
  • C3 holes: 100-200 M ISK/hour
  • C4 holes: <no data>
  • C5 holes: 50-150 M ISK/hour (Server Bank site only)
  • C6 holes: <no data>

Industry

Industrial careers are focused on gathering resources and creating ships and items (in some other MMORPGs equivalent activities are called "crafting"). As almost all of New Eden's economy is player-driven, many of the ships, items of equipment, and space stations used by players have to be made by someone.

Industrial careers can be pursued alongside many other activities, but they can synergize well with trading.

Salvaging

Main article: Salvaging

Each time a player or NPC ship explodes, it leaves a wreck. The wreck sometimes contains loot, but the wreck itself can also be salvaged for useful parts. Salvaging enable a player to collect those parts, with a view to either selling them or processing them into rigs for ships.

Salvaging can be a profitable early side career, normally alongside either mission running and/or PvP (to create wrecks) and/or industry (to use the salvaged parts). New players can also tag along with mission fleets to help with salvaging. The salvage is normally split between the fleet members, so it can be a good income for relatively little effort, with low character skill requirements.

Players can use tractor beams to pull wrecks towards them for faster salvaging, and there a is even a specialised salvaging ship, the Noctis. Alternatively, players can use a Mobile Tractor Unit which collects the wrecks in one place.

Wallet.pngAverage Income:

<no data>

Mining and refining

Main article: Mining

Asteroid belts spawn throughout New Eden, and they must be mined to feed EVE's player economy. In addition to asteroids, players can use specialised equipment to mine ice from ice belts and harvest gas from gas clouds.

The mined ore, ice and gas can either be sold in its raw form, or refined into minerals. In general, rarer and more valuable resources are found in lower security space, with very valuable mining possible in nullsec and wormholes. Miners exploiting resources in low- or null-security space and in wormholes can use cunning to avoid detection (sometimes called "ninja-mining"), or they can join the player groups who own most of nullsec and who live in some wormholes.

Mining has a low entry barrier, but mining efficiency can be substantially improved by training the right skills and implants, and using more advanced equipment and ships. Alpha clones can mine, although the only specialized mining ship they can use is the Venture. Players can mine either alone or as part of a mining fleet, and can produce a stable income stream doing an undemanding activity which is usually calm. However, miners are always vulnerable to attacks by other players as well as, in high-sec space, can flippers, so it can be a risky profession.

E-UNI Emblem.png For EVE University members, the Amarr Mining Campus specialises in mining. Members also mine at the Null-Sec Campus and the Hi Sec Campus. Some people mine at the Wormhole Community, though they chiefly harvest gas and sometimes ice.
Wallet.pngAverage Income:
  • Mining Ore:
    • solo mining (no boosts): <no data>
    • fleet mining (with boosts) <no data>
  • Harvesting Ice: <no data>
  • Harvesting Gas in known-space: <no data>
  • Wormhole mining with boosts (eg Gneiss): up to 100M ISK/hour
  • Harvesting Gas in wormholes:
    • low level gas sites (Barren, Minor, Ordinary, Sizeable, Token): 15-20 M ISK/hour
    • mid-level gas sites (Vital and Bountiful): up-to 30-40 M ISK/hour
    • high-level gas sites (Instrumental and Vital): up-to 50-70 M ISK/hour

Planetary Industry

Main article: Planetary Industry

New Eden has thousands of planets, and players can establish a colony on a planet in order to produce resources. The resources (or 'commodities') which are produced can either be sold in their raw form, or combined with other commodities to make more complex products. Ultimately these can be used to make fuel and parts for structures, boosters and components.

Planets in lower-security areas tend to yield more valuable commodities. Planetary Industry has a low entry barrier, although through training skills players can increase the number of planets and the efficiency of their colony. Planetary Industry does not normally require much active management once the colony is established, though it might require some hauling, and most players will use it as a passive supplement to their other income.

Wallet.pngAverage Income:
  • High-sec planet: <no data>
  • Low-sec planet: <no data>
  • Null-sec planet: <no data>
  • Wormhole planet: 4-6M per planet per day with daily monitoring

Manufacturing

Main article: Manufacturing

Blueprints can be used to produce items from minerals, which can either be refined or bought from the market. Manufacturers may create items for personal use, or to sell on the market for a profit. Although the basic skills required to manufacture items can be trained quickly, increased skills will greatly improve efficiency.

Players need a base to start manufacturing, which could be an NPC station or a friendly player-owned structure such as an Engineering Complex. Manufacturing can yield a good income, but some items cost more to manufacture than they are worth, so it is possible to make a loss too: industrialists must stay alert to the market. Industry can also be highly competitive, driving down profits in high traffic areas.

Wallet.pngAverage Income:

<no data>

Research and Invention

Main article: Research
Main article: Invention

Manufacturing in New Eden ultimately relies on blueprints. Players can carry out research to improve the efficiency of blueprints, making them more valuable, and they can also develop limited-run blueprints for much more advanced ("Tech 2") ships and equipment. Players work with dedicated research agents to obtain datacores, which can then be used in invention.

Well-researched blueprints can be valuable to the right people, and can be sold in their own right. Experienced characters with developed expertise in research and invention can find other opportunities: many large organizations in EVE also need people to manage and improve their libraries of blueprints and oversee their internal production.

Wallet.pngAverage Income:

<no data>

Business

Business careers focus on moving and/or selling goods to make a profit. They make use of New Eden's player-to-player economy, which is large and complex enough that it has been studied by academic economists.

Hauling

Main article: Hauling

Almost every ship and item in EVE Online must be physically moved around New Eden in a cargohold: individual pilots cannot magic their assets around at will. This creates a reliable demand for haulers to move items from point A to point B. Other players will often pay well for the service of moving their items through courier contracts. Hauling is an activity which can synergize well with trading.

The skills required to fly a basic industrial ship are low, but the amount of cargo it can carry is fairly small and it is vulnerable to attack, particularly in lower security areas. Haulers usually begin their careers running courier contracts in high security space. In the medium and long term, players can train to fly a range of specialised hauling ships to carry bigger loads, or to haul in lower security space. The most advanced hauling ships can carry titanic loads, or travel while stealth-cloaked, or teleport across vast distances from one region to another rather than using the usual network of stargates.

There are entire corporations dedicated to fulfilling courier contracts for a price and able to link members up with profitable work. Any large-scale alliance will also need specialized freighter pilots. Hauling is much more than clicking "warp to gate at 0" repeatedly: experienced haulers understand safe and dangerous routes, can judge profitability precisely, and maintain tight secrecy around their favoured staging systems to keep their precious cargo secure.

E-UNI Emblem.png It may not be advisable to haul with a character directly in EVE University, as the university is subject to intermittent highsec wars. For those who wish to try hauling as a career, we recommend trying it out by Creating an Alt Hauler.
Wallet.pngAverage Income:
  • Courier contracts: Approx 50 - 70 M ISK/hour
  • Hauling goods for sale: <no data>

Trading

Main article: Trading

EVE Online has a complex player-driven market. By investing their ISK correctly, players can make a profit from buying and selling goods. This requires nothing more than a little starting capital, a head for figures, and a grasp of supply and demand,

Many players dabble in trade, if only to sell manufactured goods or loot from PvE and PvP combat more profitably, but some make it their profession. Some traders focus on buying and selling goods in the same station; in extreme cases, a character might make significant profits without ever undocking. Other traders will buy items with a view to selling them elsewhere for a higher price, combining the work with hauling.

Trading can be very competitive, especially in high traffic areas such as trade hubs, which can drive down profits. However, if a player identifies a suitable niche, it can yield a high income. Experienced traders are alert to the changing political and industrial currents which affect New Eden's economy, and manage hundreds of buy and sell orders. A specialized sub-group of traders sustain markets in parts of New Eden remote from normal trade hubs, earning significant profit margins in the process.

Wallet.pngAverage Income:

<no data, but skilled traders are very wealthy>

Skill Farming

Main article: Skill Farming

Skill farming is a career that uses a character to train skills solely to extract and sell their skill points, creating a passive income stream.

Wallet.pngPotential Income:

Income relies on the price of a series of interconnected products (PLEX, skill injectors, skill extractors), some of which can occasionally be subject to sales in the New Eden Store. As a result skill farming income is very variable, however at times it can be as much as 2Bn ISK every 30 days with a supporting market and taking advantage of the sales.

Deception and Crime

Theft, trickery, and scamming can be a viable career option in EVE Online, and are not against the EULA. Away from the higher-profile combat exploits of mercenaries and pirates, the game has a vibrant underbelly of scammers. Note that harassment and real-life threats are forbidden, and players should remember the difference.

Can Flipping

Main article: Can flipping

Players can jettison items into space, creating a jetcan which can be opened not just by the player who created it, but by anyone. A common reason for players to do this is when they are mining, to store their ore for later retrieval. Some players use this as an opportunity to steal the ore inside the jetcan, which is known as "can flipping".

Sometimes this is done purely for the goods inside, but it is often done to provoke the miner into trying to attack the person stealing their ore. This will set off a combat timer, allowing the 'can flipper' to switch into another ship and shoot the miner with no retaliation from CONCORD (since they are technically acting in self-defense from CONCORD's point of view).

E-UNI Emblem.png Can flipping is prohibited for EVE University members under the EVE University Rules.
Wallet.pngAverage Income:

<no data>

Suicide Ganking

Main article: Suicide ganking

When a ship attacks another ship in high-security space, CONCORD arrive soon--well, relatively soon--and destroy the aggressor. Some of the items that need to be transported around New Eden are very valuable, far more valuable, in fact, than some reasonably powerful combat ships.

The combination of these two facts means that it is sometimes profitable for players to blow up hauling ships, accept the loss of their own ship(s), and then loot the hauler wrecks for valuables worth much more than the ships they lost. This is informally known as "suicide ganking".

Suicide ganking is a legitimate activity within the game rules of EVE Online. Some corporations and alliances—including EVE University—ban member characters from doing it; other groups specialize in it. Skilled suicide gankers cunningly design fits which deliver the highest frontloaded damage (sometimes called "alpha strike") rather than damage-per-second, for the lowest ISK costs. They must also cultivate a fine-grained sense of market value, and study the most efficient transport routes and chokepoints. These skills are, ironically, very like those necessary for successful transport pilots.

E-UNI Emblem.png Suicide ganking is prohibited for EVE University member characters under the EVE University Rules. Players are not prohibited from suicide ganking using alternate characters with no connection to the University.
Wallet.pngAverage Income:

<no data, but publicly-available killmails suggest that some suicide gankers make significant profits>

Scamming and theft

Scamming others out of their ISK or luring them into traps can be an exciting way for some people to play the game. Such deception can take many forms, and the wiki maintains a list of the most common. These include misleading contracts, selling goods for much more than they are worth, "ISK doubling" scams, enticing players into ambushes, requesting ISK in return for entry to a corporation, and infiltrating a corporation for the purposes of stealing their corporate resources.

Such work can require few character skills, but does need confidence and strong persuasive abilities. The income can potentially be huge: there have been some very high-profile corporate thefts with earnings running to many billions of ISK. The same skills can be used for inter-corporate or inter-alliance espionage, and some players, especially in nullsec, work as spies, infiltrating opposing organisations not for profit but to further the strategic interests of their real employers.

E-UNI Emblem.png Scamming and theft are prohibited for EVE University members under the EVE University Rules.
Wallet.pngAverage Income:

From nothing all the way up to many billions for high-profile corporation theft.

Administrative and Meta Careers

These careers involve either organising players or providing services for other players to assist them in playing the game. They tend to require few character skills, but significant personal skills from players themselves, alongside time and energy. Sometimes such work can be profitable in ISK terms, but often the real benefits are intangibles: friendship, experience, and connections throughout New Eden to allies and respected opponents.

Corporate Executive

Main article: Forming a Corporation

Corporations often need a lot of manpower to run successfully. People are needed to advertise the corporation, recruit members, set policies, conduct diplomacy with other corporations, arrange logistics, and ensure that everything runs smoothly. Available roles will depend on your corporation and their needs.

Players can even start their own corporation, although this is often suited to more experienced players who can use their knowledge of the game to build a successful corporation. Starting a corporation often requires a large amount of starting capital, especially if the corporation will own structures like Citadels or Engineering Complexes.

E-UNI Emblem.png EVE University members should see Helping EVE University for ways they can start to help out within the University. Such work is good preparation for corporate management elsewhere in New Eden.
Wallet.pngAverage Income:

There is no such thing as an average income, as it varies so widely depending on the size of the corporation, the taxes/fees charged, and intangible benefits.

CSM member

EVE Online has a player-elected council known as the Council of Stellar Management (CSM), who provide feedback to CCP about the game and raises any concerns players have. New CSM members are elected once per year and attend meetings with CCP in Iceland as well as participating in online discussions about the direction of the game.

CSM membership raises a player's profile and might set up high-level connections with other influential players, but the role is primarily a service to the community, CSM members are required to sign a legal "Non Disclosure Agreement" before they start their term.

Wallet.pngAverage Income:

CSM members are unpaid, although their real life expenses (e.g. for travel) are reimbursed.

EVE journalist

There are many third-party sites and podcasts dedicated to EVE Online. Many of them accept submissions and guest content from players. Such activity particularly suits players with good communication skills and unique perspectives on the game. CCP also sometimes needs players to act as presenters for official events such as the Alliance Tournament and Fanfest.

Wallet.pngAverage Income:

Most of these opportunities will be unpaid, and are done for their own sake rather than to generate ISK.

See also

EVE University's CORE class on careers and the associated slide deck.