The Magic 14

This page lists fourteen fundamental skills which apply to every single ship that a player can pilot in eve, from a shuttle to a titan. Each of these skills is worthwhile for a new character to train as early as possible, even if you haven't decided what type of play style you may be interested in pursuing. The scope of this guide is to examine only those skills which provide bonuses to all ships regardless of modules, implants or rigs. The starting skill levels listed apply to characters created after the Vanguard patch. For a full list of the current starting skill levels see Starting Skills. It is recommended to train all of these skills to the highest achievable level as early as possible.

For in-depth descriptions of skill training mechanics, and discussion of training strategies, consult Skills and Learning.

For a more in depth look at other fundamental skills you would want to learn as a beginner, consult Basic Skills.

For a list of more advanced skills see Support Skills.

Engineering

• CPU Management : 5% bonus to ship CPU output per skill level. Starting Skill Level: IV

Basic understanding of spaceship sensory and computer systems.

This skill improves the ability to fit modules which utilize ship CPU enabling more sophisticated modules to be fitted.

• Power Grid Management : 5% bonus to ship power grid output per skill level. Starting Skill Level: IV

Basic understanding of spaceship energy grid systems.

This skill improves the ability to fit modules which utilize power grid so modules which consume power can be fitted more easily.

• Capacitor Management : 5% bonus to capacitor capacity per skill level. Starting Skill Level: III

Skill at regulating your ship's overall energy capacity.

This skill improves the maximum capacity of your ship's capacitor which allows active modules to remain active for longer periods of time before the capacitor is fully drained.

• Capacitor Systems Operation : 5% reduction in capacitor recharge time per skill level. Starting Skill Level: III

Skill at operating your ship's capacitor, including the use of capacitor boosters and other basic energy modules.

This skill decreases the capacitor recharge time which enables more active modules to remain online for a longer period of time. Sufficient levels of training in this skill will make it easier to fit a ship which is capacitor stable. This means all fitted active modules can remain on indefinitely.

Armor

• Mechanics : 5% bonus to structure hit points per skill level. Starting Skill Level: II or III, depending on race

Skill at maintaining the mechanical components and structural integrity of a spaceship.

This skill increases the hit points of your ship's structure. Along with shield hit points and armor hit points, this increases your ship's total effective hit points.

• Hull Upgrades : 5% bonus to armor hit points per skill level. Starting Skill Level: II or III, depending on race

Skill at maintaining your ship's armor and installing hull upgrades like expanded cargoholds and inertial stabilizers.

This skill increases the hit points of your ship's armor. Along with shield hit points and structure hit points, this increases your ship's total effective hit points.

Shields

• Shield Management : 5% bonus to shield capacity per skill level. Starting Skill Level: I or II, depending on race

Skill at regulating a spaceship's shield systems.

This skill increases the hit points of your ship's shields. Along with armor hit points and structure hit points, this increases your ship's total effective hit points.

• Shield Operation : 5% reduction in shield recharge time per skill level. Starting Skill Level: I or II, depending on race

Skill at operating a spaceship's shield systems, including the use of shield boosters and other basic shield modules.

This skill decreases the time required for your ship's shields to regenerate which helps to mitigate damage during combat as well as enabling faster recovery when the battle is over.

Targeting

• Long Range Targeting : 5% bonus to targeting range per skill level. Starting Skill Level: I

Skill at long range targeting.

This skill enables your ship to lock targets at greater distances which can be helpful for kite tanking and sniping.

• Signature Analysis : 5% improved targeting speed per skill level. Starting Skill Level: I

Skill at operating targeting systems.

This skill enables your ship to lock targets faster which enables you to quickly apply offensive modules and weapons to a hostile ship. It can mean the difference between whether or not you are successful at tackling a ship before it warps away and escapes.

Navigation

• Navigation : 5% bonus to sub-warp ship velocity per skill level. Starting Skill Level: III

Skill at regulating the power output of ship thrusters.

This skill enables your ship to travel faster at sub-warp speeds which enables you to more effectively chase down fast moving ships, escape more powerful opponents or mitigate damage by speed tanking.

• Evasive Maneuvering : 5% improved ship agility for all ships per skill level. Starting Skill Level: I

Skill at regulating the power output of ship thrusters.

This skill improves your ship's agility which enables it to turn, accelerate and enter warp more quickly. It can mean the difference between escaping in a pod or losing expensive implants.

• Warp Drive Operation : Each skill level reduces the capacitor need of initiating warp by 10%. Starting Skill Level: I

Skill at managing warp drive efficiency.

This skill reduces the capacitor usage when entering warp which can be helpful when traveling across larger systems, especially when warping large ships into a combat scenario. When arriving at a battle it is best to have as much remaining capacitor as possible. Exceptionally large systems, such as some wormhole systems, can cause ships to cap out, forcing your ship to drop out of warp before it arrives at your chosen destination.

Spaceship Command

• Spaceship Command : 2% improved ship agility for all ships per skill level. Starting Skill Level: III

The basic operation of spaceships.

This skill improves your ship's agility which enables it to turn, accelerate and enter warp more quickly. It can mean the difference between escaping in a pod or losing expensive implants.

Notes

Conceptual credit goes to Apollyons One. For the original post and additional discussion see Eve University Forum : The Magic 14.