Clone states

Starting with the Ascension expansion (November 2016), there are two different ways of playing EVE:

• You can play for free (i.e. without paying a monthly subscription fee), but you will be limited in which skills your character can train. This is referred to as "Alpha".
• Paying a monthly subscription to play the game, which allows your character to learn every skill in the game. This is referred to as "Omega".

In-game this system is referred to as Clone States. Characters on Alpha accounts are referred to as "Alpha clones", and characters on Omega accounts are referred to as "Omega clones". If you pay for a subscription (paid for with time cards, monthly payments, PLEX...), your account (and all the characters on that account) receive "Omega" status until your subscription runs out (or you cancel it), at which point they revert back to "Alpha" status. There is no way to tell an Alpha from an Omega clone in-game. The conversion from Alpha to Omega is immediate, while the conversion from Omega to Alpha will always happen when you next log into the game.

If an Omega clone is downgraded to an Alpha clone (because the account's subscription has run out), any skills that character has trained which are not part of the Alpha skill set are locked and become inactive, i.e. they cannot be used, but the invested skill points will not be lost. Any items or ships which require the locked skill become inactive and cannot be used, and the skill training queue will be paused (but can be resumed by logging into the game). If the account's subscription is renewed, then the character is automatically upgraded back to an Omega clone and can once again use all the skills they have previously trained.

Alpha or Omega status is tied to your game account. If you have multiple accounts, then you can choose to pay for a subscription for some, all or none of them, and each account (and the characters on that account) will have the corresponding Alpha or Omega state.

Alpha clones are welcome to join EVE University, however, there are some limitations on which titles Alpha clones may receive.

Alpha clones

Compared with Omega characters, Alpha characters are limited in the following ways:

• They may only train certain skills
• They take twice as long to train skills and have a shorter skill queue (24 hours, as opposed to unlimited for Omega characters)
• They may not use skill extractors to extract skillpoints from the Alpha skill list (see below)
• They may use skill injectors, but only apply them to skills from the Alpha set
• They pay an additional 2% tax on any industry job (e.g. manufacturing or research)
• If you are logged into the game with an Alpha character you may not log in simultaneously (multibox) with any other character (on any account)

Alpha skill set

The set of skills that Alpha characters may train limits them to:

• Combat ships up to battleship size, as well as basic industrial ships.
• Tech 1 sub-capital modules and ships with a few exceptions.
  • Arms Race patch granted Alpha clones the skills for T2 Small and Medium weapons.

Expand the table below to see which skills you can train as an Alpha, and to what maximum level. For a list of skills you start the game with, see starting skills.

Group	Skill	Rank	Points
Armor	Armor Layering	1	750
	EM Armor Compensation	2	2828
	Explosive Armor Compensation	2	2828
	Hull Upgrades	5	512000
	Kinetic Armor Compensation	2	2828
	Mechanics	5	256000
	Remote Armor Repair Systems	3	16000
	Remote Hull Repair Systems	2	2828
	Repair Systems	5	256000
	Thermal Armor Compensation	2	2828
Corporation Management	Corporation Management	1	250
Drones	Drone Avionics	4	45255
	Drone Durability	4	226274
	Drone Interfacing	4	226274
	Drone Navigation	4	45255
	Drone Sharpshooting	4	45255
	Drones	5	256000
	Light Drone Operation	5	256000
	Medium Drone Operation	5	512000
	Repair Drone Operation	2	4243
	Heavy Drone Operation	4	226274
	Amarr Drone Specialization	2	7071
	Caldari Drone Specialization	2	7071
	Gallente Drone Specialization	2	7071
	Minmatar Drone Specialization	2	7071
Electronic Systems	Electronic Warfare	4	90510
	Propulsion Jamming	4	135765
	Weapon Disruption	4	135765
	Sensor Linking	3	24000
	Target Painting	3	24000
Engineering	Advanced Weapon Upgrades	3	48000
	CPU Management	5	256000
	Capacitor Emission Systems	4	90510
	Capacitor Management	4	135765
	Capacitor Systems Operation	3	8000
	Electronics Upgrades	5	512000
	Energy Grid Upgrades	5	512000
	Energy Pulse Weapons	2	2828
	Power Grid Management	5	256000
	Thermodynamics	4	135765
	Weapon Upgrades	5	512000
Fleet Support	Leadership	3	8000
Gunnery	Controlled Bursts	4	90510
	Gunnery	5	256000
	Medium Energy Turret	5	768000
	Motion Prediction	4	90510
	Rapid Firing	4	90510
	Sharpshooter	4	90510
	Small Energy Turret	5	256000
	Surgical Strike	4	181019
	Trajectory Analysis	4	226274
	Small Pulse Laser Specialization	3	24000
	Medium Pulse Laser Specialization	3	40000
	Small Beam Laser Specialization	3	24000
	Medium Beam Laser Specialization	3	40000
	Large Energy Turret	4	226274
	Small Blaster Specialization	3	24000
	Medium Blaster Specialization	3	40000
	Small Railgun Specialization	3	24000
	Medium Railgun Specialization	3	40000
	Large Hybrid Turret	4	226274
	Small Autocannon Specialization	3	24000
	Medium Autocannon Specialization	3	40000
	Small Artillery Specialization	3	24000
	Medium Artillery Specialization	3	40000
	Large Projectile Turret	4	226274
	Medium Hybrid Turret	5	768000
	Small Hybrid Turret	5	256000
	Medium Projectile Turret	5	768000
	Small Projectile Turret	5	256000
Missiles	Rocket Specialization	3	24000
	Heavy Missile Specialization	3	40000
	Light Missile Specialization	3	24000
	Heavy Assault Missile Specialization	3	40000
	Torpedoes	4	226274
	Cruise Missiles	4	226274
	Guided Missile Precision	3	40000
	Missile Launcher Operation	5	256000
	Light Missiles	5	512000
	Heavy Assault Missiles	5	768000
	Heavy Missiles	5	768000
	Missile Bombardment	4	90510
	Missile Projection	2	5657
	Rapid Launch	4	90510
	Rockets	5	256000
	Target Navigation Prediction	3	16000
	Warhead Upgrades	3	40000
Navigation	Acceleration Control	3	32000
	Afterburner	3	8000
	Evasive Maneuvering	3	16000
	High Speed Maneuvering	3	40000
	Navigation	4	45255
	Warp Drive Operation	3	8000
Neural Enhancement	Biology	3	8000
	Cybernetics	3	24000
	Infomorph Psychology	1	250
Production	Industry	5	256000
	Mass Production	3	16000
Resource Processing	Mining	4	45255
	Ice Harvesting	2	1414
	Mining Upgrades	4	181019
	Reprocessing	3	8000
	Gas Cloud Harvesting	2	1414
	Salvaging	3	24000
Rigging	Armor Rigging	3	24000
	Astronautics Rigging	3	24000
	Hybrid Weapon Rigging	3	24000
	Launcher Rigging	3	24000
	Shield Rigging	3	24000
	Projectile Weapon Rigging	3	24000
	Drones Rigging	3	24000
	Electronic Superiority Rigging	3	24000
	Energy Weapon Rigging	3	24000
	Jury Rigging	3	16000
Scanning	Archaeology	3	24000
	Astrometric Acquisition	2	7071
	Astrometric Rangefinding	2	11314
	Astrometrics	3	24000
	Hacking	3	24000
	Survey	3	8000
Science	Science	4	45255
Shields	EM Shield Compensation	2	2828
	Explosive Shield Compensation	2	2828
	Kinetic Shield Compensation	2	2828
	Shield Emission Systems	3	16000
	Shield Compensation	4	90510
	Shield Management	4	135765
	Shield Operation	4	45255
	Shield Upgrades	4	90510
	Tactical Shield Manipulation	4	181019
	Thermal Shield Compensation	2	2828
Social	Connections	2	4243
	Criminal Connections	2	4243
	Diplomacy	3	8000
	Distribution Connections	2	2828
	Mining Connections	2	2828
	Negotiation	2	2828
	Security Connections	2	2828
	Social	3	8000
Spaceship Command	Amarr Battlecruiser	4	271529
	Amarr Battleship	4	362039
	Caldari Battlecruiser	4	271529
	Caldari Battleship	4	362039
	Minmatar Battlecruiser	4	271529
	Minmatar Battleship	4	362039
	Gallente Battlecruiser	4	271529
	Gallente Battleship	4	362039
	Amarr Cruiser	4	226274
	Amarr Destroyer	4	90510
	Amarr Frigate	4	90510
	[[Skills:Amarr Industrial]]	1	1000
	Mining Frigate	4	90510
	Spaceship Command	4	8000
	Caldari Cruiser	4	226274
	Caldari Destroyer	4	90510
	Caldari Frigate	4	90510
	[[Skills:Caldari Industrial]]	1	1000
	Gallente Cruiser	4	226274
	Gallente Destroyer	4	90510
	Gallente Frigate	4	90510
	[[Skills:Gallente Industrial]]	1	1000
	Minmatar Cruiser	4	226274
	Minmatar Destroyer	4	90510
	Minmatar Frigate	4	90510
	[[Skills:Minmatar Industrial]]	1	1000
Structure Management	Anchoring	1	750
Targeting	Long Range Targeting	3	16000
	Signature Analysis	3	8000
	Target Management	4	45255
Trade	Broker Relations	2	2828
	Marketing	2	4243
	Trade	3	8000

Gameplay

While they are well suited for getting introduced to EVE Online, Alpha characters should be seen more as an "indefinite trial" rather than as a "free-to-play" option.

Combat

Alpha characters are perfectly viable in low-level PvP and PvE, and in support roles in larger-scale PvP (such as EWAR or tackle for a fleet). However, their performance will not be on par with Omega characters once the latter has trained the skills to start using Tech 2 modules and ships.

Industry

Alpha characters can mine (ore or gas) in a Venture (but not use more advanced mining ships), and can perform basic (only Tech 1, no invention) manufacturing. While they will not be as efficient as an Omega character (who have access to more advanced ships and skills which improve mining and manufacturing efficiency, and are not subject to the addition 2% tax levied on Alpha characters), they can nonetheless participate in basic industry. They can salvage wrecks, but they cannot, however, do Planetary Interaction.

Alpha characters can trade, but they will pay higher taxes on their transactions and have fewer options at their disposal (e.g. they can only sell items located within 5 jumps, whereas an Omega character has the option to train skills allowing them to sell items anywhere in the current region). Alphas can have 1 active contract at a time (i.e. they can create 1 contract, but have to wait for it to be fulfilled before creating another), but they can accept contracts.

Basic hauling is an option for Alpha characters as they have access to their races' Tech 1 industrial ships.

Exploration

Alpha characters can do basic exploration.

Choice of race

As an Alpha character is limited to flying their race's ships, and using only their race's preferred weapon systems, choosing your character's race (Amarr, Caldari, Gallente, and Minmatar) has a larger impact on your gameplay when compared with Omega clones, for whom race choice is a largely aesthetic choice. However, keep in mind that you can always create additional characters of different races to try out other options, or upgrade to an Omega clone.

The factors below affect what possibilities are open to each race specifically for Alpha characters. Keep in mind that every ship in the game has its nuances, and there are always exceptions to the rule; Omega characters in particular have many more possibilities to bend or break the principles listed below.

Weapons systems

There are different weapon types in EVE:

• Turret weapons, further subdivided into
  • Energy weapons (lasers), which use a lot of capacitor, and can only deal two of the four damage types, but have infinite ammunition. Energy turrets are the primary weapons system for Amarr ships.
  • Hybrid weapons, which can only deal two of the four damage types, and can either do very high damage or fight at long ranges, but not both. Hybrid weapons are used by the Caldari and Gallente, with the Caldari tending towards long-ranged combat and Gallente towards shorter-ranged combat.
  • Projectile weapons (essentially, guns) use no capacitor to fire and are very flexible in what damage types they deal, but have a slightly more complicated ammunition selection. Projectile weapons are the primary weapons system for Minmatar ships.
• Missile launchers, which fire guided missiles. They can deal all four damage types and use no capacitor to fire, but take time to reach their targets and don't offer the on-the-fly trade-offs between range and damage that turret weapons do. Missiles are used by the Caldari and Minmatar. Defender Missiles can be trained and used by all races.
• Drones, which are small semi-autonomous spaceships. They, too, can deal all four damage types and use no capacitor to fire, but the drones must first travel to reach their targets, and they can be shot down by enemy ships. Drones are used by the Gallente and Amarr.

Tank and speed

There are two main approaches to tanking (i.e. to mitigate incoming damage) ships in EVE: strengthening either your ship's shields or your ship's armor to absorb as much damage as possible.

• Caldari and some Minmatar ships rely primarily on shield tanking. Shield tanked ships tend to be faster than armour tanked ships, and shields regenerate by themselves over time. However, shield tanked ships also tend to have a larger signature radius, causing them to take more damage from incoming fire.
• Amarr, Gallente and some Minmatar ships rely primarily on armor tanking. Armor tanked ships tend to be tougher than shield tanked ships, and make more efficient use of capacitor to repair damage. However, armor tanked ships tend to be slower than shield tanked ships and do less damage.

Alpha characters can also play in basic logistics roles, repairing friendly ships to help them survive for longer in combat. Amarr and Gallente characters can repair other ships' armor, while Caldari and Minmatar players can repair other ships' shields.

While each race has faster and slower ships in their lineup, Amarr ships tend to be the slowest and Minmatar the fastest, with Caldari and Gallente falling somewhere in between.

Electronic warfare

Each race has its own type of electronic warfare, which is used to decrease the effectiveness of enemy ships in battle.

• The Amarr use Weapon Disruption, which reduces the effectiveness of the enemy ships' weapons
• The Caldari use Electronic Countermeasures (ECM), which breaks the enemy ships' target locks
• The Gallente use Remote Sensor Dampening, which interferes with the enemy ships' targeting
• The Minmatar use Target Painting, which makes enemy ships easier to hit and take more damage

While all Alpha characters can use ECM and Weapon Disruption, only Amarr Alpha characters can use ships which provide bonuses to Weapon Disruption, and only Caldari Alpha characters can use use ships which provide bonuses to ECM (with the exception of Corvettes). Remote Sensor Dampening and Target Painting are restricted to Gallente and Minmatar Alpha clones, respectively.

Industrials

Each race has two basic industrial (hauling) ships that Alpha characters can fly. Additionally, Minmatar and Gallente characters can fly industrial ships specialised in carrying large quantities of a specific cargo type: ammunition for Minmatar (Hoarder); ore, minerals, and planetary commodities for Gallente (Miasmos, Kryos, and Epithal).

Omega clones

Omega clones may use any skill, ship and item in the game. Additionally, you may log into the game with more than one account at a time (multiboxing), but only as long as all the accounts being logged in have Omega status.

External links

• Dev Blog: Introducing Clone States (August 2016)
• Dev Blog: Clone States - Post CSM Summit Roundup (October 2016)
• Patch Notes for the Ascension expansion (November 2016)
• Forum Post: [December] Defender Missiles (November 2016)
• EVE Support page for Alpha and Omega clones
• EVE Support page for Alpha Clones and Omega Clone lapsing - Quick Facts