Visual effects
This guide is intended to introduce beginners to the visual cues EVE Online has for the various modules, so that you can recognise what's being done to your ship in combat (and hopefully, how to counter it). Each visual effect has an animated GIF illustrating what it looks like, however in case the animations do not load properly in your in-game browser each effect also has a link to a static picture as well.
WARNING: picture heavy!
Local Repair Modules
Armour Repairer
An armour repairer, as the name suggests, actively repairs the ship's armour whilst the module is active.
The visibility of the armour repairer depends a lot on the ship. Some ships are easy to see repairing, others are not. For instance, this effect on the Hurricane (the ship in this animation) is not so easy to see in space, whereas this animation is very obvious on Amarr battleships due to their design.
Hull Repairer
Just as the armour repairer repairs armour, the hull repairer repairs hull damage whilst active.
You won't often see this in space, since hull tanking is daft. Whilst similar to the armour repair animation, it is greener and sharper, and the animations are faster.
Shield Booster
The shield booster does for shield what the two previous modules did for armour & hull.
The shield booster is the easiest of these three to see. One thing which sets this apart from the armour & hull repairers is that the animation is offset from the ship surface.
For all three, here is a still picture on a different ship: Media:CuesLocalreppers.JPG
Remote Repair Modules
Armour Repairer
The remote armour repairer is used to repair your fleet mates taking damage.
Appears as a green and orange cone/cyclone which extends from the ship to the target. In this animation, the Hurricane on the right is repairing the Blackbird on the left. The remote hull repair module has exactly the same animation.
Shield Transporter
The remote shield repairer is known as a shield transporter, and repairs your fleet mates' shield damage. Note that despite its name, it does not reduce your own shield.
The shield transporter is seen as a blue star-burst and beam pointed at the target with a cone of blue rings moving towards the target. Again, the Hurricane on the right is repairing the Blackbird on the left.
For all remote repair modules, here's a still image: Media:CuesRemote.JPG
Remote Energy Modules
For each of these modules, the Hurricane on the right is activating the module, targeting the ship on the left.
Energy Transfer
Energy transfer takes a portion of your own capacitor and adds it to the target's. Thus, this is a module you use on a friendly ship to increase their capacitor.
The golden beams shift, strobe and move violently when the module is active.
Energy Destabilizer
An energy destabilizer - also known as a neutralizer or neut - removes some energy of the target ship's capacitor. Thus this is a hostile module you would activate on enemy ships to shut down their active modules.
This looks like an energy transfer effect, except blue & pink instead of gold.
Energy Vampire
Also known as a nosferatu or nos - the energy vampire takes some of the enemy's capacitor energy and adds it to your own. This can be useful for both annoying the enemy and helping to keep your own active modules running.
There is a red beam pointing towards the target with a shifting and spiraling red cyclone.
Still image for these three modules coming Soon™.
Warp Scrambler and Webifier
The Hurricane on the right is scrambling the Blackbird on the left. The warp scrambler is seen as a very faint grey/blue cone extending towards its target. It's hard to see here, and not much easier to see in space.
The webifier doesn't have a ship-to-ship effect, just a kind of circular ripple effect around the target.
Still images for scram and web: Media:Cuesscramandweb.JPG
Electronic Counter Measures
ECCM
This is the ECCM, a module used to increase your signature strength and make you less susceptible to jamming. It looks like a big white spider's web emanating from your ship.
Remote Sensor Booster/Dampener
The remote sensor booster, remote sensor dampener and tracking disruptor all look the same - white waves from your ship (in this case, Hurricane) towards the target. In this animation the ships are close together, but often the targets will be a long way apart, and the effect will look very thin and elongated. In this animation the waves are almost semi-circles; in long-distance cases the waves might only be a two or three degrees of arc.
Target Painter
It wasn't worth uploading a GIF of a target painter, since it hardly changes (the animation is very subtle). It's simply a thin red line between originating ship and target.
Still images: Media:CuesEcm.JPG
Local Sensor Booster
A sensor booster increases a ship's targeting range and locking speed, making it easier to catch and pin down ships.
The ship flashes and strobes white light. Picture: Media:Local_sensor_booster.JPG
Tracking Computer
Boosts your turrets' tracking speed and optimal range.
Looks like a radar-effect - fairly subtle and quite hard to see. No still image.
Smartbomb
Smartbombs are bad news unless it's you doing it. Don't wait around to get blown up and podded.
Unfortunately my video capture software chose this moment to extort money off me to carry on running at the same high video quality. So this animation looks like crap I'm afraid. Fortunately smartbombs are bright and obvious - a huge white/orange explosion-effect centred on the ship.
Cloaking Device
Your ship shimmers before disappearing from view.
Tractor Beam
This shows as a fluctuating cone of green light out towards the target.
Salvager
A beam of white light hits the target which is then covered in white light.
Notes
This guide has omitted some information due to its inaccessibility to the author. Please feel free to correct any mistakes, add more information or edit this list of graphical ship effects which were not included and need to be added in the future.
- Cyno field generator
- Jump portal/gate jump
- Jump bridge
- Tracking computer
- Armor and Shield Hardeners