Frigates
Frigates are the smallest and fastest ships in Eve. New pilots begin by flying frigates, and the Tech 1 frigates only cost a few hundred thousand ISK. Don't be fooled by the low cost of frigates and the fact that they're used by novice pilots, though: frigates can play an important role in battle, and in numbers or with skilled pilots even Tech 1 frigates can be deadly.
There are a number of classes of Tech 2 frigates, which have advanced abilities and are also much more focused on a particular role: tackling interceptors, cloaking and scanning covert ops frigates, surprise-attack stealth bombers, electronic attack ships for electronic warfare, and assault ships, which are designed purely to deal and survive damage.
Rookie Ships
Little more than slower, armed shuttles, rookie ships (or "noobships") are the basic frigates that new pilots start with. You can acquire a new noobship (together with a civilian weapon, a civilian mining laser and one unit of Tritanium) for free by docking your pod in a station where you don't already have any ships. On their own these are not much use for anything other than basic errand-running. Eve University has, however, been known to field fleets composed entirely of noobships, more for their comedy value than for their effectiveness in battle.
All four rookie ships can carry at least one light drone in their dronebay. The Gallente Velator can carry two.
- Impairor (Amarr)
- Ibis (Caldari)
- Velator (Gallente)
- Reaper (Minmatar)
Shuttles
Shuttles are a cheap and fast way to travel between systems. They are cheap to construct and buy off the market and they move fast for their price, thus making them an excellent choice for travel. While shuttles have been known to be used as scout or survey ships, their most common use is to travel to pick up other, more expensive ships. They have very limited cargo space and cannot fit any modules. Note that you can fly any race's shuttle.
T1 Frigates
Besides shuttles and rookie ships, each race has six frigates which can be (unofficially) sorted by their roles. One is a mining frigate, which has mining-related bonuses but is very weak in combat. Then there are two damage-dealing frigates, one which uses gun turrets to fight (although the Gallente have two turret frigates) and one which has bonuses for missile launchers (the Gallente don't have a frigate with missile bonuses, though the Tristan can fit missile launchers). One further combat frigate uses electronic warfare. Each race's frigate lineup is completed by an unusually fast and nimble scouting/courier frigate (which can sometimes be a cheap alternative to a shuttle), and an exploration frigate with a bonus which helps it to use probes to scan for PvE exploration sites or PvP enemies.
In fleet PvP Tech 1 frigates are generally used for tackling or electronic warfare, two roles in which they can have a significant impact. Tech 1 frigates are also flown for solo PvP: their speed and small size helps solo pilots to pick their targets, and their low cost makes them comfortably expendable.
In PvE the more combat-focused frigates are used to complete Level 1 missions, though once new pilots are a little wealthier and better-trained they often begin to use destroyers instead.
Amarr
- Tormentor: Mining frigate.
- Punisher: Combat frigate, uses laser turrets. Sometimes fitted with autocannon instead, since it has a capacitor use bonus for lasers rather than a damage bonus, and autocannon use no cap in the first place. Can mount a tough tank for a frigate. Viable for solo PvP.
- Inquisitor: Combat frigate, uses missiles. Little-used, since few rookie Amarr pilots train missiles.
- Crucifier: Electronic warfare frigate; uses tracking disruptors to interfere with enemy gunships' ability to aim properly.
- Executioner: Fast frigate.
- Magnate: Exploration frigate.
Caldari
- Bantam: Mining frigate.
- Merlin: Combat frigate, uses hybrid turrets. Range and resistance bonuses mean it can tank and kite in missions. Four midslots let it fit all three tackling modules and a sensor booster; a good tackler.
- Kestrel: Combat frigate, uses missiles. Great for PvE.
- Griffin: Electronic warfare frigate, uses ECM to break enemy target locks and to stop the enemy from locking again.
- Condor: Fast frigate.
- Heron: Exploration frigate.
Gallente
- Navitas: Mining frigate.
- Incursus: Combat frigate, uses hybrid turrets. Viable for solo PvP. A capable tackler.
- Tristan: Combat frigate, also uses hybrid turrets. Split hardpoint layout means that it often fits missile launchers too, though it has no missile bonuses. Slow for a frigate.
- Maulus: Electronic warfare frigate, uses remote sensor dampeners to interfere with enemy ships' targeting range and locking times.
- Atron: Fast frigate.
- Imicus: Exploration frigate.
Minmatar
- Burst: Mining frigate.
- Rifter: Combat frigate, uses projectile turrets. High speed. Possibly the best T1 combat frigate. Popular, cheap and highly effective: a reputation as "Eve's AK47". Viable for solo PvP. Good tackler.
- Breacher: Combat frigate, uses missiles. Overshadowed by the Rifter.
- Vigil: Electronic warfare frigate, uses target painters to make it easier for its allies to hit and hurt the enemy. Has a per-level bonus to speed, and can give an interceptor a run for its money.
- Slasher: Fast frigate.
- Probe: Exploration frigate (not to be confused with actual scanner probes).
T2 Frigates
Interceptors
Interceptors ("'ceptors", "inties") are the primary tacklers everywhere but nullsec (where interdictors and HICs take over). They have the highest scan resolution of any ship class, and only the Vigil (the Minmatar electronic warfare frigate) can match their sub-warp speed. While their main purpose is tackling, many interceptors can also be fitted to be effective combat ships. Their firepower and tank will be low compared to other ships, but they have the advantage of very high speed (even when combat fitted) and awesome agility.
Each race has two interceptors, one designed purely for tackling, with a bonus to the range of tackling modules, and the other designed more for damage-dealing. Both interceptors are based on the hull of the race's Tech 1 fast courier/scouting frigate.
Amarr
- Crusader: Damage-dealing interceptor. Commonly kites enemies from beyond web range, firing Tech 2 small pulse lasers loaded with Scorch crystals.
- Malediction: Amarr tackle interceptor.
Caldari
- Crow: Kiting ranged missile spam.
- Raptor: Caldari tackle interceptor rather overshadowed by the Crow despite having a longer-ranged point.
Gallente
- Taranis: Slower interceptor, great DPS, one of the best dogfighting frigates.
- Ares: Gallente tackle interceptor.
Minmatar
- Claw: Fastest interceptor, decent dogfighter.
- Siletto: Perhaps the best tackle interceptor due to its slot layout.
Covert Ops
Cov-ops frigates can warp while cloaked, and have several uses. As scouts they can stealthily gather intelligence and use their scanning bonus to probe out enemy targets. In exploration they can use the same scanning bonuse to probe down PvE exploration sites. Cov-ops frigates can also be used for tackling things they've scouted or probed out, but that's only for experienced pilots who know what they can and can't hold long enough for help to arrive, and which targets are worth the risk.
There are only minor differences between the four covert-ops frigates, in powergrid/CPU, slot layout, speed &c. Each covops frigate is based on the hull of its race's exploration frigate.
Stealth Bombers
Stealth bombers are very specialised ships which can warp cloaked and don't have a sensor recalibration delay preventing them from locking targets after decloaking. They can fit torpedo launchers and bomb launchers (although bombs -- devastating area-effect weapons -- can only be used in nullsec). Stealth bombers put out extraordinary DPS but die very fast if anyone manages to put some damage on them. They are the bane of large ships, especially in nullsec. In groups, flown well, stealth bombers can take down carriers.
Each race's stealth bomber is based on the hull of that race's missile frigate (the Gallente Nemesis is based on the Tristan hull) and has a damage bonus for bombs and torpedoes which do its race's associated damage type.
Electronic Attack Ships
These are basically frigate-sized version of the combat recon ships, but their proportion of usefulness to cost varies from ship to ship. Each race's electronic attack ship is based on the hull of that race's Tech 1 electronic warfare frigate.
- Amarr Sentinel: Bonuses for energy neutralizers and tracking disruptors, and a good dronebay (for a frigate). Can be used for solo pvp.
- Caldari Kitsune: Long range, powerful ECM jamming.
- Gallente Keres: Bonuses for sensor dampening and for the range of warp scramblers and warp disruptors.
- Minmatar Hyena: Bonuses for sensor dampening and for the range of stasis webifiers.
Assault Ships
Assault ships (commonly called "Assault Frigates" or "AFs" to distinguish them from HACs) are have good tanks and usually high DPS. If you get tackled by an assault ship, you're generally not going anywhere: they're a pain to get rid of when properly fitted. Their disadvantage compared to interceptors is that they're slower, and often sacrifice their MWD and fit an afterburner instead to survive longer after tackling a target. Some assault ships make decent tacklers, and they can provide decent damage in a fleet of small ships. If the fleet has larger damage-dealing ships assault ships can lack a role, though they may still be a good defence against other small targets.
In PvE assault ships can take on missions and combat sites which would normally be too difficult for a frigate-sized ship.
Both assault ships of each race are based on the hull of that race's primary Tech 1 combat frigate (the Punisher, Merlin, Incursus or Rifter).
Amarr
- Retribution Uses lasers. High DPS, but struggles to tackle or fly solo because it only has one midslot.
- Vengeance Uses rockets. Tough ship with three midslots, but limited damage because rockets are an underwhelming weapon.
Caldari
- Harpy Uses hybrid turrets. Commonly fit with railguns as a mini-sniper.
- Hawk Uses missile launchers. Limited use in PvP, helpful in PvE.
Gallente
- Enyo Uses hybrid turrets. Commonly fit with blasters for face-melting point-blank DPS.
- Ishkur Drone boat. Superb. Potentially 50m3 drone bay.
Minmatar
- Wolf Uses projectile turrets. Very high DPS.
- Jaguar Also uses projectile turrets. Decent DPS, fastest assault ship.
Faction Frigates
- Amarr Navy Slicer
- Caldari Navy Hookbill
- Cruor
- Daredevil
- Dramiel
- Freki
- Gallente Navy Comet
- Mimir
- Republic Fleet Firetail
- Succubus
- Worm
