Clone states

Template:Current 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 or vice-versa will always happen at the start of a new game session.

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 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

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

• They may only train certain skills
• They train skills more 50% more slowly and have a shorter skill queue (24 hours, as opposed to years for Omega characters)
• They may not use skill extractors to extract skillpoints from the Alpha skill list (see below)
• 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:

• Their race's preferred weapon system and ships, This means that, for instance, an Amarr Alpha character can only fly Amarr ships and can only use energy weapons and drones, but projectile or hybrid weapons.
• Combat ships up to cruiser size, as well as basic industrial ships.
• Tech 1 modules and ships.

They may only train the following skills:

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), 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 cannot create new contracts, 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.

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)
• Patch Notes for the Ascension expansion (November 2016)