Difference between revisions of "Annotated Index to PvP"

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== Frequently Asked Questions ==
 
== Frequently Asked Questions ==
These FAQs may shorten your search time, especially if you are new to EVE PvP. (''In the end you will still have plenty of questions. If you cannot find the answers in UNIWiki, you should proceed to ask in one of the [[#Chat|E-UNI chat channels]], or check out the [[#Forums|E-UNI forums]].'')
 
=== How do I learn about PvP in EVE? ===
 
''Do you mean Fleet PVP or solo PVP? Are you a beginner, or are you looking for additional information? Are you trying to fit a specific ship? Or are you looking for good PVP ships in general?'' As you might guess, it's not as simple as it seems - so read on.
 
  
In most online combat games you learn to use a weapon, say a sword or an axe, And then you use that weapon in pretty much the same way against all enemies. But EVE doesn't work that way. Each EVE ship has built-in strengths and weaknesses, so each ship is better off with particular kinds of weapons, and needs to be flown in a different way to make the best use of them. If you fight in a fleet you will likely choose a different ship with different weapons than you would use if you were fighting on your own. In fact, you might choose a different ship for a large fleet than you would for a small one.
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To move beyond these FAQs, ask in one of the [[#Chat|Uni chat channels]], on [[Discord]], or on the [[#Forums|Uni forums]].
 
 
The blunt answer to the question "''how do I learn about PVP in EVE''" is "go do it" - learn by experience. But here are some hints and suggestions about how to get started and where to look.
 
 
 
* '''''SOLO PVP''''' Every beginner's tutorial on solo PVP says more or less the same thing ... "buy yourself a handful of cheap ships, fit them as cheaply as you can, get insurance, make sure your medical clone is located in a convenient system, and then go down to low sec and fly around and wait for someone to attack you. You will lose ships, but you will learn PvP." If you would like to read a bit more about good beginning ships and fits, try [[Solo PvP#Ship Choice and Fitting|this UNIWiki link]]. You can also go to YouTube and search on "Eve solo PVP" to find some videos.
 
 
 
* '''''FLEET PVP''''' The easiest way to learn fleet PVP is to join an [[#How do I join a PVP fleet|E-UNI beginners fleet]] and go do it. Two of the fleet roles, [[#tackling|tackling]] and [[#electronic warfare|electronic warfare]], require relatively few skills and can be done by very new players. You can take the E-UNI courses on tackling and EWAR if you wish ... these are offered at regular intervals – check the [[#Calendar_and_Forums|calendar]] for times. This wiki has some guides to [[#Introductions|fleet combat for new players]]. And, you can always just ask about it in chat. Teaching players about fleet combat is one of the main things that EVE University does, it will be easy for you to get started.
 
 
 
* '''''SHIPS''''' Ships and their fittings are large part of the EVE game. There is no simple easy way to know what is best, but the advice that is usually given to beginners is to start with frigates, learn them thoroughly, and then move on to cruisers, battle cruisers and battleships. The two FAQs that follow this one have more to say about ships.
 
 
 
* '''''TACTICS AND TECHNIQUES''''' Strangely, combat techniques are not discussed very often in this wiki. Perhaps that is because most of them are fairly obvious - target, shoot, repeat. Or perhaps it is because the way you fight has so much to do with your own personality, and the way you have fit out your particular ship. The best advice is probably "get some practice in, and then ask your questions in [[#Calendar, Forums and Chat|chat or one of the forums]]." The odds are good that you will find someone who has been in your situation and is willing to discuss it with you.
 
  
 
=== What is the best ship for PvP? ===
 
=== What is the best ship for PvP? ===
The best PvP ship has shields that are 100% effective again all damage types, impenetrable armor, drones that can warp instantaneously to their targets and deliver a massive punch, an invisibility cloak that never goes down, and weapons that fire tiny little black holes that suck down their targets, no matter how large. [Sigh], but then everybody would have one and EVE combat would be rather futile, would it not?
 
  
OK, so there is no perfect combat ship. What you really want to know is, "How do I best spend my ISK to get myself into a ship that I can fly effectively with my existing skills?"
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EVE has no perfect combat ship: every ship has weaknesses, and all ships are weak to being swarmed by greater numbers of pilots. Furthermore, the more effective a ship is, the more it will cost. To compound the complexity, once a player knows what they are doing it becomes quite hard to impose PvP on someone, and so it sometimes pays off to surprise opponents with sub-optimal and counterintuitive ships or fits. Flown well and used in the right circumstances, cheap, low-SP hulls can defeat ships which are an order of magnitude more expensive.
  
To answer that question, you first have to answer this one: "How, exactly, do I want to use this ship?" There are few, if any, general purpose ships in EVE. The most common uses of ships are: damage, tackling, EWAR, mining, hauling, exploration, and scouting. Once you know which of these activities you intend to do, then you can pick a ship whose configuration and bonuses match up.
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For these reasons, it might be better to ask:
  
For solo PVP you probably want a damage ship. This will be one that has the most defense for a sizable offense. But even in this category, there are choices. For close-in combat, you likely want short range powerful weapons and good armor - which requires a ship that supports turrets and has numerous low power slots. For missile combat you need launchers, and you probably want a number of mid power slots to mount shields in order to get the speed you need to avoid the enemy while your missiles approach. And of course, drone combat requires a somewhat different mix of capabilities.
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* "What can I fly well with my current player and character skills?"
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* "What can I afford to lose at my current scale of ISK earnings?"
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* "What will function well in the type of space where I plan to fight?
  
For Fleet PVP you need to know your role. For tackling you want a speedy ship with plenty of mid-level power slots for mounting your tackling gear. For electronic warfare you want a ship whose bonuses support the kind of EWAR you intend to do. For scouting you will need to be cloaked. For the damage role, a variety of combat ships may do, but on the other hand the fleet commander may specify a certain kind of ship to fit the fleet doctrine.
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For PvP fleets, there will typically be a pre-stated [[doctrine]], or at least general guidelines such as "fast shield-tanked ships cruiser-sized or below", which will give you some starting-points, and in the case of a doctrine, a set of pre-made fits. Correspond with the FC ahead of time if you want to clarify whether flying a particular ship/role would be all right, or to ask whether they have any options for characters with your SP level.
  
The bottom line is that there really '''is''' no answer to the question "''what is the best ship for PVP''". What you need to do is go read about the activity that you intend to pursue, and see what kinds of ships are suggested for that activity.
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For solo PvP, it is worth watching videos and studying the fits of successful players, which will both show you what some workable fits look like, and fill you in on the current "meta".
  
 
=== How do I fit my <''ship class''> for PvP? ===
 
=== How do I fit my <''ship class''> for PvP? ===
There are two good ways to find information about fitting ships:
 
  
* The first is to go look in the UNWiki [[Template:ShipsMatrix|Eve ship database]]. Every ship is listed there, with a link to a page that describes the ship in detail. At the bottom of that detail page you will find one or more fits for the ship. Usually these will be labeled in terms of their use … that is, ''Kiting Solo PVP'' fit, or ''Fleet Scouting'' fit ... although sometimes the names don't mean much and you will have to study the fit to figure out when to use it.
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First, know [[Fitting ships|the rules of thumb]] for fitting.
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If you are going to be flying in a fleet with a declared doctrine or comp, there will be pre-existing fits to use.
  
:For example, suppose you have been training to use drones and are thinking about getting a [[Vexor]]. The Vexor page gives a summary of the skills you need, and it provides two fleet PvP fits: one shield tanked and one armor tanked.
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Beyond that, you can explore several avenues:
  
* A second, and possibly more useful place, especially if you are an experienced fighter, is to ask in one of the [[EVE University Chat Channels|E-UNI chat channels or forums.]] ''Q&A.E-UNI'' is especially useful for this kind of question, as there are often E-UNI experts on who are willing to talk at length about fitting ships. The general ''Chat.E-UNI'' channel is also good, as are the specific channels for the various campuses. Don't be afraid to ask what seems to be a simple or dumb question - fitting ships well is hard to do, and everyone knows that. Also, everyone loves their favorite fits, and they are usually willing to talk about them. [https://forum.eveuniversity.org/viewforum.php?f=129 E-UNI Forum: PvP Ship Loadouts] includes a lot of information on ship fitting, though some of it is probably too technical for beginners.
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* Read up on your ship in the [[Template:ShipsMatrix|Eve ship database]]. Attend carefully to its bonuses and its slot layout.
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* Ask around on Uni Discord and in-game for help coming up with or refining a fit. Don't be afraid to ask what seems to be a simple or dumb question: fitting ships well is hard to do, and everyone knows that. Everyone loves their favorite fits, and they are usually willing to talk about them.
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* Survey recent losses for the ship on [https://zkillboard.com/ zKillboard]. Don't take any ''one'' loss as a definitive fit, and look at the contexts (did this die in mass fleet combat or solo?), but generally if you've reviewed the fits of 20 ship losses, you will begin to get a sense for what common fits are.
  
By the way, there ''is'' no perfect fit. As you probably know by now, a ship's equipment interacts tightly with a pilot's skills, experience and psychology. What works best for one may not work well for another. You will find ''your'' perfect fit by trying different set-ups and seeing how they work out.
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While there is often a fairly tight set of optimal fits for a ship in PvP, there is no single perfect fit. A ship's equipment interacts tightly with a pilot's skills, experience and psychology, and a sub-optimal fit can sometimes be worth it if it offers you abilities which will take opponents by surprise.
  
 
=== How do I find a solo PvP fight? ===
 
=== How do I find a solo PvP fight? ===

Revision as of 14:00, 12 August 2022

This article should be cleaned up or improved.
The reason is: Update information regarding the Low-Sec Campus because it does not exist anymore

This page is an annotated index to the many PvP combat sources that can be found in this Wiki. It complements the PvP page category, which is an alphabetized list with no annotations but does include a wider range of entries.

When you edit this page, please try to keep text to the minimum needed to describe the link you are adding.

Common to All PvP

These include information that applies whether you are doing PvP solo or in a fleet.

Forums and Chat

Forums

Chat

The EVE University Chat Channels page lists channels that might be of some use if you want to discuss PvP. Here are the ones most useful to beginners:

  • EVE University (E-UNI): channel is open to the EVE public and people there can try to help. Preface questions with "Q."
  • Questions (EVE Uni): questions channel for EVE University members. Preface questions with "Q."
  • Campus Channels: each of the E-UNI campuses has a channel, and it is not unusual to find discussions of PvP events or problems related to the campus.

Most E-UNI chat channels are password protected for privacy. You can acquire these passwords from this E-Uni forum post. You need to be an E-Uni member to access this post.

Members might also find the #fitting-chat and #eve-uni-general channels in the University Discord helpful; non-members can ask questions in #eve-uni-public-help, which is open to all.

Killboard

  • zKillboard: E-Uni losses and kills are automatically posted here.

Timers

  • Timers: log-off, weapons, remote assistance and other timers that affect your ship's status during combat.

General Introductions

These give general descriptions of PvP organization, strategies, tactics, ships, skills and so on, but without digging into the nitty gritty details. Each may cover a variety of topics.

Tactics

Ways to find fights, win them, and manage their risks.

Hunting

Combat

  • Targeting: methods and time considerations.
  • Tackling: the central act that starts most PvP combat in EVE—stopping a target from warping away.
  • Overheating: get max performance from a ship by pushing modules to their limits.
  • Electronic warfare ("EWAR") in general. EWAR interferes with enemy ships to decrease their effectiveness in battle.
  • Electronic Countermeasures ("ECM", "jamming"): a powerful subtype of EWAR that breaks enemy target-locks.
  • Capacitor warfare: make opponents helpless by draining their capacitors.

Dealing with losses

Ships

Capabilities, uses, comparisons.

Hardware and Software

Weapons. Ammunition. Fittings.

Weapons

Defense

  • Tanking: detailed treatment of tank types and tanking techniques.

Fleet PvP

Fleet Organization and Doctrine

For members

For commanders

Roles

  • Logistics: essentially, EVE's PvP "healer" role.
  • Scouting: detailed treatment of covert ops scouting in high and low security space.

Tactics

  • Gate camps: trapping enemy ships at warp gates, and how to escape from such traps.
  • Pipe Bombing: trapping an enemy fleet travelling through nullsec with an interdiction bubble and using smartbombing battleships to destroy them.
  • Spider tanking: a fleet tactic in which ships use remote armor repair modules to repair one another

Solo PvP

Other

Please add to this category any links that do not fit above.

E-Uni wars

Factional warfare

Factional warfare ("FW") is a PvE/PvP hybrid whereby players join teams and perform PvE missions in an environment that encourages PvP. Factional warfare is generally seen as a "stepping stone" to full scale PvP.

IMPORTANT: EVE University does not participate in factional warfare; members of the University must leave to participate in factional warfare, or create an alt character with which to participate. EVE University used to have affiliated corporations which participated in Factional Warfare, but this is no longer the case.

Other Indexes

  • PvP page category: automatically collects the links to all wiki pages that include the "PvP" category tag.

Frequently Asked Questions

To move beyond these FAQs, ask in one of the Uni chat channels, on Discord, or on the Uni forums.

What is the best ship for PvP?

EVE has no perfect combat ship: every ship has weaknesses, and all ships are weak to being swarmed by greater numbers of pilots. Furthermore, the more effective a ship is, the more it will cost. To compound the complexity, once a player knows what they are doing it becomes quite hard to impose PvP on someone, and so it sometimes pays off to surprise opponents with sub-optimal and counterintuitive ships or fits. Flown well and used in the right circumstances, cheap, low-SP hulls can defeat ships which are an order of magnitude more expensive.

For these reasons, it might be better to ask:

  • "What can I fly well with my current player and character skills?"
  • "What can I afford to lose at my current scale of ISK earnings?"
  • "What will function well in the type of space where I plan to fight?

For PvP fleets, there will typically be a pre-stated doctrine, or at least general guidelines such as "fast shield-tanked ships cruiser-sized or below", which will give you some starting-points, and in the case of a doctrine, a set of pre-made fits. Correspond with the FC ahead of time if you want to clarify whether flying a particular ship/role would be all right, or to ask whether they have any options for characters with your SP level.

For solo PvP, it is worth watching videos and studying the fits of successful players, which will both show you what some workable fits look like, and fill you in on the current "meta".

How do I fit my <ship class> for PvP?

First, know the rules of thumb for fitting.

If you are going to be flying in a fleet with a declared doctrine or comp, there will be pre-existing fits to use.

Beyond that, you can explore several avenues:

  • Read up on your ship in the Eve ship database. Attend carefully to its bonuses and its slot layout.
  • Ask around on Uni Discord and in-game for help coming up with or refining a fit. Don't be afraid to ask what seems to be a simple or dumb question: fitting ships well is hard to do, and everyone knows that. Everyone loves their favorite fits, and they are usually willing to talk about them.
  • Survey recent losses for the ship on zKillboard. Don't take any one loss as a definitive fit, and look at the contexts (did this die in mass fleet combat or solo?), but generally if you've reviewed the fits of 20 ship losses, you will begin to get a sense for what common fits are.

While there is often a fairly tight set of optimal fits for a ship in PvP, there is no single perfect fit. A ship's equipment interacts tightly with a pilot's skills, experience and psychology, and a sub-optimal fit can sometimes be worth it if it offers you abilities which will take opponents by surprise.

How do I find a solo PvP fight?

Main article: Solo PvP

If you are very new and want a gentle introduction to solo flight, EVE Uni hosts, at the time of writing, "Fight Club" events where players can practise solo PvP in friendly duels with ship and fitting limits to keep a fairly level playing field.

Solo PvP can be found in any area of the game outside highsec space.

Lowsec is the area most associated with introductory solo PvP, because the mechanics of the factional warfare complexes found in lowsec allow you to moderate the ship types that you fight. One time-honoured approach to learning solo combat is to fit a stack of cheap Tech 1 frigates, and work through them in lowsec combat. The downsides of lowsec are that the security status loss and gate gun interventions cramp your style somewhat, and that most people in lowsec are there to fight and are very well-prepared, so don't neglect the possibility of fighting elsewhere.

Wherever you choose to roam in search of combat, you'll likely have a better time if you fly cheap and small ships. Doing this will limit your exposure to losses; small ships also let you cover more ground in any given length of hunt, which gives you a better chance of finding content. There are larger and/or higher-cost options which can work well in solo PvP, but they normally require more player knowledge and skill to bring out their potential, and stepping into them without experience of the fundamentals will just generate costly lossmails.

How do I join a PvP fleet?

As an EVE Uni member, you are eligible to participate in any Uni fleet for which you are qualified and in which there are places available. Many fleets in the University especially welcome players without PvP experience and have pre-prepared ships ready for characters with limited SP. Scheduled fleets will indicate the expected experience level in their announcement.

Every scheduled fleet is pre-announced in the E-UNI Combat Fleet Forum. You can also find the fleet announcements listed in the E-UNI Calendar.

If you are based in a part of the University which operates in dangerous space, such as the Null-Sec Campus or the Wormhole Community, there will also be more free-form, unexpected opportunities to join in "quick-response fleets" when danger arrives.

Recommended Reading:

Fleet requirements:

Several groups in EVE host regular publicly-accessible PvP fleets which anyone can join. EVE University members are welcome to fly in such fleets provided they do not shoot structures or people blue to the University. See public fleets for more details.