The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

Welcome to another addition of the frustration, glory and charm that is constant player-vs-player content in Eve Online. Oh yes, one minute I can completely pwn someone and then turn around and lose to a newbie.

That is Eve my friends. And she giveth and she taketh away. So let's take a look at some of the good, the bad and the simply butt ugly recent fights.


THE GOOD - Sac Vs Gnosis/Arbi/Rifter/Thorax

This one has to be first as it is one of the best fights I've been in lately. The call went out that we had a neutral Thorax on the gate, so I switched out to my Sac (generously donated I might add, thank you!!) and headed straight to the gate, pointed and started shooting the Rax. He jumped. So I was stuck waiting for gate aggro to drop. Lo and behold a Gnosis lands about 23k from the gate. This is technically called "Holy Shit!" And people wonder why my HAM Sac has a long point fitted instead of a scram, for moments like this!!

Now, the Gnosis is also neutral, so I'm taking gate fire the entire fight. A Rifter lands to help his buddy and I put my drones on him. The Rax comes back, but takes one look and warps off. And then an Arbitrator lands and starts shooting me. Which I do not appreciate. As the Gnosis finally explodes, more Stay Frostians' arrive and the Arbi also explodes. Awesome fight.


THE BAD - Heretic Vs Cormorant

One of the reasons I write this series of posts is to show you that no matter how good you are at Eve, you also suck. It's ok if you want to pretend it's just me, I'm a big boy and can take it. But you suck too, sometimes. I've seen your killboard.

This one is totally on me, no excuses. Totally wrong ammo, I never even looked, totally wrong approach, totally wrong everything. Total Derphead.


THE UGLY - Astero Vs Venture

Yep that there is a Battle Venture with a cloak. While I admire the attempt to create a battle worthy Venture, I have a few fitted myself, this one goes in the ugly because he was caught and killed ugly. When the Astero that wasn't on scan a few seconds ago suddenly disappears you really shouldn't decide to de-cloak.


THE GOOD - Astero Vs Venture

I'm putting two of these up to illustrate why sometimes, killing a helpless Venture can be a good fight. It isn't the actual combat part, which is horrible one-sided and generates some tears in local. It is getting the kill that is the good part.

This Venture was on scan in system but I couldn't find him anywhere on d-scan. So I popped over to System Scan and sure enough, an Ice Belt! Well then, we'll just warp in there and see what we find. Sure enough, the Venture is there and about 64k from my warp in point. So now I need to slow boat over there and try to stay away from the Ice so I do not de-cloak and give the game away. This is hard to do.

Just as I start to get close, two things happen at the same exact moment. He warps away and I de-cloak. Ooops. But I don't think he saw me and from a quick d-scan I see he has docked in station. He may just be dropping off his Ice thingies. So I cloak back up and keep boating over to where he was. Sure enough, he warps back. A lot of work for an easy kill.


THE BAD - Tormentor Vs OMG!

From now on, whenever you start to think that the life of a Solo PvPer in low sec is easy, or glamorous, or amazing (which it can be!) I want you to think of this. I fitted up a Tormentor, because I hadn't flown on in a long time, and set out to find some fights. I went 37 jumps in loops and curls and nothing, nothing nothing. And then GATE CAMP. When I saw the T3s sitting there long with this group, I admit I never even bothered to try. All you can do is align out and hope to get your pod away safely. Which I did.


THE GOOD - Dramiel/Catalyst Vs Astero

It might seem odd of me to put a loss in the good column, but it isn't the first time I've done it. You don't win all the good fights and due credit to Malfy on this one. I had engaged the Catalyst in a plex and didn't even notice the Dram until he was on top of me. So my bad and his good for this one. Normally I wouldn't engage a Dram solo with my Anti-Plexer fit Astero, but once you are pointed and whatnot, you have to fight. This fight did cause me to change my fit slightly, so thanks for that. Good fight.


That'll do it for this episode. Stay tuned for more exciting adventures of death and glory. And join Stay Frosty for goodness sake!

10 Things New Pirates Need to Know About Eve

So you've finally noticed that Eve is supposed to be fun and deliver actual enjoyment from all the hours you've been pouring into it, and you've made your way into Low Sec.

Good for you. If you are really smart you'll join a group like Stay Frosty, that is especially made for maximum fun, adventure and daring do. But it is important for you to know something up front - joining a Pirate Corporation doesn't automagically make you a Pirate.

I wish it did, but Eve isn't built like that. What you have is called an opportunity, and it is up to you how you deal with that opportunity. Your corp mates will help, the forums will help, and blog posts like this will help.

Here are the TEN things you need to know about being a successful pirate in New Eden.

1. You are not going to conquer the Universe at first, so chill out

Your enthusiasm is awesome and thank you for bringing it with you. But take a deep breath and swallow that chill pill. You have much to learn and school starts on day one, no matter how old your character, what you did before, or where you come from. Just relax and don't feel like you have to prove yourself right away. Always remember the maxim - you get out what you put in. And in low sec the best investment is time.


2. Start Small

T1 Frigates are amazing little ships, they are cheap, effective and they (by their very nature) teach you all you need to know about 1v1 combat and survival. Fly them. Park the shiny stuff and resist the urge to fly big ships for now. It will be less stress on your pocket book and give you the time you need for some of these other numbers. If you've joined Stay Frosty, we even give you FREE Frigates to fly! Everyone loves free.


3. ASK

Despite what you might have heard, there are no better people than pirates. They are more than willing to help, offer advice and talk endlessly about that fight you just had. I've been in a lot of corps over the years and there is always someone willing to help you. But they can't help unless you ask. We are awesome, but we can't read minds. (Just like your girlfriend/boyfriend keeps telling you!)


4. Gates and Stations

Don't fight on them or near them! The mechanics of engaging and defending your ship on Stargates and Stations is complicated and confusing at first, so stay away from them. Land and jump, or land and dock. Leave it at that for now. I've seen way to many young players derping themselves because they don't understand the game mechanics. Focus on space for the first couple of weeks and months, there is enough to learn out there.


5. Overview

The second most important tool in your UI. (The most important one is #6) Take the time to get your overview set-up properly. Again, ask for help. There are good overview settings available to download, but I recommend taking some time to work thru it yourself. It teaches you valuable lessons about what is in there, how to use it, and what it all means. Remember, you can have multiple tabs and various overviews. Keep your primary overview clean and simple.


6. D-Scan

The single most important tool you need to learn. Even more important than fittings, manual piloting and all the other things in the entire freaking game! I kid you not. Use your d-scan, learn your d-scan, love your d-scan, marry your d-scan. Even a badly fitted ship can win a fight, but you can't find fights without your d-scan.


7. Target Acquisition

Once you find a target with your d-scan it is important to ask yourself - can I win? What are the odds? Do I even have a chance? For some of us older and more experienced players, these questions come naturally to us. But for the younger or first timers, it is worth a pause. What are the strengths of your ship? And what are the weaknesses of your enemy? Learning this equation and the odds involved takes time, so be wary at first. Ask in fleet chat, ask in corp chat, weigh your options. Ask for back-up, there is nothing wrong with asking. The idea is NOT to die. If you are unsure, then move on. There will be plenty of other chances and your ship is still alive.


8. Intel

Fly around the neighborhood, get to know the systems, the locals, the common movements of ships. If a system has 40 people in it, what are they doing? Are they all together? If so, you should probably move on to the next system. Take the time to canvas the neighborhood, this is where you live and play. Know your neighbors. Spy on them. Watch them. They have habits which you can learn to exploit.


9. Have a Buddy

Your buddy can change all the time, but flying with someone is a great way to learn. Pirates love enthusiasm and willingness to learn, the only thing we don't like is docked pilots. Get out there and get involved. Join gangs, get into trouble, scout systems, report intel. You find a Dominix ratting in a belt, you'll be a hero.


10. ISK

Nothing creates frustration like not having ISK. Be sure to have a plan, an alt or some other way to make ISK for yourself. In Stay Frosty we have many options for you, so just ask. I'm sure other corps also have options available. We all have the same problem and many solutions exist, so don't feel like you are alone. We all need to make ISK to pay for our stuffs. Loot helps, stealing ships helps, ransoms help, but sometimes they are not enough.


There is no greater feeling then the first time all of this comes together for you. That time when all the pieces fall into place and magic happens, you find a target, manage to get engaged and then watch as it explodes into a gazillion little pieces. It takes time, effort and learning to get to that moment. There are no shortcuts. But it is worth it.

There are more guides available here on Eveoganda, just use the search function or visit the GUIDES page, the link is in the blue bar above. Or read the archives. Or use Google.

Now get out there and have some fun for goodness sake.