EVE Online at Ten Ton Hammer - Taking MMOG Gamers to the Next Level!

Skills are the experience point mechanic for EVE Online. Unlike many MMOs, skills in EVE Online train at a constant rate whether or not you are logged in. This makes EVE ideal for players that do not have time to grind but want to remain competitive. Still, there are many pitfalls to training EVE skills that should be avoided, and we can help with that. This guide addresses ten common questions about training skills in EVE Online.

Many of the answers below depend on your personal situation and preferences. Will you be spending your time mining or running missions? Are you going to try EVE PvP right away, or wait for a while? Do you have a friend or corporation that will be helping you pay for skill books, or do you need to grind out the ISK yourself? I will try to present the most helpful advice possible, but remember to keep your personal situation foremost in mind.

What ships should I train for, first? There are so many!

There are a few schools of thought regarding this. The first is that you should train up your racial frigate ship skill (Caldari Frigate, etc.), the weapon skills to go with it (e.g. Small Hybrid Turret), and then start working your way up into bigger ships as you run missions. This is probably the best course of action for new players, though many players are tempted into trying new and bigger ships, and train the skills for them even though they end up being less effective than if they were in a frigate. Then again, maybe you will earn more EVE ISK with some trading or social skills under your belt early on, or with some mining skills.

What ships should I train for, specifically for my race?

For players that want to fly Amarr ships, I would suggest training Destroyers for early mission running in the Coercer ship, along with Small Energy Turret and the related gunnery support skills. Eventually, you should upgrade to an Omen cruiser, followed by either the Harbinger or Oracle battlecruiser.

For players that want to fly Caldari ships, I would strongly suggest Caldari Frigate 4, followed up with Standard Missiles and various missile support skills. Once you have enough to run level 1 missions in a Kestrel with relative ease, train Spaceship Command 4, Battlecruisers 1 (or more), and Heavy Missiles. The Drake is one of the most exceptional ships in EVE Online, and will allow you to run most level 3 combat missions with ease.

For players that want to fly Gallente, you should probably pick whether you want to use drones or hybrid turrets, and then train accordingly. If you prefer drones, there is a relatively straight path of progression from the Imicus frigate, followed by the Vexor cruiser, to the Myrmidon battlecruiser, to the Dominix battleship and tech II options. If you prefer hybrid turrets, you can start with the Incursus, move into the Catalyst destroyer, followed by the Thorax cruiser, then the Brutix battlecruiser, and from there the Megathron battleship or one of the various tech II options.

For players that want to fly Minmatar, the Rifter is arguably the finest frigate in EVE Online. You can then move into a Thrasher destroyer, a Rupture cruiser, then the Hurricane battlecruiser. From there you can either move into battleships or start working on specializing in a tech II ship. If the latter, you will certainly want to train up your Navigation category of skills along with them.