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

 
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This is the second of a multi-part series focusing on the most frequently asked questions from players that are new to EVE Online. This portion concentrates on some of the more open-ended questions that new players might ask.

How do I find a good corporation? Why should I join one? And why would they want me to join when I hardly know what I am doing?

Corporations want new players, because they are often the most receptive to learning new tactics.

The short of it is that you want a corporation with active members, less than 11% taxes, and perks based on cooperating with other members. You do not want to join a start-up corporation that does not yet have more than ten members, as there are probably ten failed corporations for every successful one. Try our guide Ten Tips For Joining The Right Corporation for more about that.

As for why you should join, half the fun in EVE Online comes from making friends and working with others to achieve a common goal. A lot of people are hesitant to make the big jump to a real corporation, but joining up really helps new players learn faster and enjoy more, especially in the earlier stages of the game.

Corporations want new people, even if they are rookie pilots, because they can train you to do things their way without having to deal with your pre-conceptions or prejudices. They also are motivated by the idea that if they take you in when you are new, then you will retain loyalty to the corporation as a result. There is also the motivating factor of "the more, the merrier" where if the corporation is active and increasing in numbers, then everybody has more fun and the corporation will be more successful as a result.

Will I instantly die if I jump into a low-sec or null-sec system?

Not instantly, in every case, but it is only a matter of time. Even veteran PvPer players with every advantage lined up still expect their ship to be destroyed, eventually, though hopefully after blowing up a lot of their enemies. It is a matter of when, rather than if. Still, there are plenty of reasons to go into low-sec and null-sec, even as a new player. Whether it is to travel to your new home, to get access to stations with shorter lines for copying blueprints, finishing a mission buying something on the market, or just plain curiosity, there are a lot of reasons to go into these more dangerous areas.

So-called choke-point systems, which are the only way to get from one region to another, or especially from high-sec to null-sec, are the most dangerous. Entire alliances of pirates are based around camping a single choke-point system. The high volume of traffic seen by them means that there is never a shortage of targets.

In null-sec, there are various ways to prevent your escaping a gate camp, with pretty high degrees of success. In low-sec, it is rather more difficult to lock a shuttle or fast frigate that is warping from gate to gate. People can still manage it, but it takes a specialized tackling ship to grab you before you warp off. So there is nothing certain about a trip out there, but you do have one thing working on your side: your ships cost almost nothing, and any goods you are carrying are likely similar. If you want to research or copy blueprints at a station in low-sec, make sure that they are blueprints for modules that do not cost more than a few hundred thousand ISK, total, so that if you are destroyed it is not the end of the world. If you get your blueprints into a good research station, consider leaving them there and only dropping by to queue up more copying or to pick up your copies for use.

As you become more skilled in EVE Online, you will learn to use cloaks and remote research skills to mitigate some of these dangers. In the meantime, do your best to limit your financial risk.

Where should a new player make his base of operations in the world of EVE Online?

There are a few reasons to live in a particular area. The most important general concerns are as follows:

• Proximity to a trade hub, usually Jita, Amarr, Rens, or Dodixie.
  
• The number of agents of a particular level that are available in nearby stations.
  
• How close the chosen solar system is to a "school system" where most skillbooks are available.
  
• Whether you are a member of a corporation that has an office or de facto base there.
  
• How crowded the system is, and how afflicted with griefers and/or high-sec pirates.
  
• Access to low-sec or null-sec for PvP availability.
  Whether the system in question has plentiful asteroids, good planets, and/or decent exploration sites.

There is no right or wrong answer here, it's entirely up to you. It should be pointed out that if agents are you main concern, then you will probably be moving quite frequently as you work your way through the mission grind. In this case, it may be better to locate the bulk of your assets at a single location, then just move a minimal amount of equipment to wherever you are running missions.