EVE New Citizens Q&A

Hello folks! I just started playing eve 2 days ago and Im loving this game. Im currently doing all the tutorials and building my isk. I enjoyed combat missions the most, but I want to do them for pirate factions.

I've picked Gallente and I really like rails/blasters so I decided that the best pirates for me would be Serpentis, is that right ?
Is it in 0.0 or in low security space that I can find pirate stations ?
What are the chances of a newbie like me surviving out there just by running lvl 1/2s ?


Another option is to join E-Uni and stick with them for a while then head for pirate missions.

Im currently training core fitting skills by following the certificates.

Which path looks more realistic for a new pilot ? I don't mind getting blown up/blowing up others as long as I have the isk to replace my ship :)

Thanks for reading.

A.T.

Yes, there are Serpentis-affiliated pirate bases out in NPC-controlled 0.0 (literally the space that serves as "padding" between low-sec and the alliance-dominated power-bloc regions that are sovereignty 0.0). While your choice here is a totally valid one and actually quite fun, there are several things you should probably consider:

1- You are statistically likely to end up "locked out" of high-sec, because gaining pirate faction generally means losing Empire (the main four NPC factions in high-sec) faction. So:

(1a) You will have issues driving up to the major trading hubs (they're all in high-sec) to shop, meaning that you'll need to come up with a work-around to obtain gear. Usually this is a combination of a same-account alt with enough training to drive a hauler of some kind (a bit risky since he's typically short on defense), setting up some manufacturing lines near your home system (easy for tech 1 items, a bit effort-intensive for anything more) and having corporate supply/logistics lines.

(2b) The Empire epic arcs will be closed to you, which may or may not bother you depending how much you enjoy missions for missions' sake.

2- Living in Low/Null sec may (i.e. probably will) end up putting you at low security status just in the course of defending yourself and your territory while you run missions. This sort of exacerbates point (1a), since if you drop low enough not only will the NPCs come for you in high sec, _players_ will be able to shoot you without repercussion.

3- Player interference can be a major factor in null-sec missions, belt ratting, site running, etc. Sticking with frigates is a good plan so that it's hard to scan you down, but even then people will occasionally find you. Warp bubbles/camps on gates between you and your mission system, stealthers sneaking up on you, and people outright scanning you down and jumping you when you're not paying attention will all go from "very unlikely" to "essentially inevitable" when you go from high sec to NPC 0.0.

4- Life changes fast in NPC 0.0. Power bloc politics interacts with low-sec politics and smaller alliances just randomly claiming NPC 0.0 systems on a pretty regular basis. So one week your neighbors might be a bunch of hippies that cut you good deals on boosters and are just there for the belt ratting, the next week it might be an alliance intent on purging all alien presences to secure exclusive mineral rights, and the next it might be (ick) the Goons on one of their little excursions wanting to troll you to death. This means that:

(4a) The solution most people will give you to mission running in 0.0, i.e. just dock up if you see someone in local, is not really compatible with doing much mission running. You're essentially handing whether you can play or not to all the third parties in the region and whether they feel like hanging in your area.

(4b) PC friends you make won't usually be around for very long.

5- Having good pirate faction doesn't mean that belt 'rats won't shoot at you. Not fair, really, but them's the breaks.


Basically, if you think you can handle all that, go for it. Full disclosure, though, I rather suspect that, given you're an incredibly new pilot, you _can't_. I would advise joining a player corp or two in high/low-sec before going the pirate route, at least long enough that you've worked out how to reverse all of the things living in null/low does to you (faction, sec status) if it turns out you hate it.

A more standard career progression is basic high-sec missions -> basic pvp -> advanced missions or pvp -> deciding to move into 0.0 or w-space.

Thank you Velicitia and Lost Greybeard for very informative replies.

I figured it wouldn't be that easy, but it sounds like exciting!

How does this sound then:
-I Build up sp/knowledge/isk and empire faction standings in high sec in either E-uni or RvB
-Head down to npc null
-make some friends/join corporation

Do those big alliances in null require it's members to be really active ?
I want to avoid getting used to high sec but I've also read that in null there are many friendlies too.

As for activity in null-sec and alliances.

It depends on the alliance. Some are hardcore and 'demand' that you are able to help defend 23/7.
But there are also plenty of more relaxed alliances in null-sec, these know EVE is a game and should stay a game.
However with SOV null-sec comes SOV wars. This means that you may be asked to help defend your own SOV or attack other peoples SOV. Some like that, some don't (as with anything in EVE).

Ah, I see. Thanks for the very detailed explanation Lost Greybeard.

It will be a while until I can join those big alliances then.
In sov null, are there any agents/stations ?

Alrighty, thanks again J'Poll :)

I don't have anymore questions, now its just a matter of playing the game :)

Thanks everyone!

Thank you for that suggestion too! Im planning on doing that :)