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EVE New Citizens Q&A

 
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Making a Career in Frigates
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Skye Robin
Royal Amarr Institute
Amarr Empire
#1 - 2013-09-25 22:44:10 UTC
So recently a friend of mine has been trying to convince me to switch up to a cruiser, but I honestly really enjoy frigates and have been training to fly the T2's of them. He argues there is no real income in flying them, and though he's only been playing for about half a month longer then I have; I've been attempting to find some information if it's possible to make a decent income (even to pay for the game itself) flying Frigates (this extends to T2 variants as well).

I personally wish to fly a Retribution, and eventually attempt L3 missions (or even L4 for that matter). Is it even plausible to do something from scanning, w-space, or mission running to make money in a timely manner? Or should I just accept the fact I need to get in a bigger vessel as he's been saying I need to and accept the fact that frigates are just good for pvp and nothing more.
Donbe Scurred
University of Caille
Gallente Federation
#2 - 2013-09-25 22:49:53 UTC  |  Edited by: Donbe Scurred
Ships are tools, they are made for a job, just because I can hammer in a nail with a screwdriver it's not necessarily the right tool for the job.

A Retribution can do LVL3s and 4s but it is far more efficient to use a BC for LVL3s and a BS for LVL4s.

Look into faction warfare, plenty of isk can be made with a frigate there.

Just remember its a game, your suppossed to have fun, if flying frigates is fun, then do it. If making isk as efficiently as possible is fun, then train into different ships that can do the job better.

Edit: Your only a month or so old, you still have plenty of support skills to train before using a larger ship would make sense, so just stick with frigates until you can fly them as well as possible then moving up will be much easier. This game is about patience as much as it is about anything else.
Thomas Builder
Center for Advanced Studies
Gallente Federation
#3 - 2013-09-25 22:51:24 UTC  |  Edited by: Thomas Builder
FW can pay very well and you don't need anything more than a frigate for them.

PvE missions however ... you need to do L4s to get a great income, but then, you don't really need a great income just to replace your frigates (even T2 ones) and L3s can be done in assault frigates. Don't try too hard to pay the game with ISK, after all, it's a game and supposed to be fun. If you just look at making the most ISK you are just turning it into a (very badly paid) job.
Orakkus
ImperiaI Federation
Goonswarm Federation
#4 - 2013-09-25 22:58:08 UTC
Skye Robin wrote:
So recently a friend of mine has been trying to convince me to switch up to a cruiser, but I honestly really enjoy frigates and have been training to fly the T2's of them. He argues there is no real income in flying them, and though he's only been playing for about half a month longer then I have; I've been attempting to find some information if it's possible to make a decent income (even to pay for the game itself) flying Frigates (this extends to T2 variants as well).

I personally wish to fly a Retribution, and eventually attempt L3 missions (or even L4 for that matter). Is it even plausible to do something from scanning, w-space, or mission running to make money in a timely manner? Or should I just accept the fact I need to get in a bigger vessel as he's been saying I need to and accept the fact that frigates are just good for pvp and nothing more.


Don't waste your time running L3 missions in a Retribution. Sure you could do it, but you aren't going to enjoy it and you'll make very little isk in the process. Really, there are only two things that make decent isk in a frigate:

1 - Faction Warfare - Good if you like a challenge and love to shoot things.

- and -

2 - Exploration - Good if you have a lot of probing, Covert Ops, and Hacking skills.

Personally, like the other posters, I think Faction Warfare would be a much better fit for now. Just make Loyalty Points, then trade them for goods at station, then sell the goods. If you look in the Faction Warfare section, or talk to some solid FW pilots, they can give you the skinny on what you need to do.

He's not just famous, he's "IN" famous. - Ned Nederlander
Livonia Velorea
The Fiendish Pixies
#5 - 2013-09-25 23:12:51 UTC
To add to the above, something as simple as roaming for security tags in an Assault Frig is also good isk.

I pew you too! <3
Mara Pahrdi
The Order of Anoyia
#6 - 2013-09-25 23:42:35 UTC
Assault frigs are fun to fly. A Vengeance cuts through lvl 3 missions just fine, damage types are selectable. Only exception I know is the AE3 bonus room, which is easy to do but lengthy.

Remove standings and insurance.
Solai
Doughfleet
Triglavian Outlaws and Sobornost Troika
#7 - 2013-09-26 01:06:42 UTC
Also, the ship doesn't need to be your means of income.

You could always work the markets, which have a very low/nonexistent bar to entry. Or you could mine on the side, if you enjoy that.
Kitty Bear
Deep Core Mining Inc.
Caldari State
#8 - 2013-09-26 03:35:30 UTC  |  Edited by: Kitty Bear
Stick to frigates
AF's are fun, one of my friends swears by interceptors, many people make a good living with Covert-Ops
want everyone to hate you .. fly the Kitsune .. and laugh as people rage about ECM permajamming (done best in a small fleet, milk those tears ... miiiilllllllk them!!)

Cruisers are just more of the same, only slower and more expensive to buy & fit.
Tao Dolcino
Garoun Investment Bank
Gallente Federation
#9 - 2013-09-26 07:04:29 UTC
Don't let anyone tell you how to play the game. If you love frigs, fly frigs.
Now concretly, can you get a correct income with frigs ? yes. But you won't get as much as the professionnal farmers-min/maxers do. Is it a reason to not go your own way ?
Remember that money is relative : being rich is not having a lot of isk, it's getting more income than what you spend. If you get billions but you need to spend it all on uber expensive ships and fits, you are not richer than if you get a few millions more than you need to run your frigates. Frigates, even T2, are cheap. You don't need a huge income to use them regulary.
Yes, you can run L3 missions in AF, if you kill the webbers first, it's easy, fun and it brings enough income for your needs, especially if you can fit a salvager.
Another way to make money with frigates : use a stealth bomber and go ratting the npc battleships in null space's belts.

You will always get pressed by conformist and unimaginative players who will want to "teach" you the only true way to play the game (their way, of course). Just ignore them and choose your path, this is a sandbox.
Mocam
Aliastra
Gallente Federation
#10 - 2013-09-26 11:13:46 UTC
Well... iirc - There is an "impolite" style of income that frigates can get involved with: Hunting bounties can work though it's not that high of income, it is a way to make some isk.

Go to where concord gets involved a lot, wait for a ganker to nail someone, pop them a couple times and get a killmail and a bounty payout. All targets are combat ships and concord does most of the jamming and such making it a bit safer even when hitting battleships ganking a freighter or the like.
SKINE DMZ
The Scope
Gallente Federation
#11 - 2013-09-26 12:41:19 UTC
Fly frigates, your friend is wrong.

I disagree
Abdiel Kavash
Deep Core Mining Inc.
Caldari State
#12 - 2013-09-26 12:48:25 UTC  |  Edited by: Abdiel Kavash
Do whatever you can tolerate that makes you the most ISK with minimum effort required.

Then use that ISK to buy and fly whatever ships are fun for you.


Not gonna lie, a frigate, TII or faction, will be pretty terrible at making PvE money no matter what you do. But nobody says that you can't keep flying frigates for fun, but make money in something else. Heck, you can make tons of money without having a ship at all.
Thanatos Marathon
Moira.
#13 - 2013-09-26 13:46:49 UTC
Abdiel Kavash wrote:
Do whatever you can tolerate that makes you the most ISK with minimum effort required.

Then use that ISK to buy and fly whatever ships are fun for you.


Not gonna lie, a frigate, TII or faction, will be pretty terrible at making PvE money no matter what you do. But nobody says that you can't keep flying frigates for fun, but make money in something else. Heck, you can make tons of money without having a ship at all.


Have you ever done FW?!?

JUSTK is recruiting
Robby Altair
#14 - 2013-09-26 18:28:44 UTC
Ran exploration sites in frigates and destroyers. For a small operation, quickly seen a profit.

Room 3420 Boelter Hall UCLA
Eggs Ackley
#15 - 2013-09-26 19:44:50 UTC
If you like frigates go for it! That's the whole point of EVE as I see it.
Kitty Bear
Deep Core Mining Inc.
Caldari State
#16 - 2013-09-26 21:39:30 UTC
Just finished watching the eve:rubicon preview ....

some Frigate related goodness to share from it.

Interceptors are getting buffed, Warp Speed & something like the T3 Nullifier.
EAF's are getting buffed .. the Kitsune will be awesome I hope.

New SoE Frigate, similar to the Guristas Worm, only Armour Tanking + Drones & an undisclosed secondary weapon (But as Amarr/Gallente skills are needed it will most likely be Lasers or Hybrids) and it looks really cool too.