Warfare & Tactics

So, I decided to live in a low sec system, because the scan sites are better in low sec than in high sec, and not as many people live in low sec as well.

However, I chose a system that is inhabited by a corp that likes to podkill newbies. I know this because I looked them up on the killboards, and they have killed a loooooot of pods. I currently can't fly any tech two ships, and I don't want to have to jump out every time I see one of these guys.

it seems I have a few options. If they come at me a lot, I can try to fight them. If I can kill them often enough I would hope they'd leave me alone, I just need to come up with tricks I can use to beat them 1v1. I could also relocate, but that wouldn't be much fun, for any of us.

I'm lost as to what to do. I know a t1 ship won't beat an interceptor unless the int pilot makes some grievous errors. I do not want to lose my cruiser, so what can I use to fight them?

It may not sound very helpful putting it this blank: but the best way to stay alive is to not get caught in the first place.

Certain survivability is obviously not possible anywhere in EVE, but even in lowsec you can learn the mechanics, use them to your advantage and minimize the risks. You don't need a corp (even if it's helpful) to live in lowsec and do your own thing. You do need to learn how to deal with your environment though.

There's alot of basic information that's very crucial to understanding your surrounding. Interceptors for example, will currently not agress you around structures (such as stations or gates) in general, since the gate guns will instapop them (note: that will change in just a month's time). For the time being though, it serves a very good example. Knowing those things keep you alive, that holds true now and it will hold true even after the rules change. There will be new rules, understand them, use them.

Develop strategies for these things. They will not always save you, but they will make your stay worthwhile - they will also have you grow as an EVE player. This is how everyone who got good at these things started out. They began by understanding the basics, applying that in practise and developing their abilities and experience over time.

Timers, timing, flagging, scanning etc. Knowledge and experience has always been the route to prowess in EVE. There isn't really much "skill" to talk about in a game like this, it's not based on reaction or repetition in that sense; even if you can practise and hone your skills, though it's more a question of gaining experience by reliving a situation. Grismar's EVE wiki is really old by now, but it's still a good place to start for information about basic strategies, such as gate-running and bounces: http://eve.grismar.net/wikka.php?wakka=GateRunning

Today lowsec is still relatively safe as long as you stay in a rather quick ship and move at pace when you travel.

If there's anything in particular you find daunting, ask a specific question and the rest of us will try to help you.

Even if you do want to fight them, rather than just evading them, knowing these things are still equally important.

What? I appear to have missed a memo at some point...

At this point you have three choices, really

1) if you can't beat them, join them. Ask to join their corp. You'll be able to run your complexes *and* learn the low-sec ropes from your new corp mates.... it could be a lot of fun too. If they won't take you then advertise on the recruiting part of the forums for a newbie friendly low-sec corp that *will* take you.

2) move somewhere else. Low-sec is vast and there are a lot of "quiet" areas where you could live/work.

3) live in high-sec and check low-sec border systems for "quiet" moments where you can do your anomolies (or part of them) without getting harassed. Dead-end pockets just after down-time are often quiet. However, in my experience you'll need dual monitors and two accounts, (one for your PVE ship and one for a scout) in order to avoid losing ships unless you warp out every time someone appears in local.

Most pirates I encountered in low sec were petty respectful of people wanting to fight and learn. I you fight and show them some will, they may eventually accept you to join their corp even if they refused it at the begining. Shooting at themselves is the way pirates of lowsec meet, date and become friends.

But learning pvp that way is the very hard way, and you will probably have to fight them more often than you will farm your anomalies if you live in their system. You may want to find a quieter place at first.

To fight, you will need a *large* stack of shpis and their fit. Frigates are cheap enough to start with, but you lose a lot of them.

Heavy tank and some lockdown (a scram and some webs) on a T1 cruiser makes it far more trouble than a solo interceptor's time is worth.

Alternately, if you have free high slots instead you could fit some neuts, align while you're being tackled, and spam the warp to button for when their point fails.

Basically, T2 ships are more specialized, generally, not "just better". Get in a position to land a lucky shot or two on an interceptor and they'll go down in flames pretty fast, they have little to no defense to speak of and aren't very flexible. Generally speaking the worry with intys is that they're just holding you down until a bigger ship arrives.

(By contrast, a lot of the tier 3 frigates are a lot harder to predict since they have a lot more valid fits.)

Slicer can kill most ships flown right. (I suck at slicer!)

Any kill outside of high sec is valid. in high sec, prolly figitory.

Join them or find an empty system to live in. People will eventually find you and try to kill you. It's what we do.

Even if you join a badass corp in a coalition of badass corps, someone will come along an kill you.

Win some, lose some. Just get used to it and don't let it ruin your day.

or you can ignore the rigs and buy 2 more of those ships which will get you far more kills as something will gank it and the rigs are completely uneccessary for killing frigs of any sort.

Don't fight them. Become their friend. Help them with scanning targets or doing hi-sec market runs or w/e. Makes your life alot easier.