EVE New Citizens Q&A

I've done both and both are great choices. Start with RvB, learn the basics, move onto FW and learn the advanced stuff.

I'd recommend RvB first, too. You're only at war with the opposite corp (red or blue), and the point of the corp is to teach and help newbies.

FW is accessible to newbies, but the point is full-on war, and you'll be at war with a lot more players AND the opposite NPC starsystems.

Two corps with open recruitment that keep each other on perpetual war declaration.

The most fun you can have with your mates in a T1 frigate :)

Yeah J'Poll has a point, RvB really isn't a dedicated training corp. You will still learn a lot there since everyone is so helpful, and there's so many new players in the corp, meaning that if you are new, there's probably tonnes of other people learning, just like you.

FW is a great idea as well, if you can find a good corp. I would start off with RvB as well though.

J'Poll is correct. RvB won't teach you anything, but we will help you learn, if you're willing to do so. There are a lot of people in RvB who know a lot about PVP, and who come from every walk of life (reformed carebears, reformed nullbears, dirty pirates, rifter alts for major nullsec alliance leaders, etc, etc).

That said, if you're a noob and looking for help, join RvB, then join the Noobfleet (details are provided in the welcome mail). The Noobfleet is full of people who are either new to PVP or who like to help those that are new. It's a great way to get your feet wet that isn't just "hop into a fleet, get killed, realise you didn't learn anything, repeat until you're out of isk".

;)

Seconding this. Been in both, both offer great experience.

RvB is safer - there are fleets constantly that accept everyone, generally honoring 1v1, no podding, limited engagement area etc. Once RvB starts being boring/artificial, you can move to FW.

In FW there are less "fights per square meter" so to say, but once you get a fight, it feels more real.

Though, either in RvB or FW, start soloing as early as possible. It's a pity how many pilots are afraid to undock/fight unless in a gang (looking at you, Minmatar militia!)

Try both.

RvB is much more friendly if you want your PvP sort of compartmentalized and separated from the rest of your game experience in a very definite fashion. People that start stuff outside the designated area get ejected from the corporation, and in general things are... arranged, is the closest word I can think of, though it doesn't quite fit. Maybe "selectable". Think of the "battleground" style instanced stuff in other games, the BGs in WoW, the Huttball in ToR, the little instanced war-grounds in WAR.

FW is more free-form and does much more to change the character of the game in general. The factions are built into the game itself, so there's no one enforcing "fair" play, and people can jump you in high-sec without CONCORD intervening or getting in any kind of trouble, really (well, the faction fleets, but they're mosquitoes on tranquilizers). Additionally, you can easily pay your replacement bills from FW alone, so it can more easily take over your entire game life. But the objectives out in the war area are in the form of small instances with choked warp-gates that give greater rewards to fewer people capping or defending them, sort of analogous to WoW's arenas. So there's a broader scope to FW, but also smaller actual encounters, typically.

If you've never fired an imaginary bullet at another player's pixels in your life, I would start with RvB. If you're reasonably familiar with small-scale tactical games and/or don't worry to much about preserving all your precious, precious ships then FW is probably better.

(Because the primary lesson of RvB is to stop worrying about ship losses, so if you've already got that bit down there's not much to gain from it.)