EVE New Citizens Q&A

Haven't been there yet but was wondering if you visit low sec, is it such that everyone kills on sight? Im also not sure how standing/alignment works.

In highsec... everyone can shoot everyone... but if you shoot someone illegally concord will hunt you down and destroy you...
In lowsec... everyone can shoot everyone... but if you shoot someone illegally in front of station/gate guns... the station guns will shoot you.
In nullsec... everyone can shoot everyone... but if you shoot someone... well... hopefully they go boom...

Most people in this game will shoot you rather than help you... or at least shoot you while they help you. So, if you run into someone, its safe to assume they will attack, and if they have a negative sec status, they have a history of attacking first in lowsec/highsec.

FYI, station guns can be tanked by tanky cruisers, BC's, and BS's. So they aren't much of a deterrent.

What is your question about standings/alignment? Do you mean standings between players, corps, and/or alliances?
--- Many player corps/alliances set standings to other characters/corps/alliances so their members can easily identify who to shoot and who not to shoot. If you assign them positive standings, they appear as light blue or blue... and if you assign them negative standings they appear as orange or red. These values are arbitrarily set, and you can alter your overview settings to show/not show players based on standings. Realize these standings are nothing official, and purely based on word-of-mouth diplomatic negotiations between groups of players. Some players, even with positive standings, will still attack you and worry about diplomatic repercussions later.

p.s. Just because a player is willing to attack you, doesn't mean they will get the opportunity... despite the hostile nature of lowsec and nullsec, your are many tricks and techniques that allow you to safely travel about. Nullsec is tricker since it has warp disrupting bubbles...

You put so much as a toe out into lowsec and it will get shot clean off by the pirates camping every get 24/7 . In all seriousness, it's not as bad as people hype it. The hype comes from people that jump into lowsec through busy highsec gates, which ARE usually camped, and get ganked. There are plenty of alternate routes that are much quieter and safer. Once you get past the highsec border systems, lowsec is pretty calm and safe. Sure people can attack as they please, but if they do it on stations or gates they will have gate guns turned on them (gate guns really hurt). Just don't get sloppy with checking your d-scan, always warp to 0 on gates and stations, and don't get mad if people kill you. Overall lowsec is fun and a chill place. The locals, while they may shoot you, are pretty nice people for the most part. Good luck out there and have fun

Want to add 2 things to the underlined part:

NBSI Policy.

NBSI means Not Blue, Shoot It. This policy means that anybody who isn't classed as a friend (so set at Good or Excellent standings, see the underlined) will be free to be shot on sight at own decision.

NRDS Policy

NRDS means Not Red, Don't Shoot. This is the opposite of NBSI, only the persons who are set at hostile settings (bad and terrible) are kill on sight.

What's the difference I hear you ask...Well, neutrals (the guys with neutral or NO standings). With NBSI those neutrals will be shot on sight, with NRDS they are a bit more safe. NRDS will only shoot those who are enemies or those who shoot first (self defense, and likely you will be set to enemy after that).


Also, Low-sec and Null-sec aren't as bad as most people say.

The people who say that are:
* High-sec Carebears
* Never been there themself and just shout what others shout too.

Actually, been in all 3 types and high-sec is what I find the most hostile space.
* High population
* High amount of griefers.

Low/Null has lower population, so you get to know the locals quicker and better which helps. And when doing something it's quite obvious that anybody you meet is just out there to kill you (or at least assume they do, so you are warned).

It suffices to say that I, a capsuleer that exploits these spaces and often resides in it for days, do not "kill on sight" unless there's a good reason for it. My system has quite a heavy traffic rate, and I don't want to be stuck in a second job guarding a gate. It depends a bit on what type of ship someone flies, and whether they are just passing by or sipping from 'our' ISK faucets. A reasonable exception would be during pvp ops, where we usually shoot first and ask questions later. There is also the matter of insurance, I get more hostile the fewer days I have left...

Standings DO NOTHING but show colortags for people. You can still attack them and such. They have the same relevance as a Like on Facebook, so to speak. You have personal, corporate and alliance standings, so if you join a group standings will be used to mark enemies and friends. You are generally expected to not attack Blues, because someone with diplomatic permissions has set that standing somewhere up in the organization. Sometimes a corp ask ISK for good standings. Some of them are plain scams / extortion, but honourable mercs do exist.

Eve has no alignment system. Expect everyone to be Chaotic Evil and you will be fine.

Solid advice. There are signs you can look for though. Once you get more accustomed to a particular system you might notice the patterns in the locals behaviour. Corps that base in hisec generally aggregate in very typical systems bordering lowsec. If its not 'your' system treat it like another man's woman: you never know when she might be on her period.

Azual Skoll has just written an excellent guide to entering low sec as a new player, I'd recommend checking it out.

http://www.evealtruist.com/2013/01/lowsec-survival-guide.html

i took the time to read this guide. it's decently written and contains very much good and no bad advice. the only thing i missed was that IF you lose your ship at a gate, you should NEVER try to jump through the gate in your pod and ALWAYS try to warp away instead.

Thanks for the advice everyone.

This "rule of thumb" is primarily do to the new crimewatch system, as well as the "session change" mechanics. When you switch ships (like from your previous ship to your POD), there is a 10 second session change timer that prevents you from docking, jumping, or boarding a new ship... 10 seconds is enough time to have your pod destroyed.

Additionally, if you were actually PvPing in your ship (so you had a weapons flag), your weapons flag stays with you when you "switch ships" to your POD. A weapons flag lasts 60 seconds.... and also prevents you from docking, jumping, or boarding a new ship.

One evil thing you can do... go to a system where a big battle is going on... Sit on the out gate... As ships die, people often warp their pod to the gate, but will still have several seconds of "weapons flag" left that prevents them from going through the gate. You can destroy a bunch of pods doing this... and lowsec pilots often bling up their pods with fancy implants because it's "rare" for them to be podded!