EVE New Citizens Q&A

Dive right in and learn first hand what you need to do :D

You could also join E-Uni if you want classes, of if you want to learn to PvP in a hands on fashion RvB is pretty good.

Missions aren't anything like PvP, so they don't teach you anything about fighting other players, however having the extra isk is handy.

This Kestrel fits is alright, and gives you something to work towards. It's not perfect but it will do the job.

Micro Auxiliary Power Core I
Ballistic Control System II

Medium Shield Extender II
J5b Phased Prototype Warp Scrambler I
Experimental 1MN Afterburner I
Empty

Rocket Launcher II
Rocket Launcher II
Rocket Launcher II
Rocket Launcher II

Thanks for the help guys, Just read this after losing my second Merlin and my main problem is I try to jump into a fight, guess I should start looking for a good corp to help me out and get more into the EVE community.

As the old saying goes in regards to flying Caldari ships:

Pick Only Three:
-Caldari
-PvP
-Win
-Solo.

There are many great corps out there but for PvP using Merlins your best bet is a war dec corp where frigates get so much bang for the buck.

As for PvP, if your Caldari, make a B-line for the Merlin and don't look back. While there are in fact many great frigates and destroyers, the Merlin right now in my humble opinion is the definitive T1 frigate when fitted properly. Within about 20 days, you can easily take down any T1 frigate and a larger variety of T2 frigates, Interceptors, stealth bombers, destroyers... all sorts of stuff. If you want inspiration check out Fluffy Kitten Quilting Company and Snuggle Clubs war record. These guys have caused Billions in damages with under 1 month old characters flying nothing but Merlins and if you look closely 90% of their kills are solo kills. They take down everything from badly fitted battlecruisers on down even getting a couple strategic cruisers kills, all sorts of faction ships. Just awsome record. Be sure to check out their Merlin fits, the use of a Medium Shield Extender on this tight fit is just phenomenal. I've been at war with these guys and its been pure pleasure losing ships to them, might even knock on their door see if they will let you in. Its an expensive ship, but its effectivness is that of your typical Assault frigate.

Good Luck to ya

This isn't a problem it's the right attitude, just remember you will loose a LOT of ships at first but you will get some epic fights too (well after a bit)

This is a quite good guide for newbie PvP although some of the fittings are out of date.

Wensley's guide is TEH awesome but a bit dated now, the basics are still sound tho

I'd recommend that you find a good Corp. The best way to break yourself into PvP is with friends.

If you do want to go solo, here is how to do it.

1. Get a good solo fit for the Merlin. There are lots of ways to do it. I'd recommend a fit that includes a damage control, afterburner, scram, webs, medium shield extender, and the best small blasters you can fit, loaded with navy antimatter s.

2. Buy and fit several of these.

3. Look for targets who are about the same age as yourself, flying frigates, cruisers, or battlecruisers.

4. Orbit at 500m, warp scramble the target. Look out for drones and shoot them down first.

5. Apply blasters to hull.

6. If you see that your shields are about to fail, select a celestial object and spam the warp button to save your pod.

7. Repeat

This is a fantastic fit except for one detail. Do not load Navy Cap Booster 100s in your MASB. The way ASBs work is that any size of cap boosters provides exactly the same amount of shield recharge, but you can load more of the smaller sizes in your ASB. With Navy 100s you will only be able to load 4, if I remember correctly, whereas if you choose Cap Booster 50s, you can load seven. You rarely get the chance to reload your ASB during a fight, so when your charges are done it usually means that you lose. Do yourself a favor and use the smallest charges that fit.

MASB Merlins are superior to MSE Merlins in most cases, but require more micromanagement during a fight, which is why I usually recommend MSE fits for new players. The correct way do use this module is to be conservative with your charges, usually just pulsing them out one at a time as needed. It takes 60 seconds to reload once they are all done, and you don't usually have that kind of time to work with.