EVE New Citizens Q&A

Hey guys,

My friend lured me into the game, although I am quite new I am picking up stuff rather quickly (i think) and there's still lots of stuff to find out. Now I rolled a Caldari and looking for a cheap frig to get into the pvp with.

So far I tried hybrid turrets aka Merlin and also I got this Hookbill (mostly for the looks) now that I do quests on. I greatly appreciate the graphics on the missiles so would like to skill into that first.
I'm running missions and want the frig recommended to be "mission friendly" as well, doing lvl1s for now. This way I can get a feel for the ship before I jump into pvp and also I can use my skill training to both benefit questing and pvping.

So this is what I am looking for:
- Cheap Caldari Frigate (I will prob die alot)
- Can do lvl1 quests and maybe even lvl2s ?
- Missiles/Rockets
- Noob friendly
- If possible a recommended Fit

Any help would be highly appreciated.
Best regards,
Jasur Nayaki, Noob pilot of the Caldari State.

I strongly recommend the Minmatar rifter. I know it is not caldari or match your description but it is the best ship to do what you are asking and is a frig.

As requested, here are some fits,

PvE - http://eve.battleclinic.com/loadout/44452-PvE-Rifter.html or my personal fitting, http://eve.battleclinic.com/loadout/26319-Rifter-PvE-Mission-Runner.html

PvP - Depends on your role, use the above website.

If you don't have the skills, downgrade to T1 where needed. A full T1 fit is still very good.

if you plan to do L1\2 just get for them a Corax which is a destroyer. it utilize same weapon systems as the frigs so same skills only 1 extra to train but it's eay to use and much easier for L1\2.

OP, I would recommend buying a ship for PvE activities and other ones (in bulk) for PvP specifically. As you may already have learnt, PvP and PvE combat fits and tactics differ by a huge amount and there is usually no point mixing them together.

So as you want to fly Caldari ships and as you stated your aesthetics-related preference for missiles, the obvious choice for a combat frigate is between a Condor and a Kestrel.

For low-level missions, I'd recommend a Kestrel because it tanks more, does more damage and speed is a secondary concern in PvE.

For PvP, and I'm assuming here that you're talking about 1 vs. 1 FW-type frigate PvP, train for Rockets first (those are the short range, high damage frigate-sized missiles) and fit the Kestrel as a brawler: afterburner, warp scrambler, web, medium shield extender and shield extender rigs, damage control. During combat, hit "Keep at range" 6 km from your opponent, overheat ze missilez!!!! (if you have the Thermodynamics skill trained) and bet upon who'll die first.

The Condor is a great ship but is more fragile and overall more difficult to get started in PvP with, in my opinion. Lose a dozen brawling Kestrels first and use the experience to improve your fitting and piloting decisions.

if your alone, an attack or combat frigate is best
if you have friends, you can add e-war or logistic frigate to the list

rockets on a kestrel may take someone by surprise as there's a good chance they will be expecting you to kite them at range with missiles

frigates are a little squishy, so keep your transversal high against turret based ships, rockets/missiles don't care about it which is a plus.

If the OP were going to go with a minmatar ship, he would be better suited with a Breacher, imo - you can do a decent kiting fit with it, but I personally really enjoy throwing a tracking disruptor on it and going rocket-brawler. It's fun in FW because most people expect a breacher to be fit for kiting.

It can chew up many turret ships (including some AFs) pretty well. Since the "expected" fit is a kiting fit, "superior" missile kiters like the kestrel, condor, or Slicer will frequently think it's safe to chase you into a FW plex, as well, allowing you to get a close-range tackle on them before they start kiting.

Don't forget to have fun out there