EVE New Citizens Q&A

I haven't 100% pin-pointed what it is I want to do yet, but for the moment I'm thinking a mixture of Exploration & Hauling/Trading, at least to start off with. Any suggestions as to where I should go from here?

I'm leaning towards a small cluster of systems I've found in The Citadel region that has a nice mix of Distribution Agents of all levels (and quite a few different factions) that's not that far from Jita. The only real snag is that quite a bit of that area is either 0.5 or lowsec, which might potentially screw me in the long run (or not, maybe it'll be a good way to get some survival practice in. )

Yes - I would also recommend to go onto the SoE Epic Arc. Bring a destroyer or your combat frigate. Do those missions, then you can move onto the next step below - Joining a corp.

If SOE missions are not your style (google them), then you will want to join a corporation and fly where ever they're flying. Check out the corps that are recruiting on the forums as the in-game Recruitment Channel is a bit of a joke at the moment.

My recommended steps to joining a corp would be:
1) Look them up on the forums. Most will say where they fly (highsec, lowsec, null). All three "secs" are fine for you to fly in, so don't base your decision on who to join solely on where they fly. Read their descriptions, and join one that claims to be new player friendly.
2) Look them up in game and join their in game channel. Chat with them a bit. Ask questions - either about them or about the game to see if they are willing to help a new player.
3) Join them and try it out. Stay a month or two, and if it doesn't work out, then try again.

Joining a corp is fun because you can fleet up with people to make content easier, or at the very least, more sociable.

If you wish to fly solo, then thats a different story. We would need to know more about your interests as a solo pilot to recommend anything.

FR

Personally, I would start Exploration in High Sec to get familiar with the types of sites you might encounter. That would be Data, Relic and Combat.

I would also pick one NPC corp to run Distribution missions for. Get familiar with the Agent Finder under the contacts. I wouldn't run missions for all sorts of different corps, while I try to figure out what I like. I did that on my main and have half a* standings with most factions, but I can only run level 4 missions for two NPC corps, which sort of limits my options.

The SoE arc missions are good if you want to take a look at what the galaxy as a whole can offer. They take you through each Empire and let you try out different types of missions, NPCs, etc.

Yes. No reason to do this other than to have done it.

First find a corp you want to join. Then go where they are. Eve is 300% more fun when you play with (or against) others.

Well as you just pointed out, you've already experienced other areas of space and made an informed decision. For most new players, making the leap out of high-sec is a big hurdle and they worry about it far too much. If all they know is high-sec mining, they'll have no idea if that's actually what interests them. Your experience in other areas of space surely helped shape the way you have fun in high-sec.

It's not very likely that a person who stays in high-sec and doesn't get involved with a corp will stick around. CCP has statistics that show this. That's why we recommend new players "jump in headfirst" so they won't get bored and leave. Like the OP, who apparently biomassed (hopefully an alt!) They can always choose to return if that play style appeals to them more.

Never meant this to say low and nul are bad in fact you may have missed where I specifically state that if low and nul are where you find fun then go for it. And I never said that new players should NEVER leave high sec. The post quoted is however very typical of the low and nul are the ONLY place you can have fun and the ONLY place you can get decent social interaction type of comment that permeates this forum and it is a flat out lie. There is much fun to be had with like minded players in all areas of the game, doing all activities and yes even if you are in an NPC corp.


I like the way a simple comment about how social interactions with fellow players is turned on it's ear and becomes a statement that being in a player corp is where the social interactions are found. That segment clearly stated that it was the social interactions portion that was key and had no comments on what area of space or doing what activities were the areas most likely to contain that social aspect. Being in a player corp is not a guarantee of that social interaction either, some player corps are a virtual wasteland of people going their own way and doing their own thing and never talking to one another. On the other hand many of the NPC channels are extremely active with tons of support, advice and help for the new players involved, and many of them maintain voice chats with the in game voice or programs like team speak. In fact some of the most often used new player channels are not even part of a corporation at all they are simply game wide chats that are set up specifically to help new players no matter where they are, no matter what corp they are in or no matter what they are doing.

The point to be made is that there is not one single place where a new / newer player will find the social interactions that are proven to help keep players in this game. Some will find it in an NPC, some will find it in low or nul, some in a worm hole and others will find it in high sec doing all those things you think are crushingly boring.

And taking this slightly off topic if we are concerned about keeping players in player corps for the social interaction aspects they bring then perhaps it is time for CCP to look at the war dec mechanic and the very structure of those player corps since war decs are often stated as a reason why people do not join player corps and as a reason why they leave them.

I literally run one of these. I realize corporations are not the only way to interact. However they are definitely the most straight forward way for new players to find like-minded players and get involved. And leaving high-sec is the easiest way to push you out of your "comfort zone" such that you experience different parts of EVE. As a new player you generally don't even know what's happening out there - the only way to experience it is to go find out.

Is that the only way to immerse yourself? Nope. If you are very social you may stumble across useful / helpful / interesting people in high-sec. But that is the exception, not the rule. In general, NPC chat is full of bad advice and people that don't care about you. In general, player corps will help you learn faster. In general, those corps will be of a higher quality outside high-sec. Now why would I advise someone to do everything the hard way? Give new players the best advantage by encouraging them to get out and experience different areas of space and learn from the best. Once they've had that experience, they can make an educated decision as to what they enjoy, rather than being brainwashed to believe low-sec is scary, corporations are scary, war decs are scary and it's ok to fit lasers on a hurricane.

Before you retort, remember, this is exactly what you did yourself.

Best advice for OP!

If you do not know what to do after the career agents, go do SoE epic arc.

Then figure out what you want to do and find a corp.