EVE General Discussion

I think I have found another reason why new players quit the game.
Take this experience of mine (been playing a month).

I was saving to buy a Maller, when I noticed the Arbitrator was cheaper and has a very large drone bay. So I read a guide about drones that told me about bandwidths, ranges, etc...

So I bought the Arbitrator, fitted out with Hammerhead 1 drones, beam laser, quad laser and salvager; and started up on level 2 missions.

My first mission took me up against a bunch of ships. I destroyed all but one, which turned out to be a cruiser (Moa type) with a love of missiles.

It matched speed away from me keeping me at 40km, and my drones could only go to 30km. Two choices, train and wait, or quit and do other missions.

I choose to quit and took other missions.

I then got a mission where I had to destroy more pirates. So off I go and destroy all but one frigate (Merlin type). This one frigate kept at 16km range and I could only hit it with my beam laser, while my 4 Hammerheads kept flying around it doing nowt.

I got on the help channel and was told to use light scout.

So I go back to base, grab some light scout drones (acolytes and hobgoblins), and after a drawn out boring battle, destroy it.

I now have a mixture of medium and light drones in my hanger.

I take another mission, whereby I activate a warp gate and appear in the middle of a disco...no, not a disco, those are a hell of a lot of lasers...on me...I warp out and away from about 7 ships which have torn down to my hull in seconds.

I quit that mission and I go buy 1600mm, boosting my armour from around 1800 to 6000. I have to lose the beam laser as a result.

I then take another mission...hey it's exactly like the one against the Merlin. I destroy all the other ships with ease, except now I don't have a beam laser, but that's okay I have 4 drones on it....hmm, except after 4 minutes they've only just got half its shields down...well, hopefully when the shields are down they'll tear through it...except suddenly the enemy frigates start regenerating and in no time its back to full shield strength.

In disgust I fly back to base, where I could re-quip, but instead quit the mission...then decide to write this...

Looking back I wish I had bought the Maller...

Also I can't help but want to state the obvious...CCP - is this your idea of fun?

Did you forget to equip an afterburner/MWD?

That's seriously important.

No challenge in level 1 missions...I would have thought that wouldn't have needed pointing out...

Hmm looks like you are VERY early in the game. At first there are not alot of helpfull tips & you do have to figure it out for yourself. Yes in the beginning Eve does throw you in the deep end without a life preserver & its sink or float. I hope you stick it out & tread water because in 2-4 months you'll be swimming laps

Well, it is good to see you challenging yourself.

Think about what would be helpful. Maybe a stasis webifier, target painter, afterburner, microwarpdrive? Those can all help against frigates and other targets that outrun you.

Also, another thing is that you shouldn't buy a ship that you can't afford to replace.

Which appears to be what you did.

Also, I'd reconsider getting a Maller.

Actually the arbitrator is easy to replace...could do it in a day.

Not all ships will tackle missions equally as well. In your case, the Omen puts out more damage, but the Maller tanks like a rock.

A few other notes for you:

Price does not always correlate with effectiveness.
All ships are being rebalanced right now, starting with frigates.
Try to fit the exact same weapon in your high slots. It allows you to group them, and makes range management easier.
It's possible to solo every mission up to the level 4s, and even many 5s, but it's easier with a friend who can make up for your hull's particular weaknesses.
Finally, the big one: CCP's idea of fun is giving you a situation, and tools to deal with it. It's never balanced, fair, or even intuitive at times. Figuring it out, through research or experimentation, is all on you.

Wow, I'm only trying to help.

Instead of dwelling on mistakes, learn from them!

Also, the Arbitrator is actually the best T1 cruiser so you made a good buying decision. Just need to learn how to fly it and you're set.

The Maller is probably the worst.

conversely it's why so many of us stick it out. I feel your pain, been through it myself many times in the beginning, it's still challenging years later and pvp even more so. but I waited for Diablo 3 for years, for instance, and then breezed though it like a hero for a few days until it just got boring. it's the challenge that make a game interesting. hope you stick it out and try to work through it, Eve learning curve is harsh but the rewards are better than most games I've played.