Ships & Modules

Do EVE ship sizes lock you into a certain bracket? I understand that EVE is not like many other MMO's, where your character "levels up". I do really enjoy that about it. On the other hand, I feel like there are so many cool styles of ships in the game that it really locks you into a specific bracket if you want to get really good at a certain type.

I know this sounds like and odd gripe, but am I the only one who wishes that the ships were a little closer in size and ability to each other? As it stands now, it seems that a BS can only really fight other BS's, frigates fight frigates, etc. Now before I go any further, I know someone is going to say, "Hey, 10 frigates can easily fight a BS", and someone else will say, "A BS can launch drones and kill a frigate", etc. I'm not talking about using a mob of players to kill one larger player. More what I'm getting at is if someone wanted to really specialize in frigates, it would be cool if they could actually be useful against larger ships, or vice versa. As it is, it feels like they are so far removed from each other in size and ability, that you are forced to fight only your same type of ship.

And then there are the red-headed stepchildren, dessies and BC's. I honestly can't see a reason to train into either, aside from the 3 skill points needed to jump up to the next bracket. After all, it doesn't seem like there is anything a dessie of BC can do that a frigate, cruiser, or BS can't do better.

I've always been PvP focused in every game that has it, and eve is no exception. If none of what I'm saying is making sense then forgive me, I'm not thinking in the PvE mindset. I guess in a nutshell, my biggest complaint with EVE PvP is that if you find a ship you really like and want to max your skills and play-style for, you will still only be able to engage a very limited amount of other players in combat with it. It just feels very restrictive for someone who enjoys solo PvP and doesn't want to gang up with 10 on 1 odds to fight different ship sizes.

To use an analogy from other MMO types, I feel like in EVE, a warrior can only PvP against another warrior, or a magician has to fight a magician. I hope that makes sense.

Hmmm ... it entirely depends on your style of play, but the Tech 2 variants of Frigates and Cruisers can indeed hold down, or even destroy ships of a higher class ...

Tech 2 hulls are very specialized, Interceptors are more than capable of locking something in place, Assault Frigates pack a hefty punch in a very small boat, etc ...

Destroyers are "glass cannons" used to kill Frigates before they become a nuisance, their Tech 2 variants are capable of blocking access to stargates, Battlecruisers are gang-boosters that have a huge tank and some DPS, their Tech 2 variants are even more focused on gang boosting, and much more.

It is really feasible to spend your whole capsuleer career in Frigates (Tech 1, Faction/Pirate and Tech 2) with a wide variety of roles and playing styles.

I know this is a PvE comment, but I was able to solo level 3 and 4 missions in an Assault Frigate ... took quite a bit of time to break the tanks of the biggest NPCs, and a properly fitted Battlecruiser/Battleship is much more time-efficient for that, but it's possible.

Of course, you need lots of character skills to get the most bang out of a hull, AND lots of player skills to pull the right maneuvers at the right moment