Soldier of Fortune
Delve Right Into the Most Dangerous Places In New Eden and Come Out Swinging
What Will I Find Outside of Highsec?
Taking that leap out into the lawless regions of Lowsec and Nullsec isn't a decision to be taken lightly. It means shifting your perspective to a new world where danger means anyone who isn't in your fleet. For the right Capsuleer, however, that's just getting started. After all, killing is just a means of communication. The rewards offered to a pilot willing to risk it all for the glory of combat are greater than almost anywhere else in New Eden.
If explosions are your thing then this page will teach you how you can get started with PvP outside of the Highsec safety net.
Activities
Pilots motivated by the thrill of combat against other capsuleers will find ample opportunities for battle. From Faction Militia warfare, to ambushes, to hunting in covert ships, providing support, or engaging in huge battles involving thousands of Capsuleers, those willing to prowl the lawless regions beyond High-Security space will always be able to find the action they desire.
Fits to fly
The fits needed outside of Highsec are, most of the time, going to share some similarities to what Security missions and combat anomalies require. The exception being that during PvP, your target can warp off at any time. To secure a kill on another player and take their loot, you will need to fit either a Warp Disruptor or Warp Scrambler (commonly referred to as point and scram, respectively). The former will simply prevent them from warping and the latter will turn off Microwarpdrives, too. Either can be used in conjunction with other propulsion jamming equipment such as Stasis Webifiers or Grapplers to hold someone in place while your guns work through their shields.
Speaking of weapon choice, just about anything is viable as long as you build your ship around it. Getting up close and brawling with blasters or autocannons can be just as effective as kiting at distance with long-range missiles and drones. The key will be to match your turrets or missiles to use the bonuses of the ship you're flying, seen in the Show Info window. If your chosen weapons show an optimal range of below 10km then a Microwarpdrive, scram, and web would make for a great combo. Range control is vital and sometimes can be all you need to earn the kill.
As for the choice of defensive modules, pilots prepared for PvP situations may choose to load as much shield or armor buffer as they can with Shield Extenders, Armor Plates, and a variety of resist modules. This is due to PvP combat often lasting only a few minutes; having a larger tank will often be more helpful than a small amount of shield or armor repair over time. You can always dock up and repair once the fight is over. Fancy flying something bigger? Start planning your next fit and check out the in-game Ship Tree to see pathways to every available ship in New Eden.
Skills to survive
As with fits, many of the skills needed to thrive in lawless Low and Nullsec regions are primarily combat-based. Having the Magic 14 trained to a level three or four and some weapon skills will be a good start, but specializing early will be essential for maximizing your efficacy in solo or fleet fights.
Many new player friendly corporations will offer their recruits a handy Skill Plan. If you’ve not yet found a corp you can always start with the Certified Skill Plans to get the basics combat skills you need. Simply visit the skills panel from the top left of your Neocom, select Soldier of Fortune, then pick the race of ships that you wish to train for.
Damage Dealer (Turrets)
- Any Racial Frigate or Destroyer - Allows effective use of DPS ship bonuses
- Small Projectile/Hybrid/Energy Turret - Increases damage with various turrets
- Gunnery - Increases turret rate of fire
- Rapid Firing - Increases rate of fire by a larger amount
- Surgical Strike - Increases turret damage
- Motion Prediction - Increases turret tracking speed
- Sharpshooter - Increases turret optimal range
- Trajectory Analysis - Increases turret falloff range
Damage Dealer (Missiles)
- Caldari Frigate and Destroyer - Allows use of ships specialized in missiles
- Light Missiles - Increases damage with long-range Light Missiles
- Rockets - Increases damage with short-range Rockets
- Missile Launcher Operation - Increases missile launcher rate of fire
- Rapid Launch - Increases rate of fire by a larger amount
- Warhead Upgrades - Increases missile damage
- Target Navigation Prediction - Improves missile ability to hit fast targets
- Guided Missile Precision - Improves missile ability to hit small targets
- Missile Projection - Increases missile range by making them faster
- Missile Bombardment - Increases missile range by giving them a longer flight time
Fast Tackler
- Any Racial Frigate - Allows use of tackle frigates
- Propulsion Jamming - Reduce capacitor use of tackle modules
- Acceleration Control - Increases the speed boost of Afterburners and Microwarpdrives
- High Speed Maneuvering - Reduces Microwarpdrive capacitor use
- Spaceship Command - Improves ship agility
- Evasive Maneuvering - Improves ship agility by a larger amount
- Navigation - Increases the base speed of ships
Electronic Warfare Specialist
- Any Racial Frigate - To make good use of each race's electronic warfare frigate
- Long Range Targeting - Increases lock range
- Target Management - Increases the number of lockable targets at once
- Electronic Warfare - Allows use of ECM modules to disrupt hostile locks
- Sensor Linking - Allows use of Remote Sensor Dampeners to reduce hostile lock range and speed
- Weapon Disruption - Allows use of Tracking and Guidance Disruptors to reduce incoming damage
- Target Painting - Allows use of Target Painters to increase the signature size of hostile ships
- Frequency Modulation - Improves the range of EWAR modules
Additional Tutorials
If you're hungry for more then these videos and resources should fill in any gaps.
Try it out
Now that you've got the knowledge, you need to put it into action! Pick a goal that excites you, undock, and find out what awaits you in New Eden.
Easy
- Fit your ship with a Stasis Webifier and Warp Scrambler
- Insure your ship from inside a station
- Jump into Lowsec space with a PvP fit ship
- Enlist in Faction Warfare
Medium
- Join a PvP Corporation
- Join a public PvP fleet
- Complete a Lowsec Faction Warfare complex
- Fit long-range weapons, a Microwarpdrive, and a Warp Disruptor
Hard
- Be the first in a fleet to tackle a target with a Warp Scrambler or Disruptor
- Lead a fleet of players yourself
- Kill a cruiser in PvP combat
- Escape a hostile gatecamp
Featured videos
Community Resources
Ready to move on? The resources below have all been created by Capsuleers in the EVE Online community. They're available in almost any format you can choose to learn in the way that suits you best.
Wikis and Written Guides
Video Guides
In-game Training Corporations
- Brave Newbies (Large, Null Sec)
- Karmafleet (Large, Null Sec)
- Pandemic Horde (Large, Null Sec)
- Stribog Clade (Medium. Pochven)
- Convocation of Empyreans (Medium, High Sec/Low Sec)
- Stay Frosty (Small, Low Sec)
- Electus Matari (Small, Low Sec)
- Ishuk-Raata Enforcement Directive (Small, NPC Null Sec)
- Foxholers (Medium, WH-space)
- Spectre Fleet (Community)
- Bombers Bar (Community)
- Dark Venture Corporation (Medium, WH-space)