Like many other lovers of the MMORPG genre, I find myself coming back to Eve Online every few years. For those who have never played, let me try to give you a TL;DR of one of the more complicated games out there.
Eve Online is a single server massively multiplayer experience where everything is interconnected in a galaxy-wide economy and ecosystem. You train skill points in real-time, whether or not you’re logged in, that allow you to pilot different ships or perform different activities with varying degrees of aptitude. There are a few main categories of activity that you can participate in:
- Mining
- Using a ship specially designed to extract minerals from asteroids
- Industry
- Crafting items
- Market trading
- Buying and selling items on the open market
- Hauling
- Moving large amounts of items across the galaxy
- PVE Combat
- Hunting and killing NPCs
- PVP Combat
- Hunting and killing other players
- Exploration
- Scanning and finding anomalies
Most players’ activities will span multiple categories. Trade is virtually required; the market links all these activities and the players that engage in them. No player can realistically get everything they need without engaging with the trading system.
As a returning player, I checked out some of my old favorite activities, and here are some of the significant changes I noticed:
Player Death is less punishing.
Eve is a dangerous place. There are a lot of ways to get your ship blown up. Today there’s ship insurance where you can get back a nominal amount of in-game currency (ISK). But in the past, when you died, you would lose skill points based on the last time you backed up your clone. There are still implants you can use, and if your pod gets destroyed, you still lose those.
The game feels more accessible to new players.
The game still has a steep learning curve. However, with added tutorials and an upgraded user interface, Eve Online has never been easier to get into. The complicated aspects of Eve are what draw me in. As I reviewed the new accessibility features of Eve, it seemed to me that you could have a lot of fun while never directly interacting with the more complicated aspects of the game. Some players may not agree with this; however, some of the new real-money options give new players an easy way to get into Eve and not feel so far behind in a game that’s been around for two decades.
The game is more commercialized than ever.
As mentioned, many new real-money transactions are available to players. Eve has always been free to play, and through participating in activities that earn ISK in-game, you can trade with other players to pay for premium features. In many cases, if you do the math, you’re better off getting a second job and paying for currency rather than participating in activities you don’t find enjoyable to earn ISK. One exciting feature is you can now sell skill points to other players. Some players will use a strategy to generate ISK to train skills as efficiently as possible using implants and strategically training skills to sell skill injectors to other players. Alternatively, you could use an alt character to send additional skills to your main character. You can find a tutorial here.
An “Alpha” player has several restrictions on them that an “Omega” subscription player isn’t burdened with.
Cosmetics
As everyone knows, the real end game of every MMO is cosmetics. The developers of Eve have fleshed out a detailed cosmetic system for your character and skins your ship. There’s a unique look and feel available for everyone.
Recommendations
Whether you’re a new or returning player in 2023, I would suggest the following:
- Play the game for free for at least a week.
- Pay attention to the daily rewards. They’re worth it!
- Get involved in PVP
- Join a community and corporation. Eve is more fun together.
- Put a mining setup on your second monitor if you work from home.
- If you’re having fun playing the game, buy an Omega subscription.
- I wouldn’t recommend buying most of the bundles available on the online store. Do your research before buying anything.
- Remember, even if you pay real money for plex and buy a fancy ship, it can be blown up by anyone, so be careful!
If you’re new to Eve, feel free to use my referral link to get 1,000,000 free skill points.
3 Responses
Great article! I’ve never played Eve but always wanted to!
Is this still pay to win mostly though? That’s how I feel it started and that’s how I feel it is in 2023….
It’s “Pay to Win” in the sense that you could pay to train skills, pilot better ships etc. But a free to play player could absolutely ruin a millionaire’s day with the right strategy and circumstances.
The best strategy to have fun is to join a corp. The game is simply too big to “Win”