Starting the game - any suggestions?

Sigrand

I've decided to try this game out with a friend of mine.  We're completely new to the game.  Does anyone have any helpful advice for a couple of noobs?  Anything we should know when starting?  Is there anything to avoid?  Any not-so-obvious mistakes we might make that could get us destroyed in game?  I've heard that it can be very harsh to new players, with them being destroyed by veterans early on.  Any help/suggestion is appreciated.  Thanks in advance.

Elsabolts

Do the tutatorial try different things, always insure the ships you really do not wanna loose, cause your gonna loose em. Keep your clone uptodate point wise check it everymonth. Join a corperation with like minded folks, if you play good side stay out of 0.4 space or be prepared to lose ships. Always try something different if you start getting bored.

Sigrand

Thanks for the tips; I'll kep them in mind.  I don't know what most of it means yet, but I'll figure it out.

DevilXaphan

After you two leave the tutoral get into EVE University which will help you emensly in PvP and anything else you have questions about. Ask about EVEU in the rookie channel.

qazyman

Having a friend is a great way to start. You should look to find a Corp that has players from your time zone and are also new to the game... ASAP. It's an important step so do as much research as you can. Don't be afraid to start a conversation with someone and ask them about their corp if you think it seems like a good fit. How do they make their ISK? How much free time will you have? will you have to relocate? Find a corp you like even if you have to change a few times.

Pynda

The 'EvE Compendium' .pdf is a nice all in one document to have downloaded. And the wiki site is great too. Unfortunately - there's just one hell of a lot to try and learn in this game (over 800 pages in the compendium alone). I'm simply doing a little bit of reading, followed by a larger bit of playing. But after a month in EVE I know I'm still pretty much oblivious.

http://dl.eve-files.com/media/corp/Logixcraft/The_Eve_Compendium_Verison_1.5.pdf

nurgles

don't take things that are not yours. it may have been put there so that someone can legally shoot you for stealing.

If someone steals from you, they may want you to shoot at them just so that they can legally shoot back.

never buy anything off the market or from contracts without triple checking the price you will pay and the item you are getting, there are a lot of scams.

Don't fly what you can't afford to easily replace.

Remember that risk = reward. so if you start getting bored grinding for isk, spice it up by flying something you expect to loose in dangerous place and see if you can get a nice reward for it.

neKrow

Do the tutorial. Watch the rookie channel and the help channel. ASK QUESTIONS. Here is a graphic representation of the EVE learning curve. 

Investigate your skills. They are your main focus right now. Have an idea of how you might want to play. Carefully research what the skills do and how they effect your character. One of the best ways to do this is by downloading EVEMon. Get yourself into a Frigate first then a Cruiser

Spend about a month fleshing out your cruiser skills... then (pay attention now becasue this is where it gets crazy).... THEN... TRAIN ALL YOUR LEARNING SKILLS!

This is hyper important! And really really boring! Your learning skills will increase the rate at which you learn ALL skills. it will shave MONTHS off your progression! Here is what I reccomend:

Spatial Awareness IV

Iron Will IV

Empathy IV

Instant Recall IV

Analytical Mind IV

Then purchase and train:

Clarity IV

Focus IV

Presence IV

Eidetic Memory IV

Logic IV

Then Train the first 5 learning skills to level V. You will hate it while its happening because you won't see any gains. But a month of stagnant play (remember we got you into a cruiser so you can still play) is nothing compared to putting a year into the game and seeing people who started after you getting access to skills you dont have yet!

Have fun and enjoy the game!

Xennith

Forget everything you know about MMOs.

EVE is not about quests, missions are there to get you money to do other things with, they're like the WoW daily quests.

EVE is not level based, skillpoints are not levels, skillpoints dont win fights, ships and pilots do.

EVE is not kind, if your ship gets blown up, it is gone. Insure it, dont fly it if you cant afford to replace it.

Bigger is not better. Rushing to a battleship because its "endgame" is a bad idea, you end up flying a battleship you cant afford to lose with a rubbish fitting which actually performs worse than a cruiser. Take your time and learn to love tech 1 frigates.

If you see a contract link posted into local chat, its a scam. Even if it looks totally legit, I bet you a million ISK its a scam.

If you see a cargo container called "free ore" , theres a stealthbomber 20km off it looking for a cheap kill.

Drakes are bait.

Make friends. Solo play is possible and quite rewarding but only once you know what to do, a group of friends turns EVE from a good game to a great one.

Say hi. My main is "Xennith" and if Im online and not busy I'll be happy to chat with you and answer any questions you have.

Rodentofdoom

Goto  www.eveonline.com 

click on forums and check out the stickied threads in the  'Eve New Citizens Q&A' folder

Mopar63

 First welcome to EVE, as others have stated throw out any preconcieved ideas about MMO play you have and start from scratch.

Having a buddy with you gives some great options. I suggest before you truly get started however though you consider what kind of play style you want to enjoy. 

Combat: Be it PVP or PVE two is always better than one. Find complimentary paths in development to work together. For example one might be an ECM pilot while the other a tackler. Ask around there are many that will help you. 

Mining: This is a great direction for a two man team as one can be a hauler pilot and one the miner. This means you can mine more ore faster and this make money quicker.  Mining can be a bit tedious but the potential ISK reward is good. Plus that money can be useful later in your career if you decide to go another direction. Having a nice ISK supply is  wonderful when a career change is in the works.

Manufacturing: This can tie into mining well and should. The ming can be used to create items for sale in the game. Unlike many games where low level stuff does not usually sell well in EVE in the most basic ammor is always in demand.

Hauling/Trading: This has the highest potential for ISK return and in my own experiences I can see how a two man team at this will ROCK! Think Smokey and the Bandit. One pilot is a uber quick frigate pilot that will scout ahead for low sec ambushes and the other drives the big rig to haul the cargo for sale.

These are just a few quick ideas but what I want to stress is try to figure out the style of play you want so you can enjoy the experience as much as possible out of the gate. 

Also look for a corporation, not the NPC but a player corp. These will be players you can talk to, learn from and game with. EVE is a game that DEMANDS social connections to get the most out of it.

Finally do not get discouraged. EVE is a game of long term. You do not make plans for a few hours or days but play ahead weeks and months with set goals. Take your time, no that failure will happen but so will learning.