Since things are slowing down a bit in WoW-ville, I’ve picked up EVE again. It’s still an amazingly deep game, and the interface has gotten some spiffing up since I last saw it. There are “cool down” bars on all of the weapons and activated ship fittings for instance.
I’ve been kind of poking at things to see what’s interesting. I tried mining, but it’s awful boring. At the skill level that I am willing to commit to, the money isn’t very good either. The best guide I found on mining is from Halada. It goes deep into the mechanics of mining.
I know that almost anything I do in EVE will require cash (ISK), so I need to do something that is fun, but throws off a lot of coin. Level 4 missions seem to be promising. Even now on level 3′s, I can spend an hour and make 5 to 8 million depending on how lucky I am with loot. Level 4′s are supposed to throw off tens of millions per mission. Because coin is what makes EVE go ’round, my first priority is to get Level 4 mission ready. I’m probably a week or 2 away from that. I’m using a Dominix right now. It seems to be a perfectly serviceable ship for Level 4′s according to the forums and loadout pages. Before I step into level 4′s, I need to work up my armor tanking skills, my Gallente Battleship skill (for drone damage and durability), and my drone skills so I can get sentry drones out there. One of the popular methods for clearing a Level 4 solo is to agro a group at a time if possible and use sentry drones to kill everything before it gets to you.
Once I have a good source of cash, I’m going to work on my PvP skills, both in-game behind the keyboard. If I’m going to wander around in 0.0, then I should know how to defend myself. EVE tends to be a pretty hostile place. Even in high sec areas, there is plenty of griefing and other shenanigans. 90% of the people in high sec just go about their business, but that 10% can cause a lot of trouble.
After I get the basics of PvP down, I’ll work on my Covert Ops and exploration skills. That seems to be a neat part of the game, and I’d like to see it.
Who knows what’s after that. EVE is a big game with another expansion coming out in march which should introduce “Tech 3″ ships… And I haven’t even gotten to a Tech 2 ship yet. Well, there is still time. I’d better get back to earning ISK.