So, you just started playing EVE Online and want to join a player-owned corporation? Good choice! Whether you are interested in the benefits of mining, ratting, etc. in nullsec, are looking for good PVP, or want to take place in the large battles that EVE is renowned for, player-owned corps are the places to be.
However, you may feel a little out of place if the corp you just joined suddenly finds itself in the throes of an all-out war. After all, you probably thought you’d have time to learn more about the mechanics of the game and how to operate in a corp before heading to the battlefront. But when war comes, duty calls and your corp needs all of the pilots it can get at the frontlines for the action.
This can be daunting for new players, but take a breath and relax. It’s not as bad as you might think.
Questions are encouraged during wartime
A good corp always takes the time to help out newbies, otherwise they shouldn’t declare themselves open to having new players. Of course, expect to take some shit from veteran players when you do something stupid, though it’s all in good fun (usually).
You might think that wartime is not the right time to distract other players with questions. However, you’ll find that other players are still prepared to help newbies out so they can do their part in the war, because when newbies win, everybody wins.
Some corps offer classes to teach newbies the ins and outs of flying newbie-friendly roles, such as logistics and tackle, even during wartime. Others may attach you to a mentor who can coach you on the mechanics of war on a more personal level.
Be careful to follow your corp’s rules on chatter in comms and in chat, especially in fleets. Don’t be ‘that guy’ and hijack conversations in crucial moments because you forgot how to lock a target. Know where you can communicate and when and you shouldn’t have any trouble finding help from experienced players.
You don’t really need to worry about ISK
“How to make ISK” may be one of the most common search terms related to EVE Online. Veteran players seem to have endless amounts of it. Newbies have scraps. This is how it goes.
During peacetime, newbies can engage in all kinds of activities for earning ISK, but many of these activities are out of the question during wartime. If you go ratting and mining, you’ll probably get blown up, and for newbies, getting blown up is an expensive habit.
Fortunately, many corps offer incentives, free ships, and ship replacement programs to keep active pilots in space. Before joining a corp, see what they can offer you so you can actively participate in the action.
You may be surprised how much some corps are willing to offer, but keeping pilots in the action is more important to many corps than the trivial amount of ISK (trivial to them but not to you) it costs to give you a free ship or replace your shiny new stealth bomber that got webbed and scrammed before you could even drop your fat payload.
You get to learn and grow
Starry-eyed newbies love hearing the veterans tell stories of the big wars and the multi-thousand player battles that dot EVE Online’s history. While newbies should understand that major wars like the current one (Northern War II? This Is the Greatest War in the World: Tribute? Glasskrieg?) aren’t always going on, it is special to be a part of the action that shapes the course of EVE Online’s ever-evolving player-driven content.
During wartime, you get a crash course experience on what it’s like to fly in fleets and how strategies are developed. You learn more about fitting your ship and flying, and you’ll probably discover that you are a better pilot than you think. If you’ve joined a corp during wartime, take advantage of the opportunity to enjoy the great content and build your skills and knowledge at a faster rate than you probably would during peacetime.
What are your thoughts about new pilots joining corps during wartime? We’d love to hear from both newbies and veterans alike in the comments below.
