> For AI agents: the complete documentation index is available at /en/llms.txt, the full documentation bundle is available at /en/llms-full.txt.

# Introducing EVE Online

## What kind of game is EVE Online?

EVE Online is a **sandbox massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG)** set in space. Players take the role of capsuleers and fly ships through a universe called **New Eden**, where they can explore, fight, manufacture, and trade.

Unlike most MMORPGs, EVE has no fixed main storyline and does not force players along a single progression path. It is a **player-driven world**: players set market prices through trade, alliances fight over sovereignty, and corporations and alliances manage their own organizations, diplomacy, and politics. What you do in EVE depends more on your choices than on a list of quests from the game.

EVE has been live since 2003. Its universe contains **more than 7,000 star systems**, all part of the same shared game world.

## What can you do in EVE Online?

The official new-player guidance groups activities into four career paths. You can switch between them or try several at once:

| Career path            | Main activities                                                                             | Related section                                                 |
| ---------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Enforcer**           | Take on NPC factions and criminals, run security missions, and uphold or challenge the law. | [Combat and Fleets](/en/docs/guides/combat/index.md)            |
| **Soldier of Fortune** | Fight other players, from duels and small-gang engagements to large fleet battles.          | [Combat and Fleets](/en/docs/guides/combat/index.md)            |
| **Explorer**           | Scan relic and data sites, avoid danger, and find wormholes and shortcuts.                  | [Exploration and Events](/en/docs/guides/exploration/index.md)  |
| **Industrialist**      | Mine, refine, manufacture ships and modules, and trade on the market.                       | [Industry and Manufacturing](/en/docs/guides/industry/index.md) |

There is much more to do in EVE than these four paths. The sections below provide an overview.

### Combat and fleets

- **PvE:** Clear combat anomalies and DED complexes, run missions, and destroy NPC ships.
- **PvP:** Take part in solo fights, small-gang ambushes, sovereignty wars, and capital fleet engagements involving dozens or thousands of players.
- **Fleet operations:** Fleets are coordinated by a Fleet Commander (FC). They are a key way for new players to get involved with their corporation, earn participation credit (PAP), and qualify for ship replacement (SRP).

Ships **do not respawn when destroyed** in EVE. Losses are real. This gives combat decisions real consequences and underpins the game's economy and player politics.

### Industry and manufacturing

- **Mining:** Extract materials from asteroid belts, ice belts, moon belts, and gas sites.
- **Industry and research:** Refine raw materials, manufacture ships, modules, and ammunition, or research blueprints to improve efficiency.
- **Planetary Industry (PI):** Set up production on planets to create intermediate materials and finished goods.

The industry chain runs from raw materials to finished products, and each stage can be a source of income.

### Trade and markets

- Players set the prices of tradable goods through market orders. You can **buy low and sell high**, including by trading across regions.
- Common approaches include regional trading, contracts, hauling services, and supplying manufacturers.
- Changes in supply and demand appear directly in prices, so learning to read market data is a useful skill.

### Exploration and events

- **Exploration:** Scan and hack relic and data sites to find blueprints, materials, and rare items.
- **Wormhole space:** Unstable connections link distant parts of space. Wormhole space offers greater risk and reward.
- **Missions and Factional Warfare:** Take missions from NPC factions or join Factional Warfare to fight in low-security space.
- **Social and organizational play:** Corporation management, diplomacy, espionage, intelligence, and logistics are all part of EVE.

## Core features of EVE Online

| Feature                         | Description                                                                                                                            |
| ------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **One shared universe**         | All players inhabit the same game world, so markets, politics, and wars have a universe-wide impact.                                   |
| **Skills train offline**        | Skill training continues in real time whether or not you are logged in. You can queue up to 150 skills.                                |
| **Skill points and attributes** | Training speed depends on primary and secondary attributes, clone state, and implants. Early planning can affect long-term efficiency. |
| **Player-driven economy**       | Players produce and trade nearly all items, and prices respond to market supply and demand.                                            |
| **Real losses**                 | Destroyed ships and cargo are not returned. Managing risk is a core EVE skill.                                                         |
| **Teamwork wins fights**        | Planning, intelligence, and coordination often matter more than individual performance.                                                |

### Alpha and Omega clone states

EVE has free-to-play and subscription access. Your account's game time determines your characters' clone state:

- **Alpha (free):** Play for free and fly most ships up to battleships. Skill training is slower, and some systems, such as contracts, Planetary Industry, and certain industry and research fees, are restricted.
- **Omega (subscription):** Unlocks all ships, including Tech II ships and capitals, doubles skill training speed, and grants access to the full skill tree and contract system.

You can pay for Omega with real money or use **PLEX** purchased with ISK. With enough in-game income from trade or industry, it is possible to maintain Omega without spending real money.

## What new players should know

1. **Pick one path before trying to master everything.** Complete the in-game tutorial, then ask a Fuxi new-player mentor for advice on activities and progression.
2. **Ships are expendable.** Losing a ship is part of EVE. Do not let fear of a loss stop you from learning; losses are part of the learning curve.
3. **Start training skills early.** Skill training continues while you are offline, so every day you start sooner is another day of progress.
4. **An organization matters more than going alone.** High-value activities such as fleet battles, large-scale industry, and territorial wars depend on teamwork. Joining a corporation and taking part in its activities is a fast way to learn and earn.
5. **Tranquility and Serenity are separate worlds.** Characters, assets, and markets are not shared between the two servers. Fuxi Legion is on **Tranquility**.