Skills 101

Note: Check out the Noob Skill plans page for some specific guidelines

Basics

1. You do not grind Skill Points. Skills train constantly, whether you are logged in or not.
2. SP spent is never SP wasted. Someday you might need those two levels of industrial you trained as a newbro.
3. Training more skills allows you to do more things. Training them to higher levels allows you to do them better.
4. There are a huge number of skills that fall into several general areas. What skills you will want to train depends solely on what you want to do in EVE.
5. Once you've chosen a few things to focus on, use EveMon to create skill plans.
6. You can check the skills needed to fly fleet doctrine ships.

Overview

The training system in EVE is a bit different from the norm. Most traditional games like World of Warcraft require you to grind "XP" to "level up." In EVE, your character's skill progression advances constantly, whether or not you are even logged in. On top of that, there are no "talent trees" or other crazy point-buy systems to unlock by leveling up. Any player can train into any ship/role/job they want, provided they wait through the training time.

Despite what you may have heard, this does not lend an unfair advantage to older players; there are only so many skills that will affect any particular ship. A player who has played for 2 years might be able to fly the fearsome, projectile-turret-oriented Maelstrom battleship near-perfectly, but they might be outclassed while flying the missile-oriented Caracal Cruiser by a 3-month-old newbie who has trained the relevant skills higher.

How do skills work, then?

EVE has this super cool training queue system that allows you to queue up multiple skills that train in a consecutively. You have 24 hours of time in which to place skills, and anything in that queue will begin training automatically. Any skill can be placed in the queue, even skills that take longer than 24 hours to train, as long as they begin training within 24 hours. As an example, your skill queue can consist of a 2 hour skill, a 12 hour skill, and a 20 hour skill in that order, but you cannot queue them in reverse because the 2 hour skill would not start training within 24 hours (you'd have to log in the next day to drop it in).

Every skill has 5 levels, each taking longer to train than the last. For example, level 1 of a skill might take 250 Skillpoints (SP) and about 15 minutes to train (training at 1000 SP/Hour), but level 2 would require 1500 SP and about an hour and a half, and so on. (Generally) having a skill at Level 1 means you've trained it to beginner levels, while Level 5 means you have it completely trained. For most skills, level 3 or 4 is a good compromise between effectiveness and time spent training. Training level 5 in a skill can take days, weeks, or in some cases months to train, I recommend noobies stick to training to level 3 or 4 until they decide where to specialize (except in some cases).

Skill points are preserved if you suddenly decide to start training a different skill, the progress you made will be there when you come back to it.

What Skills?

Skills are divided into 16 categories, which fall into 5 distinct groups: Combat, Support, Industry, Trade, and Leadership.

Combat skills These skills make you better at killing things. If you want to get specific and less-confusing, these are typically skills that are prerequisites to weapons/ships/ammos/etc.

Support skills This is a broad category that includes anything that improves the ships you pilot. Many of these skills are incredibly important and directly affect your ability to get reimbursed for losses in combat.

Industry skills Building and mining fall under this category. If crafting or resource gathering catches your fancy, this is where you want to start.

Trade skills Your ability to abuse the market is directly under the influence of these skills. Some skills increase the number of buy and sell orders you can open while others may increase the range at which you can post these orders remotely, or even shave off some of the costs involved with posting orders.

Leadership skills The Leadership group is comprised of skills that buff you and your fleetmates. Leadership skills are not necessary for every pilot, but they are very helpful in fleets. These can be safely ignored for most newbros.

Planning

Your best friend in skill training is EveMon. This program allows you to put together long- and short-term plans, based on the goals you choose to set for your characters. While there are a number of other utilities available that do similar things (EveHQ is a very good all-around utility that includes a skill planning tool), EveMon is by far the gold standard. After selecting a ship, module, or even complete fitting, it will list the skills necessary to use it and tell you how long it will take. Note that when you select a ship or module, the skills and certificates EVEMon shows will only be the bare minimum to "sit" in the ship. To fly things effectively, you will need to train all relevant support skills, which means manually adding in support skills.

Goals

Rather than aiming for an ambitious ship early on, train up your support skills - they're extremely useful for any ship you want to fly or already can fly. A battlecruiser is a good 2-3-month goal, while a battleship or carrier might not be. You would be rushing into things. Bigger isn't always better in EVE; it's all about ship roles. There is a collection of skillplans for every race but if you want to fly with our main fleet doctrines Gallente is used most at the moment (Gallente Noob Plan).

A good way to look at making goals is making an EveMon plan with a long list of short term goals that finish quickly, a medium sized goal plan that take longer to complete and have a long term goal plan which gets completed while all the short and medium size skills get fulfilled, leaving, for that long goal, only 1 or 2 really long skills to get done (like cruiser 5, or other high rank level 5's). This insures that you can always sprinkle your training queue from these 3 plans and have an overall balanced skill progression.

Potential Short Term Goals:

• Tackle frigs and their supporting gear
• Combat Rifter (basic weapons and tank)

Potential Medium Term Goals:

• Training into a Stealth Bomber
• Strengthening your support skills
• Training for a missioning ship

Potential Long Term Goals:

• Megathron For battleship fleets
• Prophecy and tier 2 drones
• AHACs Tier 2 cruiser fleets
• Carrier For transporting all your stuff, or joining our Capital Group

Template:Tidbit A good path to follow looks something like this:

1. Find a fit for a ship you want to fly
2. Train all the prerequisite skills for the fit ship with T1 weapons and a T1 tank
3. Train support skills to make your ship a little more powerful
4. Interchangeable with 3: Train prerequisite skills for the ship's T2 tank (shield or armor skills)
5. Train prerequisite skills for the ship's T2 weapons systems if applicable
6. Train more support skills for everything that improves your ship

• By step 2, you can barely fly your ship of choice. If your ship is a battlecruiser or more expensive, or ANY T2 ship (see below), you should NOT be flying it at this point.
• After step 3/4 you you can decently fly the ship (assuming support skills to 3s and 4s)
• After step 5 you should be able to fly the ship pretty well
• Step 6: If you train all skills to 5, you will be a perfect pilot for the ship. If you stop at 4s with occasional and rare level 3 skills, you will be a pretty good pilot for the ship.

For more information on Ships and ship roles, see the Ships article.

Support Skills

These are the skills that you really can't go wrong training, they will be useful in every single ship you fly. This list is stolen from the forum post by Lucid Fate.

Drones

1. Drones: You want this to 5 by the time you're using cruisers/battlecruisers (and ASAP if you fly Gallente). Each level = 1 more drone you can use at once. You need it to level 5 to train Drone Interfacing.
2. Scout Drone Operation: You want it to 3 or 4 fairly soon. Each level lets your drones fly an extra 5000m to engage enemies.
3. Drone Durability: Increases shield, armor and hull hitpoints of drones by 5% per level. Eventually you want this to 4, but it's not a pressing matter unless you fly Gallente.
4. Drone Navigation: Increases MWD speed of drones by 5% per level. Eventually you want this to 4, but it's not a pressing matter unless you fly Gallente.
5. Drone Sharpshooting: Increases the optimal range of drone. Eventually you want this to 4, but it's not a pressing matter unless you fly Gallente.
6. Drone Interfacing: Each level increases drone damage by whopping 20%. You really want this skill once you start flying cruisers. get it to 4 when flying battlecruisers.

Extensive drone guide.

Electronics

1. Electronics: Each level gives you +5% to CPU on your ship, which means you can fit more / better modules. You want it to 5 eventually, 4 ASAP. This skill is critical early on.
2. Electronics Upgrades: Get this to the minimum level you need if you want to put a module that requires it on your ship. Probably get it to 4 eventually, but it's not super important.
3. Long Range Targeting: +5% range per level. Get it to 4 eventually.
4. Propulsion Jamming: You want this to 4 eventually. Not as important if you fly missile boats. Required for PvP no matter what you fly.
5. Signature Analysis: Get it to 4 eventually. More important for PvP. Makes you lock targets more quickly.
6. Survey: You need this skill to 3 to use Salvagers, so get it there and then don't worry about it.
7. Targeting: Get this to 3 or 4. Each level lets you lock an extra target. Forget about what the core cert tells you, you do not need multitasking till you know you need it (logistics/caps).

Engineering

1. Shield Compensations: You want these to 3 or maybe 4 if you fly many passive shield fits, like a drake. Increases resist bonus on passive hardeners.
2. Energy Grid Upgrades: You want this at 4, if you fly shield tanking ships so you can use Tech 2 Power Diagnostic Systems.
3. Energy Management: You want this to 4 soon, and 5 eventually. Gives you more Capacitor.
4. Energy Systems Operation: You want this to 4 soon, and 5 eventually. Faster Capacitor recharge.
5. Engineering: You want this to 4 soon, and 5 once you reach cruisers/battlecruisers. More Powergrid for your ship, so you can fit more and better gear. This skill is critical early on.
6. Shield Management: You want this to 4 now and if you fly Caldari or Minmatar, 5 eventually. Gives you more Shield HP.
7. Shield Operation: You want this to 3 now if you fly Gallente or Amarr, 4 if you fly Caldari or Minmatar, and 5 eventually if you fly Caldari or Minmatar. Makes your shield recharge faster.
8. Shield Upgrades: 4 if you fly Caldari or Minmatar, no need if you fly Gallente or Amarr.
9. Tactical Shield Manipulation: 3 if you fly Amarr or Gallente, 4 for Caldari and Minmatar. When your shield gets low, damage will 'leak' into your Armor. This skill prevents that from happening as quickly. This skill is also extremely important to have at level 4 for any shield tanking ship as it lets you use Tech 2 Hardeners.

Gunnery

If you are going to specialize exclusively in missiles, ignore everything but the skills in italics. I'll skip the race-specific skills, except to note that Caldari and Gallente use Hybrid Turrets, Minmatar use Projectile Turrets, and Amarr use Energy Turrets.

1. Advanced Weapon Upgrades: See "Weapon Upgrades" further down. Reduces the powergrid need for all turrets and lauchers.
2. Controlled Bursts: Get this to level 4 now and 5 eventually if you use Hybrid or Energy Turrets. Not necessary for Projectile Turrets. Makes you use less capacitor when you fire your guns.
3. Gunnery: Get this to 2 if you use only missiles, 4 now and 5 eventually if you use guns.
4. Motion Prediction: 4 now, 5 eventually. Better tracking for guns.
5. Rapid Firing: 4 now, 5 eventually. Better rate of fire.
6. Sharpshooter: 4 now, 5 eventually. Better optimal range.
7. Surgical Strike: 3 now, 5 eventually (but not important for a long time). Slightly better damage, but takes a long time to train.
8. Trajectory Analysis: 3 now for Amarr, Gallente, and Caldari, 4 for Minmatar, 5 eventually for Minmatar (but not important for a long time). Better falloff. Takes a long time to train.
9. Weapon Upgrades. You want that at least to 4, and 5 in the long run. It reduces CPU need for all turrents and launchers, again making fittings that much easier.

Extensive Turrets guide.

Mechanic

If you're flying Caldari, only worry about the skills in italics.

1. Thermic Armor Compensation: 3 now, consider getting the Explosive resist hole to 4. Better resists from passive hardeners. Armor Buffer tanks use passive hardeners much more than active ones in PVP, so these skills are good to get.
2. Hull Upgrades: try to get it 4 now specifically for the T2 Damage Control which is really useful. Be sure to have it at 5 once you reach Battlecruisers. Lets you fit armour tank modules but also speed/align ones, and increases your Armor HP.
3. Mechanic: 4 now, 5 when you reach armour tanked battlecruisers. Lets you fit armour and speed modules, and increases your Hull HP.
4. Repair Systems: 4 now, 5 when you reach battlecruisers. Lets you fit Armor reppers, and decreases the cycle time on reppers.
5. Salvaging: Level 3 asap, salvaging will be a main source of income early on. Lets you use Salvager, and increases the odds of successful salvage on each cycle.

Missiles

If you're Gallente or Amarr, you can ignore these until you get in the more specialized ships. Sizes by ship class, since it can be a little confusing:

1. Rocket Launcher: Frigate, fires Rockets
2. Standard Launcher: Frigate, fires Light Missiles
3. Assault Launcher: Cruiser, fires Light Missiles
4. Heavy Launcher: Cruiser, fires Heavy Missiles
5. Heavy Assault Launcher: Cruiser, fires Assault Missiles (These are for PvP, and aren't used very much because they sort of suck except on certain Tech 2 ships.)
6. Cruise Launcher: Battleship, fires Cruise Missiles
7. Siege Launcher: Battleship, fires Torpedoes
8. Special Missiles: Defenders are Light Missiles, and they're used to shoot down incoming missiles (they're anti-missile missiles). They are not very useful, since you're wasting a slot that could be dealing damage instead of blocking it. Friend or Foe (FoF) Missiles are auto-targeting, but random. They'll pick a random enemy and hit them. Marginally useful for PvP so you can deal damage even if you're being jammed, but that's a very special niche case - again, don't bother with them.

Train the following for the different types of launchers:

1. Guided Missile Precision: Level 3 or 4 is fine for most uses. Takes a long time to train. Reduces the penalty of using big missiles on little ships.
2. Missile Bombardment: 3 now, 4 or 5 eventually. +10% missile range (longer flight time).
3. Missile Launcher Operation: 4 now, 5 eventually. Base skill for missiles, gives slightly better Rate of Fire so improves your Damage Per Second (DPS).
4. Missile Projection: 3 now, 4 or 5 eventually. +10% missile range (better missile flight speed).
5. Rapid Launch: 4 now, 5 eventually. Better rate of fire.
6. Warhead Upgrades: 3 now, 4 or 5 eventually. Slight improvement to damage, takes a long time to train.
7. Target Navigation Prediciton: 3 now, 4 eventually. Missiles have an explosion radius velocity. Ships can diminish the damage they receive by out running that explosion velocity. This skill counter-acts that. 10% per level.

Extensive Missiles guide.

Navigation

These will affect all your ships, so 1 level in any navigation skill, will have a a very nice bang for Skill Point-buck. Best not to skimp on these.

1. Acceleration: 4 now, 5 eventually. Better Afterburner / MWD boost. Less important for PVE.
2. Afterburner: Level 4 now, 5 is optional since 4 is enough to use all Tech 2 ABs. +5% reduction to AB duration, and +10% reduction in AB capacitor use, making fitting easier.
3. Evasive Maneuvering: 3 or 4 if you won't be PvP'ing, 4 if you will, 5 eventually. Better ship handling. This lets you align for warp more quickly and orbit at a closer radius without losing speed, which is important.
4. Fuel Conservation: 4 and eventually 5 if you use AB a lot. Less capacitor need for AB's.
5. High Speed Maneuvering: Ignore this skill if you aren't going to PvP. Required to use MWD, reduces MWD cap need.
6. Navigation: 4 now, 5 eventually. Permanent +5% to max speed for all ships.
7. Warp Drive Operation: Reduces cap need for warping. Can be quite useful in nullsec and incursions, since it often has larger systems, making for longer warps, which require more cap.

Science

1. Cybernetics: 3 now, 4 eventually. Lets you use Attribute Enhancing implants, which increase your attributes so you train skills faster, and allow Hardwiring implants, which make your ship faster, increase gun damage, etc.
2. Science: You must get this to 3 to train Cybernetics and 4 to train Thermodynamics.
3. Thermodynamics: Mostly useful in PVP. The requirements are abit high (Engineering 5 for one). But, once you are in a position to get this then look into it. Lets you overheat modules, damaging them in possibly minutes (station repair fixes that) in order to gain a massive overall performance. Very useful indeed, but does require more micromanaging in the field. There are related skills that let you repair it mid op faster and cheaper.
4. Infomorph Psychology: 3 now, 4-5 eventually. This controls the number of jump clones you have available. Having that jump clone 20-30 jumps away can be the difference between a productive Saturday and another day of belt ratting. If you only have 1 or 2 jump clones to use, odds are you won't have one in the region you would like to jump to, thereby discouraging you from even visiting that region and thus missing out on whatever lucrative plans you might have had in mind.

Social

I'm only listing the skills that are important to Mission Running. There are lots of other skills in this group that are helpful if you are a trader or pirate, but they're useless otherwise.

1. Connections: 3 or 4. Permanent increase towards all agent standings. Very useful in PVE, since its let you skip near all of the initial level 1 agents.

All other skills with 'Connections' in the name: Optional, expensive (but you can get them through the LP store). Improves LP / pay from relevant agent types.

1. Negotiation: Ignore if you're not doing a lot of missions. Better pay for missions.
2. Social: Train to 3 or 4. Need it at 3 to train Connections. Makes your standings go up faster.
3. Diplomacy: Can help you once you have low factions standings.

Spaceship Command

1. Just train Spaceship Command itself to 3 or 4 now, and 5 eventually. Slight boost to agility.

For those ships that you fly make sure to get those trained to level 4 to get the maximum out of their bonuses. Check a ships bonus, those go for each level of the ship that you have trained. There is one exception to this, Destroyers. These are generally not much use to you, given that the jump from frigate to destroyer is underwhelming, while the next step to cruisers is a far bigger leap. train these to level 1 and be done. You will mainly use em as dedicated salvage ships.

Trade

1. You can probably ignore this group if you're not a Trader, but the Contracting skill itself can be useful to get to 1 or 2, optionally. Trade lets you have more active sell orders at once.

Training Faster

Training Time

Training rate for any particular skill is determined by the skills primary and secondary modifying attributes. Various skills have various primary and secondary modifiers (for example, most Gunnery skills are Perception/Willpower). Your training time for any given skill is related to your attributes in those two modifiers, specifically by the equation:

Points per minute = (primary attribute + secondary attribute/2)

In order to train faster, you must increase your modifying attributes; there are currently two ways to do this.

Implants

Implants are items that you plug into your character's clone in order to increase certain attributes. Remember, implants stay in your current body - if you jump clone out your implants will stay behind in your old body, and if you get pod-killed you will lose the implants currently in your head.

Test Free typically gives out sets of +1 attribute implants, and it is not a bad idea to constantly have one of these sets plugged in.

Neural Remapping

When you start out, you have 1 standard remap and 2 bonus remaps available. A remap is what it sounds like, it allows you to re-allocate all of your base attribute points. You should use your standard remap within the first few months of playing EVE (ask in deedeereddit for useful remaps for what you would like to train). After using your standard remap, you will not get a new one for 365 days. In addition you can use your 2 bonus remaps to change your attribute points anytime and completely independent to your standard remap. Using a bonus remap, DOES NOT change the counter of your standard remap. It is imperative that you do not waste your remaps. Use EVEMon and get help from someone in deedeereddit when choosing how and when to remap.