Written by: Felix Othello Moradius

Ok, so please have patience since this is the first time I have ever written anything like this since leaving school. Which was a while ago!

Let us not ‘beat about the bush’… EVE is HUGE! There is so much to do and see and just when you think that you might have seen it all, the various communities blow your mind and the game opens up even more in amazing and entertaining ways!

I am sure you will have read or heard the comment of  ‘EVE has a learning cliff rather than curve’.

Yep, it’s a fair point!

So when jumping head first into this pool of confusion, excitement, harsh realities, real time trading floor and scams (There are a lot!), what better first tentative steps could you take than finding a mentor or tutor? A helpful guide to steer you in the abyss you no doubt feel you face!

This, dearest reader; is where EVE UNI, (queue the fanfares) steps up to the plate.

A welcoming beacon of light, through the mist of perplexity. As I first started playing EVE, I very quickly was told about the University from multiple people in chat suggesting me to join it. Quite the reputation I thought. I set about trawling the web for details of them and was very pleased how quickly I had a WEALTH of info at my fingertips!

EVE UNI is extremely good at setting up the newest of players with detailed instructions, general info and guidance. They make it easier to just ‘get it’ from the beginning.

I promptly decided “I’m having a bit of this” and dived in with both feet and put in an application.

After a brief wait (they must get lots of people to apply) and a short; “hi, how are you? Tell us a bit about yourself. Are you an axe wielding maniac?” and that’s it….  I was a part of something great.  I could feel it in my waters.

There are more ways to stay in touch with fellow UNI chums than I could shake a stick at if I needed anything.

(I haven’t tried shaking a stick, some are bigger than me…and hairy…and own dogs…)

The community offered me mentoring, written guidance and in-game support. There are even actual lessons and talks for crying out loud…  Visuals and everything *Excitedly waving hands around*

I think I would have to physically try not to absorb and learn from this lot!

I made some great tentative connections with people right away and they reach out to me often, which I love. Hey, we all like a little attention sometimes right 😉

But also, the nice thing is; if you’re having a bit of “a day” and want to fly around running missions and not talk at all that’s cool too.

There are no stern, “you have to be here and do this and contribute this that and the other” etc.

I have made, what I think will be the makings of great, slightly unstable, gloriously varied friendships. Which is normally by no means easy for me!

I have checked out shared musical tastes, seen people’s great pictures, real life and in-game!

I have checked in with people I do not know just to say hi and chat. I have been given a ‘leg up’ by a couple of amazing complete strangers and made to feel welcome in an inclusive, diverse universe which, in so many ways, emulates the real world almost exactly and yet manages to be a million miles from real in other ways!

If you are interest in applying for EVE University, have a look here: https://wiki.eveuniversity.org/Applying_to_EVE_University

Hideo Date:
Last time we sat down for an interview it was 2018 and you were EVE University’s Director of Human Resources. Back then we talked about your journey to get to that position. Now you have moved up the ladder even more, becoming Director of Operations earlier this year and just recently taking over the reins from Laura Karpinski as CEO of EVE University. 

Q: What were your feelings when Laura first came to you with her proposal to give over the reins of EVE University?

Jilokari Kurvora:
Honestly, a little terrified! It’s a scary concept to become the guardian of an institution with 16 years of history in EVE. When I joined the Uni a little over 6 years ago I certainly didn’t expect to be a Director someday, let alone CEO. I remember being speechless when Laura asked me, and then the terror haha. 

Hideo Date:
Yeah I can imagine that it made you shake a bit in your shoes. But who could pass up the chance to get a new pair as shiny as the ones a CEO wears 😉 

I would think it was not an easy decision though to take on the role. So as long as it’s not too private could you talk a bit about what you had to consider when you thought about Laura’s idea? She mentioned you had to think a while before agreeing.

Jilokari Kurvora:
That’s an interesting one, there are lots of things to consider. For starters as CEO the Uni becomes an ever present consideration in your life, and it’s not really just the Alliance and Corp itself, but the infrastructure also, taking on the role of CEO means becoming the custodian of the Wiki, a resource used by the wider EVE community.    I had to give real consideration if I had the capacity to step into that and do it justice. But that’s just a few of many considerations, I won’t go into everything but needless to say it’s a decision that takes time 🙂

Hideo Date:
Q: In the recent interview with Laura we talked about her perspective on the process of giving up her position. Could you give us your side of the story?

Jilokari Kurvora:
The process was very smooth from my perspective, becoming Director of Ops allowed me to slowly build my understanding of leading the alliance and start to get involved in making the decisions on a day to day basis. Laura and I worked well together and our relationship meant that we were able to begin making changes to how the Uni operates and complete some others.

Hideo Date:
Q: So as you were already acquainted with making CEO level decisions by the time you took over, I assume the day one as CEO didn’t really change that much for you? Or was there a sudden rush of power you felt? 😉

Jilokari Kurvora:
Really there wasn’t much change,  it was much more transactional and making sure that I had everything I needed. It was very odd seeing my name as CEO of EVE University though, very odd indeed.

Hideo Date:
Q: Oh yeah, I am sure it was a strange thing to see that badge on yourself for the first time. 

In our last interview you said you were “a massive people person” would you say that is an advantage, or even a necessity, in your position? And to further dive into this, are there any other qualities you think a CEO should have?

Jilokari Kurvora:
I still consider myself a people person, I think it’s important that you get on with people in this type of role. One of the biggest challenges is balancing that with the inevitable conclusion that decisions I make will not please everyone, and that’s tough for me.  I do have to hope that in the end I make the right calls, and if I don’t, it’s really important for me that I take time to understand how I learn and grow from them and most importantly I think it’s crucial that I am willing to admit when I have goofed up.

Hideo Date:
Being in such a position and able to admit fault, must be quite a challenge indeed.

Another tidbit you mentioned in our interview in 2018 was that you had a ton of spreadsheets as Director of HR. I would assume that amount has only increased with being CEO? I wonder what kinds of spreadsheets an Alliance leader uses day to day. Is there anything you could share with us?

Jilokari Kurvora:
Oh my word, the spreadsheets,  there are so many, but not that many that I need to use Day to Day thankfully. I do like to know what’s happening across the Alliance so I will dip in and out of them as I need to, but luckily I have a great group of Directors and Managers who are closer to the day to day sheets.  Ideally I only really need to step in where there is an issue. My most used sheet at the moment would be **Redacted** 

Hideo Date:
Always upholding OPsec…fair enough 🙂 

Could you enlighten us then about your plans for the future of EVE University? Are you planning to continue the trajectory Laura has set over the years, or do you want to change course? Do you have any specific plans or ideas for your time as CEO you could talk about?

Jilokari Kurvora:
I think you’ve already seen a little of that. Over the past year I’ve been working very closely with Laura on the transformation of EVE University. I’m passionate about reconnecting with our roots of being a beacon of knowledge and learning for any player in New Eden, modernising how we educate and inform and continue to provide a safe space for all those who wish to learn. I also think that it’s easy to overcomplicate a system over time, so I’m keen on continuing to simplify as much as possible so that we have enough structure to operate but not so much that we prevent people getting out and enjoying the game.

Hideo Date:
Any closing statement? Maybe some wisdom for the people out there that are striving to be a CEO as well?

Jilokari Kurvora:
As I said when I stepped up I have an awesome team of Directors, Managers and Officers as well as an amazing membership to help keep me honest and true, bring levity or provide perspective when needed. If I was giving any advice to someone who wanted to become a CEO it would be this:  you don’t need to know everything,  you don’t need to do everything, but you do need a great team to help fill the gaps and provide counsel to help you understand.   

Hideo Date:
It has been a few years since our last interview. Thank you for taking the time again!
As it stands you just stepped down from your position as CEO of EVE University. May I ask what made you decide to do that, and why now?

Laura Karpinski:
Being CEO is a wonderful, rewarding but taxing job, and not one I had ever planned to do forever. To me, one of the biggest challenges involved in being a leader is ultimately replacing yourself. At the start of this year I had been CEO for 3 years and I had a great potential replacement in Jilokari Kurvora. So I figured this year would be a good time to focus on tying up loose ends for my period of leadership and transferring CEO over to Jilo. It just seemed like the best possible time to start that process of change.

Hideo Date:
Q: So tying into that could you maybe enlighten us a bit about the process of transferring the power of CEO in such a huge organisation? I am sure most of the details are opsec, but maybe you can give a general outline?

Laura Karpinski:
To start with I spoke with Jilo around March to get his thoughts on taking over as CEO. After some serious consideration he agreed he would be up for the massive challenge. Like Azmo before me, I figured that appointing Jilo initially as a second in command would enable me to gradually bring him up to speed on the various aspects of the alliance. There was a huge amount for him to get familiar with, and I know that I personally found it very useful before I took over when Azmo bounced ideas off me and took me through his thought process on making decisions, so I involved Jilo in making the CEO level decisions from when he became Director of Operations in April. Once we were both comfortable that he could step into my shoes we agreed a timescale together for me to step down and for him to take over. We get along really well so it was honestly a pleasure to work together on the transition. I will be there for Jilo as his biggest supporter and to answer questions or give a second opinion for as long as he needs.

Hideo Date:
Q: Seems like that process went quite smooth and natural. I guess having a good personal relationship helped a lot in that.

I am curious how these past years as CEO have treated you. Did you enjoy being in that position? Were there things you didn’t like about it?

Laura Karpinski:
Being CEO was a massive honour, and most of the time I loved it. Having the opportunity to make decisions for, and guide the direction of, a community and resource I love was fantastic. It was also a struggle sometimes; it can get pretty lonely being the person in charge, even in a community as lovely as this. The ultimate decision is yours to make and there can be a constant worry of whether you are doing the right thing, or doing enough. There will always be people who disagree with the decisions you make, and at times the criticism can get quite brutal. That was difficult to deal with, especially given my own mental health struggles. I’ve been upfront with EVE Uni management and members about the times I have struggled with depression, because I think it’s important to normalise talking honestly about mental health and the resources that we have out there, like the fantastic Broadcast 4 Reps. But mostly being CEO has been wonderful and I consider myself very lucky to have held that position.

Hideo Date:
I personally find it really important and impressive that you talk openly about your mental health. Especially as the (former) head of an integral organisation in the cruel Universe of New Eden. But even more as a guide for the real-life-people that make up our wonderful community. 

(EVE University specifically has done a number of events with Broadcast4Reps. The recording of the last event we did with them can be found here. Check out their in-game channel and Discord.)

Onto the next topic: Last time we talked about how you became CEO. This time could you enlighten us about how you solidified your position? Were there any struggles or pushback to overcome and if there were any, how did you deal with them?

Laura Karpinski:
There wasn’t a lot of pushback, generally people were very welcoming and willing to give me a shot. Some people were (and are still) surprised to find out I’m female. EVE is certainly a game with fewer female players, though there are a lot of corps and groups with strong female leadership and I love to see it. It’s tough sometimes to find the balance between being “the Boss”, but being seen as unapproachable and being a friendly leader but not taken seriously. At times I’ve gone too far either way, but I like to think I got the balance right mostly, particularly towards the end of my time as CEO when I was more confident in my decisions and had great backup and support.

Hideo Date:
Q: Honestly coming back to EVE Uni after a two year break felt a bit like coming home for me. But I also noticed that lots had changed – White 0rchid hinted at a few things in our interview as well. I see that we heightened our efforts to push back against war targets and do structure bashes regularly. I also noticed some changes to the rules. But the biggest thing I noticed is that the directorate and management seem to have found their undock buttons again and are way more out and about. What happened? 

Laura Karpinski:
There have been a lot of changes while I have been CEO. There has been a cultural shift really in terms of what is expected from Uni leadership. Jilo and I cut the management team numbers in half, and have set expectations in terms of activity. It’s an old joke that Directors have their undock button confiscated here, but that’s out of date. All our Directors are active in game, myself included, and I think that is actually very important. You can’t make good management decisions if you do not play the game. We’ve had a lot of previous members come back to EVE Uni over the last few months, I think partially because of the way the corp has changed. Their support and knowledge have been really invaluable.

Hideo Date:
I fully agree with it being important and love that the non-functioning undock button is now an old trope. 

To further elaborate on the developments over the years: what do you think were the biggest changes in EVE University during your tenure?

Laura Karpinski:
I have tried as much as possible to remove red tape and bureaucracy, including loosening a lot of rules and entry requirements (such as allowing people to join with alts). I have also focused on taking the Uni back to its roots, as a neutral training organisation, by reassessing and redefining our relationship with third parties and bringing the focus back to education. Finally, I’ve tried to bring things more up to date, with things like moving to Discord, building up more of a social media presence and facilitating things like teaching classes through Twitch and Discord.

Hideo Date:
I think the more modern face of the Uni really shines bright and gets us ready for the third decade!

To round out our talk I would like to hear what your plans are for the future. I take it you will still be around for a while as you just took on a newly created position in the Uni. Could you maybe tell us a little about that?

Laura Karpinski:
Jilo asked me to take on a position as a Director after I stepped down. I was of course happy to do that, on the condition that my new role was something where I could really be useful to him and the community. We settled on creating the Director of Alliance Services, which covers several departments doing alliance level work – Diplomacy, Communications, Finance and the FC Team. I think this is a good match for my experience running the Alliance and something where I can really put my knowledge to good use. I already have so much more time on my hands, which is great. In terms of the game more generally – over the past few months, with Jilo taking on some of the CEO burden, I have personally undocked more than I ever have. I love playing the game right now – joining fleets, mining, learning new things after all these years. It’s really exciting. 

Hideo Date:
Q: Any closing words, former Overlady? 

Laura Karpinski:
I could not have chosen a better successor than Jilo, I’m delighted that the Uni is in safe hands and I firmly believe he will continue to make awesome changes to make the Uni a better place to be as a member and a better resource for the EVE community. It’s always going to be bittersweet handing over the reigns of a group I have been involved with for so long, but I’m really excited about what the future will bring and spending my newly increased free time playing this game.

Gather round Unistas and settle in, as tonight we have a Christmas tale like no other.

I was lucky enough to be granted an interview with EVE’s very own Santa Kingswell!

Auron Delarnu:
Santa, it’s an honour to get the chance to interview you and thank you for taking time out of your schedule, especially at what I imagine is your busiest time of year!

Q: When reading the History of Earth, It is stated that Santa lived at the North pole, wore lots of red and had a white beard. Given the new looks; are you the same Santa or a relative? And where do you operate from nowadays?

Santa Kingswell:
Oh well, those were the old days. Very old days indeed…before the jump through the Wormhole to New Eden. Before the Collapse of the Edengate. I was around back then on old Earth!

But with mankind reaching for the stars, I had to evolve my operation as well. In today’s day and age my operation – or shall I say corporation – is located in Polaris.

And in regard to my appearance – let’s just say that Mrs. Clause had a few discreet words with me, and changes were made. 

Auron Delarnu:
Q: Obviously you have a fantastic ride that must have been upgraded to reach incredible speeds, to be able to deliver all the presents in one night, to thousands of planets. If you had to trade it in for something from the ship tree what would you pick and why?

Santa Kingswell:
Well nowadays a Sleigh drawn by Reindeer just won’t do. I can not share the secret of my upgraded Sleigh – or should I say Sleighs. But If I had to pick an ordinary ship, I would probably choose a fleet of Cranes, piloted by myself and my trusty elves.

Auron Delarnu
Q: Regarding the need for speed, is that why you have reached out to the University, to help make sure everyone gets something for Christmas?

Santa Kingswell:
Oh, it was an easy choice for me. I do deliver my gifts all over the universe and I wanted to make sure to also reach Capsuleers and not just ordinary planetary citizens of all nations. And where would it be easier to reach a high number of deserving Capsuleers from my ‘nice-list’ than Eve Uni?

Auron Delarnu:
Q: Presumably manufacturing is a big part of your EVE life but when you do have some down time what do you like to do in game?

Santa Kingswell:
Yes indeed, manufacturing and research play a big role. But to round it all off I and my elves like to explore in our special cloaked ships. This allows us to make up our naughty and nice lists throughout the year!

Auron Delarnu:
Q: With you being witness to all of EVE’s history, you have seen everything from the birth of EVE Uni all the way through to its current day. What are your thoughts on how the Uni and the wider game itself have evolved?

Santa Kingswell:
Oh, I mostly keep to myself and my operation but just from my numbers I can see that Eve Uni is thriving with good and wholesome Capsuleers. With every year my ‘nice’-list gets longer and longer and my ‘naughty’-list shorter and shorter, with this year reaching peak numbers! This is a happy development for me. 

As for the entirety of New Eden? I would not dare to offer judgment on it all but there are many good Capsuleers out there that spread joy and cheer, that look out for each other and offer help where it’s needed. 

Just to name two concrete examples: 
A person stranded in a dark Wormhole might find a container left by others to Signal the way back into known space. 

Someone struggling can literally ‘Broadcast for Reps’ and find others willing to help.

It is examples like these that show me that – even in dark times – there is light in New Eden.

Auron Delarnu:
Q: Further to that, with the changing of the guard (so to speak) in a new CEO for the Uni, what do you predict for the coming year of the Uni, and are both Jilokari Kurvora and Laura Karpinski on your naughty or nice list?

Santa Kingswell:
I am unable to predict the future, but as I said my numbers are looking good. So, if the trend continues as it has the past few years, I see some bright and cheery Christmases ahead of EVE University.

As for young Laura and Jilo, well I can tell you that both of them do write to me each year and, whilst they both have a little bit of a naughty streak – especially that Laura -, so far, I have visited them every year.

Auron Delarnu:
Q: In my historical readings, it mentioned that traditional offerings were left out as last-minute bribes for you. What sort of offerings are left out for you now?

Santa Kingswell:
Oh, I do distance myself from the word ‘bribes’! I see it more as goodhearted little gifts in the spirit of Christmas! This tradition has not changed much over the years, I still get cookies and milk left out to strengthen me during my long working night and a few young ones try to write especially convincing letters.

Auron Delarnu:
If I may, I would like to do a quickfire round with you? 

Q: Let’s start easy, what’s your favourite colour?
– The bright blue of the nebulas of Polaris. 

Q: Are you magical or technologically advanced?
– A little bit of both. One has to move with the times.

Q: True or false – the Elves are really vat clones?
– False.

Q: Which is better – speed or cargo space?
– The right combination of both.

Q: True or false – you’re not delivering to the Triglavians?
– I cannot divulge this information.

Q: Are you a Graduate of the Uni?
– I have graduated from several universities back in my younger days on Old Earth.

Q: What has been your favourite event this year?
– EVE Uni’s secret Santa, but I might be a bit biased.

Q: And finally, if you could receive any gift what would it be?
– The nice letters I receive are my personal gifts.

Auron Delarnu:
Q: With this year’s Secret Santa well under way, are there any messages from our members that have particularly stood out to you and why?

Santa Kingswell:
Several. Whilst I cannot share specific insights into the event, I take my greatest joy in reading the messages people send to me and their secret Santa’s after receiving their gift.

To give you some anonymous quotes from some of these:

“(…) For Bob’s sake! Why did you make it so wonderful!?”

“(…) It is so beautiful. I don’t know who you are secret Santa…but it brought tears to my eyes.”

“(…) You succeeded in making me laugh, a lot.”

Messages like these spread that warm and wholesome wintery spirit I do so cherish.

Auron Delarnu:
Q: Any final message for all the Unistas at this festive time?

Santa Kingswell:
Wherever you are I hope you find cheer and joy in the coming days. Especially with a turbulent past year do not forget that there are people out there who you can count as your friends (even if they sometimes shoot at you :)), people who are here for you and accept you the way you are. Fly safe. 

Auron Delarnu:
Thank you, Santa, and good luck on Christmas eve (and EVE ;))

A guide on how to traverse different areas of space written by Lucas Spellmeyer

There are many fundamental skills a new pilot must master to be successful in New Eden but not all skills can be simply queued up and learned over time, some are not as clearly defined. One of the most compelling facets of EVE is the hostile environment of New Eden and honing your ability to overcome it. To not only survive but to thrive. Traversing space is dangerous no matter what, the danger simply varies depending on where exactly you decide to venture. One of the most common ways a new player loses their first ship is entering an area they are unfamiliar with. Finding that first awe-inspiring wormhole entrance, taking that shortcut through Low-Sec to Jita or rushing to that staging system a few jumps over. The ambitious player is likely to have the pleasure of learning a direct and severe lesson at the hands of more seasoned pilots. Lessons learned in blood are deeply impactful and arguably necessary, after all, immortals have little to worry when it comes to failure. Despite that, Adequate knowledge of the various areas of space and how to properly traverse them can save you time, credits and headaches. 

Few of the ideas or instructions I am going to put forth in this guide are new or groundbreaking. Rather, consider this a high-level overview, an index of compiled knowledge and reference guide. To start with, we will discuss some universal tips then take a closer look at each area of space from the safest to the most dangerous, starting with High-Sec then Low-Sec and Null-Sec and finally wormhole space.

Disclaimer: there are many ways to move through the cluster. This is a collection of the safest ways to do so as a newer player. With this in mind, all of the proposed ships and modules have relatively short training times. To keep it from becoming unwieldy the scope of this article will focus strictly on the traversal of space for the purpose of either travel or hauling. If you are looking to engage in combat or willing to risk alternate methods, your results will vary. I simply wish to provide you with the knowledge of how to move from point A to point B with confidence and competence. 

Universal

Knowing how to gather and analyse information before and during travel is key to your survival. The first tool you must learn to leverage is the in-game map. The most relevant section being the Geography and Statistics tab. This shows things to be aware of such as a system’s security level and the location of the new Metaliminal storms. More importantly, it shows up to date information for each system regarding ships and pods recently destroyed, jumps taken and pilots in space or docked. This information is invaluable for planning your route. If you think you can sneak through Rancer and the map shows 20 ships and pods destroyed in the last hour, perhaps you should reconsider. DOTLAN is an additional tool for all things map-related in New Eden and you should become very well acquainted with it. DOTLAN has been a constant in the traveller’s arsenal for many years and for good reason.

Another useful third party tool is Zkillboard. Searching for a particular star system’s killboard allows you to acquire some information about who frequents the system and what they are using to catch their prey. For example, here is the killboard for the aforementioned Rancer. Investigating a pilot’s killboard losses can give you a heads up on their levels of competence and aggression as well as what they fly and how they might be fit.

Using the handy Gate Camp Checker is highly advised. In the inevitable situation that you do jump into a gate camp, there are many options for escape. If you can insta-warp or have a cloak you may be able to escape targeted scramble attempts, if there are bubbles this may not be possible. Cloaking and slow boating out of the bubble may work if you are lucky or “crashing” the gate may be a better idea. Meaning to decloak and immediately burn towards the entrance gate at full speed to jump back through before the attackers can pop you. If you return fire you will not be able to jump back immediately. By this stage, you are at a steep disadvantage. Learn more about dealing with gate camps here. These situations are dire and often will result in a loss but with good knowledge of engagement timers and your ship’s tanking ability compared to the enemies DPS capability, you can increase your chance for survival.

You should become very familiar with the D-SCAN tool. Any pilot who ignores the benefits of it does so at their own peril. There are entire classes dedicated to the D-SCAN tool, but until you attend one of those, you can visit this link for more information. Safe spots are also useful for when you are on the move, making regular use of them can help to keep you out of the grasp of your enemy. Lastly, drag your local channel out of your main chatbox and set it up separately from your other channels, this will allow you to always see who is in the system at a glance.

High-Sec

High-Sec, the safest area of New Eden and the place all of us start our adventure. Despite this, most pilots are already aware “safe” is giving High-Sec far too much credit. CONCORD will punish anyone who engages you illegally but there are some caveats to be aware of. While CONCORD will dispatch your attackers with flawless precision they are unlikely to save your ship. And vengeance can only provide so much solace. If your alliance is at war with another, many of the rules and laws CONCORD enforce are absent during the faction-sanctioned conflict. You can read about how to best conduct yourself during wartime here. Also, note that faction warfare combatants can freely engage each other in High-Sec at all times.

The most danger is present while hauling your goods to the major trade centres. You are unlikely to be ganked flying any regular PVE or exploration ship as long as you are not spotted carrying something extremely valuable without an adequate tank to protect it. The routes to these hubs are heavily trafficked and hence draw the attention of opportunists. The most dangerous systems along these routes are the ones possessing a security status of 0.5 which means it takes the longest time for CONCORD forces to react relative to other High-Sec systems. The most notorious of these systems being Uedama on the way to Jita. High-Sec pirates will station themselves in these systems and await juicy targets. They keep tabs on what is moving through the pipeline using a wide network of picketing spies who use scanning modules to view what is in a ship’s cargo before it reaches the kill zone. At which time they pounce with high damage disposable ships, CONCORD exacts swift vengeance and a third party entity scoops up your hard-earned loot as you awaken in a new clone.

Success in EVE does not come with having the biggest and baddest ship but instead having the right tool for the job. The different tools you have at your disposal come in the form of various ship types. You will begin to see that for every dangerous encounter, there is a ship that can drastically mitigate the risks. In the case mentioned above, it is the transport ship class. Using either the blockade runner or deep space transport (DST) is the best way a new player can protect their cargo. Both are purpose-built for moving expensive goods through dangerous space. The blockade runner class consists of the Viator, Prorator, Crane and Prowler. These ships boast an advanced cloaking system and increased warp acceleration which allows it to quickly and quietly reach its destination. The blockade runner also has a unique property which makes it immune to all cargo scanners. Keeping your exact cargo a secret (but perhaps tempting the reckless). The DST class consists of the Occator, Impel, Bustard and Mastodon. These possess a sturdy defence system which allows even a novice pilot to gain an effective tank of near 100k effective hit points (EHP) as well as an increased warp core strength. If you wish to know more about these useful ships, see the university’s wiki guides for the blockade runner and hauling. Learning the ropes while using smaller and less expensive vessels is key to knowing how to properly move your capital ships (such as freighters) later on. 

For hauling smaller loads either an insta-warp fleet interceptor (which we will discuss in detail in the next section) or a Sunesis are a good choice. The Sunesis can haul the largest amount of cargo for any insta-warp capable vessel (around 1000m3). Perfect for hauling faction modules, blueprint originals and other low mass cargo. The most dangerous moments for these smaller ships are during the docking and undocking stage. I would advise setting up insta-dock and insta-undock bookmarks during a safe period at the various trade hubs around New Eden. This will help you to avoid gankers as you enter and leave these densely populated hubs with your valuables. If possible, avoid hauling during times of high activity such as weekends – again, making use of all the information at your disposal both in-game and out, is critical. 

A final hazard worth mentioning before we move onto Low-Sec is the Triglavian and EDENCOM forces that still occupy systems even after the creation of the new Pochven region. Depending on the player’s standings with these factions their roaming fleets and powerful stationary defence platforms will devastate the unprepared. It should be noted that the Triglavian forces will attack even neutral pilots but EDENCOM will only engage those with negative standings towards them.

Low-Sec & Null-Sec

The zones where CONCORD response fleet will not assist you are Low-Sec & Null-Sec. While anti-piracy platforms installed on stargates and NPC stations (gate guns) protect you to a small degree in Low-Sec, the Null-Sec area of EVE is considered law-less. Moving through Low-Sec safely relies on being fast and or hidden. Gate camps are the primary threat, smart bombs are secondary. 

In Null-Sec, whether player owned (Sov-Null) or NPC territory, the threats remain the same but are complicated by the removal of gate guns and the introduction of interdiction bubbles. Before entering the Null-Sec regions you should be confident in your abilities and tactics for navigating hostile space. 

The primary ship for safely traversing both Low-Sec and Null-Sec is the Interceptor or “travel-ceptor”. There are two types of Interceptor, one being the Fleet Interceptor and the other being the Combat Interceptor. For our purposes only the Fleet interceptor is relevant. The Ares, Malediction, Crow and Stiletto make up this subclass. They all wield the powerful ability to nullify non targeted interdiction, which means they cannot be hindered to warp by bubbles of any kind (interdictor’s bubbles or stationary bubbles). You can read all about interdiction here. Combined with its small hull size and high warp speed, this ship’s travel survivability is second to none. While this ship is fantastic for travelling in all areas of New Eden, I would argue that before planning to move permanently into Null-Sec you have this ship at your disposal. When flown and fit properly these ships are nearly impossible to catch. 

Flying and fitting your interceptor properly requires the right knowledge. Once you hop into your new ship you need to fit it for travel. The most important factor is to make use of the ship’s low slots to bring your align time under 2.00 seconds, making it insta-warp. This is possible due to how the EVE server accepts command input, something well worth knowing how to take advantage of. For further information regarding fitting also check out this link. Whether moving out to join your new alliance in their home constellation or travelling to the staging system for the upcoming war, the fleet interceptor is an invaluable tool in Null-Sec .

Having fit your ship and jumped into hostile space, you can now focus on how best to pilot it. Travelling in a properly fit interceptor makes you uncatchable but not unkillable. The best way to avoid disaster is warping to what is called a “ping spot” before warping from one gate to another. A ping spot or perch is a bookmark at least 150km off of a strategic location (such as a gate) which allows you to investigate a potentially hostile grid before warping to it directly. As you are unlikely to have bookmarks for the thousands of gates around the cluster, an alternative is to warp to a nearby celestial. The usual choice is a planet, but any celestial within D-SCAN range will do. Once you arrive you will want to use your D-SCAN to see if there are any ships on the gate and then proceed accordingly. 

As you are immune to bubbles and cannot be locked before warping, most of the time these ping spots are not necessary, except for in the case of smart bombers. While they are relatively rare you must know how to avoid smart bombing ships. Generally more common in Low-Sec than Null-Sec these ships sit on gates and activate their smart bombs which do AOE damage and instantly destroy more fragile ships as they land without any need for targeting or scrambling. This mitigates your entire advantage and you are likely to lose your pod as well. The smart bombers will position themselves so that their short-range AOE damage will hit those who warp directly from one gate to another. Coming from your ping spot or a nearby celestial means you are not in this kill zone and should avoid any damage. 

On the occasions that you are flying a ship that is susceptible to bubbles, this tactic will also avoid enemies’ stop and drag bubbles. Refer to interdiction 101 again for more information on the different types of bubbles. Unless there are no other pilots in local it is wise to always use a pre-made ping spot or nearby celestial before warping directly down to the next gate on your route. Some gates are isolated in deep space and are impossible to scout without a pre-made bookmark.

For Low-Sec, the blockade runner is best because many gate camps have logistics support which can withstand the gate guns and burn through any tank you might have. To put it simply, you are likely to face a fleet you cannot tank regardless of skills, ship type or modules, meaning your best option is to avoid conflict altogether. Another common tactic is the cloak trick, which allows more basic T1 vessels to have a better chance at surviving targeted scramble attempts.

In regards to Null-Sec , you are easily bubbled making any hauling in Null-Sec extremely dangerous. If you choose to use a non-interdiction nullified ship with a cloak, bubbles are your main threat. Many stationary bubbles have containers jettisoned to decloak ships as they land and become snared, make sure you brush up on the mechanics of cloaking before you head out. Ultimately it may be best to use either your alliance or a third party freighting service to ensure your goods make it to their destination.

Wormholes

Finally, we come to wormholes. Removed from New Eden and under no recognised sovereignty, this is the farthest you can stray from humble beginnings. Much of the information at your disposal has now been stripped away. With local chat not showing who is in the system, you can no longer tell at a glance if you are alone or not, with no map of the far-flung region you cannot plan your route and without gates, you must find your own way through the ever-changing maze of Anoikis (wormhole space). While wormholes may be most commonly delved into for loot and riches they can also be used as a useful shortcut to remote regions of the local cluster, helping you arrive quickly and without having to traverse dangerous choke points. 

The final ship class we will discuss is the bread and butter of wormhole space, the Covert-Ops frigate. Another T2 frigate, which makes it an easy cross-train from the interceptor of your choice. This ship has advanced cloaking and scanning platforms. While its sister class the Stealth Bomber is designed for combat, the Covert-Ops frigate is designed for exploration. This ship class includes the Helios, Magnate, Buzzard and Cheetah. The key factor for the success of these ships is that they can stay cloaked almost all of the time, which when combined with the absence of local chat means you can remain completely undetected when you need to. How you decide to fit this ship relies largely on what you wish to do with it, pilots with at least some experience should know how to best exploit its systems. See this link if you would like something to reference before fitting up. These ships are susceptible to bubbles but due to the unpredictable nature of wormhole space, these tactics are less common than in Null-Sec . Enemy camps are most likely when jumping from High-Sec directly into wormhole space – hunting what the locals call “day-trippers”.

Before jumping into the newly discovered wormhole, bookmark the entrance. Once inside the wormhole, you want to now also bookmark the other side (the exit) so that you can make a quick retreat if necessary. Warp off to a nearby celestial, cloak up and begin moving in a random direction to avoid any possibility of being decloaked by those who may have seen you enter. You can use the fantastic Anoik.is website to gather some valuable information such as the wormholes’ class and type as well as recent activity. 

While you continue to slow-boat along, align to another celestial and decloak, launch your scanning probes, warp and then recloak. When you land once again begin a slow burn off into space. Always bring 16 probes so that once you recloak you automatically reload your probe launcher. Once you have another wormhole scanned down, it is advised to warp to a nearby celestial from which you can scout it or warp in at a distance (50-100km) to check it is clear before jumping. If you are caught on a wormhole you may jump back through (at a larger range than gates, 5km) but be warned that unlike gates this is not possible to do in rapid succession due to polarisation.

Repeat this process as you scan down and move from wormhole to wormhole. You will want to bookmark the “chain” as you go, this refers to bookmarking both entrances and exits as you make your way through each new system. This allows you to easily retrace your steps when you are ready to head home. You must be aware that certain wormholes may close along the chain and you will have to find an alternate route home, check as you go to see which wormholes are end of life (EOL) and will expire soon. This is not a major concern as you can always safely log off and continue on another day. The deep complexities of wormhole space are far outside of our limited scope but you now know what you need to for basic navigation.

Hauling out of wormhole space is made quite simple by High-Sec connections that will pop you out into relative safety. This is only relevant for if you can survive living within wormhole space and if that is the case, you will be perfectly capable by then. Regardless, using what we have discussed in this article you have all the necessary tools to get your blue loot safely out to High-Sec . 

Conclusion

You might think that moving from point A to point B would be simple but in EVE even the most pedestrian of tasks requires careful consideration. EVE is a complex and ever-changing game and it is difficult to truly cover anything in its entirety. There is no way to ever truly be safe in EVE, your best chance is to simply mitigate the risks. I am sure there are things that I have missed and that there will be some who disagree with the advice I have put forth. Despite that, I do hope that you have found this useful and that you can refer to this guide in the future as you continue to perfect your abilities. I believe this particular set of skills to be fundamental to your success and enjoyment within New Eden. If this information saves you a couple of ships and helps to make you a better pilot, then it will be worthwhile. Throughout your career, you are going to experience both death and glory (mostly death). I am not trying to make you a risk-averse carebear, I simply wish to help prevent you from whelping your ships while you are on your way to whelp ships. 

If you have a continued thirst for knowledge, please consider attending one of the many public lessons held by EVE University. This guide would not have been possible without all of the reference material compiled by many hard-working pilots of EVE University. If you are interested in joining the university, please make use of this final link. Thanks for reading and fly safe!

The Faces of EVE University interview series brings you insight into some of the personalities that make up our staff – a group of dedicated Unistas who tirelessly work for the advancement of learning.

Hippla Tsero:
Q: Hello Zun Lurrin, let me start by telling you that I am super excited to do this interview. You are the current Hauling Manager of EVE University and I have noticed with how much passion you speak about Hauling. Tell us a bit about your past EVE experience and how you became Hauling Manager.

Zun Lurrin:
Thank you for asking about Hauling! It is my preferred way to play EVE and I’m glad to share that experience with others.

Having started playing EVE with my son in 2007 (or 2008) this is my 3rd time back to EVE; I think I’ve even passed all the way through the bitter-vet stage now. I’ve done mission running, faction warfare, Sov Null, and mining with no real love for any of them. Other than being a logi pilot, PVP has little interest for me either.

On the other hand, Market PVP was pretty interesting for quite a while and Industry kind of holds my interest (I used to build Carriers & Supers, but mostly do T2 now). In the end, however, Hauling has always been what I’ve come back to. In particular, I like the strategy required to fly a Jump Freighter (the only T2 capital ship in EVE!). There’s planning the route, setting up cynos in hostile space, and then safely executing the plan – that is what has held my interest through all this time.

This time back to EVE, I knew what I didn’t want to do and I’ve always admired EVE University. This was a chance to help a group I’ve known about for a long time and submitted my application, clearly stating that Hauling is what I wanted to do. After some time working with Hofborn and Cheradenine Zakalve, I was invited to be an Officer and eventually Manager. We all stand on the shoulders of our fore-fathers; and those two created an outstanding foundation for the Hauling Department as it exists today!

Hippla Tsero:
Q: Talking of the Hauling Department – can you share some insights with us? How many people are regularly hauling, how do you manage the hauling needs and most importantly, how do Unistas use the services of the Department?

Zun Lurrin: 
Like many alliances in EVE, Uni Hauling is designed to make it easier for corp members to move from place-to-place without having to move their own stuff. Many of us tend to be pack-rats who accumulate so many items that we may stay in a less than desirable location just to avoid moving all that stuff. Or sell it at reduced price and feel discouraged at the whole ‘moving’ process.

Unistas are informed about the Hauling Service during their introduction & orientation, but that can be an overwhelming time. Fortunately, many Corp members help newbros out with how to get started. On average, moving Unista items represents about half of our monthly volume going strictly between Campus HQ’s and Jita. The remaining volume is done on behalf of the University. Fuel for structures, ships for fleets, buyback items, University asset movements, and loot from wars we’ve won are all shipped by University Hauling. There’s at least as much done ‘behind the scenes’ as the activity that’s more visible.

Moving these goods is done by a surprisingly small group of Haulers that varies in number during the year; roughly a dozen Freighter pilots, half as many Jump Freighter pilots, and 4 Officers that keep the spice flowing.

It all starts with a Courier Contract. Our Forum post provides details for how to do that. Contracts are accepted once a Hauler is available to take the shipment. These dedicated folks travel smart to make sure the route is “safe” and may have to dock up or just wait out a gank squad on their way to the destination. Upon delivery, the Courier Contract is completed and the shipper’s items appear in their hangar.

Hippla Tsero:
Q: If a Unista is interested in getting involved in your Department, what would be the best way to get started and what can they expect when joining?

Zun Lurrin: 
Uni Hauling depends upon volunteers who like hauling, or want to find out if they like it. Our first priority is to help those Haulers learn the skills of the trade and provide an opportunity to see how they like it. If they do like it, they get extensive training and insights to be well prepared to expand their horizons and possibly join one of the commercial hauling services such as Red Frog or PushX.

Like those services, we use Freighters and Jump Freighters for all shipments; except WHC where DST’s are used. Most of our pilots start with a non-Uni alt that is a minimally skilled Freighter pilot. While minimal skills is not acceptable for the commercial services, we are a learning organization and we can work within those limitations while pilots expand their skills and knowledge. So, Unistas with a non-Uni alt trained to fly a Freighter are welcome to apply with University Hauling.

New pilots become members of Uni Staff and a Hauling channel in Discord so we can communicate about available shipments and the status of those that are in progress

Hippla Tsero:
Q: It seems like there is a lot to learn when joining the Hauling Department. Could you tell us a bit more about the importance of Hauling in the grand scheme of EVE? What would be a natural next step for Haulers after joining the department?

Zun Lurrin: 
Colonels & Majors worry about tactics, Generals worry about strategy – and Logistics is all about strategy. Hauling is a key component to logistics. If the materials aren’t present at the right place in the right time, the battle has already been lost. Hauling is one of those things that isn’t an obvious issue until someone tries to move all their valuable stuff in a T1 industrial and watches it all get ganked just outside Jita. All of a sudden, shipping in EVE takes on a new meaning. Many folks in Hauling remember an experience just like that.

If we do our job correctly, moving stuff in EVE will look easy. There is actually quite a bit to learn and understand. Not only does one need to learn the game mechanics associated with hauling. Haulers also need to know how gankers operate in various regions of New Eden. Each type of space has its own hazards – all of which makes it quite interesting to be Hauler.

And it is that variety that leads Haulers in different directions. High-sec freighters, wormhole DSTs, null & low-sec jump freighters all have different ways of engaging the Hauler. Again, if we do our teaching job properly, Haulers will move on to one of the commercial services or become part of an alliance logistics group (and there freighters are bridged with Titans! – we don’t do that in the Uni 🙂

Like so many things in EVE, Hauling is a discipline and skill within its own right. As evidenced by the small number of pilots within the group, it is a niche game style. But for those whom it fits just right, it’s the best way to win EVE!

The Faces of EVE University interview series brings you insight into some of the personalities that make up our staff – a group of dedicated Unistas who tirelessly work for the advancement of learning.

Hideo Date:
White 0rchid, thank you for taking the time to sit down with me and answer some questions. I am sure you are quite busy as the newly appointed head of EVE University’s FC Team.

Q: I want to start off by asking about your journey in EVE. You’ve been a very active alumnus and supporting EVE University for some time now. But how did you start off your EVE career and ended up in the Uni in the first place?

White 0rchid:
I began EVE a long time ago now. My current main was not always White 0rchid. I actually joined up at the start of 2008, pretty much jumped straight into sov null in Fountain, with a corp that was at the time in BRUCE (Brutally Clever Empire). The fleets back then, for me and BRUCE at least, consisted of ships like Cerbs and Ravens at absolute max range. There was no logi.

Following that I retreated to high sec and stopped playing for a while. Over the course of the 5 years that followed I was mostly on and off, exploring, running high sec missions and so on. I briefly joined Enlightened Industries (a corp in goons) in 2011, but after another break from the game, joined EVE Uni in 2013. I was not in corp for long but was active in the community for a year and a half until I rejoined for good at the start of 2015. I learned a bunch in the year and 1 day I was in uni, but as is natural, I needed somewhere to spread my wings a bit and I’ve been in Sniggwaffe (WAFFLES) since February 2016, becoming a director at some point in that journey.

Hideo Date:
Q: As you are an experienced FC obviously I want to know how you ended up becoming one. Do you remember your first time FCing? How was it starting off as a brand new FC?

White 0rchid:
I recall being very nervous running a small fleet chasing some people out of Fountain in 2008, but following that, it was then mostly in my 2015-16 stint in EVE Uni that I FC’d more. I think it’s always quite daunting to FC your first fleet because there can be a lot going on. The key is mostly to start small and work your way up with what you feel comfortable with. There’s no rush and no pressure, and frigates/destroyers/cruisers can all be really fun to fly.

Hideo Date:
Q: In your mind, what makes a good FC?

White 0rchid:
There’s many factors to being a good FC I think. From knowledge of ships and their capabilities, to the different tactics employed while using them, right to being good at controlling a situation under pressure. I think people also overlook another factor, in that you must be fun to fly under. If your fleets aren’t enjoyable then you won’t get much participation. Delegation is also key. Don’t try and do everything yourself but lean on your bros to pass you intel and micro manage other parts of the fleet (recon/scouts etc).

Hideo Date:
Q: The FC team in its current form is a relatively recent addition to the Uni. How did that come about? What is the idea behind the team and how is it structured? (As far as Operational Security (OPSEC) is allowing answers)

White 0rchid:
There have been iterations of fleet command programs in the Uni beforehand, but never one quite as involved as this one. One of my biggest bugbears of EVE Uni in the past was that it could be quite insular and at points echo-chamber like. That stemmed primarily from the churn rate of members. People, once they had achieved all they could in the Uni, would move on elsewhere, expanding their boundaries and taking in what the rest of EVE has to offer. That knowledge was never really passed back into the system though, which led to a slightly less than optimal teaching environment. The aim behind the tier system is to allow some levels of progression (that runs throughout the Uni really) and also some requirements on the members. For instance as a Junior there are really no hard requirements other than try to get involved when you can. But Seniors are expected to always step up to the mark when it’s required (either a war begins or someone picks on a structure).

Hideo Date:
Q: Until you took over, Sabre A, another accomplished alumnus, headed up the team. How was it working with him and how did you end up taking over?

White 0rchid:
Sabre is a good guy, he was instrumental in orchestrating the World War Bee (1) campaign and tactics so has a lot of experience in planning out ops. Since MC split he has been a bit more involved in the Uni again to achieve the previously mentioned goal of feeding knowledge back in. He initially asked me to come in and take over the fittings department, previously responsible for maintaining fits for almost all ships in the game on the wiki. This has over the years, proved to be incredibly difficult with the levels of tiericide that CCP put in place. So the fittings team now is in place to design and tweak internal doctrines and fits for use within the Uni. As for how I ended up taking over, Sabre has some RL commitments that meant his game time was slightly reduced. He is still around working on other projects though.

Hideo Date:
Q: What do you see as your goals for the FC team, how do you intend to shape it?

White 0rchid:
I’ve said this quite a few times to both Laura (EVE Uni CEO till 5 December 2020) and Jilo (CEO since 5 Dec 2020) that my intention is always to try and create an environment that is similar to what players would experience in any other corp. For the FC team that means the planning/running of fleets, designing doctrines, recon, scouting etc. all falls on us. We’ve been given a great deal of autonomy and are almost allowed free reign of how we run the department which has been fantastic. I would say if we continue on this path we’ll end up with some good FCs who are confident enough to take out strat level fleets (editor’s note: strategic operations).

Hideo Date:
Q: So this is specifically of interest to me personally, as I recently got accepted as a junior FC. What are you expecting from FCs in the team at the various stages? 

White 0rchid:
I think I hinted on this earlier, but there are 3 tiers to the team: Junior, FC, and Senior. Juniors have no requirement to run fleets as such, but they are encouraged to participate and take in all they can, with a view to start running fleets themselves. FCs ideally should be supporting the Seniors in the strat fleets, with a view to eventually step up to that position themselves. There is also a requirement that an FC runs one fleet a month, as in many other corps/alliances if you are in the FC team but don’t participate, there is no need for you to be in the team. Seniors take it one step further than FCs and are expected to coordinate and run the strat level operations. So far those have involved destroying war HQs when the Uni is decced, defending structures at their nullsec campus and contesting a Hard Knocks anchoring Astrahus in their wormhole campus.

Hideo Date:
Q: EVE University prides itself with its neutrality, allowing pilots to choose any corporation once they feel they have learned enough and move on from the Uni. You yourself are an active member of WAFFLES. How do those two things go hand in hand?

White 0rchid:
On the topic of moving on, I am the kind of person that will always give honest and truthful advice. I was a recruiter in EVE Uni going back almost 6 years ago now, I then took on that role after joining Waffles which eventually led to becoming a director there. With that I can usually tell whether someone is or isn’t a good fit somewhere. Regardless of my position in Waffles, I will always direct people to the most appropriate place they will fit in.

Hideo Date:
Q: Any closing thoughts you want to share?

White 0rchid:
I think just one main point, really. The Uni has come a very, very long way since I first joined around 7 or 8 years ago now. There was red tape after red tape back then, and that is all slowly but systematically being torn down in favour of simpler systems to both manage and live under. It can only be positive for anyone thinking of joining up. One example I can think of that was touched on earlier, was allowing members who had left to return with alts and pass on the knowledge they had learned elsewhere. Something that was prohibited for a long time.