EVE Online — Combat Career

New characters start in the 53-system Exordium starter region, where PvP is mechanically prohibited and rookie missions, combat anomalies, Homefront Operations and T0 Abyssals are all available. Rewards there are deliberately reduced compared with normal New Eden — it is a training ground, not a place to settle.

• Complete the AIR New Player Experience

  The guided introduction. It covers the controls the rest of this route assumes you already have.
• Learn ship movement — orbit, approach, keep at range, warp

  Practise each one deliberately rather than clicking Orbit and looking away.
• Learn how shields, armour and hull work

  Three separate layers with separate repair mechanics and separate resistance profiles.
• Learn capacitor management

  Running dry mid-fight disables your tank, your guns and your propulsion at once.
• Learn locking and weapon activation

  Lock time scales with your sensor strength and the target signature radius.

These are the mechanics that decide whether a fit works. A player who understands transversal and signature radius will out-fly a better-skilled pilot who does not.

• Learn optimal range, falloff and missile range

  Turrets have optimal plus falloff; missiles have flight time and explosion mechanics instead.
• Learn how transversal and angular velocity affect turret damage

  Fast, close, high-transversal targets are hard for turrets and easy for missiles and drones.
• Learn how signature radius and speed affect incoming damage

  A small fast ship takes far less from large guns than its raw tank suggests.
• Learn to launch, control and recall drones

  Recalling before you warp is the habit that stops you losing them.
• the ruleConfigure a usable combat Overview

  The default is not a combat overview. This is the single highest-value setup task in EVE.
• Learn bookmarks, safe spots and the Directional Scanner

  D-scan is your only warning system in space without local intel.

Security status runs Starter Space → Highsec → Lowsec → Nullsec → Wormholes, with risk and reward rising together.

• Understand that ships and modules are consumable

  Everything you undock in is expendable equipment, not a permanent character asset.
• the ruleNever routinely fly what you cannot replace

  The most reliable predictor of quitting EVE is losing a ship you could not afford.

CCP splits combat into Enforcer for PvE and Soldier of Fortune for PvP. Run both: the site treats them as one Combat career, but the game still issues them separately.

• Complete the Enforcer Career Agent missions

  A guided chain covering NPC combat, fitting and mission mechanics.

  Reward Ships, modules and starting ISK
• Practise fitting damage and tank modules together

  A fit that is all guns dies; a fit that is all tank never finishes.
• Begin earning corporation standings

  Standings gate every higher mission level from here on.

  Reward Corporation standing
• Start the AIR Career Program Enforcer objectives

  Longer-running objectives that pay skill points as you go.

  Reward Skill points

Run this even if you never intend to fight players. It teaches the modules that other players will use on you.

• Complete the Soldier of Fortune Career Agent missions

  The PvP-flavoured chain.

  Reward Ships, modules, starting ISK
• Learn tackling

  Holding something in place is the skill the entire PvP game is built on.
• read firstLearn Warp Scrambler vs Warp Disruptor

  A scrambler stops microwarpdrives as well as warping; a disruptor has range but does not.
• Learn Stasis Webifiers and basic electronic warfare

  Webs cut speed, which changes both damage application and escape odds.
• Accept that losing ships is normal

  A pilot who never loses a ship is a pilot who never undocks into anything interesting.
• Start the AIR Career Program Soldier of Fortune objectives

  Reward Skill points

Excellent beginner PvE route: long engagement ranges, damage you can select by ammunition, and a straightforward tank. Specialisations include the Corax Navy Issue, Caracal Navy Issue, Cerberus, Tengu and the Gila (which also needs Gallente Cruiser).

• Train the Caldari line: Kestrel or Merlin → Corax → Caracal

  Frigate to destroyer to cruiser, in that order.
• Progress to Drake, then Raven

  Battlecruiser then battleship. Do not skip ahead of your support skills.
• long trainLong-term target: Golem

  The Caldari Marauder — missiles and shields at the top of the line.

Arguably the most flexible traditional ratting route, and drones keep working while you handle other things. Specialisations include the Federation Navy Comet, Algos Navy Issue, Vexor Navy Issue, Gila and Proteus.

• Train the Gallente line: Tristan → Catalyst → Vexor

  The Vexor is one of the strongest early ratting hulls in the game.
• Progress to Myrmidon, then Dominix

  Both remain useful far beyond the point you outgrow them.
• long trainLong-term targets: Ishtar, then Kronos

  The Ishtar is a nullsec ratting workhorse; the Kronos is the Gallente Marauder.

Excellent sustained damage and strong armour doctrines, and lasers use crystals rather than consuming conventional ammunition. Specialisations include the Imperial Navy Slicer, Dragoon Navy Issue, Omen Navy Issue, Sacrilege, Zealot and Legion.

• Train the Amarr line: Punisher → Coercer → Omen or Arbitrator

  The Arbitrator branches toward drones and electronic warfare.
• Progress to Harbinger, then Apocalypse or Abaddon

  Apocalypse for range, Abaddon for tank and close-range damage.
• long trainLong-term target: Paladin

  The Amarr Marauder.

Very versatile but slightly more skill-intensive, because the line mixes weapon systems and tank types. Specialisations include the Republic Fleet Firetail, Talwar Fleet Issue, Stabber Fleet Issue, Vagabond and Loki.

• Train the Minmatar line: Rifter → Thrasher → Rupture

  Projectiles need no capacitor, which frees your cap for tank and propulsion.
• Progress to Hurricane, then Maelstrom or Typhoon

  Maelstrom for shields and projectiles, Typhoon for missiles.
• long trainLong-term target: Vargur

  The Minmatar Marauder.

Nothing else matters if you cannot fit the modules. A poorly trained battleship pilot is often less effective than a well-trained cruiser pilot — this phase is why.

• CPU Management IV, then V

  Straight fitting headroom on every ship you will ever fly.
• Power Grid Management IV, then V
• Weapon Upgrades IV, then V

  Reduces the CPU cost of turrets and launchers.
• Advanced Weapon Upgrades III → IV, eventually V

  Reduces powergrid cost. The V is a long train and worth it.

Capacitor decides how long you can fight; navigation decides whether you get to choose the fight at all.

• Capacitor Management IV and Capacitor Systems Operation IV

  Both to V eventually, for advanced fits.
• Navigation IV and Evasive Maneuvering IV
• Acceleration Control III–IV, Afterburner III–IV, High Speed Maneuvering III–IV
• Warp Drive Operation III–IV

  Cuts capacitor cost per warp — it matters most when you are running away.

Train the tank that matches the ship line you picked. Training both at once is the classic new-player mistake.

• Long Range Targeting III–IV, Signature Analysis III–IV, Target Management IV
• Shields: Shield Operation IV, Shield Management IV, Tactical Shield Manipulation IV

  Plus the Shield Compensation skills for the resistance types you use.
• Armour: Mechanics IV–V, Hull Upgrades IV → V, Repair Systems IV

  Plus Armor Compensation skills III–IV.

Nearly every PvE battleship benefits from drones, whichever line you chose — so drone training is close to universal even for non-Gallente pilots.

• Your weapon system to IV, support skills III then IV

  Support skills often matter more than the weapon skill itself.
• T2 small weapons, then medium, eventually large

  T2 ammunition is a bigger jump than most new players expect.
• Drones V, plus Light and Medium Drone Operation IV–V
• Drone Interfacing IV, Drone Navigation IV

  Interfacing is a straight damage multiplier on every drone.
• Drone Durability III–IV, Drone Sharpshooting III–IV, and your racial Drone Specialization

Security missions are the cleanest structured introduction to traditional EVE PvE. Agent access is gated on effective standing: Level 1 needs none, Level 2 needs 1.0, Level 3 needs 3.0, Level 4 needs 5.0 and Level 5 needs 7.0. Those thresholds are the spine of the whole mission-running branch.

• Find a corporation running Security agents

  Pick one whose LP store sells something you actually want — you will be here a while.
• Run Level 1 Security missions

  A combat frigate or destroyer is the right hull.

  Reward ISK, loyalty points, standings
• milestoneLearn each NPC faction's damage type

  Tanking the right resistance is worth more than a bigger tank.
• Fit tank and ammunition to the faction you are shooting
• Learn mission triggers

  Shooting the wrong ship spawns the next wave early. This gets expensive later.
• Loot the valuable wrecks, salvage when it is worth the time

  Reward ISK

These four skills compound for the rest of your EVE career. Training them early is worth more than the mission rewards you are chasing.

• Learn how mission Loyalty Points work

  LP value depends entirely on what the corporation's store sells.
• Train Social and Connections

  Both raise the standings you earn and the standings you effectively have.

  Reward Faster agent access
• Train Negotiation

  Reward More ISK per mission
• Train Security Connections if missions will be a real career

  Reward Higher effective security standing

Reach 1.0 effective standing to unlock these. Upgrade into a destroyer or cruiser before you start.

• Unlock and begin Level 2 Security missions

  Requires 1.0 effective standing with the corporation.
• Upgrade into a destroyer or cruiser
• Learn active versus passive tanking

  Active repairs on demand and eats capacitor; passive is always on and does not.
• Fit resistances for the specific enemies you face
• the ruleStop relying on "orbit target" — learn manual piloting

  Manual control of range and transversal is the difference between a good pilot and an average one.

"Ratting" means killing NPC pirates in belts, anomalies and signatures rather than in missions. Progression runs frigate → destroyer → cruiser → battlecruiser.

• Clear asteroid belt pirates

  The simplest possible ratting, and a fine place to test a new fit.
• Run basic Combat Anomalies

  These appear in the Probe Scanner without needing scanning skills.
• Learn the Probe Scanner interface

  Anomalies are listed for free; signatures must be scanned down.
• Identify Combat Signatures

  This is where the escalation chain starts.
• milestoneLearn escalation mechanics and DED site ratings

  An escalation is a chance at a much higher-value follow-up site.

Abyssal Deadspace is EVE's clearest difficulty ladder — seven tiers, T0 through T6. Exordium permits T0 only, which makes it a natural beginner activity. Every site is three rooms on a hard timer: if you do not finish, you die.

• Obtain a Tranquil filament

  Buy them; they are cheap.
• the ruleLearn the three-room structure and the site timer

  The timer is not a suggestion. Leaving the pocket late kills you.
• Learn Abyssal weather effects

  Weather buffs and nerfs specific resistances and modules — it decides your fit.
• Learn which NPCs web, which scramble and which neutralise capacitor

  Killing these first is usually correct regardless of their damage.
• Learn target priority and extraction-node mechanics
• Complete your first T0

  Reward Filaments, loot
• the ruleComplete five T0 sites until they feel routine

  Routine is the bar for moving up a tier. It stays the bar all the way to T6.

Reach 3.0 effective standing. CCP's own Academy guidance puts Level 3 around the cruiser/battlecruiser stage depending on skills and fit.

• Unlock Level 3 Security agents

  Requires 3.0 effective standing.
• Upgrade into a properly fitted cruiser or battlecruiser
• Take your tank support skills to IV
• Take your primary weapon support skills to IV
• Begin using T2 modules and T2 drones where you can
• Learn blitzing versus full clearing

  Blitzing completes the objective and leaves; full clearing takes the bounties and loot. Which is better depends on the mission.
• milestoneStart comparing LP store value rather than treating LP as generic currency

  LP is only worth what the specific store sells.

Introduced with Cradle of War, Military Campaigns are multi-month conflicts whose outcomes can permanently change New Eden. Objectives are released progressively — the in-game Upcoming tab is the schedule, and it is the only reliable source for what is live right now.

• Open Theatres of War → Military Campaigns

  Review all four empire campaigns before committing.
• Choose an empire to support

  The Blessed Exchange (Amarr), State Corridor Initiative (Caldari), Starkmanir Restoration (Minmatar), Operation Rogue Edge (Gallente).
• Complete a combat campaign objective

  Reward Campaign ISK, LP, empire standing
• Complete a Factional Warfare campaign objective

  Reward Campaign ISK, LP, empire standing
• Claim your personal contribution rewards

  Rewards scale with your own contribution, not the campaign result.
• Check the Upcoming tab regularly

  Objectives are released over time rather than all at once.
• Work toward campaign achievements and titles

  Reward Titles

Four one-way empire shipcasters let you leave Exordium directly for empire space. Each is single-use per character, so the choice is permanent for that character.

• Complete the rookie Exordium content

  Missions, combat anomalies, Homefront Operations and T0 Abyssals.
• milestoneChoose your Exordium shipcaster destination

  Caldari Tatrys → Onnamon · Gallente Mondaekus → Intaki · Minmatar Dettisolin → Amo · Amarr Ichorah → Mehatoor.
• Use the shipcaster when you are ready for New Eden

  One use per character. Choose deliberately.

  Reward Passage to empire space

The Cradle of War Epic Arc. IMPORTANT: Epic Arcs repeat 90 days after YOU finish them — the clock is per character and starts on your own completion, so there is no shared date and no countdown on this page. Track the first completion here; the repeat is yours to remember.

• Start Visions of Greatness

  From Cassandra Ahfrim at AIR Laboratories Trade Center, Manifest.
• Complete the Caldari Prime Breakout simulation
• Complete the Battle of Pator simulation
• Complete the Golgothan Fields simulation
• Complete the Liberation of Intaki simulation
• Complete the optional bonus challenges

  Reward Extra rewards
• milestoneFinish the arc and claim the rewards

  Repeatable after 90 days from your completion.

  Reward ISK, modules, faction standing

Cradle of War expanded the achievement and title system. These are permanent progression, not recurring tasks.

• Review the Combat achievements and pin the ones you want
• Complete achievement milestones and claim the skill point rewards

  Reward Skill points
• Unlock and equip a Combat title

  Reward Title

Reach 5.0 effective standing. CCP recommends a well-prepared battleship. Entry hulls: Raven, Dominix, Apocalypse, Maelstrom, Typhoon, Praxis. Advanced: Machariel, Rattlesnake, Nightmare and other faction or pirate battleships.

• Unlock Level 4 Security agents

  Requires 5.0 effective standing.
• Train racial Battleship III → IV
• Train large weapons and strong tank support skills
• Train Drone Interfacing IV and upgrade your drones
• Train fitting skills far enough for a proper battleship fit

  An underfit battleship is worse than a good battlecruiser.
• the ruleLearn every mission's triggers before bringing an expensive hull
• Decide blitz versus full clear per mission
• Optimise your LP conversion

  The LP store, not the mission, is where the ISK actually is.

  Reward ISK
• Keep a mobile depot for refits where it helps
• the ruleKeep at least one full replacement ship

Burners appear inside the Level 4 ecosystem but are nothing like normal L4s — they are small-ship fights against a single extremely dangerous NPC, and they need dedicated fits and prior research.

• Get comfortable with normal Level 4s first
• Train strong small-ship skills and T2 small weapons
• milestoneTrain Thermodynamics

  Overheating is mandatory in most Burner fits.
• Train propulsion and damage application skills
• Build a dedicated fit per Burner type

  Do not improvise. Each Burner has a known answer.
• read firstResearch each Burner before you enter it
• Complete your first Anomic Agent mission

  Reward High ISK/LP
• Complete Anomic Team missions

  Reward High ISK/LP
• Work Burners into your mission blitz route

  Reward ISK/hour

Level 5s are the top of the standard Security ladder and sit in lowsec, which is what makes them specialised rather than simply "the next step after L4". Mission runners are actively hunted here.

• Reach 7.0 effective standing
• Locate suitable Level 5 agents
• Learn the surrounding lowsec thoroughly

  Know the gates, the stations and the routes out before you commit.
• the ruleUse a scout, or a scouting alt you trust
• Create travel bookmarks
• Understand how mission runners get hunted

  Your mission location is findable. Assume someone is looking.
• Build mission-specific fits
• Complete your first Level 5 mission

  Reward Very high ISK/LP
• Learn which Level 5 missions to decline

  Selection matters more here than anywhere else in the mission game.

Marauders are among the strongest general-purpose Level 4 platforms in the game. Bastion makes you immobile, which is enormous in PvE and dangerous everywhere else.

• long trainTrain racial Battleship V
• Train Advanced Weapon Upgrades and T2 large weapons
• Train Marauders I → IV, eventually V
• Learn Bastion mechanics

  Huge tank and range bonuses, at the cost of being unable to move or warp.
• Learn Micro Jump Drive positioning

  The MJD is how a Marauder controls range without moving conventionally.
• Learn bastion-cycle timing

  Cycling out at the wrong moment is how Marauders die.
• the ruleUnderstand your PvP vulnerability while immobilised

  A bastioned Marauder cannot run. Ever.
• endgameFly your chosen Marauder: Golem, Kronos, Paladin or Vargur

  Missiles/shields, hybrids/armour, lasers/armour, projectiles/shields respectively.

  Reward Mission-running endgame reached

Anomaly ratting becomes a real career here. Lower investment: Vexor, Myrmidon, Gila. Established: Ishtar, Dominix, Rattlesnake. High-end active: Marauder or a specialised battleship.

• milestoneGet access to safe ratting space

  Join a corporation or alliance that holds space, or establish your own access.
• Learn local intelligence practice

  In nullsec, Local is a threat detector. Watching it is not optional.
• Join the relevant intel channels
• Configure D-scan and make safe spots
• Create tactical bookmarks

  Off-grid safes and tacticals are what let you leave a fight you did not choose.
• Understand warp disruption bubbles

  Bubbles are why nullsec travel is nothing like highsec travel.
• Learn how ESS mechanics affect your bounty income

  Reward ISK
• Learn the local pirate faction damage profile

  Tank the right resistance and your effective tank roughly doubles.
• Learn the region's anomaly hierarchy

  Which anomalies are worth your time and which are not.

Escalations from combat sites lead to DED-rated complexes carrying deadspace and faction loot. Advanced platforms include Strategic Cruisers, the Ishtar, the Gila, pirate battleships and Marauders.

• Train basic scanning, or team up with an explorer
• Scan down combat signatures
• Learn the DED site ratings

  The rating tells you the difficulty and the loot tier.
• read firstLearn which sites permit which ship classes

  Some acceleration gates block anything above a size class.
• Complete lower-rated complexes

  Reward Deadspace and faction modules
• Build specialised escalation fits
• Run high-value DED sites

  Reward High-value loot
• the ruleLearn to move valuable loot safely

  The most common way to lose deadspace loot is hauling it carelessly.

Permanent content in C1–C6 wormholes since July 23, 2026, replacing the temporary event version. Escalating Rogue Drone encounters on the Rampancy system, able to reach 100 waves. CCP designed them primarily for small teams — extremely experienced players can attempt portions solo, but that is not the intent.

• Learn wormhole navigation
• read firstLearn wormhole mass and polarisation mechanics

  Getting your fleet stuck on the wrong side is the classic wormhole disaster.
• Locate Drone Fabricator sites
• Assemble a small PvE team
• Learn the Rampancy escalation system
• Complete the early waves safely
• read firstAgree your fleet's extraction point before you start
• Push into Severe and Critical threat waves

  Reward Escalating rewards
• Optimise fleet composition for higher wave counts

Capital ratting is a specialisation, not the automatic upgrade after Marauders — it depends entirely on holding space safe enough to use it.

• Run high-rated DED escalations consistently

  Reward Deadspace and faction loot
• Fly a Marauder or equivalent advanced platform in anomalies
• optionalOptionally train into carrier ratting

  Only worth it inside an alliance that can defend the space you use it in.
• endgameOptionally progress to supercarrier ratting

  A major investment that makes you a major target.

  Reward Ratting endgame reached

Do not treat Abyss progression like mission progression. Every tier is a substantial jump in risk, and the site timer means a fit that is merely "good enough" kills you. Navy or T2 frigates, or properly fitted cruisers.

• Upgrade beyond your starter T0 fit
• Learn all the common NPC families
• Understand your chosen weather

  Fit for one weather type and buy filaments to match.
• Practise overheating

  Heat is what closes the gap when a room goes wrong.
• Learn when to kill support ships before damage ships
• Complete T1 consistently

  Reward Filaments, loot
• Upgrade tank, damage and weapon application for T2
• read firstKnow every dangerous spawn for your fit
• Practise heat management and manual piloting together
• the ruleKeep enough ISK to replace the ship, every run

Common platforms: Gila, Cerberus, Sacrilege, Vagabond, Ishtar and other specialised HACs. From here the ladder is a pilot knowledge check far more than a ship or ISK check.

• Train strong cruiser skills
• Reach T2 weapons where appropriate
• Train high-quality drone skills if you fly a drone ship
• Understand the dangerous room combinations
• Build weather-specific fits
• Complete T3 consistently before moving up
• Upgrade fitting quality and add implants
• Train the relevant skills toward IV and V
• read firstMemorise priority targets and the major death rooms
• Learn when to overheat tank, and when to overheat propulsion
• Learn when to abandon side loot and just finish

  Greed inside a timed pocket is the most common cause of death.
• Complete many T4 sites without loss before considering T5

T6 is true solo PvE endgame. Common high-end platforms include specialised Gila, Cerberus, Ishtar, Vagabond, Sacrilege, Zealot and Stormbringer fits.

• Maximise the relevant ship skills
• Use optimised fittings, implants and boosters
• Understand every lethal NPC combination
• Maintain detailed target priority per room
• the ruleKeep substantial replacement capital on hand
• Complete T5 consistently

  Reward High-value loot
• Master your chosen weather and every dangerous spawn
• Optimise mutated modules if your strategy needs them
• Develop reliable room-by-room strategies and track your times
• endgameComplete T6 consistently without relying on luck

  Reward Abyssal endgame reached

Incursions are large-scale cooperative PvE against Sansha's Nation, ranging from small sites to high-end fleets of roughly 40–60 pilots. Doctrine varies between communities — the correct ship is the one your chosen fleet actually accepts, so read their doctrine before you spend a single ISK.

• read firstFind an active public Incursion community
• read firstRead its current doctrine before buying a ship

  Buying before reading is how people end up with an unusable battleship.
• Train the exact required fit
• Train capacitor and tank skills to their standard
• Train weapon application

  Applying damage to frigates from a battleship is the whole problem.
• Learn fleet broadcast procedures and configure your broadcasts
• Learn anchor commands and target tags
• Learn Sansha target priorities

• Join a Vanguard training fleet

  Most communities run these specifically for new pilots.
• Learn fleet discipline

  Doing exactly what the FC says, immediately, is the entire skill.
• Complete your first Incursion site

  Reward ISK, concord LP
• Upgrade from an entry battleship to the accepted doctrine hull
• Begin running Headquarters fleets

  Reward High ISK/hour

Possible specialisations: high-DPS battleship, a Vindicator-style web role, Nightmare laser DPS, Marauder DPS, logistics cruiser, or fleet command and support.

• Fly an accepted HQ doctrine ship
• Specialise into an advanced DPS or logistics role

  Logistics pilots are perpetually in demand and rarely have to wait for a fleet.
• Master the fleet mechanics — broadcasts, anchoring, target calling
• endgameOptionally progress into fleet command

  FCs are the scarcest resource in the whole activity.

  Reward Incursion endgame reached

The four empire militias are the 24th Imperial Crusade (Amarr), State Protectorate (Caldari), Federal Defence Union (Gallente) and Tribal Liberation Force (Minmatar). You can enlist as long as the relevant faction standing is not negative. Enlisting makes the opposing empire's highsec dangerous for you — permanently, while enlisted.

• the ruleChoose an empire and check your faction standings
• the ruleUnderstand that opposing empire highsec becomes dangerous

  Navy ships will attack you on sight in their space.
• the ruleBuy several inexpensive PvP ships and fit them identically

  Identical fits mean you can reship without thinking after a loss.
• Create lowsec Overview tabs and configure D-scan
• Learn gate-gun mechanics and security-status consequences
• Learn aggression timers

  They decide when you can dock, jump or log off.
• Learn pod-saving procedure

  Losing the ship is routine. Losing the pod and its implants is not.

Reward modifiers are set by system role: Frontline 150% LP, Command Operations 100%, Rearguard 50%. Start in T1 frigates, navy frigates, destroyers and navy destroyers — cheap hulls you will not mind losing.

• Capture your first FW complex

  Reward LP, system contribution
• Defend a complex against an attacker
• Capture an offensive complex in enemy territory

  Reward LP
• the ruleFight your first enemy militia pilot

  You will probably lose. That is the intended experience.
• Earn your first FW loyalty points

  Reward LP
• Buy something from the militia LP store
• Learn the Warzone Control map and system Advantage
• milestoneLearn Frontline, Command Operations and Rearguard roles

  Frontline systems pay 150% LP — that is where your time is worth most.

Cradle of War added seasonal complexes tied to the Military Campaign era: solo T1 combat and attack-frigate sites, interceptor sites, NVY-3 battlecruiser-and-smaller sites, and Contested Field Research Facility T3-destroyer sites.

• Get comfortable fighting solo in frigates
• Move up through navy frigates, destroyers and navy destroyers
• Learn cruiser PvP
• Join small-gang FW fleets
• Learn offensive and defensive plexing
• Learn the Advantage objectives
• milestoneLearn to identify hulls on D-scan

  Knowing what is coming before it lands is most of survival.
• Learn common FW fits by sight
• milestoneLearn when to fight and when to leave

  The best FW pilots decline more fights than they take.
• Run the Cradle of War seasonal complexes while they are live

  Reward Seasonal rewards

Pilots can align with the Angel Cartel or the Guristas Pirates, connecting through Zarzakh and the Deathless Shipcaster into FW-style insurgencies against the empire militias.

• Meet the required pirate standings
• Travel to the appropriate pirate station and enlist
• Locate the active Insurgency
• Learn Corruption and Suppression mechanics
• Capture pirate complexes

  Reward Pirate LP
• Fight empire militia pilots
• Push systems through the Corruption stages
• Participate in an Insurgency victory condition

  Reward Insurgency rewards

• Reach solo PvP competence in your chosen hulls
• Run advanced complexes consistently
• Participate in Battlefields

  Large-scale set-piece FW fights.

  Reward High LP
• Reach small-gang competence
• endgameContribute meaningfully to a Military Campaign

  Reward FW endgame reached

PvP is optional for the Combat career, though Factional Warfare exposes you to it naturally. The recommended training approach is not one expensive ship — it is 10 to 20 cheap frigates you intend to lose.

• the ruleLose your first PvP ship

  Deliberately. Get it over with.
• the ruleStop treating ship loss as failure
• Fit 10–20 inexpensive frigates
• the ruleFight, lose them, and review every loss

  Identify why you died, then change the fit or the piloting. This loop is the entire curriculum.
• Learn D-scan and combat probes
• Learn manual piloting and transversal control
• Learn slingshotting and range control
• Learn overheating
• Learn tackle mechanics
• Learn scram-kiting, web-kiting, brawling and traditional kiting

  Four distinct engagement profiles. Know which one your fit is.
• Learn aggression timers, gate guns, bubbles and session-change timers

Pick one or more. Fleets need all of these, and the scarce roles get invited first.

• Tackle — Interceptors, Propulsion Jamming, Navigation, Evasive Maneuvering
• Electronic warfare — ECM, Sensor Dampening, Tracking Disruption, Target Painting
• milestoneLogistics — Logistics Frigates and Cruisers, remote repair and capacitor transfer

  Perpetually in demand.
• Fleet DPS — T2 medium and large weapons, HACs, battleships
• Fleet utility — Command Destroyers, Command Ships, Interdictors, Heavy Interdictors, Recons, EAFs
• Covert warfare — Covert Ops, Stealth Bombers, Black Ops, Cynosural Field skills

Capital ships are not required to reach endgame combat — they are an additional strategic specialisation, and one that depends entirely on the organisation around you. Cradle of War added four T2 Command Carriers: Salvation, Simurgh, Gaia and Ymir, built around command bursts and battlefield control rather than raw damage.

• Reach solo competence
• Reach small-gang competence
• Fly fleet doctrine reliably
• Hold one or more specialist roles
• optionalOptionally: join an organisation that can support capitals
• Optionally: train Jump Drive Operation, Calibration and Fuel Conservation
• Optionally: train capital hulls, tank and fighters or capital weapons
• Optionally: learn cyno mechanics, capital escalation and fleet jump procedure
• the ruleMaintain capital replacement funding before you undock one
• endgameReach competence in your chosen fleet role

  Carrier → Dreadnought → Force Auxiliary → Command Carrier → Supercarrier → Titan is a progression, not a requirement.

  Reward PvP endgame reached