Item Database:Ships

The ship classes can be broken down into a couple groups. Here are brief explanations of all the ship classes, in order of difficulty of flying in the group.

• Amarr Ships
• Caldari Ships
• Gallente Ships
• Minmatar Ships

Frigates

These are the ships everyone can fly starting out. They are cheap and good for tackling in PvP as well as fighting in faction warfare space.

• Interceptor Purpose built tackling frigates, but paper thin, great for small gang support and most PvP operations.

• Assault Frigate High-resistance frigates, Assault Frigates are more durable than Interceptors and put out more damage. Mostly used as heavy hitting frigates for solo travels or for holding down targets for the fleet.

• Covert Ops Stealthy ships that come in two types, bombers and scanners. The bombers are hard hitting ships that can fit Torpedoes or a Bomb Launcher, they're very commonly used for fast attacks on large targets. The scanners have strong bonuses for probe strength and data/relic analyzer modules, making them very useful for exploration. They can also be surprisingly powerful bait ships in PvP.

• Electronic Attack Ship An Electronic Warfare specialist frigate, designed to provide quick support for small gangs at a low cost. Their small size makes them ideal for tackling and light EWAR support against larger targets.

• Logistics Frigates Small logistics vessels that can be used to repair allied ships. They aren't very commonly used.

Destroyers

Destructive, albeit fragile craft meant as anti-frigate platforms. Their high amount of highslots make them good salvaging ships.

• Interdictor This tech 2 destroyer is almost a requirement for 0.0 PvP operations. It's ability to produce a interdiction bubble is unique to this ship. Plus, it is ideal for killing frigates and small ships.

• Command Destroyer Advanced Destroyers that can field Command Bursts for fleet support as well as Micro Jump Field Generators for rapid repositioning of nearby ships.

• Tactical Destroyer Versatile destroyers that can switch between three distinct modes while in flight, providing a choice of improved defenses, propulsion or range.

Cruisers

Craft with balanced offensive, defensive and mobility capabilities making them quite versatile.

• Recon Ship Recons are tech 2 cruisers specialized for electronic warfare. Recons are divided into Combat Recons and Force Recons. Combat Recons possess greater damage potential and sturdier tanks, though they do not possess either type of cloaking bonus they are hidden from directional scanners. Force Recons are capable of warping cloaked, these ships spend much of their time attacking other solo ships or calling in the cavalry with their bonus to Cynosural Field Generator I fuel usage. They are ideal for solo PvP.

• Heavy Assault Cruisers Advanced ships specialized in combat, with improved damage and resilience. All HACs fill a unique role in combat, having heavier defenses and unique characteristics. These are ubiquitous in PvP, found alone, and in small gangs and large fleets alike. They are often used for harder level 2 or 3 missions as well.

• Heavy Interdictor Essential for 0.0 combat, the Heavy Interdictor can fit a Warp Disruption Field Generator, which generates a warp disruption bubble around the ship. They are capable of incredibly heavy tanks as well. When fitted with a script, they can also generate a short-range infinite warp scrambler, or a longer range warp disrupter. They're often used to hold down large targets, such as capitals, for a larger fleet to kill.

• Logistic Logistic ships are tech 2 cruisers focused on one task, assisting other ships. While they have decent resistances, they are purpose built on giving other ships armor, shields, energy, or electronic subsystems support. Having one flying in a PvP or PvE gang is a force multiplier for defense purposes.

• Strategic Cruisers Cruisers built off Sleeper technology, as made available in the Apocrypha expansion. They were the first T3 cruisers, and support a fully modular structure, where players can mix and match 4 different subsystems, changing available slots, shield/armor/structure strength and other vital characteristics. They are extremely versatile, able to be fit for high damage and tank, or with the right subsystems fitted they can function as Recon Ships and fit a Covops Cloak.

Battlecruisers

• Battlecruiser Battlecruisers are the next step up in a pilot's development life. They are able to take more punishment and put out more damage than a tech one cruiser. But they are also used quite heavily in PvE, as they breeze through Level 3 missions, along with doing some Level 4's.

• Command Ship Command ships are the tech 2 version of the battlecruiser, the primary purpose being providing command bursts to others in their fleet. However, they can also have some of the heaviest tanks and put out heavy damage. They are primarily a support craft, but their special abilities are also useful to a fleet. They are also commonly seen in PvE Level 4 and Level 5 missions, sometimes assisting other ships in completing the mission.

Battleships

• Battleship The Battleship is the goal of all newbie pilots out there. Battleships are larger than all previous ships, are potentially more capable. They are one of the most common ships for PvE for Level 4 and 5 missions. While they are actually easy to get into, they take a long time to fly well.

• Black Ops Black Ops are advanced battleships that use covert cynosural fields, specialized in operations behind enemy lines. While having slightly lower damage output and tanking ability of a battleship, they are the only non-capital ship which possesses their own short-range jump drive. In addition to their internal jump drive, they may fit a Covert Jump Portal Generator I module which opens a bridge that select ships may travel through. The type of ships which may utilize the covert jump bridge are those with a cloak bonus, either to movement or warping while cloaked (Jump Harmonics 2). Black Ops may lock on to normal Cynosural Fields which are used by Capital Ships, although they have the unique ability to lock on to special Covert Cynosural Fields opened from either Covert Ops vessels and Force Recon ships. These are not very common ships in the eve universe yet, but their purpose seem to be for stealth PvP operations in hostile territory, with the ability to bypass defensive camps.

• Marauder- The first Tech 2 battleship, the Marauder is the ultimate in focused damage dealing. Having special bonuses for it's weapons, it frees up high slots for other helpful modules like NOS and Tractor Beams. These are rarely seen in PvP due to their low sensor strength, allowing them to be jammed more easily than other battleships. However, they are very common in PvE Level 4 missions, many times as a salvage vehicle due to their extended tractor range.

Industrial ships

• Industrial Ship (aka indy or hauler)- Industrial ships are needed by everyone, PvP and PvE pod pilots alike. If you are hauling loot or hauling ore, an indy will make your life easier by allowing you carry more, making for fewer trips. Almost every pilot out there is capable of flying one from time to time. They are core of industry, allowing pod pilots to move vast amounts of goods from point to point. But remember that the cargo capacity comes with the price tag of being slow.

• Transport Ship- Transport ships are more capable tech 2 industrial ships. Having higher resistances, some are capable of fitting a covert ops cloak while others have a +2 warp strength. While they cannot all hold more than tech 1 industrials, they all give you a better chance against pirates looking to steal your hard earned cargo.

ORE Ships

• Mining Frigate - This category consists of one ship currently, the Venture. An entry level mining platform, this platform allows new pilots to get to grips with mining, while also allowing for operation in lower security space with it's built in warp stabilizer bonus and utility high slot. It is also the only ship currently available with a gas mining bonus, this mixed with its sizable ore bay makes it a great ship for new and older players alike.

• Mining Barge (aka barge)- Mining is the start of the life cycle of most ships, giving pod pilots the base minerals to make modules and ships. Mining barges are capable of pulling large amounts of ore from asteroids, with a longer cycle time than frigate, cruiser or battleship mining. If you are mining in high sec, in a mission deadspace, or 0.0, a mining barge is the start of your mining career.

• Exhumer- Exhumers are tech 2 mining barges, allowing for greater mining potential. They have higher resistances, which give them the ability to survive pirate attack. Some specialize in ice mining while others have increased warp strength and specialize in mercoxit mining.

• ORE Industrial- This category consists of one ship currently, the Noctis. A loot and salvage expert. Boosting Tractor Beam and Salvager cycle time and Tractor Beam range and velocity.

• Industrial Command Ship- This category consists of one ship currently, the Orca. A mining support platform, the Orca is a bulk ore carrier, similar to a freighter, yet is much more suited for the rigors of mining than any freighter.

• Capital Industrial Ship- There is only one Cap Industrial right now, the Rorqual. It is a capital ship, and while not quite as capable as a carrier, it can fit capital modules and provide capital support for other ships. It is designed to be a mining support platform on a large scale. It can compress ore, allowing vast amounts of ore to be quickly moved to remote bases. As a capital ship it requires the use of cyno fields to move about.

Capital Ships

 Capital ships (with the exception of the Freighter, the Jump Freighter and the Orca) cannot enter hisec and must move about through cyno fields in low and null sec.

• Freighter- Freighters are huge cargoholds with a warp drive engine. While not able to fit any modules or rigs, they are how the bulk of materials move in empire space. Capable of holding 30 times as much as regular Industrial ships, these are slow moving targets for any interested in piracy. Getting a freighter through 0.0 space is a true test of teamwork for a corporation or alliance.

• Jump Freighter (aka JF)- Jump freighters are tech 2 freighters, having around a third the cargo capacity but having the ability to use cyno generators or jump bridges to move around low sec and 0.0. The ability to use star gates and cyno gens allows a jump freighter to easily transition between the safety of empire and beyond to the edges of the empires, dragging mass quantities of material with it.

• Dreadnought (aka Dread)- Dreadnoughts are large gun ships, capable of surviving the most brutal of assaults and putting out more single target damage than any other ship. Capable of fitting a siege module, these ships can enter a 10 minute cycle time which makes them capable of putting out 6.25x as much damage and repair 2x as much, but unable to warp or receive help from other ships. These are the backbone of POS warfare and are critical for most capital ship takedowns. The first capital ships many pilots can fly.

• Carrier- Carriers are fairly common throughout the low- and null-sec. They are essential for logistics for 0.0 corporations, for support in remote and hostile locations, and commonly used for large scale mining operations as well. They are capable of fitting gang warfare modules, fighter drones, and triage modules. Their ship maintenance array allows them to transport other ships, up to and including battleships in size.

• Supercarrier (formerly called motherships or moms now known as supers)- Essentially scaled up carriers, supercarriers are less common than their smaller brethren and focused more towards combat. Like carriers they are capable of fitting gang warfare modules and fighter drones however they cannot fit a triage module. Additionally they are capable of deploying fighter bombers, drones specifically designed to destroy a capital ship in a short amount of time, and fitting a remote ECM burst, which allows them to remotely break the locks of groups of enemy ships. Like titans these ships are capable of withstanding amazing amounts of damage.

• Titan- Titans are currently the top end of ships that a pod pilot can fly. They are big and slow, but capable of withstanding amazing damage. They can fit a doomsday device that is capable of destroying a capital ship in one shot. These are the most expensive ships in eve, and usually fitted with the most expensive faction, deadspace and officer modules as well.

Other

• Rookie Ship- The starting ship for every pod pilot out there, this is the absolute worst ship to be flying at all times. Slow, with a small hold, minimal armaments, and no defenses, this is the ship of the zero SP alt. The only plus to these ships is that they are free in the case of a ship loss.

• Shuttle- The smallest flyable ship, the shuttle is not to be overlooked for its quick alignment, its innate speed, miniscule cost, and tiny cargo capacity. Great for going places while leaving your more useful ships behind.

• Miscellaneous - Limited edition and discontinued ships that do not fit into other categories.

New Eden Crew Guidelines

Shown at FanFest 2011, after popular demand CCP released a chart revealing the crew amount for each ship class. The up-to-date, official version of this chart is discussed at the New Eden Crew Guidelines page.