Originally by: Ka Jolo

---

If I had it to do all over again, I wouldn't change a thing. However, if I were starting up a new pilot right now, I wouldn't do what I did back in 2007.

Here are some points to keep in mind:

1. Consider choosing a race based solely on the portrait. The race your pilot represents is completely and utterly unrelated to the race that builds the ships he flies. There is no ship or module in the game that can only be used by a given race or that deals bonuses or penalties to a given race. It used to be one would choose a race for starting skills or for beginning attributes; both of these concerns have been largely negated by changes to character creation.


2. By the same token, consider using an existing character. Chances are you'll have a head-start no matter what foolish notions you had in your noob days for skill training. Your learning skills, for example, should be way ahead of a new character's.


3. This is a game, and it's meant to be fun. Don't make decisions now solely so you can fly your target ship 723 days from now rather than 792 days. And don't fly a ship just because it's "the best;" consider what sort of combat is fun for you, and look for a ship that's "the best using that style" even if it's not the FOTM. So many fights come down to your actual RL skills anyway, rather than the ship you're in. Every day somebody kills a Hurricane in a T1 frigate, or takes out a Dramiel with a T1 cruiser. At any rate, when you do get into your target ship 723 days from now--"the best"--it will have been nerfed and will have fallen into disfavor because of some new ship that's been introduced. You might as well have fun along the way; and right now there are people having a blast flying T1 frigates from each race (yes, even in Merlins).


4. Having said that, EVEMon is your friend. Make a plan and stick to it. Take the first ship you want to fly well and make a plan to gain the skills to fly it well. Pay attention to any recommended character attribute remapping if it makes a significant difference.


5. Have realistic expectations. 0.0 fleet warfare, lowsec piracy, RvB wars, faction warfare--none of them offer 24/7 back-to-back fights. For every pilot with an edge out there looking for a fight, there's a rather outclassed pilot looking to avoid one.


6. Don't take shortcuts. If you want to be good at PVP, you have to do a lot of PVP before you're really good. People who "concentrate on making ISK until they have enough SP to be good at PVP" end up being good at making ISK and being just as clueless at PVP as when they started. Likewise, buying a PVP character without having learned the RL skills the original owner developed just means your losses will be more costly and embarrassing.


7. Finally, you might as well start training up your main now to be your new PVP character's covert ops probing alt/bait. That's what he'll be reduced to anyway.

Have fun!

---