Firstly a quick note to the French-speakers. Yes, my name is grammatically incorrect. I was going for the cool ‘White Knuckles’ – taken – and now I’m stuck with it. I’m punishing myself more than you ever could. Plus its hard as hell for FC’s to say. Stay with the simple, kids!
I am a newbean. Though I’ve technically had a character in EVE since 2012, I only started playing the game properly at the end of last year and even in that four years I can’t believe how much more exciting, intricate and compelling our game has got. I now have two characters, one an industry isk-making alt and my idk-isk-spending main in a nullsec PVP corp.
A quick note on how the game has changed, and how it has not. Back in the day I remember everyone flew Drakes, or at least that was the only big ship I ever saw, but then again I was a care-bear. I spent a ridiculous amount of time dutifully chipping away at Viscous Pyroxeres to make my Isk, and me, thinking the world of EVE was even and fair, bought a Rokh because they look cooler than the flying cheese grater that is the Drake… Nobody flies Rokhs. Nobody. Ever. I lost it pretty quickly, to Guristas as I remember, and I’d forgotten to insure it. I went down the rage quite route.
On my return everything seems more balanced, though I do hear the phrase “Orthrus Cancer” frequently bounced around chat. One thing has not changed, as my fellow newbros will attest, or will swiftly learn. You can spend as long as you like on a fit, and be really proud of it, but you are going to lose it.
7th March – I took out a super-tanked Tormentor with neuts to a Novice Outpost, hoping to entice a Faction frigate into a battle which I knew I’d win. My tank could withstand the DPS easily while my drones would slowly and sweetly destroy. I had him, up until his friends showed up. Another ship lost. Another lesson learnt. I should’ve learnt the first time that you need to roam with more than just a T1 frigate.
I came back to EVE with a purpose, I wanted to get fully involved. I wanted huge fleets, corp politics, incursions, the works – and I got it. That’s thanks to corporations like mine that have a team of experienced players to get us through the game, answer questions, and give us free ships, which after ten seconds of suicide tackle glory, we don’t care when they explode and we get podded by the endless Svipul/Jackdaw/Orthrus fleets.
When we newbeans tentatively venture outside of our nullsec station we do so with a basic guarantee of death, every single time. The ‘Losses’ section of my combat log is four times longer than the ‘Kills’ – but that makes kills that much sweeter.
6th March – As part of the ongoing incursion, a T3D/Destroyer Pandemic Horde fleet led by Charlie Colt took down a SpaceMonkey’s Alliance Dominix in Fade. Though routine for many, this was my first big ship kill. I didn’t die, and I dealt a decent amount of damage. It was awesome.
This applies to newbeans everywhere, yes in high-sec corps, but particularly in low and null-sec corps: there have to be structures in place to bring us into and through your corp, operations so we can learn the ropes, and opportunities for us to FC frigate fleets or run minor parts of the corp. This is what NPC’s lack. Note to fellow newbros – its time to graduate from State War Academy.
A slow clap to the corps that don’t have these. In six months the people that did know you will no longer know who you are, and you will have died hundreds of times because of that plucky bastard in a Slasher who valiantly tackled you long enough that hell could be rained down upon your arse.
Newbeans have a place in your corp, no matter the SP level. We’re imaginative, willing to learn, and best of all, we’re expendable. We will be that frigate that gives you a warp-in, that scouts the next system, and we will be that character that in six months to a year, could be your next great FC. Get recruiting.
