Even the most basic combat ships in Eve Online are capable of running combat sites, with varying degrees of success. This section will compare a variety of ships and ship classes for PvE combat, and provide some starting points for fitting ships for this purpose.
I began with my favourite ship class, assault frigates! Additional series include guides for new players flying regular frigates, guides for young Alpha players flying regular cruisers, and guides for Omega pilots flying tactical destroyers.
All new players begin with the skills to fly regular frigates. Within your first few hours of play, you'll be ready to try out some of the simpler combat sites near your starting solar system!
These guides provide insight on how to fit frigates for PvE combat on your very first day in Eve Online.
These combat-ready Navy versions of each empire faction's exploration frigates are capable of running both hacking sites, and some of the easier combat sites throughout New Eden. These ships were added to the game in the Uprising expansion in November 2022.
These high-tech frigates feature strong damage resistances, while retaining a reasonably nimble profile. Assault frigates are particularly strong in combat sites consisting primarily of frigates or destroyers.
These guides review the ship attributes and bonuses for assault frigates, and explore fits capable of running combat sites against each pirate faction.
These highly adaptable destroyers are able to transition between defense, combat, and navigation configurations on-the-fly. Tactical destroyers are competitive in most high-security combat sites.
These guides review the ship attributes and bonuses for each tactical destroyer, and explore fits capable of running combat sites against each pirate faction.
Not long after capsuleers begin their careers in New Eden, they'll be able to fly cruisers, though it can take several weeks of skill training to become reasonably efficient in them. Alpha pilots can take advantage of their larger tank and higher DPS to tackle more difficult combat sites than are possible in regular frigates or destroyers. Omega pilots can get immense mileage out of cruisers, as their skills and fitting options improve.
These guides provide insight on how to fit regular cruisers for PvE combat within your first month of playing Eve Online.
