How to Avoid Being Ganked in Eve Online
• Learn to Use the Map - The in-game map is a treasure trove of intel if you know how to use it. Explore the settings and you can discover information on number of kills in systems (in the last hour or day), cynos that are currently running, number of NPC deaths, and other useful information that can help you find a place to do your business.
• Local Intel - Make sure your local window is open and large enough to see almost everyone that enters the system you are in. Pay attention to those pilots. Make sure to note any changes in local. Make a mental note of those with negative security status and consider starting to assign standings to those that may be worrisome - it is a lot easier to see pilots you have marked “orange” in local, for example.
• Master the D-Scan - Everyone who plays Eve should learn to master the directional scanner - it is the single most critical tool at your disposal. There are tons of guides available to help you master this tool, but you should be constantly aware of your surroundings and rely on this tool to inform you of what is going on in a 14AU sphere around your ship. This is critical.
• Be Aligned (When possible) - Being aligned means your ship is pointed towards an object in warp range, a station, a planet, a custom office, anything your ship can warp to. Aligned ships warp off faster than non-aligned ships, which makes sense since you are already pointing in that direction. If someone lands near you, you can simply warp away. If your propulsion module is off, you will warp even faster.
• Use Bookmarks - I currently have over 25,000 bookmarks in my library and that doesn’t include Corporation bookmarks. A bookmark is a saved location in space that your ship can use to warp to. Imagine warping to a spot 200k off a gate and noticing the camp you need to avoid, instead of finding out about the camp when you warped to the gate at zero. You can drop a bookmark mid-warp to give yourself an instant safe spot you can return to anytime. Bookmarks are extremely useful and you need to start your own library.
You can also set-up “insta-docking” bookmarks. These are spots at stations that will allow you to almost instantly dock instead of relying on the “dock” command, which often lands you in an area that takes more time to dock. Setting these up is easy and there are guides available to help you learn.
• Do Not Carry Plex - Or skins in your cargo. Plex can be moved without using transportation through the Plex Vault and contracts, there is no need to EVER physically move Plex. Same with ship skins, although they don’t have a vault, they can be activated from anywhere.
• Don’t Go AFK in Space - If you need to leave the game make sure to dock first. Going AFK in space will get your ship destroyed. Trust me on this, we have probes.
• Scouts- If you can, having a friend along who can scout ahead for you is immensely useful.
These are just a few tips that can help you survive Eve Online. The more you use these the more you’ll begin to understand how much control you actually have over your environment and the dangers you face playing in space.
