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capt-fishbones

Pros: A corp, especially a small corp of good players can give you great support and really accelerate your learning of the game. This has been my experience with my Corp with <20 people (active players). We have a blast, go on roams, and they've really upped my play quickly. They are associated with Goonsquad.

Cons: Being associated with Goons has been a really, really mixed bag. They can be organized, such as the war effort where they are crushing it.

But around their own home base, enemies gate camp all the time, and they're a Charlie Foxtrot. If you dare complain, you get laughed at at best, or told to go join Horde. This wasn't by some minor player either. Don't get me wrong, are some Great Goons, but it is an old, old Alliance. Think "Old Republic"... and there's a lot of rotten players in there too. I suspect you'll find that in all of (the alliances) though.

Pro: It gives you people to quickly, and easily, join a fleet with. This can be both fun, and profitable. They also give you the ships and the fits, so you aren't out-of-pocket to do this. They also have a huge amount (overwhelming really) of info on character building. Luckily, they also have chat channels where you can chat and sort out some of the information overload.

Con: You are an Instant Target. Regardless of what group you join, they have Enemies. Once you join them, you have Joined a Gang. All their enemies, are YOUR enemies, and will gank you, just for being associated. And for fun. In theory, your Alliance supports you against your enemies; in practice, unless you are in a fleet, you are a target for their roams (fleets) and you are unlikely to get any help if jumped. But if you are on a Roam, neither will they. Usually.

Take all of this with a Shaker of Salt. It is my Opinion, and Mine Alone. I've been playing about 3 months.

K
Kraken

Pros: Being able to join a corporation and alliance allows you to expand your player base in generating contacts, people who you could fly with for weeks, months and in some cases years to come. This comes in handy when you want to start delving into the much deeper PVE stuff that requires fleets of ships, and planning for these becomes a bit easier. Then there is the world of PVP where you can start delving into the world of war decking and territory claim/expansion creating some great moments in the game that you will be a part of especially if it makes EVE headlines.

Cons: There is the time conundrum, as these corps and alliances do effectively run like a business time is money. Players may be required to partake in specific events at awkward times, which this becomes more important when looking at wars for space and your part of a Corp/alliance that plays in a completely different time zone (think USA players with a central European country player, it would not likely work). Then you also have the issue language barriers, you need to be able to speak the language of the group. And of course if you have to disappear for a while for real world stuff (which i had to at one point) you could return to you being booted from your corp and losing your stuff with no means to get it back.

FirestormGamingTeam's avatar
FirestormGamingTeam

Pros:

People to chat with
Activities to take part in
PvP battles that are epic
Access to higher-level content.
Making friends that can last a life time

Cons:

People to P*** you off
Being told what to do
Being told what to fly
Long hours sat around in null sec waiting for something to happen
People betraying you for their own personal goals.

Just a few pro's & cons.

Luka Zaharin's avatar
Luka Zaharin

From my point of view, Eve is a game that is build by its community, so there are mostly pros for joining a corp or alliance. I think you need to find a group of others to play with on the long run, but that does not necessarily have to be a corporation or alliance. There are many groups and communities that greatly value friendship and working together such as the NPSI organisations or ingame chat groups.

The pros of flying with a group are in my opinion:

  • to be able to share your experiences,

  • to learn from others,

  • to belong somewhere,

  • to have shared goals

  • and even to gain real friends.

The cons would include:

  • the amount of time it takes to grow with the group,

  • a certain lack of self determination (the reason I'm not in an alliance)

  • and the difficulty to find the right group

I am still always happy to encounter pilots I flew with when I was a very young player and I met people I would consider real friends on my way in New Eden. On the long run, other people to fly with are the reason I log in and I would advise every new player to find a group, a corp or a community to fly with! Take your time and find the right people, but they are out there and will greatly increase your fun per hour.

After all, the best ship is Friendship!

FUN INC's avatar
FUN INC

I am going to add this caveat right at the front - not everyone needs to be in a corp - but community and identity gives people the passion and desire to login to take part in contnent and to make eve more vibrant. To me, finding the right people is tough - you can continue as a solo pilot doing your own thing in eve, but with friends is where eve really shines.

Pros

Community, belonging and vibrancy - ie. Your space within space

Shared objective and goals

Show your value, and share your knowledge

The cons are more difficult to list, as it depends what position you resolve yourselves to within your coporation or alliance. If a line member, there aren't really too many cons - everyone knows that RL > EVE - and for anyone (corp CEO or line member or alliance exec) that says otherwise, means that setup is probably not going to be right for you!

Cons

Can be time consuming as a more advance line member

A
AlexLeporiday

Joining a corp or alliance in Eve Online offers a wealth of benefits. Experienced players within the group act as mentors, accelerating your learning curve and teaching you the intricacies of the game far better than any tutorial could. Collaboration allows you to achieve shared goals more efficiently, whether it's conquering challenging PvE content, dominating PvP battles, or building a thriving industrial empire. The sense of community and belonging is invaluable, providing a network of friends to share the journey with. Established groups often have access to valuable resources and infrastructure, and the synergy created by combining diverse skills and specializations makes the group stronger than its individual members.

However, joining a group also has its downsides. You may need to sacrifice some individual freedom to adhere to group rules and participate in specific activities. Social dynamics can sometimes lead to drama or conflict, and there's always a slight risk of encountering dishonest individuals. Active participation requires a significant time commitment, and the intensity of group activities can potentially lead to burnout. It's essential to weigh these pros and cons carefully and choose a corp or alliance that aligns with your playstyle and values.

Kshal Aideron's avatar
Kshal Aideron

After seeing my husband out in the blue doughnut, not getting to play how he wanted all the time or shoot who he wanted, I was determined to play solo. However, I'd eventually join a NPSI corp that I was flying with a lot (and Kshal has been with ever since).

Here's the thing. Today, there are several open communities. You have all of the NPSI communities putting on pvp fleets for the public to join and then you have Eve Rookies who's putting on every other type of fleet for anyone who wants to join (and of course the Incursion community).

So I'm going to be the non-conformist here and say it's not important to join an in game corporation/alliance. What's important is finding a COMMUNITY to play with. If they have an in game corp for you to join, great. If they don't, you can always look for someone who'll let you join their corp and still play with the community you fall in love with.

Sturmer's avatar
Sturmer

There are plenty of memes about EVE Online corporation interviews, which can be more intense than background checks for an IT job at a bank! And for good reason- EVE is filled with real espionage and revenge stories, where people infiltrate an alliance or corp, only to wreak havoc after years of loyalty. However, I think some of these corporations take the game too seriously, forgetting the core of any game - having fun. These corps are all about obedience, order, obligations, and high commitments; I call them "army" corps.

On the other end of the spectrum, there are very liberal corps, open to everyone with no commitments or obligations. You can do whatever you want, but due to low commitments, they rarely succeed in endgame content because they can’t compete with the more disciplined corps. I call these "family" corps, as they are more casual in nature.

Of course, there are many corps in between these extremes. To find the right fit, you need to ask yourself what kind of relationship you’re looking for. Do you want to command or be commanded? Join an army-type corp. Want to hang out, chit-chat more than fight? Join a family-type corp. Playing solo is also an option, but it requires either a strong role-playing foundation (like a lone wolf pirate) or using multiple accounts to stay competitive and access broader content, such as capital ships that require cynos to move. Each path has its pros and cons, and it all depends on your personal goals.

Rixx Javix's avatar
Rixx Javix

When I started playing Eve Online I was determined to stay solo and forge my own destiny among the stars. This sounds very romantic but it ignores the fundamental power of Eve Online - friendships. And friendships are forged among Corporations of like-minded players who sometimes form even larger groups known as Alliances.

As with everything in Eve there is an incredibly wide spectrum when it comes to Corporations and Alliances within the game - so choosing one that is right for you can be a journey of discovery. There is no need to put undo pressure on yourself to choose the right one right away - explore your options both from a play-style perspective and from making connections that may last a lifetime. Be open to the possibilities. I joined my first Corporation and Alliance 16 years ago and I am still friends with the player who ran that Alliance.

For the past eleven years I've run a Corporation called Stay Frosty and an Alliance called A Band Apart - put prior to starting those I was in 14 different Corporations. So here are some of the Pros and Cons I've learned over the years:

PRO - Learning the Ropes. It is much easier to learn the ropes of Eve Online with a group of like-minded players. Learning together is powerful and effective.

CON - Feeling Overwhelmed. Choosing the wrong Corporation or Alliance for your own goals can make you feel overwhelmed or pressured to participate in things you simply are not interested in. You shouldn't stay in a situation like that.

PRO - Taking Risks. Alone we tend to stick to what we know, it is human nature. But a great Corporation or Alliance can help us expand our horizons and try something new we might never have done on our own. And that can open up a world of possibilities.

PRO & CON - Belonging. Nothing is more powerful in Eve Online than being a part of a group you feel empowered by. And nothing is much worse than being in a group you feel no attachment to. Find your people! And don't settle for anything less.

Find a group that makes you better.

Paul's avatar
Paul

As a brand new player I'm interested in what people have to say 👍

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