Hey folks,
I just downloaded EVE and I have a few questions.
Is it possible to be successful as a “space trucker,” hauling cargo from one star system to another? If not, can you at least be a miner?
I’m not much of a warrior. Can you be successful while mainly avoiding combat, or running from it?
Do you have to manually dock at space stations, like in Elite: Dangerous? Or is it an automated process?
Any tips for someone who is totally new to this?
Thanks!
absolutely. Many do just that.
yes.
no, docking is automated
read / watch some of the vast amount of eve-related guides.
1: yes 
See corporations like red frog and push-x for examples.
Now, to add to that, it is possible to haul NPC goods, but it’s generally not particularly profitable. Either you’ll haul goods for other players (on contract.) or you’ll buy in one system, haul to another, and try to sell it there.
This isn’t a quick and easy way to make isk, and you will be a target for some other players. so don’t put everything you own in a single ship and try and move it.
Mining is a common thing for people to do.
2: Depends on what you mean by successful 
And what you mean by combat (are you including NPCs, for example). In general, you won’t be forced to do anything. And some of the highest income jobs have no combat involved. They just require a bunch of money to start with. (it’s percentage based.) Like trade and manufacturing.
3: Fully automated.
4: Be aware that when you undock, you are a viable target. There are things you can do to reduce the chance of being shot, but nothing can eliminate it. So don’t spend everything on a single ship, where if it’s lost you’re screwed.
Welcome to Eve! As a brand newbro I would strongly recommend reading through Eve University to learn about playing. Eve is a ton of fun but the learning curve cliff can be a little rough at first.
Hauling (being a space trucker) can be fun but does require quite a bit of in-game capital to start with because of collateral. However if you want more info I would start here to learn the ins/outs of it.
OK, thanks guys! How does a miner or hauler survive against pirates?
I don’t haul so I don’t have much advice there. Most of what I’ve heard is to make certain you have a certain balance of tank vs. value of items being hauled.
I do occasionally mine and the best way to survive is to pay attention to who is in the system with you. If you see probable hostiles show up in local chat (such as members of CODE for example) it might be a good idea to either dock-up or go to a different system. Learn who the locals are, especially if you’re in sections of space that aren’t as frequently populated. If someone new shows up, especially if they don’t leave right away, assume they intend to start trouble. Related to this, pay attention to your Dscan.
If any sort of combat ship that’s not part of your corp/alliance shows up in the same belt you’re mining in then warp away ASAP. If another mining/hauling ship shows up in the belt you’re mining in then keep a close eye on them. If more then a couple show up, especially if they’re in the same corp/alliance, leave unless you have friends to call on. Don’t let them get too close to you as sometimes they’ll pretend to be just another innocent miner but will bump you to lock you down long enough for their friend/alt in a combat ship to warp in and blow you away.
Ultimately remember that Eve is a PvP game and you have to accept the occasional ship loss as just another “cost of doing business” even as a miner.
I have been hit by gankers a few times(mostly because my own
inattentivness and afk’ing in a venture). It may be a plague, but it’s not near as bad as people make it out to be.
Staying ahead of people that may be out to hurt you can be hard to under stand at the start, but can be easily done with a little research of the area you plan to move into. Eve.Dotlan has a history of all the ships lost in each system and who is doing it that way you can add them as a contact to easily see when they are in system, and maps to understand where your home fits in the world.
Learn your hot keys and how to use them. The S or D button is a one button start to warp, just select something on the overview and have it ready in case you need a “gtfo” kind of thing.
OK, thanks!
In terms of difficulty/learning curve, if you have played Elite: Dangerous, how do the two games compare?
Also, can you mine in HighSec and be relatively safe and profitable?
( i used to play elite dangerous) Well it takes much longer to do stuff in eve than in Elite, game is in a 3rd person camera, All you need to do to dock is click on the station and right click on the station and click “dock”, and it will dock you into the station with the next server tick.
You can also dock at a station by left clicking on it from the overview (the panel on the right side of your screen when you are in space), or just left click on the station when it is in view, and up at the top TOP right it should have a bar of actions you can do, one of those actions is a dock up button.
I personally haven’t mined in highsec, but i didn’t find it profitable. Because i live in Nullsec where the ore can sell for much more (from my knowledge atleast). Although unless you have a fleet of alts mining in Exhumers or a Rorqual/fleet of rorquals, it isnt that profitable and it is time consuming.
How i make my money is i kill pirates (rats) in nullsec in a VNI (Vexor Navy Issue, gallente cruiser). Where i live in new eden a fully fit VNI costs around 120 mill including the specific heavy drones to kill the rats in the area you live. I don’t know about how to rat in other places exept from in delve, But i personally rat in Blood Raider forsaken hubs.
Now instead of me giving you a massive wall of text, i recommend you go watch some youtube video’s of how to make money in eve. I would specifically search up for “Eve Online - How to rat in a VNI” and you should (hopefully) get lots of results.
I learned to play eve by watching metric craptons of youtube video’s on how to do it, and i got help from the corporation im in.
EDIT: Sorry if my post is a bit fragmented and hard to understand, im very tired 
That’s OK, thanks for the info! I am old and slow and doubt very much that I’ll be any good at ship combat. I think I would be best off doing a passive type of career and running from most fights!
You might want to check out planetary interaction for passive income, or gas harvesting.
You need to learn evasive tactics to survive, you will be a target so learn to cloak, create bookmarks and always use d scan
OK, thanks again.
Does “rat hunting” mean killing NPC pirates? Is that generally a safer choice than hauling and mining, meaning fewer PKers will target you?
You know EvE is the game for the retired gamers? 
Seriously it is much less of an APM race than a game of strategic thinking and planning ahead.
Regarding the comparison to E:D, the most important difference is that EvE is a second life like simulation with real people driving the economy and situations. If you want to make profit with hauling, trading, mining you need to make it from/with other players and against competition like in RL economy. Interacting with NPCs and doing scripted things like missions is possible but not the most fun.
OK, thanks guys! How does a miner or hauler survive against pirates?
Hauler: In highsec you won’t meet rats in a hauler if you’re vigilant, and even player “pirates” are rare for they will be shot by CONCORD when they attack you, but better be quick 
.
As a highsec miner you just put 2 light drones (hobgoblins etc.) in your venture’s drone hold and learn how to handle them, so they will defend your mining ship against most rats in highsec ore belts. And keep in mind that a lost venture is no disaster, but just a minor calamity.
Ratting: It’s fun if you’re tired of mining, after the career agents you have got nice ships and an idea how to fit your ships to enjoy NPC fights.
Keep in mind: You and your toon are evolving. Your skills and knowledge grow, so does your ability to try new areas of the game. Have fun!
In Highsec (i.e. 0.5 to 1.0 system security status), about the only thing you need is ‘situational awareness’. What I mean is, actually paying attention to the game and getting out of dodge when shady stuff starts going down in your neighborhood. This includes use of:
In Lowsec (i.e. 0.1 to 0.4 system security status), it gets a little bit trickier. You certainly need sensitivity to ‘situational awareness’ to remain safe as above. But, new game mechanics come into play in Lowsec that require management to assure safety.
Also, its best to know right up front that most EVE players… certainly the one’s that you’re most concerned about, play this game from a PVP perspective. That means, using every in-game tool available at their disposal to blow you up.
Ship explosions really are nothing personal, so don’t take it as such. 
Welcome to the grinder @Mighty_Unclean
The best advice has been given already, ensure you do some learning both inside and outside of the game. There are loads of great tutorials and guides available.
Talk to people you see doing things you like the look of. Be it mining in fleets or chatting to people you see blowing up others.
Get in touch if you ever get stuck, i’m usually happy to reply to EvE-Mails containing beginner questions 
There is no place where you are 100% safe in New Eden. And there is rule number one:
Never fly something (or with something in the cargo) you can’t afford to lose.
I would add to the good guideline “Never fly something (or with something in the cargo) you can’t afford to lose.” - “afford to lose” also means mentally / emotionally. Don’t get attached to your ship.
I mine in high sec, and I make plenty of cash to support support my alpha spaceship habit. Mining may be a little slow, it gives you time to do research.
My venture is more or less a scanning powerhouse while I’m just sitting in a belt just chewing on rocks. Passes the time, and good in a wormhole.
[Venture, adVenture Capital]
Mining Laser Upgrade II
1MN Y-S8 Compact Afterburner
ML-3 Scoped Survey Scanner
Medium Azeotropic Restrained Shield Extender
Miner II
Miner II
Core Probe Launcher I, Sisters Core Scanner Probe
Small Gravity Capacitor Upgrade I
Small Gravity Capacitor Upgrade I
Hauling is fairly straightforward, and you can use it to capitalise on other players laziness.
some Storyline missions are ‘Acquire xyz Ore’ … Many mission runners will buy that ore from you at that station for above average price (means they don’t have to A: Mine it themselves or B: ship it in themselves)
npc agents also offer haulage missions that you can do
read contracts VERY, VERY, VERY carefully
check and confirm EVERY detail
go for a coffee/cigarette
then reread the contract
now click accept if it all still looks doable