Among other things, yes.
The idea is not to steal anything. It is to get you mad enough that you engage them.
And once you engage someone who has stolen something from you they can engage back.
A general tip I can offer is this: A player will generally pick a fight when they think they have a reasonable chance of winning.
So if a Frigate has stolen some loot / objective from under you… it is because the Frigate thinks they can take you on.
The answer to this is… complicated.
More than any one post.
IN GENERAL… the difference between a PvE ship and PvE ship is:
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Performance vs Endurance
– PvP-fit ships are all about putting out as much damage as possible, as quickly as possible, while absorbing lots of damage in a short time frame and being highly mobile.
– PvE-fit ships are optimized for dishing and absorbing a consistent amount of damage over a long period of time with a minimum of investment.
– Since the PvE ship needs to be more consistent over a longer period of time it will often sacrifice raw performance and speed. -
Modules
– PvP ships are often equipped with specific modules to ensnare a target ship (to prevent escape) and/or debilitate a target ship (to make the target easier to engage).
– PvE ships have no need for the same kinds of modules as NPCs won’t “run away” and there are often too many NPCs to focus a single EWAR on. Instead, there is a greater focus on firepower and defense -
Min/Maxed Stats
– PvE ships tend to optimize towards being highly resistant towards a specific NPC using specific tanks and tactics. This gives them greater endurance with less modules, allowing the ship to be fit with other stuff. However doing this will leave BIG holes in ship defenses and reduce flexibility to unforeseen situations.
– PvP ships generally don’t know what they will engage ahead of time. So they will go for “omni-resistance” against all damage types and opt for more speed (which gives them greater ability to dictate the terms of a battle).
I suggest you read up on PvP mechanics and fits.
Even if you only want to do PvE, it is good to know how someone might try to attack you and in what kind of ship or fit.
Here is a recent thread regarding combat mechanics:
And another thread that references tanking/defense of a ship:
General questions about death in EVE:
More general questions: