Canari Elphus wrote:Trust me, many of us know full well about the lack of proper options to get new players caught up in this game. Vets have been championing the expansion of the new player experience and the addition of PVE (player versus environment) development for a long time.
CCP should have expanded on this with the expected influx of players due to the shutdown of MAG servers but have been behind the ball since the flop of the Uprising release last May. Since then, they have been trying to play catchup to the expectations they gave the community.
My advice for progression is as follows (MHO, not guaranteed)
Focus on gaining higher levels of your weapon of choice (choose either the Assault Rifle, Combat Rifle or Rail Rifle). Higher levels of a weapon will make the base weapon more capable. The Rail Rifle will give you a range advantage which will benefit you the most as it will help to negate your deficiency in HP versus other suits. Get to proficiency two or 3 in a weapon.
Get to level 3 in an equipment of choice. I would suggest either uplinks or a repair tool as these will gain you the most War Points in a particular match which will aide you in gaining SP faster and you will be more helpful to a team.
Once you have those two, work on your core skills which are Electronics and Engineering. This helps you to maximize what you can fit on your suits. Get these both to around level 3 at minimum but it should be a priority until they are at 5 each.
Decide on which race you want to skill into and what suits you want for that race. 1.8 'should' deliver racial suits for all classes so plan ahead. Deciding what race you want to be will decide on what you will use to gain EHP for your suits. Some players dual tank which can help but it requires more of an SP investment.
Shield Tanking (Caldari and Minmatar) - Build in regeneration but less total HP. Requires more SP involvement from the get to go gain maximum HP (Complex)
Armor Tanking (Gallente and some extend Amarr) - More total HP but no regeneration except for specialized plates. Lower SP investment to get boost in HP with diminishing returns for larger plates.
Only worry about upgrading your suits when you have maxed out what they can possibly carry. Suits, while attractive, should only be upgraded once lower tiered ones have been maximized. This saves you ISK (game currency) waste while maximizing potential profit from matches.
Be glad to give any other advice if you message me in game.
And, to expand on the difference between Shields and Armour: Shields have no speed penalty, but are better at range, as they do not give as much HP as armour. Also (I think, not sure) raise your scan profile, making you easier to see (because larger electronic footprint, again, unconfirmed).
Armour is better for in-your-face styles, but are generally slower builds. No penalty to scans, but lesser regen, or none at all.
Shields and ranged weapons go hand-in-hand, while the closer ranged weapons are great for armor, at least as far as Caldari/Gallente are concerned, it's reversed for Minmatar/Amarr, but Minmatar are naturally faster.