One of the hardest concepts for new pilots to grasp is that bigger ships are not better ships. Maybe, it comes from CCP’s PR team really selling those big battles out in null-sec. Maybe, it comes from your more standard MMOs and RPGs where your characters gear and abilities are always improving. But, wherever it comes from, it seems to be a universal truth that new players expect for ships to increase in power and effectiveness as they progress in size. It is not uncommon for a brand new player to have dreams of owning everyone with their very own Titan and want to know how soon they can fly one.
*pause for laughter of the bittervets*
The thing that needs to be understood is that there is a difference between overall power and effective power. While it’s true that larger ships pump out more DPS and can take more damage the effectiveness of that damage is limited by the size and speed of their targets. In essence, it is more important to have the right ship for a job than simply the biggest ship you can. Think of it as if your ships are hammers. A frigate is like a regular hammer suitable tasks like hammering a nail into a board. A battleship is like a sledgehammer suitable for taking down a wall. Your choice of hammer will depend on your task and, likewise, your choice of ship will depend on what you are trying to do with it.
The key takeaway from this is don’t be in a rush to get yourself a big ship. You will likely just lose it to a gang of smaller and more skilled players and not know why. The key is to get in practice and have fun. And, personally, there is nothing more fun than taking out a small ship and finding a target whose guns you can get under and slowly whittle away while they think “But, my ship is bigger!?”
