Ship fitting in EVE Online is the art (and science) of equipping your ship with modules, rigs, and ammunition to achieve a specific purpose—combat, mining, exploration, hauling, or support. A good fit can make the difference between victory and a quick trip back to your home station in a pod.
1. Core Concepts of Fitting
Every ship has a few key limits you must manage when fitting:
- Powergrid (PG): Think of it as the ship’s “strength.” Big weapons and armor plates consume lots of powergrid.
- CPU: The ship’s “brainpower.” Electronic modules like shield boosters, ewar, or propulsion mods eat CPU.
- Slots: Ships have high, mid, low, and rig slots. Each module fits in one slot type only.
- Calibration: A limit on rigs (special permanent ship upgrades).
- Capacitor (Cap): Your ship’s energy pool. Many modules require capacitor to run. A fit that “caps out” too quickly is useless.
2. Slot Breakdown
- High Slots: Usually weapons (turrets, missile launchers, drones) or utility (salvagers, cloaks, energy neutralizers).
- Mid Slots: Shields, propulsion modules (Afterburners, Microwarpdrives), electronic warfare (scrams, webs, target painters).
- Low Slots: Armor, damage mods (e.g., Gyrostabilizers, Heat Sinks), capacitor modules.
- Rig Slots: Permanent bonuses that improve aspects of your ship (tank, capacitor, weapons).
3. The “Holy Trinity” of Fits
When fitting, most ships focus on balancing three core aspects:
- Tank – How your ship survives damage.
- Shield tanking uses mid slots.
- Armor tanking uses low slots.
- Hull tanking (rare, niche, usually a meme).
- DPS (Damage Per Second) – How quickly you can destroy targets.
- More DPS = shorter fights, which reduces the damage you take.
- Mobility – How fast you move and how well you can dictate range.
- Includes propulsion (AB/MWD), warp scramblers/disruptors (tackle), and agility.
Rule of thumb: Never try to max all three at once—pick two. Example:
- PvP frigates often go DPS + Mobility.
- PvE mission ships often go Tank + DPS.
4. PvE vs. PvP Fitting
- PvE Fits:
- Focus on sustainable tank (you’ll take consistent damage).
- Emphasize cap stability so your repair modules never run out of juice.
- Don’t worry too much about warp scramblers or tackle.
- PvP Fits:
- Focus on burst damage and control (webs, scrams, neuts).
- Cap stability is less important—fights are usually short.
- Expect to lose ships. Always fly what you can afford to lose.
5. Fitting Tools & Rules of Thumb
- Use the In-Game Fitting Tool – It shows PG, CPU, capacitor stability, tank, DPS, and speed.
- Third-Party Tools – Programs like Pyfa or websites like EVE Workbench are excellent for theorycrafting.
- “Don’t Mix Guns” Rule – Always fit the same weapon type to maximize effectiveness.
- Don’t Overspread – Ships are designed with a purpose. A mining barge isn’t a combat ship, and a frigate won’t tank like a battleship.
- Buffer vs. Active Tank –
- Buffer tank = lots of raw HP (good in PvP, fleets).
- Active tank = repair modules to stay alive (good in PvE, solo play).
6. Example Fits
PvE Example: Level 2 Mission Frigate (Rifter)
- High: 3x 200mm Autocannons
- Mid: Afterburner, Shield Booster, Cap Recharger
- Low: Gyrostabilizer, Shield Power Relay
- Rigs: Projectile Burst Aerator, Core Defense Field Purger
PvP Example: Tackle Frigate (Tristan)
- High: 2x Light Neutron Blasters, 1x Small Energy Neutralizer
- Mid: Warp Scrambler, Stasis Webifier, Afterburner
- Low: Damage Control, Small Armor Repairer, Adaptive Nano Plating
- Rigs: Small Trimark Armor Pump x3
- Carry light drones for DPS
7. Golden Tips
- Always check the ship’s bonuses—they tell you how it wants to be fit.
- Fit for a role, not for “all-around use.”
- In PvP, assume your ship will be destroyed—plan accordingly.
- Ask for doctrine fits if flying in a corporation/fleet.
- Don’t be afraid to experiment—fitting is half the fun of EVE.