Introduction and Basic Fitting Rules

Introduction
I'm not really good at introductions but I will say this; this guide will not tell you how to fit your ship. However, this guide will give you a bit of advice, some knowledge and a touch of experience so that you can then create a fit that works for you. Knowing how to fit a ship yourself will make you a better player and will help you throughout your entire EVE experience.
Do feel free to mail me in-game with any quesions or suggestions, I will try to reply as soon as I can. This guide is a work in progress.

Nothing in EVE Online is ever set in stone, keep your mind flexible and adapt or die.

How you fit your ship will affect how you fly it, how you fly your ship should affect how you fit it, if this is not the case, then you are doing it wrong.

After reading some basic fitting rules, take a look to the right of this page at the blog archive, read up on some jargon and technical terms if you have to, then feel free to browse the rest of this guide.

Oh also, I highly recommend downloading a free program called EVE Fitting Tool, aka EFT, it's a great tool that lets you design ship fittings out of game and give you all the information and statistics you need to know on every ship using the skills you have trained. It is only available from the EVE Online forums at: http://www.eveonline.com/ingameboard.asp?a=topic&threadID=548883

Basic Fitting Rules

 
Rules can be broken, laws cannot. However if you are unsure, stick to the rules.

• Use every available slot on your ship.
• Never mix gun or missile types.
• Fit for either PvP or PvE, not both.
• Always read the ship description and bonuses.
• Know what you want to use your ship for, then make a fit for that role
• Either Shield tank, Armor tank, or Structure tank (alltough Structure tanking is for real men only and is not usually recommended). Never mix tank, it's the law yo!
• Your ship does not have to be cap-stable.
• Every PvP ship that is going to fight in tackle range should fit tackle.
• Always consider the ISK to risk ratio. Is it really worth fitting Chlem's Modified Heat Sink to your Punisher?