EVE Online Review
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So there you have it, the boogeyman legends that you heard about EVE Online'˜s unforgiving environment are actually true. Unless you're docked at a station, there's no place in space where you will be completely safe. Some systems will be reasonably safe, but getting complacent anywhere can cost you your ship, or worse.
This is actually quite refreshing, as EVE Online is one of the very few MMORPGs that offer this kind of thrill at all times, setting it radically aside from the crowd. As a Capsuleer you know that you're flying in the dark underbelly of space, full of virtual lowlifes that want to kill you, rob you blind and other unpleasant activities.
The quite harsh death penalty adds to the thrill: if your ship is destroyed you'll lose it forever along with all of your cargo you were carrying, including your weapons and equipment. If your enemy feels cruel (or if you fail to pay the ransom that is often asked), he can decide to destroy your escape pod as well, actually killing you. If you're killed you respawn in a new clone, losing all the costly neural implants you had in your old body (that are now space dust alongside with it) and the cost of the clone itself.
You may also risk to lose some of the skills you learned if you got a cheap clone that doesn't cover them all. Most people don't do that basic mistake, so losing skills is actually quite rare. You can also insure your ship in order to get back some of the money you lost.
This actually acts as an indirect but wonderful balancing factor for PvP. When you're a newbie your losses are minimal when you die. Your ship is cheap, you don't have costly implants, and your clone costs a pittance. You can jump into PvP immediately to learn the ropes without being excessively afraid to lose everything. You'll probably die a lot, of course, but you will gain valuable experience and maybe even win some fights.
