Logistics is an overloaded term in EVE Online, and actually has two meanings: healing other players, and moving assets. Interestingly enough, these are the two most crucial roles in the game and are commonly brushed under the rug by the masses.

In this guide, we’re going to be talking about healing your fellow pilots as a combat force multiplier, and why you should consider undertaking this task.

For new players, logistics is the easiest and most effective role. As a new player with minimal training, you can negate two or more DPS ships worth of damage in a quarter of the training time of a normal DPS doctrine ship.

Thus, if you’re a new player who wants to be as effective as possible in your corporation, you’re going to want to start with logistics.

The Basics

When we’re talking about healing, there are two major types involved: Shield and Armor. You can also repair hull, but usually only after you’ve had a few beers.

Listen up, because there are two major differences between Shield and Armor repairing:

• Shield remote repairs apply healing at the start of their cycle
• Armor remote repairs apply healing at the end of their cycle

Congratulations, you’re now smarter than a very large portion of the EVE Online player base.

Typically, when you’re in a brawl situation (close combat), you’re going to be using armor repairs because armor plates slow you down significantly. Kiting and mid-range compositions are often using shield repairs because you can move a lot quicker, and be a bit more reactive.

 

Skill Plan

Assuming you’re in a corporation or alliance that is accepting of new players, you’re going to start off with any of these ships: Scythes, Augorors, Ospreys, and Exequrors. Augorors and Ospreys are typically more new-player friendly because capacitor skills are a fairly intensive skill train, whereas you need fair skills to fly the other two.

Below is a short training plan that will put you in any of the four cruisers, but keep in mind you’re going to struggle with Scythes and Exequrors.

Game Mechanics

Logistics is fairly easy to fly, and just as easy to mess up. A small mistake can ruin your entire capacitor chain, killing your whole fleet. So, we’re going to teach you what you need to know so that you don’t have an angry nullbloc FC screaming at you.

Capchains

A capacitor chain (capchain) is when logistics cruisers give eachother capacitor.

Due to EVE Online not following the laws of physics, capacitor transmission can actually give you a net increase of capacitor, making capchains crucial.

You’re only going to see capchains with ships like Augorors and Ospreys, or their T2 counterpart (Guardians, Basilisk).

The mechanic is simple. You target your friendly logistics pilot, and use your remote capacitor transmitters on them. Typically this is designated by your corporation or alliance, and you’ll transfer to the person below or above (or both) in the fleet list (or logistics game channel). Ask your fleet if you don’t understand, otherwise, you’ll get everyone killed.

Broadcasts

Broadcasts are friendly players telling you that they need repairs, typically in a frantic and unorganized manner. If you’re in a new player alliance, broadcasts are likely going to be a nightmare for you, but you’re just going to have to get through it.

The process on the other end is simple: your ship starts taking damage, you broadcast for repairs, preferably with a shortcut (see our shortcut guide). In large fleets, you broadcast when you get targeted. Don’t broadcast when bombs hit you, for the love of god. 

When someone broadcasts, it’s going to go to your broadcast history. If you don’t understand what that means, we covered it in our fleet guide, which prerequisites this guide.

After receiving a broadcast, you choose to repair (or not, if you don’t like them) your fleet member.

Staggering

Staggering your repairs is something you’ll hear in fleets where people actually know what they’re doing, and it’s a pretty important mechanic to understand.

Ultimately it comes down to one simple sentence: don’t use all of your repair modules when they don’t need them. Otherwise, you’re wasting your cycles and making it more difficult for you to switch targets.

Basically, if you’re in a large fleet fight, start with all repair modules and slowly disable one by one if they’re holding fine. In smaller fights, you can stagger up if they have quite a bit of buffer.

Conclusion

What are you still doing here? You think there’s more?

Go get in fleet, nerd!