EVE Online patches in more alpha skills on December 5th

The next patch for EVE Online arrives on December 5th, and it’s going to give Alpha players (or “free-to-play players” for those not down on the game terminology) more options for skill training. Battlecruisers and battleships, tech II small weapons… all of them will be added, locking everyone into a renewed arms race. This makes sense when you consider that the release also includes a new Arms Race event specifically tailored to this newfound power and seeing what players can do with it over time.

The patch will also include visual improvements to warp bubbles and various textures, a better selection interface for your faction, and the new skill injectors offering Alpha players improved learning for a day. There will also be new balance passes for resource wars, jump drive, and improvements to pirate forward bases. So there’s stuff to delight even players who already have a subscription to the game, even if the big focus is on free players now flying around in far more dangerous ships.

Although you may still want Brendan’s tips for how to avoid being ganked even in these more powerful ships, because sometimes “sandbox” rhymes with “getting sand kicked in your face for no reason other than the fact that you’re there.”