Skill Point Training Is Confirmed

Yesterday CCP Rise published a dev blog confirming the introduction of skill trading in EVE Online. Not much changed compared to the original proposal except that those with over 50 million skill points will gain a greater benefit from using a skill injector. The new scale is:

• < 5 million total skillpoints = 500,000 skillpoints per injector
• 5 million – 50 million total skillpoints = 400,000 skillpoints per injector
• 50 million – 80 million total skillpoints = 300,000 skillpoints per injector
• > 80 million skillpoints = 150k skillpoints per injector

I wrote about the proposal when CCP first floated the idea and my opinions have not changed. But since CCP is implementing the idea in February, as a semi-average EVE player I need to adapt to the change. Admittedly, that means doing absolutely nothing, as my characters have well over 80 million skill points and I can't see purchasing skill points. Truthfully, outside of the collector's edition, I have never purchased PLEX either. But a Twitter conversation with Ned Thomas and my alliance executor Johnny Spunk led to a tweet that made me think.

Ned put out a post on his blog discussing his thoughts on skill point trading. I chimed in with my earlier post that contained an example of how a new character could apply 2 million points toward becoming a better explorer. Johnny then tweeted the following:

@noizygamer @NedThomasEve I would publish it as a path. Choices are good. I encourage exploring with low skills. Like pushing from the nest.

— EVE-Scout (@eve_scout) January 18, 2016

I realize that exploration is a bit different (and more lucrative) than other professions, but I hope new pilots don't just rush out and buy a PLEX or two in order to get higher skills. What I hope happens is that our pilots in Signal Cartel go out and earn ISK through exploration, then purchase the skill injector packages. If a pilot can earn the ISK with lower level skills, then the additional skills will just enhance the experience.

Then again, if our pilots are spending their ISK on skills so they can jump into covert ops frigates faster, what will happen to the Astero market? If we stop losing so many of the Sisters' frigates, the drastic drop in demand could crash the market.