Damage types

In New Eden, raw damage may be inflicted by countless varieties of weapons but always belongs to one or more of the four main damage types: Electromagnetic, Thermal, Kinetic and Explosive.

Damage Types

Electromagnetic

Electromagnetic Damage is based on electromagnetic radiation. This weapon damage can be inflicted by lasers, certain types of missiles, and certain types of projectile rounds. Amarr drones do this type of damage.

Shields are typically the most vulnerable to this type of damage.

Armor is typically the least vulnerable to this type of damage.

Thermal

Thermal Damage pertains to applied heat on an enemy target. Lasers can provide this sort of damage with different crystals loaded. Certain types of Missiles, Projectile Ammunition, and all Hybrid turrets will provide this damage type. Gallente drones do this type of damage.

Shields and armor have moderate resistance to this damage type.

Kinetic

Kinetic damage pertains to impacts. This damage type is dealt by all hybrid turrets, some projectile ammunition varieties, and some missile types. Caldari drones do this type of damage.

Shield has the second highest resistance against kinetic. Armor has the second lowest resistance against kinetic damage.

Explosive

Explosive damage refers to explosions caused to hostile targets. This damage type is inflicted by some types of Missiles and some types of Projectile turrets. Lasers and Hybrid turrets cannot do explosive damage. Minmatar drones do this type of damage.

Shield has the highest resistance against explosive damage, while armor has the lowest.

Racial preferences

Each of the four major races has a specific preferred damage type. Although most restrictions can be easily negated through unorthodox ship setups, the preferred damage type can be noticed in ship or fitting bonuses, such as in stealth bombers or doomsday devices.

Amarr

The Amarr race's primary damage type is EM in line with lasers, its primary weapon type.

Gallente

The Gallente race's primary damage type is thermal. This is in line with its use of hybrid turrets.

Caldari

The Caldari race's primary damage type is kinetic in line with its use of hybrid turrets. The Caldari are heavy users of missiles, however their missile ships often recieve damage bonuses only for kinetic damage dealing missiles.

Minmatar

The Minmatar race's primary damage type is explosive in line with its use of projectile turrets.

NPC damage Types

damage types inflicted by different factions

• Angel Cartel: All types, although mostly kinetic and explosive.
• Amarr Navy: EM and thermal.
• Ammatar Navy: EM and thermal.
• Blood Raiders: EM and thermal.
• Caldari Navy: Kinetic and thermal.
• Centii: EM and thermal.
• Coreli: Kinetic and thermal.
• Corpii: EM and thermal.
• Domination: All types, mostly kinetic and explosive.
• Gallente Navy: Kinetic and thermal.
• Gist: All types, mostly kinetic and explosive.
• Guristas: Kinetic and thermal.
• Khanid: EM and thermal.
• Mercenary: All types.
• Mordu's Legion: Kinetic and thermal.
• Odamian: Kinetic and thermal.
• Pith: Kinetic and thermal.
• Rogue Drones: All types.
• Republic fleet: All types, mostly kinetic and explosive.
• Sansha: EM and thermal.
• Serpentis: Kinetic and thermal.

Main damage types to use on npc factions:

• Guristas - Kinetic
• Serpentis - Thermal
• Mordu's Legion - Thermal & Kinetic
• Blood Raiders - EM & Thermal
• Sansha - EM & Thermal
• Angel Cartel - Explosive
• Mercenary - Thermal
• Corpum - EM & Thermal
• Gist - Explosive

Weapon classes

Turrets usually inflict lots of a primary type of damage, less of secondary type and sometimes even with tertiary type. The strength of each type of damage is governed by ammunition type which also influences the range, damage and tracking of the turret.

Missiles have four variations, each variant corresponding to one of the four damage types.

There is no difference in flight time, amount of damage or velocity between missiles of the same missile group. Racial missile ships tend to have bonuses only for the damage caused by missiles corresponding to their racial damage type.

Like missiles, combat drones have four variations per damage type. Each variation corresponds to one of the four races, doing the main damage type corresponding to its race and also having other attributes common to the race.

Other weapon types such as smartbombs, bombs and doomsday devices also come in four variations.