Economy

This page is an overview of the economic system and flows of capital in EVE Online.

The Economy of EVE Online

So, you may have heard that EVE Online has a detailed economy and market system, more so than any other MMO or RPG ever (which is just hearsay since I haven't played every other MMO or RPG ever made and do not intend to). Perhaps you said to yourself "Self, let us look and see what all the hype is about." and then you proceeded to read some about EVE, get the trial, and go look at the market with an eye towards making something. Then you saw that there are not just ore, minerals, and components in the Manufacture & Research section, as you originally guessed, but also a whole bunch of other stuff, like moon materials ("I warped to all sorts of moons with my retriever and couldn't find any!"), gas clouds ("I let my ship travel straight towards the nebula all night and STILL didn't get there!"), and polymers ("Just what are those anyway?"). Additionally, while researching what minerals go into making what items, you find that your vast knowledge of Terran materials science, geology, and industry is more than somewhat misleading ("I mean, why would ANY of these items, much less ALL of them, be so reliant on real veldspar??? So, in an attempt to clarify where all this stuff comes from and what transformations it takes, please enjoy the following.

Lines of Manufacture

All of the items in EVE are not derived from minerals alone, but are instead divided into several lines of manufacture. The lines are divided by material origin and final product type. The lines are:

Tech 1 (T1)

• Step 1, Original Material Acquisition Activity: Asteroid mining, rogue drone wreck looting, ship wreck looting
  • These 3 activities, respectively, produce: Ore, Alloys & Compounds, T1 finished products.
• Step 2, Reprocessing (Refining and Recycling): Step 1 items are taken to an appropriate facility, such as a station, and reprocessed into Minerals.
• Step 3, Manufacturing: Minerals are combined with T1 blueprints (a copy BPC or original BPO) to produce T1 finished products (Modules, Ships), Capital Ship Components, and R.A.M. Tools.

Tech 2 (T2)

• Step 1, Original Material Acquisition Activity: Moon mining with a PoS moon mining array
  • Moon mining produces raw materials.
• Step 2, Simple Reaction: React raw materials into processed materials using a simple reaction in a POS reactor.
• Step 3, Complex Reaction: React processed materials into advanced materials using a complex reaction in a POS reactor.
• Step 4, T2 Component Manufacturing: Combine advanced materials with [T2 construction component blueprints] to produce T2 construction components.
• Step 5, T1 Manufacturing: Get a T1 finished product and tools.
• Step 6, Invention: Combine a T1 BPC, some datacores, and a decryptor in an invention slot at an appropriate research facility for a chance to get a T2 finished product BPC.
• Step 7, T2 Manufacturing: Combine a T1 finished product (module or ship) and tools with T2 construction components using a T2 finished product BPC to produce T2 finished products (T2 ships and modules).

Note that moon mining and POS reactors are disallowed in high security space.

Tech 3 (T3)

• Step 1, Original Material Acquisition Activity: Exploration of Wormholes
  • Fullerenes are harvested from special gas clouds found only in wormhole space, using a gas harvester module.
  • T3 BPCs are found as loot in wormhole space deadspace complexes guarded by Sleepers NPCs.
  • Salvaging sleeper ship and T3 ship wrecks produces [ancient salvaged materials].
• Step 2, Polymer Reaction: React Fullerenes into polymers using a polymer reaction in a POS reactor.
• Step 3, T3 Component Manufacturing: Fullerenes and ancient salvaged materials are combined using a [T3 component BPC] to produce [T3 subsystem components].
• Step 4, T3 Ship Hull & Subsystem Assembly/Manufacturing: T3 subsystem components are combined using a [T3 finished product BPC] to produce a T3 finished product (ship hull or subsystem)

POS reactors may be run in wormhole space.

Rigs

• Step 1, Original Material Acquisition Activity: Ship wreck salvaging
  • Salvaging T1 player shipwrecks and normal NPC shipwrecks produces T1 salvaged materials (broken, orange background)
  • Salvaging T2 player shipwrecks, officer NPC shipwrecks, and some rogue drone wrecks produces T2 salvaged materials (intact, blue background)
• rigs

Salvaging T3 player shipwrecks and Sleepers NPC shipwrecks produces ancient salvaged materials, which are used for T3 production, not in rigs. See Above.

Boosters (Booster Manufacture)

• Step 1, Original Material Acquisition Activity: Gas cloud harvesting
  • Harvesting gas clouds yields gas cloud material
• Step 2, Booster Material Reaction: React gas cloud material into booster materials using a booster reaction in a POS reactor.
• Step 3, Produce usable boosters from booster materials and some minerals in a POS Drug Lab.

Gas clouds do not spawn in high security space.
POS reactors and drug labs may not be run in high security space.
The trade goods "Spirits" and "Water" are used in some booster/booster material production.

Fuel

• Step 1, Original Material Acquisition Activity: Ice mining
  • Mining space ice crystals yields ice ores.
• Step 2, Refining: Ice or is refined at any reprocessing facility into ice products.

Ice products are used as fuel for capital and covert ops ships' jump drives, capital ships' and POS' siege/reinforced modes, and as general fuel for keeping POS operational.
Some trade goods are also used as fuel for POSs {Enriched Uranium, Oxygen, Mechanical Parts, Coolant, Robotics}.