This guide lays out a practical path from cheap Minmatar frigates to a fully capable Loki built for solo hunting, theft, and roaming in dangerous space. It focuses on the skills, ships, and habits that matter most in the current 2026 meta, cutting through patch noise and community rumors to...
A 2026 progression plan for sneaky, thieving solo pilots in EVE Online
I do not log into EVE to be a space accountant. I log in to stalk, steal, and punch above my weight. My end goal is a Loki that can move like a ghost, grab something expensive, and get out before anyone knows what happened.
There is a lot of noise right now. New expedition command ships, pirate battlecruisers, HAM Muninn, carriers with new roles, Pochven krabs printing ISK. It can feel like your Loki dream is already outdated.
It is not.
After checking current balance info and community discussions, the Loki is still one of the best lowsec and wormhole predators in the game, especially for solo and small gang hunters. It brings covert cloak, long range webs, strong tanks, and the flexibility that makes strategic cruisers obnoxious to fight. EVE University Wiki+1
Here is how I am thinking about progression in 2026 if my endgame is a Loki that funds and fuels a very dirty playstyle.
From EVE Uni and recent forum threads, strategic cruisers in general, and the Loki in particular, still excel at: EVE University Wiki+2EVE University Wiki+2
Cloaky hunting and heavy scouting
Long range webs that keep targets out of scram range
Mission running and exploration in dangerous space
Bait and brick tank roles
Acting as a super HAC with more tank and heat tolerance
A Loki can combine:
Covert ops cloak and interdiction nullifier subsystem
Very long range webs, so you can keep tackle at arm’s length
Respectable damage with projectiles or missiles
The option to run abyssals, lowsec missions, and wormhole sites if you feel like printing ISK instead of killmails
Current PvP discussion still calls out Loki as a go to for lowsec because those long range webs let you stay out of scram, which lets you keep your MWD on and escape when things go bad. EVE Online Forums+1
The reddit meme you read was not pure fiction. The new Sisters of EVE Expedition Command Ship, the Odysseus, is a battlecruiser sized hull that: EVE University Wiki+1
Can fit a Covert Ops Cloak
Has a 75,000 m3 Ship Maintenance Bay (can carry multiple frigates or a destroyer)
Has a huge 600 m3 drone bay
Has a 50,000 m3 expedition hold for loot, gas, datacores, salvage
It really is a “covert explorer battlecruiser with a backpack.” It is amazing for nomadic exploration fleets, wormhole camping, and acting as a mobile refit station.
There is also the Khizriel, an Angel Cartel pirate battlecruiser that is basically a hyper fast, projectile focused kiting platform. EVE University Wiki
Both are powerful, but for your personal goals:
You want a cloaky predator that feels nimble, not a slow flagship with a garage.
You want long webs and the ability to slip through bubbles and hostile space.
You want something that can act like a super HAC or a cloaky hunter, not a mobile base.
That still screams Loki.
The plan below assumes:
I mostly play solo or in a tiny group.
I want to fund a habit of ganking, stealing, and messing with people.
I do not want to sit in one activity forever just because it is “optimal ISK.”
Loki is the long term main ship, not a side project.
I am not trying to optimize a multiboxed six account Pochven farm. I am trying to become a single very annoying human with a very slippery strategic cruiser.
Goal: Build basic PvP instincts and some seed ISK without touching expensive ships.
Ships:
Rifter or other T1 frigate for brawling and learning manual piloting
Thrasher for cheap alpha ganks and highsec mischief
A basic scanning frigate (Probe, Heron, etc.) for exploration practice
Activities:
Highsec combat anomalies and level 1–2 missions to get used to fitting, range control, and ammo choices
Ninja looting and suspect baiting in hubs when you feel spicy
Simple relic and data sites in highsec and quiet lowsec pockets
Skills that secretly matter for Loki later:
Navigation 4–5
Afterburner and Microwarpdrive support
Gunnery support skills for small projectiles
Astrometrics and scanning supports to at least 3–4
Think of this as cheap rehearsal for everything you will later do in a Loki. You practice d-scan, overview discipline, grid awareness, and escape habits before the ship is worth billions.
Goal: Unlock cloaky movement and scanning that will transfer directly into your Loki use.
Core ship:
Cheetah or another covops frigate with Cloaking 4, MWD and probes
What you do:
Scan down wormholes and quiet pockets for relic and data sites
Third party on fights and learn how people move and form fleets
Practice safe perches, off-grid pings, insta undocks, and alignment habits
This phase prints some ISK, but its real value is your hands learning how cloaky life feels. When you later move to a Loki with a covert sub, you will not be learning both the ship and the lifestyle at the same time.
Here I borrow from the 15 activity difficulty ladder, but focus on a path that makes sense for you:
Highsec anomalies and missions up to level 3
Use a cheap Minmatar cruiser or battlecruiser with artillery and a solid tank.
Learn to manage transversal, range, and ammo selection.
Highsec exploration and low tier abyssals (T0–T1)
T0–T1 abyssals in a budget cruiser are very doable and give a taste of timer pressure. EVE University Wiki
Exploration in low traffic regions trains risk assessment.
Level 4 missions or T2–T3 abyssals in a more serious hull
You can do this in non Minmatar ships if you like, but sticking closer to projectiles and shield or armor concepts that carry to Loki will make life easier later.
This is where you build the wallet buffer that lets you lose some Lokis later without quitting.
Optional Pochven dabbling
Pochven remains one of the highest ISK per system regions in the game, even after nerfs. EVE University Wiki+1
You can filament in with cheap ships to experiment, but I would treat serious Pochven grinding as “post Loki” content, not a gating requirement.
The key idea: reach a stable ISK-per-hour that makes losing a Loki painful but not catastrophic. Once you have that, you can move on.
From the Loki page, the core skill requirements include Minmatar Cruiser 5, several subsystem skills, and supporting skills like Gunnery 5, Mechanics 5, Navigation 5 and Power Grid Management 5. EVE Uni estimates roughly sixty days of pure training from scratch, and realistically more since you will not start at zero. EVE University Wiki+1
Focus your queue on:
Minmatar Cruiser 5
Minmatar Strategic Cruiser 1–4
All four subsystem skills to 4 at least
Cloaking 4 for Covert Ops Cloak
Good support skills:
Capacitor Management, Shield and Armor comps
Gunnery and Missile support skills depending on your planned fit
Targeting and rigging skills
Try not to half train everything. Go deep on the things your first Loki fit needs.
Your first Loki should be boring on paper and disgusting in practice.
Target role:
Covert cloaky hunter for lowsec and wormholes
Long range web platform that stays out of scram range
Able to refit between more PvE oriented and more PvP oriented variants
Based on current strategic cruiser guidance and forum advice, a common Loki PvP theme is: covert cloak, long range webs, strong tank, and either heavy missiles or artillery. EVE University Wiki+1
What this enables for you:
Blap explorers and careless hackers at range before they know what happened.
Sit on a gate or hole with a perch, pick off stragglers, and warp away when a response fleet forms.
Third party on fights as “the guy that drags a primary into hell” with long webs and neut pressure.
You can still run content in this Loki, especially things like lowsec missions or harder anomalies in dangerous space, but you should think of PvE as refueling between hunts, not the main show.
Once you are comfortable losing and replacing a Loki, the rest of your stable can evolve around it.
Examples:
Pochven Loki
Use the interdiction nullifier and covert cloak to move through Pochven like a shark and either third party or farm higher end sites when possible. EVE University Wiki+1
ESS or null harassment Loki
100MN afterburner fits are still a thing for T3Cs and remain very hard to pin down, since AB is not shut off by scrams and a small signature plus high speed is rough to apply damage to. EVE University Wiki
Logi or command Loki for friends
If you ever move into a small fixed group, the Loki can be refit into a remote rep or command burst platform, giving you access to fleet content without training into a completely new ship line. EVE University Wiki
At this point you can also consider the Odysseus or Khizriel as side projects if you want a mobile base or a flashy pirate BC, but your main identity in space is already set: a Loki pilot who is comfortable in dangerous space.
Odysseus is a spectacular expedition ship. It warps cloaked, carries extra ships, hauls a ton of loot, and can live far from home. EVE University Wiki+1
For my particular playstyle though:
I want something that feels like a hunter, not a camping RV.
I value smaller sig and higher agility over a maintenance bay.
I like the idea that when people see “Loki” on d-scan, they still cannot be sure whether it is a probe boat, a web platform, a brawler, or bait.
When I compare that to Odysseus, which is more of an expedition command ship, and to pirate battlecruisers such as the Khizriel that lean into kiting fleet doctrines, Loki is still the best embodiment of “solo thief who bites hard, then vanishes.” EVE University Wiki+2EVE University Wiki+2
If I had to compress this into a checklist:
Learn PvP and basic PvE in cheap Minmatar frigates and destroyers.
Train into a Cheetah and live the cloaky scout life.
Use a mix of highsec missions, anomalies, low tier abyssals, and some exploration to build a war chest.
Push core support skills and train directly into Loki and its subsystems.
Fly a covert, long web Loki as my main hunting ship in lowsec and wormholes.
Treat Pochven, Odysseus, pirate battlecruisers, and capital dreams as optional branches once the Loki loop is sustainable.
Everything in the current patch notes and community meta still supports that plan. Strategic cruisers have lost some of their old “travel god” exclusivity, but Loki remains one of the strongest platforms for a solo or small gang pilot who lives off other people’s mistakes. EVE University Wiki+1
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