CrazyKinux's Musings: My first Cormorant: a practical PvE-to-PvP guide for first-time pilots

After running Level 1 missions along the Enforcer career path over the last few weeks*, I was awarded a ship I’d never personally flown before: the Cormorant. And it came with a SKIN. Sweet!

This was perfect timing because I’ve been sitting on SKINs for ages thinking “cool cool… how do I actually use these?” But couldn't figure it out! Turns out: this was the push I needed. And I had two AIs to guide me through the process of getting it on this new ship.

This post is basically my “new ship, new chapter” brain-dump.

What the hell does a Cormorant get used for?

I had to do the research because I didn’t want to undock clueless and donate a free killmail to the deities of New Eden. I’m sharing all this 'research' because if you’re also new-ish (or returning after a long break), the Cormorant is one of those ships you’ll bump into early… and it helps to understand what it’s for and what it's not so great for.

SKINs: a little cosmetic customization for the ego

First thing I had to do after accepting this new ship was to use that new SKIN they'd also given me. And Iris and Aura both helped me finally figured it out.

What's a skin you ask?

A SKIN is just a paint job, or cosmetic look, you can apply to a ship. It doesn’t change stats. It’s purely “my ship looks cooler than your ship,” which is the most important stat in EVE after “will it explode.”

Right?! 😆

How to use it (the simple version):

Open your SKINs window (Neocom → (Ship) Fitting → Personalization tab → SKINs).
Find the SKIN you own, and activate/redeem it (depending on how you received it).
Once it’s in your collection, you can apply it from:

the Ship Preview window, or
the Fitting window (there’s a SKIN / appearance option when viewing the ship).

If you can’t apply it:

double-check it’s actually a SKIN for the Cormorant (many sound similar), and
make sure it’s been redeemed into your collection (items in hangar vs “owned SKIN” can be confusing at first).

That’s the whole trick. No magic. No hidden menu in a moon. Just slightly unintuitive UI and process.

The Cormorant

The Cormorant is a Caldari Tech 1 destroyer.

“Destroyer” basically means:

you get more guns than a frigate,
you pop small stuff faster,
but you’re also usually easier to hit and not dramatically tougher.

The Cormorant’s identity is pretty clear once you look at how it’s bonused:

It’s built around small hybrid turrets.
It strongly rewards range + application, especially with railguns.

In other words: it’s not really a “charge in and face-tank” ship. It’s more “stand over there and delete things before they get ideas.”

How the Cormorant is used (what people actually do with it)

The Cormorant shows up most often in PvP, and usually in a pretty specific job:

1) Anti-frigate / anti-support fire

This is the Cormorant’s happy place: shooting small targets at range. In fleets or small gangs, it’s often used to:

punish tackle frigates,
remove enemy support ships,
and generally make anything small regret showing up on grid.

2) Cheap fleet gunline (rails)

Because it’s inexpensive and shoots far, you’ll see it used as a “numbers ship.” Not glamorous. Not solo-hero vibes.

3) Blaster brawler (less common, but possible)

Yes, you can fit it for blasters and fight up close. But the usual community take is: if all you want is face-melting brawl DPS in a T1 destroyer, other hulls tend to do that job more naturally (the Catalyst is the classic comparison).

So: blaster Cormorant exists, but rail Cormorant is the “this hull makes sense” version.

PvE or PvP: what is it best at?

Here’s the honest answer:

PvE

The Cormorant can absolutely do PvE, especially early PvE.

It’s good for:

Level 1 missions,
learning weapon mechanics,
learning range control,
and generally getting comfortable flying something that isn’t a frigate.

But you’ll outgrow it quickly if your goal is “efficient PvE grinding,” because destroyers are often a transitional step. Once you start pushing into tougher content, you’ll usually move to something with more staying power.

PvP

The Cormorant’s best use is PvP — specifically range control + small target removal.

It’s cheap enough to lose without gnashing of teeth, and it teaches real PvP fundamentals without needing a 300M ISK fit to feel functional.

If your long-term plan is “PvE now, PvP later,” the Cormorant is a pretty solid bridge ship.

What the Cormorant will teach you (and what will get you killed)

This ship is a teacher. Sometimes gently. Sometimes with a killmail. 😩

It teaches you:

Range control

distance is life
distance is damage
distance is also your emergency exit plan

Ammo discipline

hybrids are all about “pick your range, pick your damage”
swapping ammo is not optional if you want the ship to feel good

Target priority

if you’re dying, it’s often because you let something small and fast live too long, and get too close

It will punish you for:

Getting pinned down

once you’re scrammed and webbed, the Cormorant can go from “laser-precise murder” to “sad steel coffin” pretty fast

Fighting in the wrong range band

rails hate being hugged
blasters hate being kited
EVE is full of people who will happily force you into the wrong one

How I’m going to fly it at first (because I’m new to it too)

I’m going to treat my first Cormorant phase like training wheels for PvP. I'll still be flying my trusty Merlin for a while, until I've trained all the necessary skill for this destroyer, and the modules I'll need to fit on it.

Once again, I'm not rushing into new ship, shouting BANZAI! this time around. I'm taking my sweet time to learn about the ship, read up on it, and fly it like it was meant to be flown.

Step 1: Rails in PvE, to learn the ship

Before I use it in PvP, I want muscle memory for:

how it aligns and moves,
how it tracks,
how far it can realistically apply damage,
how often I need to swap ammo,
and what “too close” feels like.

Because in PvP, “I’m learning the UI” is just another way of saying “I’m feeding.”

Step 2: Start PvP as support, not main character

When I move into PvP, the Cormorant feels best as:

a cheap ship I can afford to lose,
a ship that contributes even if I’m not the hero tackler,
and something that helps me practice staying calm on grid.

I’m not trying to win glorious duels in it right away. I’m trying to learn the rhythm of PvP: intel, positioning, range, decision-making.

Step 3: Graduate when it makes sense

Once I’m comfortable:

I can branch into the brawler variant,
or move into a different destroyer,
or step up into proper cruisers for PvE.

But the Cormorant is the “learn the fundamentals” ship in my hangar right now.

Practical notes and tiny checklists

A few quick “don’t forget” items I’m keeping in mind:

Bring multiple ammo types (range vs damage matters a lot)
Don’t rely on “tank” — rely on position
If something fast is closing distance:

assume it’s not coming to say hello
assume it’s coming to turn off your MWD and end your day

And a personal rule for my first few PvP outings:

If I die, I want to know why.

not “lol what happened”
but “I let myself get caught” / “wrong range” / “bad target selection” / “I didn’t manage my escape options.”

That’s the real progression loop.

Closing

I like this ship already, mostly because it feels like a purpose-built learning platform. It also looks stunning I won't lie. It’s not trying to be everything. It’s not pretending to be a battleship.

It’s a destroyer that says:

“Here are your rails. Here is your range. Now fly like you mean it.”

So yeah. I’ve got my SKIN applied, I’ve got homework done, and once I'm all skilled up and it has a proper fit, I’m going to start putting it to work in PvE while I build toward PvP.

By the way, if you’ve got Cormorant tips (especially “things you only learn the hard way”), I’m all ears.

Sources and further reading

(* I currently only play a few hours a week. So it's taking me a bit longer to go through the missions, and learn my way through everything.)

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Sunday, January 25, 2026

My first Cormorant: a practical PvE-to-PvP guide for first-time pilots