When choosing a race to play in EVE Online, the immortal advice from the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy applies: DON'T PANIC! 

In small friendly words, I promise that you can choose any race without hurting your gameplay. Ships, gear, and weapon systems are unlocked by specific skills, which carry no racial bonus or penalty to train. Choosing your race is therefore a matter of personal aesthetics. Racial traits are a diving board to launch the development of your future persona. Additionally, EVE allows three characters per account, so there's room for experimentation.

Four empires dominate the central regions of New Eden, ruled by the Amarr, Caldari, Gallente, and Minmatar races. Each race offers three variants, which allows you to further customize your character to fit your vision of their backstory. Your choices may be driven by personal philosophy, the types of ships you like to fly, or even just how you'd like your character to be dressed. 

Amarr Empire

Proud scions of an Amarran noble family, who rule cities and worlds by military might and religious zeal, this propaganda portrait is designed to inspire awe among their subjects and slaves.

The Amarr Empire is the eldest civilization in New Eden. Expanding slowly, driven by conquest and religious zeal, the Amarr rule the largest of the four empires. Religious beliefs unite them, giving purpose to their drive for dominion.

An Amarr character is great for backgrounds that:

• Possess a rich imperial heritage or strong religious motives
• Prefer ships with heavy armor and lasers
• Are morally certain of their destiny as masters of the galaxy
• Clothing and ships are intricately decorated, reflecting Imperial influence

Caldari State

Focused, driven, and completely committed to defeating the Gallente Federation and reclaiming their stolen homeworld, Caldari waste no resources on useless decorations for either clothing or ships.

The Caldari State is the most ruthless of the four empires. Driven from their homeworld by the Gallente Federation, the ruling mega-corporations are ever ambitious to regain their lost territory. Their technology is the equal of any other race, and their leaders are always ready to seize any opportunity that presents itself.

A Caldari character is great for backstories that:

• Hail from mega-corporations or are driven by cold calculation
• Prefer ships with strong shields and missile launchers
• Are completely committed to the success of their corporation, at any cost
• Clothing and ships are starkly severe, driven by devotion to the bottom line

Gallente Federation

Although committed to the individual and freedom of expression, Gallente citizens are united by the need to defend the Federation from its enemies, particularly the insidious Caldari.

The Gallente Federation cares most about the freedoms of the individual. After driving the Caldari from their homeworld in the Gallente system, the Federation expanded its territory. Constant conflict with the mega-corporations keeps Gallente citizens focused on protecting their cherished liberties.

A Gallente character is great for backstories that:

• Embrace the freedom of the individual or have an industrial inclination
• Prefer ships with tough armor that control combat or utility drones
• Are happy to be alive and confident that freedom will always prevail
• Clothing and ships are casual and organic, inspired by life and liberty

Minmatar Republic

Standing against the Galaxy, often with nothing but courage and warships cobbled together from salvaged scraps, the Minmatar tribes neither ask nor give quarter to the hated Amarran fleets.

Originally hailing from a single world, the Minmatar tribes lived nomadic lives before being conquered by the expanding Amarr Empire. Enslaved and dispersed throughout Imperial worlds, the Minmatar stubbornly clung to their heritage and thrived despite every hardship. A great rebellion freed many slaves, who formed the Minmatar Republic, which daily struggles to survive against the looming threat of Amarran retaliation fleets.

A Minmatar character is great for backstories that:

• Have thrown off the shackles of slavery or oppose all forms of oppression
• Prefer ships that are fast and offensively or defensively flexible
• Are committed to their tribe and the fight for freedom, no matter the odds
• Clothing and ships reflect the poverty and ingenuity of a rebel race given nothing but obstacles to overcome

At the end of the day, just remember this:

Whichever suits you best, be assured that race doesn't affect your game play. The skills you need to fly the ships you want can be trained with equal ease, regardless. EVE also allows an unlimited number of free accounts to be created, each with three potential characters. So, your only limits are the boundaries of your imagination.

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