How do I setup my ship for missions?

Those are the 3 categories to think about: tanking, stability and damage. As you progress upwards in mission difficulty, you must adjust in each of these 3 categories. You'll find that simply getting better types of ships takes care of most of your challenge.

Imicus #1 - first setup (expect to warp out of a lot of fights)
Imicus #2 - shield tank (not cap stable, requires skill)
Imicus #3 - noob armor tank
Tristan - starter setup
Incursus - speed tanking fun

Vexor L2 Template - solid mission running with armor tank

Myrmidon L3 Template - basic armor tank setup


ARMOR TANKING

There are general principles and setups used for armor tanking. Let's look at the core building blocks.

Mids:

• cap rechargers (get tech2, asap)
  

Lows:

• armor repairers/reppers (get tech2, asap)
• 3-4 armor hardeners (use n-types initially), with 2 for primary damage type.
  
• power relays - help with cap recharge rates, if you have an extra slot

Rigs:

• 1-2 capacitor control circuit (increases cap recharge)
  
• 1-2 auxiliary namo pump (increases armor repair)
  

Those are the building blocks for making a solid tank. Depending on the ship and your skills, you can adjust and obtain more choices. Many folks prefer 2 reppers (perhaps even mixing a large and a medium on a battleship). Others rely on 1 repper and speed. Experiment.

For hardeners, you want to invest in high quality ones. You want 2 hardeners for the main damage type being done, and 1-2 for the secondary damage type.


STABILITY

Being "cap stable" means you can run at least your basic tank and guns continuously without your capacitor going dry.

In PvP, folks often do not worry about cap stability. They often use cap boosters which dynamically load more cap with ammo-like charges. The goal in PvP is to burst with your DPS and defenses. In PvE, it's not the same. You want stability to be efficient. Ideally, you can run all of your modules & guns non-stop without ever running out of energy.

Being "cap stable" is why you want to initially focus on filling out your mid slots with cap rechargers, tech2 preferably. I'd strongly suggest that this be the first tech2 training that you do, perhaps only second to Damage Control modules or Armor Repairers.

You can get Capacitor Control Circuit rigs to boost your cap recharge rate significantly, but this costs a pretty penny. Having 2x CCC on a myrm is very helpful. Investing that kind of cash into a cruiser is not advisable, but your battlecruiser can easily pay for this investment with L3 missions.

There are a number of skills that will help build up your tanking ability and cap recharge rate.

While you become increasingly stable with better skills and equipment, you can practice cap management strategies while in combat. You may want to consider using more cap "neutral" hybrid ammo such as Lead. You may also want to get good at switching guns and reppers off for a cycle or two, just to regain some cap while in battle.

DAMAGE

Get tech2 drones, asap.

Look for the critical skills in drones that significantly boost dmg output. Understand that as a gallente player you have the choice to fly ships with strong drone bonuses (even if they are ugly).

Use the Imicus. Use the Vexor. Use the Myrmidon. Use the Domi.

As you get access to L4s and find you can tank them reasonably, that's when you can sit back and start training more advanced skills to make your weapons effective. In the meanwhile, I'd strongly advise relying on your drones' DPS and just surviving.