CCP has laid out everything coming in Fractured Skies, the next EVE Online expansion, which launches on 10 November. It kicks off a new lowsec Factional Warfare arc that leads into the first Conquests in February, and it brings new ships, a new rig type, a HUD overhaul in Feature Preview and a much friendlier start for new pilots.
Military Campaigns and the road to Conquest
Ancient artifacts tied to Drifter technology are turning up across New Eden, and each empire launches a two-month Military Campaign on 10 November to find them. The races pit Amarr against Minmatar and Caldari against Gallente, and anyone can take part, whether enlisted in Factional Warfare or not.
Each campaign has four objectives in Factional Warfare space: hacking containers, killing non-capsuleer forces, damaging enemy capsuleers and mining ore. These drop faction campaign items that you hand in at your empire’s headquarters system for ISK, LP and trader rewards such as a new Glamourex booster, a faction salvager module and rare apparel, plus achievements, titles and Penumbral SKINs. Finished objectives unlock system-wide bonuses that switch on 5 January and last until the first Conquest in February.
A live event in mid-January brings all four empires together in lowsec. The first empire to finish all four objectives picks the battlefield and brings its bonuses and command carrier reinforcements, while the battle’s winner gets a limited-time Drifter module in its LP store. The losing sides respond by deploying their Conquest Engines, setting up Conquests: timed Factional Warfare conflicts built around Directives and a Final Siege where each side tries to destroy the other’s engine.
New ships, rigs and balance
Four navy attack battlecruisers join the Factional Warfare LP stores, each with extra speed, firepower, a fitting slot and a utility high slot. The headline is the Naga Navy Issue, which swaps hybrid turrets for cruise missile and torpedo launchers. The Tornado Fleet Issue gets a large projectile rate of fire bonus and a smaller MWD signature penalty, the Oracle Navy Issue gains a low and utility high slot, and the Talos Navy Issue trades its tracking bonus for falloff and becomes more mobile.
Synchronizer Rigs are a new rig type whose bonuses grow with each matching faction module you fit. There are nine sets in three sizes: four empire versions and five pirate versions with unique bonuses but a large penalty. Balance changes give carriers light fighter application bonuses tied to the Integrated Sensor Array, adjust the Sacrilege, Cerberus and Vengeance, buff the Legion, Proteus and Tengu, and make defender missiles and slower void bombs better answers to bombing runs.
EVE Vanguard, HUD and new players
EVE Vanguard goes 24/7 as a paid Alpha through the EVE launcher, with Founder’s Access on sale from 10 November, separate from Omega. Completed Vanguard contracts spawn extra campaign sites in EVE Online’s highsec and lowsec, and the update adds three maps, a new tutorial and the Gallente BR-60 Battle Rifle.
The first phase of the new HUD arrives as an opt-in Feature Preview. New pilots in Exordium get 13 free, pre-fitted AIR Academy Ships, the AIR Career Program moves into Achievements (finish open ACP tasks before the move, as progress resets), and dozens of level-one missions get a visual refresh. Cradle of War campaign outcomes, including new stargates and Starkman Prime, also go live.
Full expansion notes are due on 6 November. The complete breakdown is on the official EVE Online site.
Source: EVE Online official news.
