“There’s no turning back.”
That’s the tagline of Eve’s 20th expansion, released in its 10th year. It’s a thematic hook for a new story that’ll empower those players who aren’t already self-styled outcasts to defy the Empires. But it’s also literally true. Eve’s expansions are always free, which means its improvements aren’t gated or restricted to certain high-level areas. So from its release next Tuesday, the universe will be irrecoverably changed by combat rebalancing, warp changes, new ships and mobile structures. There’ll be no turning back.
New plot shenanigans see the Empires publically warning Capsuleers off visiting mysterious new ghost sites – which will naturally lead to a Wacky Racers-style race across space to reach them come Tuesday. There, players will find fast-paced tests of their hacking and combat abilities, but also the promise of serious return on their risk.
The authorities are worried about the almost-certainly dangerous technological secrets to be found within; meanwhile, two pilots with sick rides who don’t share their concerns slip through the defences of an Angel Cartel ghost site. And, er, inadvertently confirm the Empires’ fears:
Of course, a significant portion of Eve’s null-sec population will be too wrapped up in their own player-generated dramas to bother with CCP’s. They’ll be more interested in the mobile structures that’ll allow them to support their own operations without recourse to Empire facilities.
They’ll care, too, about the rejigged stats for Marauders, Interceptors, Interdictors and Electronic Warfare ships, and newly viable “guerilla-style” warfare – conducted via small fleets at the expense of alliance strongholds.
But every single player should be united in their appreciation for one new feature – the reworked physics of warp acceleration. CCP promise a “more dynamic” feel, which will give “renewed meaning to the phrase ‘Warp Drive Active’”.
Where do you fall along that player spectrum? What’s the juiciest fruit in Rubicon’s basket as far as you’re concerned?