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Surgical Strike – Coming 15 April

Resilient Capsuleers,

The quest for a healthy Capital ecosystem continues with a massive update to Capital survivability, resistance modules, and more in the Surgical Strike update, coming this April!

As outlined in the recent Ecosystem Outlook blog, bold changes are being made across EVE in the search for diversity and new exciting options for pilots. Surgical Strike will bring Capital survivability more in line with the rest of New Eden, reduce the overwhelming power of logistics, make adjustments to some long-standing powerhouses in the Subcapital meta, and begin to establish more payoff for getting up close and personal with your enemies. Let’s get into it!

[h2]Resistance Modules[/h2]
The biggest change coming in this update is a 20% reduction in the power of all modules that increase shield or armor resistances. That means energized plating, armor coating, armor hardeners, shield hardeners and shield resistance amps. This will lead to a drop across the board in effective hit points, but the more slots a ship has devoted to resists, the more important the change becomes. There is excitement here about this approach because not only does it lower Capital survivability, it also diminishes the overall power of logistics and will make modules focused on speed and damage a more attractive option. The hope is to see bloodier fights, less stalemates, and a huge cross-sectional shift in the fitting meta. This kind of shake up rewards those that adapt quickly, so get to theory crafting!

Alongside this update to resistance module power, tiericide for shield and armor resist modules is also underway, which you may have noticed beginning to appear on the Singularity test server. The tiericide adjustments are very small in scale and much more focused on sensible naming and organization of the modules in these groups, but you can expect the 20% reduction to be applied after the stats currently in place on Singularity for modules are affected by tiericide changes.

[h2]Capital Updates[/h2]
There is a vision for a Capital ecosystem with clear escalation steps based on distinct roles for each class. Part of that vision relies on moving Super Carriers and Titans away from all-purpose damage to a specific focus on Capital and structure killing. You will have seen one big step in this direction recently with the removal of High Angle Weapons from Titans. Now, substantial changes are being made to Super Carriers as well, but there is also an acknowledgement that Super Carriers need more to set them apart from Titans and Dreadnaughts as Capital killers before their Subcapital damage application can be fully removed. For now, their fighter tube loadout will be rearranged to promote more class diversity in your local Super umbrella and decrease long range Heavy Fighter damage application.

[h3]Capital changes in this update include:[/h3]
  • Removal of support fighter tubes for Super Carriers with the addition of one extra Heavy Fighter tube
  • Bonuses to XL plates and extenders for Super Carriers reduced to 200% and for Titans reduced to 300%
  • Long Range Heavy Fighter explosion radius increased 50%
  • Short Range Heavy Fighter speed increased 50%
  • Fighter bay size increased for Aeon and Wyvern
  • Capital Capacitor Boosters limited to 1 per ship
[h3]Subcapital Updates:[/h3]
Fleet diversity and an evolving meta are things that are always encouraged, and in that interest there is a small package of Subcapital updates coming as well. The resist module power reduction will naturally favor Tech II hulls slightly, and as these ships already dominate the fleet meta, Battleships will be given an upgrade to keep them competitive while adjusting critical bonuses for ships like the Muninn, Loki, and Eagle.
  • All Tech I Battleships receive 10% increase to base hp and 30% increase to scan resolution
  • Muninn bonuses to damage and optimal range reduced to 5% per level
  • Eagle max velocity reduced to 190 and powergrid reduced to 950
  • Loki offensive subsystem bonuses to projectile optimal range, fall off and tracking reduced to 5% per level and powergrid reduced to 550
  • Legion powergrid reduced to 625
  • Deimos bonus to hybrid damage increased to 7.5% per level, powergrid increased to 1100 and CPU increased to 380

Additionally, damage from bombs will be reduced by 20% to roughly match the loss in effective hp associated with the resist module change. Bomb hp will also be reduced by 20%.

[h2]Brawler's Paradise[/h2]
Over the years, as fleet commanders and elite PvPers across New Eden have refined their skills, it has become more and more difficult to capitalize on the supposed benefits of short-range ships. Gone are the days of blaster slug fests on Lowsec gates between plated Megathrons and Armageddons. While a return to such primitive times is not expected, there is a desire to begin exploring new rewards and tools for those brave pilots who are willing to get up close and personal.

As a first step in this direction, there will be an increase to the damage of all close range Tech II ammo by 15%. This means Conflagration, Hail, Rage, and of course Void will all be packing an extra punch.

The Surgical Strike update will be live on the test server very soon, so keep your eyes on EVE social media platforms for that announcement. Its deployment to Tranquility is expected on 15 April.

This is a big step towards our long term capital vision, but we have also planned further updates later in the year to continue the journey towards a vibrant EVE ecosystem.

Until then, fly safe!

New Guristas Helmatt's Harriers SKIN

The brand new and absolutely striking Helmatt's Harriers SKIN is now available in EVE Online's New Eden Store for three Guristas hulls, those being the Gila, Rattlesnake and Worm!

This SKIN pays tribute to the notorious and brash Guristas combat pilot Lucash Helmatt, whose personal wing of raiders, the Harriers, are feared far-and-wide. Lucash had all Helmatt's Harriers ships painted in bright and disruptive yellow and black with an eye to intimidation and maintaining his personal notoriety, an inspiration that is clearly visible in this series of SKINs.

The New Eden Store will also be running a 33% sale on selected SKINs between 9 April and 23 April, with different SKINs enjoying that discount on the two separate weeks. Finally, the Hostile Takeover SKIN line will be retired after 16 April, so act fast if you want to add it to your collection!

Capsuleer Generosity Celebration

Generous Capsuleers,

So far, EVE players have raised $578,070 for charity across all PLEX for GOOD campaigns since 2005! This is an incredible feat which all EVE Online players can be proud of. With the newest PLEX for GOOD campaign now activated to support the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund, thanks must be given to our charitable Capsuleer community!

From 9 April to 16 April, the Capsuleer Generosity Celebration will take place, and by logging in on four days during the event, you will receive free gifts. As an Alpha Clone State Capsuleer, you can log in and claim the special Frontier Safeguarder SKIN for the Osprey, Augoror, Scythe and Exequror. Omega Clone State pilots will get those SKINs, as well as crates that may provide random Agency Combat Boosters, a random T2 Logistics Cruiser Frontier Safeguarder SKIN, a random Force Auxiliary Frontier Safeguarder SKIN, and another random Frontier Safeguarder SKIN for T2 Cruisers or Force Auxiliaries.

Fly safe!

The Hunt is Live!

The Hunt event has returned and is now live! At a time of year when Capsuleers undertake their now-annual pod hunt, you are tasked with the challenge of using directional and probe scanners to hunt down and destroy NPC capsules in order to gain access to special event sites and valuable rewards until 11:00 UTC on 21 April.

This event has smaller ship classes like Frigates and Destroyers as the focus, so pilots with less experience and fewer skills trained can get involved. During The Hunt, player pods will have a chance of dropping their implants as loot when destroyed!

The Hunt will also introduce the brand new Guristas Hydra Implant Set, which may drop as a reward from one of the special event sites. These powerful new implants will improve both drone and missile systems.

Let the podding begin!

PLEX for GOOD - COVID-19

Dear EVE Online community,

This month marked my 20th anniversary working for CCP. Over the past two decades I have watched our community grow from strength to strength. From starting meta gaming on the EVE Forums before the game was even out, to the world record fleet fights, the prowess of the community around EVE Online is well known to the world. Behind all that are some of the kindest, most helpful groups of people I have ever known. This was clear to see when in 2005 we reached out and asked EVE players to help in the aftermath of the Indian Ocean tsunami that hit on Boxing Day, 2004. Back then, the community around EVE was small and tightly knit, and they gave big. Since then, PLEX for GOOD has raised over $500,000 to help with good causes all around the world.
  • 2005 - $25,326 – South East Asia (tsunami)
  • 2010 - $34,350 – Haiti (earthquake)
  • 2010 - $38,900 – Pakistan (monsoon)
  • 2011 - $44,600 – Japan (earthquake and tsunami)
  • 2011 - $32,900 – United States (Hurricane Irene)
  • 2013 - $190,890 – Philippines (Typhoon Haiyan)
  • 2015 - $103,650 – Nepal (earthquake)
  • 2020 - $107,454 - Australia (bushfires)

We now face an unprecedented global challenge for all humankind, and given the global nature of EVE and the solidarity of the EVE community, we are activating PLEX for GOOD again to begin on 3 April 2020 with the aim of raising funds for the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund.

It is time to unite once more and help fight this unprecedented worldwide health challenge. The money raised through this PLEX For GOOD campaign will help the World Health Organization (WHO) to coordinate the global effort, support countries to prevent, detect, and respond to the pandemic. It will also help the WHO to ensure that all countries - especially those with the weakest health systems - are prepared, as well as supporting their work to understand the virus, to ensure frontline workers get essential supplies and information, and to accelerate efforts to develop vaccines, tests, and treatments.

We are seeing a lot of players joining EVE these days; close to 300,000 players logged into EVE for the first time so far this year. We remain committed to improving the entry into the game, and now more than ever the world can benefit from the kind of community and connection we have produced together over the past two decades. Physically distant does not have to mean socially isolated!

While it might not be within everyone’s means right now to support the EVE community’s charity drive through PLEX for GOOD, we can all still do a lot to help support courageous healthcare workers globally. The best current expert advice I have heard - and this is subject to change as the situation develops - is to take no chances. It's important to stay informed about the latest advice to the public from the World Health Organization. Right now, it’s essential for our healthcare workers to have access to - among other things - as many N95 level masks as possible, so that they do not have to face this battle missing any valuable resource from their armory! To help support this message, I’d like to share a concept we have been experimenting with in our character creation system:

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
On the CCP front, we have been taking care of our employees and doing all we can to slow the spread of COVID-19. As of Monday 15 March, everyone at CCP in the Iceland and UK offices has been working from home. Our Shanghai team started working from home on 10 February and are now actually returning to work at our office under strict health and safety protocol. Everyone is doing well and we remain quite productive, even if we are all feeling the state of the world. So far, no one has been diagnosed with COVID-19.

I wish you all the very best, see you in New Eden.

Regards,
Hilmar

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To contribute to this effort, EVE players can contract PLEX in-game to the character CCP PLEX for GOOD. The real-world monetary value of all PLEX collected will be donated by CCP to the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund at the conclusion of the campaign on behalf of EVE Online players.

We are requesting that players respect a minimum donation of 240 PLEX. This will help us process donations as efficiently as possible while also allowing those with only a small amount of PLEX to participate.

IMPORTANT: CCP regards any scamming attempts surrounding PLEX for GOOD to be morally reprehensible, and any attempts at scamming relating to this program will be met with the harshest and swiftest action at our disposal. If you become aware anyone of attempting a scam related to PLEX for GOOD please notify us at [email protected]