EVE Online News

[h3]Masterful capsuleers,[/h3]

Once a year, EVE Game Masters (GMs) take to the sky and throw down in New Eden for an entire week. This year’s GM week is almost upon us, running from 23 - 27 October, featuring favorite events from previous years, along with a few new twists as always. EVE GMs are cooking up a variety of in-game happenings, contests, streams, prizes, and other shenanigans, so jump in, meet the GMs who maintain the world of EVE and join the celebrations! Furthermore, this year’s GM Week coincides with Crimson Harvest, meaning the traditional gifts and assets the GMs bring with them will be even more likely to drop!



[h2]In-Game Activity[/h2]

GMs will be actively present in New Eden throughout the week on various help channels, as well as in person aboard impressive & aspirational ships. They can be found across various starter, career agent, and Sisters of EVE Epic Arc systems, engaging with players and answering questions in chat – marked by their signature red text!

[h2]Events[/h2]
[h3]Whack-a-Bot/GM - 23 October at 16:30 UTC[/h3]
Traditionally, one of the most popular activities of GM week has been the super fun Whack-a-Bot event, where pilots have gotten the chance to bring their wrath down on bots in Capital and Super-Capital ships. In a whopper of a first-world problem, Team Security has been so effective of late that the pool of bots to whack is now virtually non-existent. As such, the Whack-a-Bot event will be laid to rest and replaced with ships populated by Game Masters, old and new, giving capsuleers a chance to score some juicy loot and even juicier corpses!



[h3]GM & ISD Fleet - 26 October at 17:00 UTC[/h3]
The GM and ISD fleet will take off on their annual epic roam into the unknown on 26 October. Normally the fleet has been commanded by BjornBee, and these romps have always been a hoot. This year, however, we are recruiting a new streaming partner to FC them to greatness. Don’t miss a second of this fun-filled misadventure.

[h3]Orbital Stash[/h3]
Seek out easy-to-find containers across the cluster, in a treasure hunt of epic proportions. Each stash will be named with an EVE-related riddle and accessible only by inputting the correct answer as a passcode! All answers will be in lower-case to avoid confusion.

The Orbital stashes will also become comfortable streams with pretty backgrounds. Tune in to see the soothing colors, take a breath, and relax a little before you shoot off to locate the containers and reap the rewards.

[h3]Scavenger Hunt[/h3]
Put your detective hats on, capsuleers, and start gathering clues to the locations of pesky GMs, hiding in various places around New Eden. Keep your eyes peeled, as various hints will be dropped both onstream and through in-game channels. Hunt down Game Masters and you’ll be rewarded with handsome goodies.



[h3]Armed Piñata Hunt[/h3]
A GM might suddenly appear in your neck of New Eden carrying lots of loot - PLEX, SKINs, and fun vanity items! The caveat is that they will not surrender their prize until they explode, and they WILL shoot first. Get ready for some epic PVG (player vs GM) action, and some truly epic loot!

[h3]Contests[/h3]
GM week sees some super-fun contests with lots of goodies to win, open for submissions until 27 October at 23:59 UTC. Keep an eye on the forums and the official EVE Discord for more information!
Action All Week Long

Each of these events will run for the entire duration of the GM week celebrations, so no matter where or when you play, you’re certain to find something fun to participate in!

We can’t wait to share another bombastic and action-packed GM week with you all.

See you in space!
o7

[h3]Timely capsuleers, [/h3]

Another Fanfest has come and gone, attracting pilots from all over the world, who leave warm memories and fuzzy feelings in their wake. As a part of the 20 Years of EVE celebrations, the 2023 edition of Fanfest was extra special, with energetic events and amazing announcements dazzling those who traveled to Iceland, as well as capsuleers tuning in to the live stream from around the globe. We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who joined us, in person or virtually. The EVE Fanfest 2023 presentations are available on YouTube, if you missed them live.


EVE Fanfest is all about looking toward the future, and in the closing ceremony it was announced that tickets Fanfest 2025 were now on sale. Capsuleers are a swift bunch, and within hours of the announcement, the first batch of Pioneer Pass Early Bird tickets was sold out! The second batch has already sold out as well, but not to worry, you can still secure your Pioneer Pass, if you act fast, as the final batch of early bird Pioneer Passes are on sale now. Make sure you don’t delay, as the festival is expected to sell out, much like this year’s Fanfest.

• Pioneer Pass - First Early Bird - $159 - SOLD OUT
• Pioneer Pass - Second Early Bird - $179 - SOLD OUT
• Pioneer Pass - Early Bird - $195
  
• Pioneer Pass - Early Bird - $195-225
  
• Festival Pass - $295
  

In 2025, EVE Fanfest will return to Harpa, the concert and conference hall in downtown Reykjavik. One of Reykjavik's most striking landmarks and a center of cultural and social life in the very heart of the city, Harpa has played host to several Fanfests in the past, and it will be exciting to return to this spectacular venue.


Fanfest 2025 is scheduled for 1-3 May. We look forward to welcoming you to Reykjavik!

[h2]Reward hungry capsuleers,[/h2]

Crimson Harvest, the spookiest event of the year, is already well under way in New Eden. Countless capsuleers have chosen a side in the terrifying conflict between the Blood Raider Covenant and the Order of Tetrimon, and chaos has ensued. This year’s Crimson Harvest is longer and more gruesome than ever before, and the rewards are extra spine-tingling.

On top of the daily challenge rewards, pilots who log in a total of 25 times during the event get an especially horrific extra reward: 250,000 Skillpoints for Omega players, and 75,000 for Alpha. That’s on top of all the devilish rewards on offer for the daily logins, of which Omegas get both sets. Among the rewards for completing the daily challenges are SKINs, EverMarks, Skillpoints and more, so there is a lot to play for.

This, then, is a reminder for all you reward hungry pilots out there, that if you want to be able to unlock the big skill point prize, today is your last chance to get started. There’s a lot to play for, so make sure you start your daily rampage in the Crimson Harvest today.

If you’ve already been logging in, keep going so you can claim the gory glory. There are lots more fun challenges and lucrative rewards ahead, capsuleer, so keep sharpening those claws, and causing panic among your fellow pilots.Jump into the carnage now and reap the grim rewards.

[h3]Capsuleers! [/h3]

EVE Online: Havoc will be the second major expansion for EVE in 2023, and as with the Viridian expansion in June, the In Focus series will give you early insight into specific upcoming elements of the expansion due in November, starting here!

Havoc will allow you to align with the Angel Cartel or Guristas pirate factions and spread corruption in empire warzones, introduce brand new Angel and Guristas ships – including the long-awaited Angel Cartel titan – as well as building on the strong foundations for player corporations that debuted in Viridian with enhancements to Corporation Projects, AIR Opportunities, and more.

At EVE Fanfest 2023, the previously-uncharted Zarzakh star system was opened, and it was revealed that the system was under the control of a group of insurgents called the Deathless Circle. This narrative revelation will drive the upcoming Pirate Insurgencies from Zarzakh into Factional Warfare space within empire territories and the ability for capsuleers to align themselves with the Angel Cartel and Guristas. Get the lowdown on this new space as it is discussed throughout this article, in the video below, as well as on stream via CCP TV at 16:00 UTC on 12 October!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

[h2]AWAKENING ZARZAKH [/h2]

Going into the Havoc expansion, the opportunity to advance some of New Eden’s storylines was taken, with more being revealed about the Jove Empire. During the EVE Operations: Epiphany event, capsuleers were tasked with finding four ancient and previously hidden Jovian stargates, all leading to the mysterious new Zarzakh system. These gates were opened up to capsuleers at Fanfest 2023, and Zarzakh was suddenly on New Eden’s map as an ancient, abandoned nexus in the hands of the shadowy Deathless Circle faction, led by The Deathless himself. Zarzakh’s four Jovian gates are connected to the Curse and Venal nullsec regions, as well as the Turnur and Alsavoinon systems in lowsec.

Speaking of mysteries, the Deathless Circle is also currently something of an enigma. They have clearly moved into Zarzakh before anyone else, have been there for some time, and have managed to establish a basic understanding of its contents and technology such as operating the Jovian stargates.

Inside Zarzakh, there are Jovian relics which provide a fascinating background to the pirates who occupy the system, including a Jovian megastructure called “The Fulcrum” where The Deathless has set up base. He has allied with Angel Cartel and Guristas pirates by promising them a brighter future, offering them this sanctuary hidden from the empires.

Zarzakh itself has a completely different atmosphere to the rest of New Eden. It represents brand new space for capsuleers to explore, including a totally unique environment that is as ancient and advanced as many will come to expect from anything touched by the Jove Empire. It has limited visibility and a lot of it has not yet been discovered. Within the system is an interstellar shipcaster construction site, and this location, plus The Fulcrum, and the four stargates are surrounded by safe zones that do not damage any ships. However, venturing outside of those safe zones will immediately come at a price, as Zarzakh’s hostile environment begins to damage a ship’s hull at an increasing pace.

Going forward, the in-game narrative will develop to allow capsuleers to participate in unraveling more of Zarzakh’s secrets. Linking Turnur, Alsavoinon, Venal, and Curse through Zarzakh may also be significant in terms tactical movements within New Eden in the future.



[h2]EYES ON THE STORM – ZARZAKH’S VISUALS [/h2]

When designing the Zarzakh system and conceiving its atmosphere, the desire was to create something visually stunning, but also something that had not been seen before, as well as incorporating the new volumetric cloud technology into this space. The environment is brighter than many locations in EVE, but it is chaotic as well, reminiscent of being in the heart of a sandstorm. The effect of including gigantic, silhouetted structures in space set against this chaotic, cloudy, but relatively bright environment creates a moody contrast, one that is befitting of an ancient Jovian location.

The unique nature of the Zarzakh system is reflected in the way it feels to explore it in your ship. The mystery of its origin is translated into the visual experience of flying through the sandstorm, avoiding the treacherous regions within that space, and the partially obscured full scale of The Fulcrum megastructure.

Another atmosphere that needed to be created to fit thematically with the narrative and atmosphere of Zarzakh is the interior of The Fulcrum. Come November, capsuleers will be able to dock at the Jovian station, and the visual impact of that will add to the overall theme of aligning with pirates in their sanctuary beyond the empires.



[h2]DARKNESS & CHAOS – ZARZAKH’S SOUNDTRACK [/h2]

The soundtrack created for Zarzakh conveys the chaotic Jovian darkness of the system, aiming for an auditory experience that lies somewhere between sound and music. There are no musical themes as such, no pulse, rhythm, or chord progressions, but a flowing and constantly evolving texture that maintains a common thread in its sound while never repeating itself in exactly the same way.

With music that is specific to a star system like Zarzakh which could potentially play for hours, variation is important. Making music which is never precisely the same every time you enter Zarzakh is one way of addressing this challenge. The sound and feel may be the same, but the organization of the “musical piece” is always different. Striking a balance between music and pauses in the music is also important here.

The music stays in the background and merges with the SFX, so that it is not obvious what is music and what is sound design; it’s one thing. Special attention has been paid to create a subtle but clear transition in soundtrack between safe zones and death zones. It is less of a warning UI sound and more an eerie feeling that something is just not right out there in the death zone.



Overall, both audio and graphics work harmoniously to portray Zarzakh as a different, foreign world that can be dangerous and harmful, while maintaining the wonder of exploring new space and ancient mysteries.

As capsuleers continue to collect materials for The Deathless during the ongoing Awakening Zarzakh event leading up to the release of EVE Online: Havoc on 14 November, they will get more access to pirate Loyalty Point tokens to save or exchange for the new pirate destroyer BPCs. The Fulcrum will also get closer to full operating capacity, which promises to kick proceedings up a gear! The Deathless is motivated to gain a deeper understanding of Jovian technology and the history of the Zarzakh system, so there will be more mysteries to uncover after the release of the Havoc expansion. Get involved now by aiding The Deathless and his pirate allies in bringing more revelations to light!

[h3]Devilish capsuleers,[/h3]

Crimson Harvest is here, so it’s time to head out there to cause mayhem in a nightmarish New Eden. Expect monstrous loot drops, horrific in-game events, and blood-curdling rewards from 5 October to 6 November.

Log in today to start reaping the daily login rewards, which include boosters, SKINs, EverMarks, Skill Points and more. Not only will there be rewards given every day to those logging in, the 25th login during Crimson Harvest will be rewarded with 250,000 skill points for Omega and 75,000 for Alpha capsuleers.


[h2]HARVEST OF HORRORS[/h2]



To get involved you just need to pick a side in the bloody conflict between the Blood Raider Covenant and the Order of Tetrimon. You will find combat and hacking sites scattered throughout Highsec, Lowsec, Nullsec, and wormhole systems with combat sites appearing as anomalies in the Probe Scanner. Head into your preferred area of space, use the Agency Anomaly Scanner to scan down sites, then warp in to take on a series of frightening challenges in the dungeons that await. In-game Community Fittings, supplied by EVE Partners and players, will be available during the event so you can put your best fit on. More challenging sites, promising even greater rewards, can be found by those who dare to dig deeper into the mysteries of the void.

Additionally, since it is the season of wanton murder, PvP kills will drop loot at a higher rate, around 90% instead of the regular 50%.

For more info on getting involved, a glimpse at some of the thrilling rewards, and all things Crimson Harvest, visit this page.

[h2]BLOOD-CURDLING BARGAINS[/h2]



In addition to all the free goodies on offer during the Crimson Harvest event, you can also expect to see some frighteningly good deals in the New Eden Store and the EVE Store. To kick things off, the EVE Store is offering a 50% discount on Omega + MCT bundles for a limited time, and as the event continues, more devilish discounts will drop, so keep your eyeballs thoroughly peeled.

Also make sure to keep your eye on CCPTV for some terrifying Twitch drops, giving you the chance to snatch up some free goodies every week.