EVE Online News

Dear Capsuleers

In June 2016, we announced that we would be starting work that would eventually phase out DirectX 9 support for EVE Online. Originally released 19 years ago and supported by Windows 98, it was the perfect solution for the retail CD release of EVE Online!

However, continuing to support DirectX 9 has become a significant development cost that is impacting our ability to improve the graphical fidelity of EVE Online. With less than 1% of players being limited to using DirectX 9, the time is right to end support in 2022.

For the last few years, we've been investing in foundational improvements of EVE, such as with the transition to a 64-bit client to set EVE up for a thriving third decade. This is the next step in that journey and it will happen on 11 January 2022. After this date, we will no longer provide a DirectX 9 capable client.

We encourage all existing DX9 players who are capable of running the DirectX 11 client to go to their Launcher settings and under 'Game Client' ensure that "Run game clients with DirectX 9" is not ticked.

This will ensure the EVE client uses DirectX 11 rendering. On 30 November, we will be moving all existing players to DirectX 11 if it is supported by the GPU. You will be able to switch back to DirectX 9 temporarily if you are unable to play, however, we strongly suggest reaching out to Customer Support (choose 'Technical') so we can identify the reasons you have chosen to not use DirectX 11. The option to switch back to DirectX 9 will not be available after 11 January.

As a result of DirectX 9 deprecation, we will be increasing the minimum specification to need a DirectX 11 (feature level 11.0) based graphics card. For Nvidia, this will be a GeForce GT 420, while AMD users will require a Radeon HD 5450 GPU. The first DirectX 11 GPUs are over 10 years old, so this change should not impact most people’s ability to play.

Minimum System Requirements:

• OS: Windows 7 Service Pack 1 64-bit
• CPU: Dual Core @ 2.0 GHz
• RAM: 4 GB or higher
• Video: Video: AMD Radeon 5450 or NVIDIA GeForce 420 or better with at least 1024 MB VRAM

If you have a very old GPU, you can manually check your DirectX version by pressing CTRL+F to open the FPS window in-game. This will show the current rendering mode in the bottom left:

Players on MacOS will not need to worry about this change as our new Native Mac Client utilizes Metal and not DirectX.

DirectX 9 has served us well, but to enable a more performant and immersive experience in the future, we must say goodbye. Removing technical debt such as older graphical APIs and utilizing more modern rendering methods such as DirectX 11 gives us a better foundation to bring amazing visuals to all pilots in EVE.

Bargain-hunting Capsuleers,

As Black Friday nears, New Eden’s pilots will soon be able to take advantage of several limited-time Black Friday deals – with up to 25% off select PLEX packages, some of which include eye-catching free SKINs!

There will also be daily rewards available, and a special offer on hand-picked Omega and MCT packages over in the New Eden Store. All Black Friday offers are available from 11:00 UTC on 25 November until 11:00 UTC on 30 November.

[h2]Up to 25% Off PLEX[/h2]
Across the official EVE Store, the Epic Games Store, and Steam the following discounts will be available throughout EVE’s Black Friday sales period:

• Up to 25% discounts on select PLEX packages, plus free SKINs with select items at the EVE Store.
• Up to 25% discounts on select PLEX packages at the Epic Games Store.
• Up to 25% discounts on select PLEX packages at the Steam store.

All stores will feature generous discounts on a variety of packages containing anywhere from 110 to 15,400 PLEX. Exclusively at the official EVE Store, larger PLEX packages not only come at the reduced price, but also include free Copper Lightning SKINs.


[h2]Daily Rewards[/h2]
All pilots will receive rewards for each day they log in from 25 to 30 November, up to a maximum of four. The rewards for Alpha pilots focus on a quartet of powerful combat boosters, while Omegas can secure a combination of boosters and Skill Points. Remember to log in 4 out of the 5 days to receive the maximum number of rewards. Alpha pilots can upgrade to Omega at any point during this timeframe to claim the Omega rewards!

[h2]New Eden Store Deals[/h2]
There are equally tempting Black Friday deals over in the New Eden Store, where you can grab free SKINs when you purchase 30 days of Omega or Multiple Pilot Training Certificates. Just be sure you get them between 11:00 UTC on 25 November and 11:00 UTC on 30 November.



There’s not long until Black Friday now. Make sure not to let these remarkable deals slip through your fingers!

Budding Capsuleers,

As part of the ongoing efforts to improve the new player experience, some small changes have been made to career agents and new player Skill Plans. This includes the renaming of career agent paths to be cohesive with the four main career paths in EVE and as outlined in EVE Academy.

The new names are as follows:

• Enforcer (was Military)
• Soldier of Fortune (was Advanced Military)
• Explorer
• Industrialist - Producer (was Industry)
• Industrialist - Entrepreneur (was Business)

In addition to being renamed for clarity, each career agent will offer a new Skill Plan pulling from the initial skills available for new Capsuleers, so your corresponding empire skill plan for each career agent comes at no cost to you. These beginner Skill Plans give you a grounding in the skills needed to thrive when embarking on the adventures provided by the relevant Career Agent.

The Skill Plans are accessible from the description panel for each career agent as well as in the skill plan interface. As another stepping stone towards the adventures that await in New Eden, these changes will streamline the process of growing as a Capsuleer.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/8500/EVE_Online/

Welcome once again, Capsuleers, to the Community Beat!

Since the last Beat we’ve seen champions rise to the top of the Alliance Tournament, a new destination to go for all of EVE’s lore, massive player battles, lives changed at EVE London and more! Keep reading for a glimpse of just a few of the exciting things happening in and around EVE Online since the last Community Beat.



[h2]Alliance Tournament XVII Comes to a Close[/h2]
After over 36 hours of tournament broadcast, one team rose to the top of the 75 alliances which registered to compete. Huge congratulations to Hydra Reloaded on their successful victory and breaking their second-place curse. The Alliance Tournament monument in Manarq has already been updated with a new winner’s plinth in their honor. Hydra Reloaded last won the Alliance Tournament in 2011 during Alliance Tournament IX.



Alliance Tournament XVIII has already been announced for next year, so we look forward to seeing you all in the arena in 2022!




[h2]EVE Universe[/h2]

A new website has been launched with the goal of being a one-stop shop for all EVE Online lore. The new EVE Universe website is loaded with information and stories about everything happening behind the scenes in New Eden and you can even find evidence of these stories in game, such as the haphazardly assembled stargate in the system of Old Man Star. You can read all about the incredible story behind what it took to build it in the Old Man Star chronicle.


Take some time to read up on the history of New Eden and go take a look for evidence of those events in-game! What you find might surprise you, and, perhaps in some cases, terrify you in equal measure.



[h2]0SHT-A Battle Report[/h2]
While the ‘war’ is largely considered over, the fighting is not. PAPI and Imperium forces clashed in the system of 0SHT-A in the region of Curse on the evening of 11 November. Over 2,000 pilots were involved in the fight as PAPI forces attempted to destroy a Fortizar which had been used by Initiative to strike at the PAPI back lines during the war. The Imperium defense held strong against the assault and PAPI took high losses while being unable to take their main objective.

Imperium forces clearing PAPI attackers from the D87E-A Gate |Source: Imperium News

In the end, PAPI forces lost 526 ships totaling over 76 billion ISK in value, while Imperium forces defended their Fortizar and lost only 245 ships worth approximately 17 billion ISK in comparison. You can read more about the battle from our partner INN in their article 0SHT-A Hits the Fan



[h2]Partner Spotlight – Ashterothi[/h2]
Greetings fellow Empyreans! Ashterothi is a longtime EVE streamer and podcaster whose shows are packed full of fantastic information and discussions about EVE history, lore, and game design. This past week Ashterothi met with CCP Aurora and CCP Swift to discuss the recent Alliance Tournament and a bit about the day-to-day work of being a Community Developer.

You can catch the interview here and more of Ashterothi’s streams and in-depth EVE discussions at twitch.tv/ashterothi


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[h2]A Match Made in Pochven[/h2]
Our heartfelt congratulations to a couple at EVE London last week who got engaged during the event with a matching pair of Triglavian rings! These players met during the Invasion as they fought on the side of the Triglavians, and fittingly, each ring is a custom piece engraved with Triglavian script.



We knew EVE had an uncanny ability to forge friendships, but it seems on rare, lucky occasions it can go so much further.



[h2]Blood Raiding in Style[/h2]
And last of all we wanted to give a shout out to a player who made a sick Blood Raider inspired PC case mod to celebrate this year’s Crimson Harvest. Xenontechs handcrafted this excellent design to grace his new PC case. We hope the Red God brings his in-game blood raiding good fortune.



Please pray for our IT department who are now having to shoot down our requests for custom case mods for our office computers.


That's all for this installment. Head on over to the EVE Online forums to chat and share your stories, or check out EVE Pulse for a different look at what’s going on in EVE!