Glorious Capsuleers,
EVE Online’s Foundation Quadrant has been eventful and full of excitement! As this second Quadrant of 2021 draws to a close, it’s the perfect opportunity to look back at the highlights and major updates introduced. Detailed below is a summary of this Quadrant’s in-game events, activities, community achievements, as well as gameplay & tech updates that are building the foundation of a thriving third decade for EVE.
In-Game Events and Celebrations
The Foundation Quadrant saw EVE Online celebrate its 18th birthday in style with Capsuleer Day commemorating 18 years since the dawn of the Capsuleer Age. Celebrating the incredible togetherness and strength of EVE’s Capsuleer community, there were in-game activities and free gifts as pilots faced off against the Equilibrium of Mankind (EoM) terrorist group.
The great Empires of New Eden also hosted their own days of celebration, with Gallente Federation Day, Minmatar Liberation Day, Amarr Foundation Day and Caldari Union Day all featuring awesome in-game events and free gifts. Well done to all players that made awesome contributions to the propaganda contests and trivia quizzes that dovetailed with the Empire celebration days.
The Stargate Trailblazers event saw the Empires working to gather resources for the construction of new stargate routes around New Eden. Capsuleers picked sides and supported their faction at combat sites and resource harvesting sites. The event resulted in a new stargate being added to New Eden!
EVE Community Achievements & Activities
The year-long player war in Nullsec which has featured some of the largest battles ever recorded in New Eden – and gaming history – ended during the Foundation Quadrant! Be sure to check out the latest episode of The Scope for all the details.
Speaking of hard-fought battles, an astounding 51 teams duked it out for 16 spots in this November’s Alliance Tournament XVII, which was announced in the Foundation Quadrant. Those teams are now training hard in anticipation of the main event in November.
It wasn’t all bloodshed, though, as members of the EVE community submitted numerous videos of their defining Capsuleer moments for EVE’s 18th birthday. Don’t miss the player celebration video commemorating those moments!
Major Updates – A Foundation for the Future!
The Foundation Quadrant saw a number of big updates made to gameplay in EVE, as well as a number of balance changes and new features introduced.
The Hunter’s Boon update, inspired by player feedback, featured changes such as the introduction of mobile covert cyno beacons, buffs to the Pacifier and Enforcer, and Tech 3 cruiser skill loss removal. Mobile observatories granted pilots a long-awaited defense against cloaking-based incursions into Lowsec and Nullsec, and the Enter the Portal update brought powerful buffs to the Black Ops class of Tech II battleships, plus the slick new Conduit Jump feature.
Long-anticipated ESS keys arrived as part of the Grand Heist update, allowing Capsuleers to raid and liberate riches from Nullsec reserve banks using keys obtained from Lowsec signatures, with almost a trillion ISK already stolen by the wiliest Capsuleers! Furthermore, the Great Escape update brought gameplay depth and subtlety to the use of nullification and warp core stabilizers, ensuring they serve a more meaningful role across EVE and its community.
The Foundation Quadrant didn’t just feature gameplay and balance updates, though, as continued investment in technology keeps EVE Online on track to successfully navigate its third decade and thrive. A huge visual update – Bring Out EVE’s Colors – affected every activity in space and every visual interaction, as well as all ships, citadels, planetary bodies, and more. A new 3D version of your ship’s AI “Aura” and vast visual improvements to the interior of the Jita 4-4 trade hub were also significant updates to iconic elements of New Eden. New landmarks were introduced around the cluster to commemorate significant historical events and provided more places of interest to visit for explorers, including a monument to the enormous and record-shattering titan fight in the system of M2-XFE.
Another public playtest of the native Mac version of EVE Online also took place in the Foundation Quadrant, delivering further progress on the path to welcoming even more new players to New Eden.
The EVE Academy website launched in Q2, as well, with the aim of enhancing the new player experience. EVE Academy provides a wealth of information designed to help new players decide who they want to be in New Eden. There are links to four career paths – Explorer, Industrialist, Enforcer or Soldier of Fortune – where you get skill plans, beginner ship fitting examples, and curated links to resources created by the EVE Online community, videos and much more.
Quadrant 3 Incoming
The third Quadrant of 2021 is not far away, and it will act as a gateway for EVE Online and its Capsuleers towards more major updates, events, and a new era in New Eden! Keep your eyes peeled and stay tuned for more announcements coming very soon.
