The Run-up To EVE Online's Winter Expansion Has Begun

Looking at activity in EVE Online, I began to wonder when CCP would begin the lore run-up to the Winter 2024 expansion. Ahead of new expansions the developers like to run a storyline to introduce important elements of the upcoming content to players. I was late to the party because I was only looking at patch notes and dev blogs. I should have also looked to the lore. Would you believe the lead-in to the next expansion begins with deep space fishing?

Never forget to check the lore page

Last Tuesday I wrote about the new Deepflow Rifts and overhaul of Abyssal Artifact Recovery sites. Here's the lore behind the new feature.

The Society of Conscious Thought has observed massive energy spikes in Abyssal Deadspace. The spikes originated in the Deepflows of the Abyss, beyond where any New Eden explorer has ventured. The energy signatures are similar to those recorded during the escalating Drifter and Triglavian war some months ago. It was widely believed that capsuleer intervention had successfully de-escalated their conflict, but it seems to have only caused a brief respite.

The Deepflow Rifts appear to be a result of the destructive energies unleashed in the Drifter-Triglavian war. These rifts are inaccessible to New Eden’s pilots. This is likely because they lead to the far depths of Abyssal Deadspace which are untraversable with conventional technologies. Despite this, activating a significant number of tractor beams on the rift allows a pilot to pull objects through from the other side. These objects provide possible evidence of a long-term Triglavian presence in Deepflow regions. The science community is divided as to whether these objects are the remains of past settlements that drifted into the Deepflow, or a sign that the Triglavians are capable of surviving in even harsher environments than previously predicted.

At the same time, reports are coming in from Gallente, Caldari, Amarr, and Minmatar scientists that changes have been observed in other rifts. Abyssal Artifact Recovery operations have recorded shifting patterns, prompting calls for capsuleers to assist in investigating the changes.

One would think after writing about EVE for 15 years I would remember to check the lore page automatically instead of relying on the EVE Online Twitter account to remind me to do so. But the mere presence of a new type of content didn't set off alarm bells something was up.

Capsuleers are reporting the discovery of mysterious data elements called “spectral emission slices”.

So far only part of the total data set has been recovered and the exact meaning of the information within is still unclear...

The Scope reports: https://t.co/N0yXFnO7Nv pic.twitter.com/FPBFHkJ4Su

— EVE Online (@EveOnline) September 3, 2024

Once again I wrote about the patch and mechanical changes and missed the larger picture. The expansion is coming. How do I know? Because mysterious data fragments are back.

Capsuleers are reporting the discovery of mysterious data elements called “spectral emission slices”. These slices appear to contain temporal and spatial data. So far only part of the total data set has been recovered. The exact meaning of the information within is still unclear. While many theories have been suggested, none have yet been corroborated.

This data is being conveyed in an unfamiliar format that emits trace blackbody radiation. It is not known who created the data or for what purpose. All that is known is that the slices have been discovered emerging from Abyssal rifts impacted by the conflict between the Triglavians and the Drifters; Deepflow Rifts and those under investigation by Abyssal Artifact Recovery operations.

The Scope reached out to SOCT scientists for answers, but they declined to comment. It is hoped that as more slices emerge so will greater insights into their meaning and origins. We will have more on this story as it unfolds.

Whatever the spectral emission slices contain I am confident will disclose a major part of the content of the next expansion. 

I also am beginning to wonder if the Sisters of EVE will play a more prominent role in the near future. When writing up my series on the Equinox patch notes I delegated NET Resonators to an odds-and-ends category I described as "General Manufacturing". What I thought was a nice buff to pirate ship manufacturing now has its own lore.

Yulai - The CDIA has released the details of an investigation that proves NET resonators were developed by criminal organization, the Deathless Circle. NET resonators emerged as an advanced ship manufacturing component some months ago, replacing the need for neurolink conduits in subcapitals. Since then the component has been adopted by groups as diverse as the Sisters of EVE, Guristas Pirates, Sansha’s Nation, Blood Raiders, and more.

The revolutionary ship manufacturing component makes use of quantum consciousness neurolinking technology to provide the same performance as two different neurolink conduits in a single device. The CDIA has confirmed that this was backward-engineered from Jovian technology. The Deathless Circle has used its access to the Jovian station known as “The Fulcrum” to develop new advances based on ancient Jovian technologies.

As I thought further on the subject, I wonder if the investigation into NET Resonators had more to do with the Sisters of EVE than manufacturing. I think people sometimes forget the Sisters are not some cuddly group of do-gooders. In the mechanics of EVE the SoE is considered a pirate faction.

The CDIA also presented evidence of multiple correlations between the introduction of the NET resonators and visits to organizations from known Deathless Circle agents. Most damning of these was evidence that leading members of the SOE had met with Deathless agents to receive the technology.

The Scope reached out to the SOE to explain their organization's connection with this known criminal group. Santimona Sarpati responded, “We in no way solicited the attention of the Deathless Circle, but were approached by one of their agents regardless. They offered to provide us with designs that would allow us to spend less on our ship development and more on our efforts to explore New Eden and support its people. After much debate, we decided it would be irresponsible not to make use of this technology.”

The motivations for this apparently charitable donation remain unclear, as do the specifics negotiated between the Deathless Circle and the more dangerous factions they have provided with NET resonators.

So are the developers just tying up a loose string from Equinox or is this a sign to expect something in the winter expansion? I know CCP likes to use lore and in-game events to lead up to new features instead of just doing a big data dump. But this is the season to begin teasing the next expansion and I'm here for it.