EVE Online Fractured Skies - New Achievement System

Last night I was running around EVE Online on a new character progressing through the level 1 epic arc "The Blood-Stained Stars". I was only a few missions away from finally confronting Dagan when I logged off for the night and waited for the winter expansion, Fractured Skies, to launch. Apparently running through the Sisters' of EVE arc was the perfect activity to demonstrate the new achievements system that launched in the expansion.

For those unawave of the changes, the expansion notes went into the subject in some detail.

The AIR Career Program finds a new home inside Paragon's Achievement System. Paragon Services has partnered with AIR to bring its groundbreaking Career Program to the Achievement System, introducing a total of 78 new achievements for capsuleers to collect in varying difficulty levels.

All capsuleers can take part in and complete the Career Program, including those who have previously completed it. Completing it again grants all its rewards.

Achievements in the NEOCOM

Achievements are now easier to find in their new home in the NEOCOM, taking over the spot previously reserved for the AIR Career Program.

Discoverable Achievements

New evergreen achievements are added, along with the new Discoverable style of achievement.

Discoverable Achievements don't tell you exactly what is needed to complete them, but can provide hints through their name, their rewards, and any flavor text. They are easy to tell apart from other achievements, as their icon is always a "?". Four Discoverable Achievements launch with this expansion for achievement-hunting capsuleers to work towards.

Early Game Achievements

A new collection of achievements recognizes the accomplishments of new capsuleers and encourages exploration. The new achievements are:

• Academy Pilot:
  Board an AIR Academy ship.
  
  
• Stellar Explorations:
  Enter 30 different solar systems.
  
  
• Home of High-Sec:
  Enter the Yulai system.
  
  
• Tour the Embassy:
  Visit any system within the four Empire constellations in Exordium.
  
  
• Report for Duty:
  Visit Factional Warfare HQ. This replaces the previous “One Way Ticket” achievement.

The UI is available by clicking on the little trophy cup on the Neocom. The interface surprised me as I was expecting something taking up more screen real estate. I guess the devs heard the complaints from players about other new systems.

The Home Page

For those wondering, I'm pretty sure doing the Sisters' epic arc virtually guarantees picking up the Historic Wanderer achievement.

Details of an achievement

Some of the achievements have multiple tiers and clicking on them shows the details.

Pinned achievements

The ability to pin achievements I will probably use as I progress through the military campaigns.

And for those looking for titles, those are found on the character sheet. Another way to find an activity to do if no one is around.

I know the developers created all these new systems and ships they want players excited about. But when I was just tooling around New Eden on an alt I just found myself drawn to the achievements. Hopefully they don't mind.

A Quick Look At EVE Online Player Concurrency Before Fractured Skies

We are currently one week away from the launch of EVE Online's winter expansion Fractured Skies. Jester's concurrent user charts and graphs are up to date through the end of October making now a good time to look at the past before the expected increase in players an expansion brings.

First, I need to note why I don't link to Jester's charts directly. His site still uses http instead of secure http. Not only does that result in security warnings for a lot of people, but results in emails from Google warning me of the fact. So as much as I'd like to provide a link, those wanting to see the data direct from the source will need to type in the URL located on each chart or graph.

The four-year comparison graph shows that the return of players in October wasn't as high as in the past. I do think that is more a function of the developers managing to hold onto more players this summer than in the past. The trend puts 2026 on track for a much better ending for the year than in 2023 and 2024. But the Catalyst expansion did quite well last year and will require Fractured Skies to be good in order to end 2026 on a high note for Fenris.

But the number I'm really interested in is the average concurrent users logged in at any one time during the year. Through the first 10 months of 2026 the number is up 6.1% compared to the final number for 2025. A little math using last month's chart shows the average number of logged in accounts in October was 24,201. If the trend of expansions bringing people back to the game holds, 2026 will have the highest ACU since 2014.

I realize that most people will look at 24,000 users and say EVE is not doing very well. But given the depths EVE fell to in 2022, the game is in a much healthier position, as least in terms of popularity.

EVE Online Fractured Skies - Military Campaigns and Conquest Engines

We are less than two weeks away from EVE Online's next expansion, Fractured Skies. The info is starting to flow about the winter expansion with Fenris releasing both a dev blog and video. Consider this post an experiment in trying to produce articles about patch notes faster, as I'm finding keeping up with the releases harder. Also, Fenris is getting better at writing patch notes. But with any luck I can come up with fresh ways of looking at things.

Also, I am using Gemini in composing this article although I'm trying to keep the article short enough I just use the AI to organize the flow of the post. I need the practice, especially since I'm just a few years from retirement. 

First, let's look at the upcoming Empire military campaigns & the race for Drifter tech. On a personal note, I think Fenris gets a greater return on investment on factional warfare and low sec content, possibly because the starting spot was so low. Before going to the future, we need to look back at the past. This is what the first wave of campaigns brought players.

Minmatar Republic: Arzad II is renamed Starkman Prime, and sovereignty of the Arzad and Ezzara systems passes from the Amarr to the Minmatar. A new Starkmanir Tribe station is built in Arzad, and the Starkmanir uncover new Phased Fields in Minmatar highsec. Phased fields, until now only available in null-sec, are rare mining sites that offer erratic ore which can be transformed into any mineral.

Gallente Federation: New stargates between Renyn and Jufvitte cut the route between Intaki and Dodixie to six jumps, all through Federation space. A new low-waste Excavator drone variant is available in the Federal Defense Union and Federation Navy LP stores.

Caldari State: New stargates link Ienakkamon to T-LIWS. The Intaki Syndicate is dissolved, its member corporations absorbed into the State, and some former Syndicate LP offers move to the State Protectorate LP store.

Amarr Empire: The Deaconry of Economic Oversight is established at the Emperor Family Academy station in Amarr VIII (Oris), bringing a 50% reduction in taxes and broker fees there for six months. New Imperial Issue tackle modules are available in the Amarr Navy and 24th Imperial Crusade LP stores. Test them out with the new synchronizer rigs.

Yes, last expansion's campaigns brought goodies to New Eden under Fractured Skies. But what does winter bring? A lowsec fleet battle over Drifter technology in January where earned empire buffs apply. That's right, we spend two months gathering up world buffs to use in PvPvE battles in low sec. The winning faction unlocks an exclusive Drifter module offer in its Loyalty Point (LP) store.

I guess I shouldn't say we only get world buffs. At the individual level we get ISK and loyalty points for each delivery. The dev blog teased that the item traders will have things like a new Glamourex booster, a new faction salvager module, blueprints for a scanning upgrade module, and rare faction apparel. Oh, and brand-new Penumbral SKINs for those who need to dress up their ships.

But the fun doesn't end with the low sec fleet battles in January. In February we get a new mechanic called Conquest Engines made from Drifter technology. As far as I know the Conquest Engine is the first time something coming in a mid-expansion patch is being advertised before the expansion launches.

We only have a high level outline for now...

The CONCORD pact is holding, for now. But once those Conquest Engines are deployed, Factional Warfare will change with the introduction of Conquests, time-limited Factional Warfare conflicts that build toward a Final Siege battle that will determine the winners of each Conquest.

Once activated, a Conquest Engine can take control of an entire solar system, and the only counter is a rival empire deploying its own engine.

During the Conquest, enlisted pilots complete objectives for personal rewards and help their faction win Directives: capture a system, hold it until the deadline, or complete objectives before the enemy does. Each Directive has a time limit and only one winner. Winning earns your faction Conquest Power, unlocking advantages for the Siege.

In the Final Siege, defend your Conquest Engine and destroy the enemy’s. The first faction to destroy its opponent’s engine wins the Conquest.

I'm not going to lie. I do think players will check into the game if only to see for themselves what's new. Without more details, though, I don't know what the reaction will be. Will players embrace the new mechanics or did the devs go one step too far?

EVE Online's Winter Expansion Fractured Skies Launches November 10th

The mad lads and lasses in Rekjavik went and did it. While some studios shied away from launching titles into the meatgrinder World of Warcraft Forever and Grand Theft Auto VI  have made this November, Fenris Creations is going into the month with guns blazing. The highlight on 10 November is the launch of EVE Online's winter expansion Fractured Skies. But that's not all. The Icelandic studio is also launching the beta of its new extraction shooter, EVE Vanguard, on the same date.

I didn't see the announcement on X until I logged off for the day yesterday. When I read the press release on the Fenris Creations corporate website, I thought, "Wow, that's almost like a news article aimed at players, not games journalists." Then I had a wild thought. Google DeepMind is the unofficial official sponsor of Fenris Creations. What would an infographic made by Gemini look like?

I asked Gemini about the possibility of the Fenris public relations department changing its communications strategy to aim towards the use of AI by games journalists.

Fenris’s operational alignment with the Google ecosystem naturally filters down into operational tooling. Whether evaluating automated visual assets, structuring releases for multimodal scrapers, or managing internal documentation, the modern Google standard strongly favors scannable bullet hierarchies, clear entity labeling, and data-first roadmaps.

Fenris's PR team isn't just speaking to a tech reporter on a 15-minute deadline anymore; they are structuring releases so that scrapers, LLMs, community data-miners, and alliance leaders all ingest an uncorrupted version of their message on day one.

I know the excitement is supposed to center on the message pushed by the developers. But I'm a bit fascinated with the way Fenris is pushing out the message. Fenris is flying into the teeth of some of the toughest launch competition in video games in years. How does the company respond to the challenge?

One of the ways is the initial announcement Fenris made to the media. I'm going to do a copy and paste below. 

REYKJAVÍK, Iceland - October 20, 2026 – New Eden’s rival empires are escalating their arms race, and colossal Conquest Engines threaten to take their wars to a new extreme. Fenris Creations today unveiled EVE Online: Fractured Skies, launching November 10, 2026, calling veteran capsuleers to rally their fleets and inviting new pilots to find their place in the conflict. From day one, four new Military Campaigns, new warships and more accessible ways to get started give players opportunities to strengthen their empires ahead of a four-way showdown in January. The stakes rise again in February 2027 with Conquests, a new era of seasonal Factional Warfare in which pilots build towards a climactic siege and a definitive winner. November 10 also marks the beginning of a persistent connection between EVE Online and EVE Vanguard, as the studio’s sci-fi FPS opens 24/7 paid alpha access and actions on the ground begin creating new opportunities in space. 

Fractured Skies is the second chapter of Theatres of War, the three-expansion saga that began with Cradle of War in June. As New Eden’s empires race to harness Drifter technology and develop devastating Conquest Engines, capsuleers are called upon to strengthen their side ahead of the coming conflict. 

Four new Military Campaigns, one for each empire, begin November 10. Capsuleers can contribute through PvE combat, PvP, mining and exploration, regardless of Factional Warfare enlistment, gathering valuable materials to exchange for ISK, Loyalty Points, faction equipment, achievements and titles. Together, their efforts have the power to reshape the battlefield, unlocking system-wide bonuses across designated star systems from January 5. Those hard-won advantages will help their empires in a massive four-way showdown later that month, before the conflict escalates into Conquests in February.

“Factional Warfare pilots have spent years building rivalries, holding the line and fighting for their empires,” said Bergur Finnbogason (FC Burger), Creative Director for EVE Online. “Conquests finally give all of that a decisive outcome. Get the old gang back together, bring fresh recruits along, and blow up as many enemy ships as it takes to claim the bragging rights. Somebody is going to win this thing, and we can’t wait to see who.” 

“EVE is famous for the extraordinary battles its players create. With Conquests, Factional Warfare gains a more reliable rhythm of major clashes and clearer ways for more pilots to take part,” said Greg Hennessey (FC Okami), EVE Online’s Game Design Director. “Fractured Skies reflects what makes EVE a living, evolving universe: there’s meaningful action from day one, and each new phase raises the stakes as we build towards the first siege. As Warclones complete jobs on the ground in EVE Vanguard, new opportunities open up for capsuleers in space, bringing the two fronts of New Eden’s conflict closer together.” 

For years, Factional Warfare has brought capsuleers together in fierce, player-driven battles for control of New Eden's contested systems. Conquests build on that legacy, introducing seasonal objectives, clear endpoints and a definitive winner in each warzone. Players work together throughout each season to earn advantages for a climactic siege, where rival empires race to destroy their opponent's Conquest Engine while defending their own. Victory earns a lasting monument commemorating the winning faction and its leading corporations and capsuleers, with each new season offering another chance to make history. 

Fractured Skies also marks the first persistent gameplay connection between EVE Online and EVE Vanguard. From November into early next year, completing jobs in EVE Vanguard increases the frequency of temporary combat, mining and exploration sites in EVE Online, giving capsuleers more opportunities to recover materials for their empire’s Military Campaigns. The connection then deepens when Conquests begin, as Vanguard players enlist with an empire and contribute to its Conquest Power through Expeditions. EVE Vanguard’s live alpha opens through the EVE Launcher on November 10 as a paid offering separate from EVE Online’s Omega subscription, with pricing details to be announced soon. 

The first section of the press release above is a pretty familiar format for video game press released, at least from Fenris Creations. The following part is something Fenris started adding this year: bullet points.

Launching November 10:

• Navy Attack Battlecruisers: Four mobile, high-firepower battlecruisers designed for coordinated strikes against larger forces, trading resilience for speed and damage: the Naga Navy Issue, Oracle Navy Issue, Talos Navy Issue and Tornado Fleet Issue, including the long-requested missile Naga. Available through Factional Warfare Loyalty Point stores. 
  
  
• Synchronizer Rigs: Nine new rig sets, spanning the four empires and five pirate factions, reward faction-focused ship builds, growing stronger with each matching faction module fitted. Pirate Synchronizers offer bonuses unavailable on existing rigs, balanced by heavier drawbacks. 
  
  
• Military Campaigns: Four new campaigns, one per empire, run from launch into January, introducing fresh objectives and rewards. Open to all players regardless of Factional Warfare enlistment, capsuleers recover materials from across the warzones and deliver them to item traders to advance their empire’s war effort. Completed objectives unlock temporary system-wide bonuses, while the first empire in each rivalry (Amarr versus Minmatar, Caldari versus Gallente) to finish all four earns command carrier reinforcements for January’s showdown. 
  
  
• AIR Academy Ships: Thirteen free, pre-fitted AIR Academy ships let new capsuleers jump straight into combat, exploration and mining within Exordium, EVE’s PvP-free starter region, discovering what they enjoy simply by flying, without needing fitting expertise or risking their own ISK. Academy ships cannot leave Exordium, unlike the standard hulls players buy to fly across the rest of New Eden. 
  
  
• Stronger Onboarding: Visual updates and a cleaner overview for dozens of popular Level 1 security missions, a set of achievements built around Exordium, and the AIR Career Program’s move into the Achievements interface give new players a clearer path from starter space into their EVE careers. 
  
  
• HUD Redesign: The first phase of EVE Online’s new heads-up display. Players can opt in through Feature Preview and switch back to the current HUD while the redesign evolves based on community feedback. The updated HUD makes ship status, capacitor energy and module activity easier to read in combat. 
  
  
• Achievements and Art: New achievements across New Eden, including secret challenges for capsuleers to discover, alongside a visual effects and lighting pass on a range of frigates. 

Coming in 2027: 

• Empire Showdown (January 2027): An epic four-way community battle brings New Eden's empires into direct conflict. All capsuleers can participate, with bonuses and reinforcements earned during the Military Campaigns giving their empires an edge. 
  
  
• Conquests (beginning February 2027): Seasonal Factional Warfare introduces shared objectives, personal rewards and definitive winners. Capsuleers earn Conquest Power throughout each season, unlocking advantages for their empire ahead of a climactic final siege. The evolving connection with EVE Vanguard will also give players on the ground a stake in their empire’s fortunes, with their contributions helping to strengthen its position in space.