This page's intent is to provide information on the the history of EVE University. The information on this page is no longer current.

This is a soloing event for anyone who wants to do it, but targeting mostly EVE University members.

You will be sent on a mission finding the whereabouts (and hopefully not the remains) of a legendary explorer and scientist who vanished under mysterious circumstances.
You will be guided around all regions of New Eden, discover wonderful sights, but also face deadly enemies.

Your progress will be tracked throughout the Epic Arc. As an E-UNI member, you are expected to link a screenshot showing UI elements which give your location, your name and the actual subject of the photo in the comments section of the mission description. This will be regarded as the proof that you accomplished the mission. If you accomplished all missions in a chapter, you proceed to the next chapter. If you accomplished all missions in a book, you proceed to the next book.

There will be small rewards for completing each chapter, bigger rewards for completing a book, and a huge reward with an award for completion of the entire Epic Arc. The awards will be handed out during the yearly EVE University Anniversary Celebrations, where the Award Ceremonies will take place.

Scheduling

Start: It is totally up to you when you do something.
Duration: Until you have done it. But well, in the end, we expect a normally playing EVE newbro to need approx. 1.5 to 2 years to get all the books done.
Area: You will travel to all areas, from Highsec to Nullsec, even Deadspace and Wormhole Space... and Sovereignity Space as well.
Communications: We recommend subscribing to the mailing list, and keeping an on the Wiki. Feel free to ask in the forum, the mailing list or the Wiki for help if you need assistance. Some content will be really hard to finish for the first person who does it, but knowledge can be shared.

How this Works

What is This?

"The Explorer's Shadow" is an ongoing project which offers a continuous string of Epic Arc missions for new and advanced players.

If you are new to EVE, it

introduces EVE University and our campuses to you,
serves as a guideline of what to do next and where to go,
introduces important game mechanics and things you should know,
gives you some lore background,
assists you with meaningful rewards.

If you are a veteran, it

takes you on a sightseeing road trip around New Eden,
helps to experience PvE-based fleet events for content which can't be done solo,
pushes you to your personal limits in the later books,
gives you a damn good reward if you manage to complete it - and we're not talking about vanity stuff here.

The Rules

The rules are simple:

You start with mission 1 (the first mission of the first chapter of the first book, just to make it clear).
When you finished a mission, you deliver us some proof that you've completed it and allows us to track your progress. By default and if not mentioned otherwise within the mission text, this proof will be a screenshot.
After you finish a chapter, you give us an info (either personally, or on the mailing list) and we will verify your progress and you get your reward.
Finishing a chapter allows you to continue with the next chapter.
The characters and agents you meet during the Epic Arc are real. They are not bots. So treat them accordingly, be respectful and don't annoy them.

Requirements

For beginning the Epic Arc, you need:

A ship.
An E-UNI corporation membership is highly recommended, unless you don't want any rewards.
Any ship will do at the beginning. Later on, you may need more specialized ships to fulfill your mission, e.g. Covert Ops.
You should socialize during your time in New Eden. At some point, it may be necessary to gather a fleet together to get a mission done.

Configure your Location UI settings to display nearby celestials. To do this, click on the star symbol at the current location:

Then select "Configure" from the pop-up menu and a new window will open:

Activate both options.

The Videos

How We Track Your Progress

Sadly, CCP does not offer an API to integrate player-generated mission content directly into the game. So we have to do all the tracking and progression things offline, which means it is a bit of manual work included, both for you and the guys "behind the curtains".

The best idea we had so far, is that you make a screenshot and either link it on the wiki, or send us a link to it via the mailing list. You can use any free image hosting site such as https://imgur.com/.

For tracking your progress, we rely on your fairness. Later on in the Epic Arc, the difficulty of the missions will increase significantly, and the rewards will become very interesting. As a consequence, people might be tempted to cheat. After all, this is EVE, right? This makes rock solid proof necessary.

Need Help with Screenshots?

The EVE client supports making screenshots, but it's not really... straightforward to make them this way. Let's be honest, for this Epic Arc, you want to get them done quick & easy.

It still sounds a bit strange to me, when I say this, but the best free screenshot tool I know is Snip from Microsoft. It runs as an autohide dock if you want, and a single click with the mouse is enough for grabbing a DirectX screen or just a part of it. You can even make annotations, if necessary. Give it a try.

Warnings

Please be aware that the screenshots you deliver are actual proof that you fulfilled the mission. That means it must be visible that you did it, and that it is taken at the actual mission location. So always ensure that your neocom portrait is visible in the image, as well as the current system and nearest object are displayed. Don't photoshop your image beyond enhancing contrasts or saturation.

When you apply for a reward, your progress will be reviewed by a staff member. The staff member may reject a screenshot if it is not appropriate enough, requiring you to do the same mission once more.

You can simply check out the comments section underneath the first mission descriptions for some examples. You don't need to be an artistic person for this, you will see. The information is more important than the looks.

Other than that: Always watch out for war targets! This storyline will take you all around New Eden during the next years, so you are likely to encounter more dangerous situations over time. At the beginning, just follow the basic rule: If something flashes red in the Overview or local chat, you should hide.

FAQ

I am a veteran and/or have already beaten Dagan. Do I really have to start all over?

No, this doesn't make sense. The first two chapters of the Epic Arc target newbros who are new at the game and have just finished the tutorials. This is the point, where they are pointed towards the Sisters of Eve in the agent dialogue and, maybe, are waiting for their application to the Uni is being processed. At this point, the learning cliff of EVE Online hits them like a truck, when they experience the game mostly solo and have no idea what to do next.

The goal of the first two chapters is to provide those poor souls with a guideline and place them on the right tracks. The goal is NOT to punish veterans.

So, if you have already finished the SoE Epic Arc, feel free to skip this part and head directly to Chapter 3. In this case, you won't receive the ISK reward of Chapter 2, but you are qualified for the banners.

Make sure you have achieved the Freshman title, you might need it in Chapter 3.

The Explorers.E-UNI Mailing List

There is a mailing list which you can use for announcing your progress and applying for a reward. In the in-game mail client, click on the "Add Mailing List" button at the left bottom corner. Then add Explorers.E-UNI. You will instantly receive a welcome mail with a bit of information on what this mailing list is about. It is highly recommended that you join the mailing list before the end of Chapter 2.

Only students of EVE University are able to subscribe to this mailing list.

Book One: So You Want to Be an Explorer?

Hello, fellow capsuleer! o7

We welcome you at EVE University! And you want to be an explorer, you said? Explore all the mysterious corners of New Eden, you said? Haha, you came to the right page here.

Please proceed through the next chapters, which will make you familiar with the Eve University Headquarters and the systems surrounding it. Do it in your own pace and with your own schedule - no pressure here! And don't forget: If you manage to impress us, you may get an award someday!

Chapter One: To the Stars, and Beyond!

Mission 1: A New Home

After your approval as a EVE University student, you should travel to the EVE University Headquarters.

Objective: Make a nice photo of yourself, in front of the HQ and the moon.
Mission Briefing: Click here

Mission 2: The Staging Point

Visit the 3rd tier trade hub and E-UNI staging point in the Stacmon system.

Objective: Travel to the Federation Assembly Plant orbiting Stacmon V.
Mission Briefing: Click here

Mission 3: Illegal Clones

Locate the Rogue Cloning Facility in the Anwyns Constellation.

Objective: Gather proof that the Rogue Cloning Facility exists.
Mission Briefing: Click here

Mission 4: The Battle of Yulai

Investigate the current situation at the battlefield.

Objective: Find the battlefield and report the current situation.
Mission Briefing: Click here

Mission 5: Dodixie

Travel to the Federation Navy Assembly Plant at Dodixie IX.

Objective: Enjoy a vacation at Dodixie IX - Moon 20 - Federation Navy Assembly Plant and get accustomed to a place crawling with scoundrels.
Mission Briefing: Click here

Chapter Two: The Sisters of Eve

Mission 6: Sister Alitura

Sister Alitura of the Sisters of Eve may have a job for you.

Objective: Fly to Arnon IX - Moon 3 - Sisters of EVE Bureau and speak to Sister Alitura.
Mission Briefing: Click here

Mission 7: A Damsel in Distress

A famous Explorer has gone missing.

Objective: Find the Damsel.
Mission Briefing: Click here

Mission 8: Secret Activities

The Gallente are rumoured to have set up an agent in the Thoulde Constellation after the Yulai incident.

Objective: Find the unmarked Gallente operation lead by this agent and send me the requested details.
Mission Briefing: Click here

Mission 9: The Freshman

It's time to move up in the ranks.

Objective: Advance to Freshman rank within EVE University.
Mission Briefing: Click here

Mission 10: Trust Me, I'm the Doctor

The doctor has disappeared.

Objective: Find Doctor Luijan Elban and report her whereabouts.
Mission Briefing: Click here

Mission 11: Heartbreak Hotel

An old battleship, a brothel, and a feud.

Objective: Find the Heartbreak Hotel and capture one of the employees for interrogation.
Mission Briefing: Click here

Mission 12: If He Bleeds, You Can Kill Him

Maybe he's strong, but that shouldn't keep him from suffering.

Objective: Capture the leader of the Society of Conscious Thought and bring good intel of his spaceship.
Mission Briefing: Click here

Chapter Three: The Roden Conspiracy

Mission 13: The High Security Campus

Time to meet some friends.

Objective: Travel to Amygnon, introduce yourself to the HSC and join a standing fleet.
Mission Briefing: Click here

Mission 14: Quantum Rise

Strange relics, and an escalating situation in Solitude.

Objective: Find the mysterious stone formation which Professor Morghulis planned to analyze.
Mission Briefing: Click here

Mission 15: Counter-Intelligence

Receive intel from our spy within the Gallente Federation.

Objective: Navigate your ship close to Arment Caute's Lachesis at the Gallente Counter-Intelligence Center.
Mission Briefing: Click here

Mission 16: Gateway to the Past

Investigate the rumours about an ancient stargate.

Objective: Find the remnants of the gate.
Mission Briefing: Click here

Mission 17: The Roden Conspiracy

Are there connections between Kador and a Gallente industrial tycoon?

Objective: Search for our contact's Pleasure Cruiser at the Roden Center.
Mission Briefing: Click here

Mission 18: War Preparations

Is Jacus Roden preparing for war?

Objective: Investigate the rumours of Jacus Roden manufacturing Megathron battleships.
Mission Briefing: Click here

Mission 19: Fleets and Bookmarks

It's time to learn some basic mechanics!

Objective: Learn how to use instant (un)docking bookmarks and join the Fleet 101 class!
Mission Briefing: Click here

Mission 20: The Battle for Caldari Prime

Hell breaks loose.

Objective: Bring visual intel of the Leviathan crash site.
Mission Briefing: Click here

Mission 21: Rogue Drones (WORK IN PROGRESS)

Rogue drones are attacking ships randomly near the HSC.

Objective: Find the source of the rogue drone infestation, destroy them all and recover the casket.
Mission Briefing: Click here

Archive:The Explorers Shadow