View source for User:Adam Cion/Faction warfare

{{update|Ship destruction and new large complex reward stats need updates according to the changes from the Loyalty to Lowsec update. The complex system was completely revamped along with new activities as of the Uprising update. TODO DO NOT MERGE: remove after addressing all outdated content}}

{{hatnote|This page deals primarily with the mechanics of faction warfare. For tips on how best to take advantage of these mechanics, see [[Factional Warfare strategy and tactics]].}}
'''Faction warfare''' (often abbreviated as '''FW''') is a game mechanic whereby you can sign up to fight for one of the four empire factions (against its enemy faction) for control over certain areas of [[low-sec]] space. It was first introduced in the [[Expansions#Empyrean Age|Empyrean Age]] expansion (2008) to offer players a stepping-stone into PvP (player-vs-player) gameplay. In 2022, the [[Expansions#20.10 Release (Uprising)|Uprising]] expansion made sweeping changes across many Faction Warfare mechanics.

Faction warfare is primarily centered around two [[#War zones|war zones]] (areas of low-sec contested by two empires): the Amarr-Minmatar war zone and the Caldari-Gallente war zone, which each are located on the border of the two respective empires. In these war zones, players who participate in Factional Warfare attempt to [[#Capturing systems|conquer star systems]] for their empire, and are rewarded with [[#Rewards|loyalty points]] and increased [[#Standings and ranks|faction standings]] for their efforts. Additionally, as players who participate in Factional Warfare are effectively at war with two of the four empire factions in the game, they can therefore attack (and be attacked by) players fighting for the enemy factions anywhere in New Eden, as well as fight the enemy NPC faction navies (who patrol the [[high-sec]] star systems belonging to their faction).  

== Joining Factional Warfare ==
There are two ways to join Factional Warfare (the game calls this "enlisting"): join as a solo player, or join as part of a player [[corporation]] or alliance. You do not need to be a part of Faction warfare to fight those who are enlisted.

{{note box|[[EVE University]] does not participate in Factional Warfare; members of the University have to leave the University to participate in Factional Warfare (or create an [[alt|alt character]] specifically for Factional Warfare). EVE University used to have affiliated corporations which participated in Factional Warfare, but this is no longer the case.}}

=== Joining as a solo player ===
[[File:FW-join.png|thumb|200px|Join Factional Warfare through the Militia Office window in a station belonging to the empire you wish to fight for (in this example, the Caldari).]]
Any player can join Factional Warfare provided that their [[standings]] towards the empire faction (e.g. the Gallente Federation or the Caldari State) they wish to fight for are 0.0 or greater. Note that only raw, unmodified standings (i.e. without taking the effects of skills like {{sk|Social|icon=yes}} into account) count; you can check your standings on your character page. 

You can enlist at any station belonging to the empire faction you wish to fight for by opening the "Militia Office" window (from the [[NeoCom#Factional_Warfare|NeoCom]] or the Station Services window). Note that even through the Khanid Kingdom and the Ammatar Mandate are affiliated with the Amarr Empire, they do not count as being a part of it, and therefore you cannot join Factional Warfare from their stations. 

If you join as a solo player, you will leave your current corporation (be it a player-run or NPC corporation) and automatically join one of the four militia corporations (NPC-run corporations which are populated exclusively by other players enlisted in Factional Warfare for a given empire): 

* Amarr: [[24th Imperial Crusade]]
* Caldari: [[State Protectorate]]
* Gallente: [[Federal Defence Union]]
* Minmatar: [[Tribal Liberation Force]]

Joining as a solo player happens immediately, unless you have roles in a player-run corporation (in which case it takes at least 24 hours to [[Leaving_EVE_University#The_process_for_leaving|relinquish your roles]] and leave your corporation). These militia corporations have NPC agents working for them, which offer [[#Factional Warfare missions|missions]] to pilots enlisted with their respective faction.

=== Joining as a corporation ===
The CEO or Director of a [[corporation]] can enlist their entire corporation (i.e. all their members) to Factional Warfare, and the executor of an alliance may do so on behalf of the alliance. If part of an alliance the corporation retains the decision to join Faction Warfare, so an Alliance can not prevent a member corporation from joining. While individual pilots can join and leave the militias at any time, corporations and alliances will have to wait some time before they are joined into the warfare and may fight on behalf of their chosen empire. in Factional Warfare to fight for one of the four empires. As with solo players, the corporation must have a standing of 0.0 of greater towards the empire they wish to fight for (corporation standings are an average of of its all the members' individual standings, see [[Corporation|corporation standings]] for more details). Enlisting a corporation takes effect after the next downtime. 

Players must be in a corporation flagged for Factional Warfare to participate. Therefore, it's not possible for individuals in a player-run corporation to either join Factional Warfare on their own &ndash; they have to leave their corporation, and join a different one which is operationally flagged for FW, such as the NPC ones listed above. Conversely there is no way for an individual in a FW corp to opt out &ndash; if the corporation changes their flag to join the militia, every member of that corporation automatically joins with the corp.

=== Third-partying ===
It is possible for third parties (those not enrolled in Faction warfare directly) to fight those who are. Sliding into a complex or aggressing a capsuleer enrolled in faction warfare will generally give a [[Timers#Suspect_Timer|Suspect Timer]] (see that page for exceptions). It will also decrease security status and decrease standing with the targeted faction. Third-parties will not receive Faction warfare rewards like Loyalty Points (LP).

Third-partying on faction warfare is a common way to find PvP content in lowsec space for those not enrolled in Faction warfare themselves, such as Eve University members.

== Factional alliances ==
[[File:FW faction alliances.png|thumb|200px|The Amarr and the Caldari fight against the Minmatar and the Gallente.]]
Factional Warfare revolves around two conflicts, one between the Amarr and the Minmatar, and the other between the Caldari and the Gallente. Additionally, the Amarr and the Caldari are allied (as are the Minmatar and the Gallente), which means that pilots fighting for (for instance) the Gallente can also help their Minmatar allies fight against the Amarr (with the exception of [[#Infrastructure Hub|infrastructure hubs]]), and attack (and be attacked by) pilots fighting for the Amarr as well as the Caldari. Additionally, that same pilot would be attacked by the NPC [[#Permanent war|faction navies]] of the Amarr and the Caldari should they enter their high-sec space.

== War zones ==
The majority of the actions in Factional Warfare take place in two areas of [[low-sec|low-security space]], each of which is contested by two empires, known as "war zones". 

The [https://evemaps.dotlan.net/map/Amarr_VS_Minmatar Amarr-Minmatar war zone] extends into parts of the Devoid, Bleak Lands, Heimatar and Metropolis regions, while the [https://evemaps.dotlan.net/map/Caldari_VS_Gallente Caldari-Gallente war zone] extends into parts of the Black Rise, Citadel, Essence, Verge Vendor, and Placid regions. The high-security systems on the borders of the war zones are often used as staging areas (as players fighting for the enemy militia cannot enter them without being attacked by friendly NPC [[#Permanent war|faction navy]] ships), although many player corporations also use systems inside the war zones themselves as home bases. The core Factional Warfare gameplay of [[#Capturing systems|capturing systems]] and [[#Factional Warfare missions|running missions]] takes place exclusively within the war zones. [https://evemaps.dotlan.net/factionwarfare Dotlan] has very useful maps of the war zones.

{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:90%; border-style:none;" 
|-
! style="border-style: none;" | 
! style="text-align: left; padding: 0.2em 0.5em;" | Region
! style="text-align: left; padding: 0.2em 0.5em;" | Constellations
|-
| rowspan=2 | [[image:Logo_faction_amarr_empire.png|64pxpx|link= Amarr Empire|Amarr Empire]]
| style="padding: 0.2em 0.5em;" | [https://evemaps.dotlan.net/map/Devoid#const Devoid]
| style="padding: 0.2em 0.5em;" | Semou and Jayai
|-
| style="padding: 0.2em 0.5em;" | [https://evemaps.dotlan.net/map/The_Bleak_Lands#const The Bleak Lands] 
| style="padding: 0.2em 0.5em;" | Sasen, Tandoiras, and Vaarma

|-
| rowspan=2 | [[image:Logo_faction_minmatar_republic.png|64pxpx|link= Minmatar Republic|Minmatar Republic]]
| style="padding: 0.2em 0.5em;" | [https://evemaps.dotlan.net/map/Heimatar#const Heimatar]
| style="padding: 0.2em 0.5em;" | Hed and Huvilma
|-
| style="padding: 0.2em 0.5em;" | [https://evemaps.dotlan.net/map/Metropolis#const Metropolis]
| style="padding: 0.2em 0.5em;" | Essin, Tiat, Eugidi, Angils, and Aldodan

|-
| colspan=3 style="background-color:#333333" | 

|- 
| rowspan=2 | [[image:Logo_faction_caldari_state.png|64pxpx|link= Caldari State|Caldari State]]
| style="padding: 0.2em 0.5em;" | [https://evemaps.dotlan.net/map/The_Citadel#const The Citadel]
| style="padding: 0.2em 0.5em;" | Ieyama and Isoma 
|-
| style="padding: 0.2em 0.5em;" | [https://evemaps.dotlan.net/map/Black_Rise#const Black Rise]
| style="padding: 0.2em 0.5em;" | Inolari, Ishaga, Kurala, and Okakuola

|-
| rowspan=3 | [[image:Logo_faction_gallente_federation.png|64pxpx|link= Gallente Federation|Gallente Federation]]
| style="padding: 0.2em 0.5em;" | [https://evemaps.dotlan.net/map/Essence#const Essence]
| style="padding: 0.2em 0.5em;" | Jeon and Vieres
|-
| style="padding: 0.2em 0.5em;" | [https://evemaps.dotlan.net/map/Verge_Vendor#const Verge Vendor]
| style="padding: 0.2em 0.5em;" | Obray and Woenckee 
|-
| style="padding: 0.2em 0.5em;" | [https://evemaps.dotlan.net/map/Placid#const Placid]
| style="padding: 0.2em 0.5em;" | Amevync, Pegeler, and Serthoulde
|}

== Capturing systems ==
[[File:FW-circle-of-death.png|thumb|200px|An illustration of how to capture (or defend) a star system in Factional Warfare (using a system contested by the Amarr and the Minmatar as an example).]]
The core mechanics of Factional Warfare revolve around capturing and holding star systems in the [[#War zones|war zones]]. This occurs in two steps:
* Attacking and completing [[#Complex information|complexes]] ("plexes") in a system to make the system vulnerable to capture.
* Once the system is vulnerable, attack and destroy ("capture") the system's [[#Infrastructure Hub|infrastructure hub]] (also known as an "i-Hub") to capture the system.

A system starts off as "stable" (or "uncontested"). The attacking faction (for instance, pilots flying for the Gallente attacking a Caldari-held system) must first attack and complete complexes in the system (this is known as "offensive plexing"); for each completed complex, the system becomes ever more "contested" (commonly quoted from 0% to 100%, sometimes also measured in [[#Victory points|victory points]]). Once a system has become 100% contested, it is listed as "vulnerable", and the attacking faction can then attack the system's infrastructure hub. Once the infrastructure hub is destroyed, the system is considered "lost" and will switch to the attacking faction's control after the next [[server downtime]]. 

During this time, the defending faction can also complete complexes in the system (this is known as "defensive plexing"); for each completed complex, the system becomes ever less "contested" (or, if it's currently "vulnerable", it will revert to being "contested"), all the way back to "stable". 

While a system is "vulnerable" or "lost", the attacking faction may still capture complexes, but they will not get any [[#Rewards|reward]] nor affect the system's capture. Additionally, once a system is "vulnerable", the defending faction needs only to capture a few complexes to revert the system to "contested" (and therefore render the infrastructure hub invulnerable again); the attacking faction only create a small "buffer" against this by capturing more complexes while the system is "vulnerable". Similarly, once the defending faction has captured enough complexes to revert a system to "stable", the attacking faction only needs to capture one complex to put the system back to "contested".  

Obviously, in addition to the mechanics above, pilots can (and should!) attack the other faction's pilots to stop them from completing their objectives! 

=== {{Anchor|Complex information}}Complexes ===
[[File:FW plex layout.png|thumb|left|200px|The layout of a complex. To enter a complex, you must first activate the complex' acceleration gate, which will warp you into the complex at its beacon. In order to capture the complex, you must stay within 30&nbsp;km of the capture point.]]
[[File:Scanner_Window_showing_plexes.jpg|thumb|200px|Complexes can be found via the [[Probe scanning|probe scanner]].]]
[[File:FW overview.png|thumb|200px|An [[overview]] showing typical Factional Warfare objects.
<ul>
<li>Red: [[#Infrastructure Hub|Infrastructure hub]]
<li>Light blue: [[#Complexes|Complexes]] (one medium and one small) which have already been visited
<li>Orange: Enemy [[#Factional Warfare missions|mission]] beacons
>/ul>]]
Factional Warfare Complexes, commonly known as "Plexes" (not to be confused with [[PLEX]]) are small areas of [[deadspace]] in war zone star systems. They are a type of [[Cosmic Anomaly]], which means that they show up on the system scanner (but do not need [[Probe scanning|scan probes]] to find), although once someone has warped to a complex, they will also show up on the [[Overview]] (even if someone initiated a warp to them, but cancelled it immediately). 

Like most other [[Deadspace]] Complexes, you cannot warp directly into them, but must first use an [[acceleration gate]], after which you will land at the complex' beacon (Open Complexes (see below) do not have an acceleration gate, but are still a deadspace grid); you cannot light a [[cyno|cynosural field]] inside or on grid outside a complex. As of the Loyalty to Lowsec Update in March 2020, pilots who are not active Faction Warfare participants will have to go suspect in order to take the gate<ref name="loyalty to lowsec">[https://www.eveonline.com/article/q6z2qy/patch-notes-for-march-2020-release Patch Notes for March 2020 Release]</ref>. The gate may be activated from up to 100km away (but warpins are measured from the beacon and may vary as all warps do, so warping at 100km does not guarantee you will be a ble to slide immediately).

At the center of each complex, a few kilometers away from the beacon, is the capture point (sometimes called a "button"). An NPC ship belonging to the faction controlling the star system defends the complex. 

==== Capturing complexes ====
In order to capture a complex, you must first clear the area (radius: 30&nbsp;km) around the capture point of enemy ships. If you're the attacking faction, this includes killing the defending NPC; if you're the defending faction, the NPC will obviously not fire on you, and you therefore you shouldn't destroy it (even if it appears as "hostile" on your [[overview]])!. Then you must stay inside the capture radius (within 30&nbsp;km of the capture point) until the complex' timer has counted down to 0 (you can see how much time is left by selecting the capture point), at which point you will have captured the complex! 

[[File:FW capturing plex.jpg|thumb|200px|An Amarr pilot capturing an Amarr complex ("defensive plexing"). The timer on the capture point shows how much time is left before the complex is captured.]]
Additional ships from your faction will not make the timer count down faster; if you leave the complex, the timer will pause (but will not reset). If an enemy ship enters the complex, the timer will also pause until ships from only one faction are present in the complex, and then it will resume counting down. Note that the timers for both factions are additive - so if a Caldari pilot has spent three minutes capturing a complex, and is then destroyed by an incoming Gallente pilot, the Gallente pilot would have to spend an ''extra'' three minutes in the complex in order to capture it (in order to "undo the capturing" previously done by the Caldari pilot, so to speak). 

No ship can [[cloaking|cloak]] within the capture radius of a complex<ref name="patch notes kronos 1.0">[http://community.eveonline.com/news/patch-notes/patch-notes-for-kronos Kronos 1.0 patch notes]</ref>. Neutral pilots (i.e. pilots who are not enlisted in a militia) can enter a complex, but cannot capture it (their presence doesn't affect the complex' timer). Pilots in a militia can capture complexes in their ally's warzone, but only on their ally's behalf (so, for example, a pilot fighting for the Minmatar could go to the Caldari-Gallente warzone and capture a complex on behalf of their ally (the Gallente)). 

Once a complex has been captured, it disappears from the scanner/overview and despawns after a few minutes. A new complex of the same size will spawn about 30 minutes after the previous one was captured. On average, there will be one or two complexes of each [[#Complex types|type]] in a system. However, if many players have been active in a system recently, it may be the case that, for a brief time, there are no complexes available to capture.

{{expansion past|Before the [[Expansions#Kronos|Kronos]] expansion, ships could cloak within the capture radius of complexes. This not only led plex farmers to fit cloaking devices to their ships (allowing them to cloak and escape at the first sign of danger), but also encouraged players to sit in a cloaked [[Stealth Bomber]] inside a complex (to ambush incoming ships).}}

==== Complex types ====
Complexes come in a variety of types<ref name="patch notes uprising">[https://www.eveonline.com/news/view/patch-notes-version-20-10#SNS Uprising patch notes]</ref>. They vary in:

* What kinds of ships are allowed to enter
* What NPC defends them
* How long it takes to capture them
* How many capsuleers the reward scales to

The name of a complex contains all information about its type. Names are formed as:

{{quote|[Rank / Size] + [ADV / NVY] + "-"[Number] OR [Open Complex]}}

* NVY - Short for "Navy". Indicates site only allows T1 and Navy ships to enter, no pirate faction, T2, or T3.
* ADV - Short for "Advanced". Indicates site allows T2 and Pirate Faction ships. SoCT and Triglavian ships are limited to these complexes.
* Number - This number indicates the number of characters the site reward scales to.
* Open Complex - This is an open site, a site without restrictions or an acceleration gate.
* Rank/Size - Controls which ship sizes are allowed in, capture times, and the NPC defenders, according to the following table.

{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:90%"
|- style=background-color: #222222;"
! style="padding: 0.3em;" | Type
! style="padding: 0.3em 1em;" | Capture time
! style="padding: 0.3em;" | Allowed ships
! style="padding: 0.3em 1em" | NPC defender
|-
| style="background-color:#333333;padding:0.3em;" | Scout
| style="text-align:center;" | 10 min
| style="padding:0.3em;" | Frigates and smaller
| style="text-align:center;" | Frigate
|-
| style="background-color:#333333;padding:0.3em;" | Small 
| style="text-align:center;" | 15 min
| style="padding:0.3em;" | Destroyers and smaller
| style="text-align:center;" | Destroyer
|-
| style="background-color:#333333;padding:0.3em;" | Medium
| style="text-align:center;" | 20 min 
| style="padding:0.3em;" | Cruisers and smaller
| style="text-align:center;" | Cruiser
|-
| style="background-color:#333333;padding:0.3em;" | Large
| style="text-align:center;" | 20 min
| style="padding:0.3em;" | Battleshipers and smaller
| style="text-align:center;" | Battlecruiser
|-
| style="background-color:#333333;padding:0.3em;" | Open
| style="text-align:center;" | 20 min
| style="padding:0.3em;" | Unrestricted
| style="text-align:center;" | Battlecruiser
|}

<small>* [[Venture]]s are no longer able to capture Faction Warfare Complexes.<ref name="Patch Notes For September 2019 Release">[https://www.eveonline.com/news/view/patch-notes-for-september-2019-release Patch Notes For September 2019 Release]</ref></small>

For example, Amarr Medium NVY-5 would indicate a site where the rewards scale to 5 capsuleers, and Tech 1 or Navy ships of size Cruiser or smaller are allowed inside.

While each type of complex contributes the same amount to capturing a system (measured in [[#Victory points|victory points]]), capturing larger complexes result in higher [[#Rewards|rewards]]. Additionally, capturing complexes in enemy-held systems gives higher rewards than capturing complexes in friendly-held systems. 

Complexes are defended by a single NPC (in rare cases, two); it's designed to be killed without too much trouble by a player ship of similar size. Once killed, the NPC defender will respawn after between 90 and 180 seconds for novice and small complexes. In medium and large complexes, the NPC respawns after between 90 and 300 seconds.<ref>[https://forums.eveonline.com/default.aspx?g=posts&t=343137 Eve forums: Kronos Factional Warfare Complex Improvements]</ref>

=== Battlefields ===

Along with normal Complexes, there are also much larger Factional Warfare sites called Battlefields.<ref name="patch notes uprising part 2">[https://www.eveonline.com/news/view/patch-notes-version-20-10-2 Uprising patch notes part 2]</ref>

Battlefields have a number of unique capture mechanics:

* Battlefields include multiple capture points (on grid with each other)
* Holding a capture point earns capture points for your faction when it ticks down
* Enemy faction NPCS and players block capture
* Pods cannot capture
* Winning a Battlefield provides a large amount of Loyalty Points to the winning side
* Winning a Battlefield provides a very large amount of Advantage to the winning faction's Advantage system level

Battlefields also have unique mechanics for capsuleers sliding in. The inside and outside are both full, normal [[Deadspace]]. The acceleration gate is further off the beacon than normal FW complexes (10-20km), and only allows T1 and Navy ships.

In contrast to normal Faction Warfare complexes, capture points are typically about 75-125km from the landing point for capsuleers who are not enrolled in Faction Warfare. Those enrolled in Faction Warfare may land closer to capture points.

=== Operation Centers ===

Operation Centers are level 3 [[Relic and data sites|data sites]] that can only be found in the "rearguard" systems of Faction Warfare [[Lowsec]] space. The sites can be scanned down by any capsuleer, but only participants in the opposing faction are able to hack the cans.

Operation Centers are named for the empire who's system they are in, such as "Caldari Operation Center". 

Each site contains 5 cans, one in each direction besides the landing point. The cans are mostly sleeper difficulty and can be failed as many times as necessary without consequences. If a can is successfully hacked, NPCs will arrive 5-10 seconds later and attack the hacker.

The most important loot in Operation Centers are the Encoder Splices (e.g. "Caldari Encoder Splice") and Decoder Packages (e.g. "Caldari Decoder Package"), because these sites are the only way to obtain them, and they are required to purchase the Propaganda Broadcast Structure and Listening Outpost, respectively. As such it is recommended to use a cargo scanner to find which can has the Splice and Decoders, and obtain them first.

=== Infrastructure Hub ===
[[File:Minmatar Infrastructure Hub.jpg|thumb|left|200px||An infrastructure hub ("i-Hub") in space.]]
The Infrastructure Hub (or "i-Hub") is a structure in space which the attacking faction needs to destroy in order to capture a system. The i-Hub can be found (and be warped to) from the Overview, but can only be damaged if the star system is in a [[#Capturing systems|"vulnerable" state]], and then only by pilots of the attacking faction (pilots of the defending faction, pilots in an allied militia, or neutral pilots cannot damage the i-Hub). 

The i-Hub has 25 million hitpoints (HP), with 7.5M HP each in shield and armor, and 10M HP in structure<ref>[http://games.chruker.dk/eve_online/item.php?type_id=29303 Chruker.dk item database]</ref>. This means that a medium-sized fleet is needed to destroy an i-Hub in a reasonable period of time (keeping in mind that its peak shield recharge rate is around 1700&nbsp;HP/s, which is the absolute minimum amount of DPS needed to break through its shields). Once the i-Hub is destroyed (technically, once it reaches 1% structure), the system will be "lost" and will switch to being occupied by the attacking faction after the next [[server downtime]]. 

As [[#Capturing systems|explained above]], if a system is "vulnerable", and if the defending faction can capture enough complexes, the system will revert back to "contested". The i-Hub will then become invulnerable again, and any damage which the attacking faction has so far managed to do to it is reset. Therefore, while attacking the i-Hub, the attacking faction must also prevent the defending faction from capturing complexes. 

The i-Hub is also the place where pilots of the defending faction can [[#System upgrades|donate loyalty points to upgrade the system]]. 

=== Victory points ===
Formally, how "contested" a system is is measured in how many victory points have been accumulated by the attacking faction for that system. If the attacking faction has not yet accumulated any victory points for that system, then the system is [[#Capturing systems|"stable"]], and if they then capture a complex (regardless of its size) they are rewarded with 20 victory points<ref name="GamerChick42">[http://www.gamerchick.net/2013/01/the-beginners-guide-to-faction-war.html GamerChick42: The Beginner's Guide to Faction War Plexing] (2013)</ref> (conversely, if the defending faction captures a complex, 20 victory points are subtracted). In order to bring a system to "vulnerable", the attacking faction must accumulate 3000 victory points (i.e. capture 150 complexes more than the defending faction). Once a system is vulnerable, the attacking faction can continue capturing complexes until they have a "buffer" of 100 victory points<ref name="patch notes inferno 1.3">[http://community.eveonline.com/news/patch-notes/patch-notes-for-inferno-1.3 Inferno 1.3 patch notes]</ref>; this is to give themselves some breathing room while they attack the [[#Infrastructure Hub|i-Hub]].

=== Advantage ===

Advantage in a system makes it easier to capture and defend a system. Advantage can be increased by winning Battlefields, deploying several deployable structures, or completing Rendezvous Point combat sites.

== System upgrades and warzone tier ==
=== System upgrades ===
[[File:FacWar Infra Hub upgrade dialog.jpg|thumb|200px|A system can be upgraded by donating loyalty points (LP) at the system's infrastructure hub. This system is currently at Level 3, nearing Level 4.]]
Players participating in Factional Warfare can donate the [[LP|loyalty points (LP)]] they [[#Rewards|earned with their militia corporation]] to "upgrade" the star systems which their faction currently controls. To do this, they must fly to the system's [[#Infrastructure Hub|infrastructure hub]], right-click on it, select the "open system upgrade panel" option, and select how much LP they would like to donate. This window also lists the benefits of upgrading a system<ref name="patch notes inferno 1.0">[http://community.eveonline.com/news/patch-notes/patch-notes-for-inferno Inferno 1.0 patch notes]</ref>:
* lower broker fees for contracts and market orders (-10% per system upgrade level) 
* lower costs for industry activities in NPC stations (-10% per upgrade level)<ref name="patch notes crius 1.0">[http://community.eveonline.com/news/patch-notes/patch-notes-for-crius Crius 1.0 patch notes]</ref>
When you donate LP, a part is lost as a "[[Tax#Maintenance_tax|maintenance tax]]" (for example, if you donate 1000 LP, and the maintenance tax is 5%, then only 950 LP are actually counted towards upgrading the system). The maintenance tax starts at 0% and increases the higher their [[#Faction tier|faction's tier]] is, up to about 75%<ref name="patch notes inferno 1.3" /><ref>[https://forums.eveonline.com/default.aspx?g=posts&m=3630457 EVE Forums: maintenance tax]</ref>. The LP you donate is put into a pool with the LP donated by other players from your faction in that system, and the size of that pool determines the system's upgrade level. A system can be upgraded up to level 5. 
{{example|In the screenshot on the right, Caldari militia members have donated a total of 129,360 LP in that system, which equates to an upgrade level of 3. In order to each level 4, they would have to donate an additional 10,640 LP to bring the total to at least 140,000 LP.}} 

The total amount of LP required to upgrade a system is<ref name="patch notes inferno 1.3" />:
* Level 1: 40,000 LP
* Level 2: 60,000 LP
* Level 3: 90,000 LP
* Level 4: 140,000 LP
* Level 5: 200,000 LP
* Buffer: 300,000 LP

[[File:FW system information.jpg|thumb|left|200px|The system information display.]]
You can check the current upgrade level of a system (along with the associated benefits) through the system information display at the top-left of the screen. Here you can see who currently controls the system, the [[#Capturing systems|system state]] (stable / contested / vulnerable / lost) and its upgrade level. 

Beyond providing benefits for the system itself, upgrading star systems also contributes to the overall [[#Faction tier|tier]] of the war zone, which can bring additional benefits. 

The amount of LP in a system's pool is reduced every time a player from the attacking faction captures a complex in that system; 10% of the LP [[#Rewards|reward]] they receive is subtracted from the system's LP pool<ref name="dev blog fast forward" />. 
{{example|A Gallente pilot captures a novice complex in a Caldari-held system. The Gallente pilot is rewarded (say) 10,000 LP for her efforts, and hence, the Caldari LP pool for that system is reduced by 10% of that (1,000 LP in this case).}}
If the amount of LP in the pool drops below the threshold required for the current system level, then the system's upgrade level will drop accordingly. The defending faction can counteract this by donating more LP to the pool; even if the system is at level 5, they can continue donating LP into a so-called "buffer" (i.e. more LP than is needed to reach level 5) to stop the system dropping to level 4 as soon as one enemy pilot captures a complex.

If a system is captured by the attacking faction, then all the upgrades are lost and the system reverts to its base (i.e. "un-upgraded") state.

=== Faction tier ===
[[File:FW Warzone control window 10 Dec 2013.jpg|thumb|200px|The state of the Caldari-Gallente war zone in December 2013, as seen from a Caldari station. This window shows the number of systems controlled by the Caldari, their upgrade levels, and the resulting tier.]]
The more systems in a [[#War zones|war zone]] a faction controls and the more those systems are [[#System upgrades|upgraded]], the higher the [[#Rewards|rewards]] the pilots who fight for that faction receive. This is represented by the "faction tier" mechanic: each faction receives a point for each system they control in their war zone, plus an additional point for every system level upgrade (so an un-upgraded system is worth 1 point, a system upgraded to level 1 is worth 2 points, a system upgraded to level 2 is worth 3 points, a system upgraded to level 3 is worth 4 points, and so forth). 

The number of points a faction has is then compared to the total number of available points in a war zone (which is equal to the number of systems in the war zone multiplied by 6 (as a system can be upgraded up to level 5, and a level 5 system is worth 6 points)). 
* Amarr-Minmatar war zone: 70 systems (420 points available)
* Caldari-Gallente war zone: 101 systems (606 points available)

Hence, the number of points a faction has determines its tier<ref name="patch notes inferno 1.0" />:
* 0-20% of the total number of available points: Tier 1
* 21-40% of the total number of available points: Tier 2
* 41-60% of the total number of available points: Tier 3
* 61-80% of the total number of available points: Tier 4
* 81-100% of the total number of available points: Tier 5

The main effect of faction tier is that it affects how many [[loyalty points]] you receive for various activities you do in Factional Warfare; the higher your faction's tier, the higher your [[#Rewards|rewards]]<ref name="patch notes inferno 1.3" />. 
* Tier 1: -50% LP rewards
* Tier 2: (no effect)
* Tier 3: +75% LP rewards
* Tier 4: +150% LP rewards
* Tier 5: +225% LP rewards

For example, the base reward for capturing a novice complex in an enemy-held system is 10,000 LP. If your faction is at Tier 1, then you will only receive 5000 LP, while if your faction was at Tier 4, you would receive 25,000 LP for capturing that same complex! This bonus affects [[#Capturing complexes|capturing complexes]] and [[#Factional Warfare missions|running missions]], but not [[#Destroying enemy player's ships|ship kills]]. 

If you open the [[#Joining Factional Warfare|militia window]] in a station then you can see the tier of that faction's war zone (so the militia office at a Minmatar station would show the tiers in the Amarr-Minmatar war zone), as well as the number of systems (and their upgrade levels) currently controlled by that faction. [https://evemaps.dotlan.net/factionwarfare Dotlan] also shows the system occupancy and the [[#Capturing systems|system state]] (stable/contested/vulnerable), but not the system upgrade level or the faction tier.

== Factional Warfare missions ==
{{main|Factional Warfare missions}}
Each of the four Factional Warfare NPC corporations ("militias") have a number of agents which offer missions to pilots enlisted with their militia (and their allied militia). These missions are similar to the [[Missions#Encounter_Missions|encounter missions]] offered by agents of [[Empire]] corporations, but they are run exclusively in the war zones (although they do not contribute to capturing or defending star systems in those war zones). You are rewarded with ISK and loyalty points (LP) for completing these missions. 

== Rewards ==
While the primary reason for Factional Warfare is to encourage PvP in low-sec, players are also rewarded directly for participating in the Factional Warfare mechanics. 
=== Complexes and i-Hubs ===
If you capture a [[#Complex information|complex]] you are rewarded with [[loyalty points]] (for your faction's militia corporation, so a pilot flying for the Gallente would receive LP for the Federal Defense Union). The LP rewards for capturing a complex in an enemy-held system ("offensive plexing") depend on the size of the complex and on your faction's [[#Faction tier|tier]]. You have to be within the complex' capture radius at the moment it's completed (i.e. when the timer runs out) to receive a reward; if there are multiple pilots within the complex at the moment it's completed, the LP reward is split evenly between them (irrespective of how long they have been there). You get no rewards for partially completing a complex! 

[[File:Defensive-plex-reward.png|thumb|200px|The LP rewards for capturing a complex in a friendly-held system. This example is based on a novice complex at tier 2 (base reward: 10,000 LP).]]
{| class=wikitable style="font-size: 90%; text-align: center"
|- style="background-color: #222222;"
! style="background-color:#333333;" | Complex size
! style="padding: 0.1em 1em" | Tier 1<br><span style="font-weight:normal; font-size:95%">(-50% LP)</span>
! style="padding: 0.1em 1em" | Tier 2<br><span style="font-weight:normal; font-size:95%">(base)</span>
! style="padding: 0.1em 1em" | Tier 3<br><span style="font-weight:normal; font-size:95%">(+75% LP)</span>
! style="padding: 0.1em 1em" | Tier 4<br><span style="font-weight:normal; font-size:95%">(+150% LP)</span>
! style="padding: 0.1em 1em" | Tier 5<br><span style="font-weight:normal; font-size:95%">(+225% LP)</span>
|-
| style="background-color:#333333; text-align:left" | Novice
|5000 LP
|10,000 LP
|17,500 LP
|25,000 LP
|32,500 LP
|-
| style="background-color: #333333; text-align: left;" | Small
|8750 LP
|17,500 LP
|30,625 LP
|43,750 LP
|56,875 LP
|-
| style="background-color: #333333; text-align: left;" | Medium
|12,500 LP
|25,000 LP
|43,750 LP
|62,500 LP
|81,250 LP
|-
| style="background-color: #333333; text-align: left;" | Large
|12,500 LP
|25,000 LP
|43,750 LP
|62,500 LP
|81,250 LP
|-
| style="background-color:#333333; text-align:left;" | Open
| style="padding:0.1em 1em" | 15,000 LP
| style="padding:0.1em 1em" | 30,000 LP
| style="padding:0.1em 1em" | 52,500 LP
| style="padding:0.1em 1em" | 75,000 LP
| style="padding:0.1em 1em" | 97,500 LP
|}

If you capture a complex in a friendly-held system ("defensive plexing"), you receive a reduced reward based on [[#Capturing systems|how contested the system is]]. The formula for this is<ref name="dev blog fast forward">[http://community.eveonline.com/news/dev-blogs/73491 Dev blog: Fast Forward] (2012)</ref>: 

:{{co|wheat|2=LP reward = Base reward of complex * (Contested percentage of the system/100) * 0.75}}

This means capturing a complex in a friendly-held system will pay out, at most, 75% as much as capturing an equivalent complex in an enemy-held system, and the closer the system is to "stable", the lower the reward.

The base reward for destroying an [[#Infrastructure Hub|infrastructure hub ("i-Hub")]] is 40,000 LP, split between all the pilots who damaged the i-Hub. 

{| class=wikitable style="font-size: 90%; text-align: center; border-style: none"
|- style="background-color: #222222;"
! style="background-color: transparent; border-style:none;" | 
! style="padding: 0.1em 1em" | Tier 1<br><span style="font-weight:normal; font-size:95%">(-50% LP)</span>
! style="padding: 0.1em 1em" | Tier 2<br><span style="font-weight:normal; font-size:95%">(base)</span>
! style="padding: 0.1em 1em" | Tier 3<br><span style="font-weight:normal; font-size:95%">(+75% LP)</span>
! style="padding: 0.1em 1em" | Tier 4<br><span style="font-weight:normal; font-size:95%">(+150% LP)</span>
! style="padding: 0.1em 1em" | Tier 5<br><span style="font-weight:normal; font-size:95%">(+225% LP)</span>
|-
| style="background-color:#333333; text-align:left" | Infrastructure hub
| style="padding: 0.1em 1em" | 20,000 LP
| style="padding: 0.1em 1em" | 40,000 LP
| style="padding: 0.1em 1em" | 70,000 LP
| style="padding: 0.1em 1em" | 100,000 LP
| style="padding: 0.1em 1em" | 130,000 LP
|-
|}

=== Missions ===
Missions  in Factional Warfare, just like missions anywhere else in EVE, pay in both ISK and loyalty points (LP). The rewards from these missions depend on both the mission level (i.e. their difficulty) and the [[Security Rating|security rating]] of the system where the agent is located (the lower the security rating, the higher the rewards). Any levels of the {{sk|Negotiation|icon=yes}} and {{sk|Security Connections|icon=yes}} skills you have trained increase the ISK and LP rewards, respectively. In addition (just like with capturing complexes), the LP rewards are also affected by your [[#Faction tier|faction's tier]] (so if a mission normally pays, say 1000 LP, but your faction is at tier 3, you would receive 1000 + 75% = 1750 LP). Since these different bonuses stack, the LP rewards from high-level missions (when combined with a high faction tier and a few levels of the Security Connections skill) can be very high indeed. 

Note that, unlike missions in Empire space, the NPC enemies you kill in Factional Warfare missions do not have bounties on them and drop very little loot (other than Navy tags, which can be sold or used to buy items in the LP store).  

=== Destroying enemy player's ships ===
{{note box | The recent update suggests that the LP reward is approximately equal to Tier 5 level rewards (+225%). A flat 3.25 multiplier has been added to the equation, but testing is needed to confirm that this is the exact value.}} 

In addition to any loot you may recover from the wreck of any enemy player's ships you destroy, you will also receive loyalty points based on the value of the ship<ref>[http://community.eveonline.com/news/dev-blogs/28659 Dev blog: Factional Warfare overhaul] (2012)</ref> you killed (including modules and the contents of their cargo bay):  
:{{co|wheat|2=LP reward = 3.25 * (value of ship hull - value of ship insurance + value of modules/rigs/subsystem/cargo) / 10000}}

As with capturing complexes, if several pilots are involved in killing a ship, the reward is shared equally between them<ref>[http://community.eveonline.com/news/dev-blogs/war-is-a-full-time-job Dev Blog: "War is a full-time job"] (2009)</ref>. The LP reward scales with faction tier, but is capped at 50,000 LP per kill.  

=== Factional Warfare LP store ===
As with all corporations which reward loyalty points (LP), the four faction militia corporations each have a [[Skillbooks_from_Loyalty_Point_Stores|LP store]] where you can buy implants, modules, ships, blueprints and skillbooks with the LP you have earned. These stores stock a similar range of items to their respective faction navies' LP stores, but at a discount (for example, the [[Apocalypse Navy Issue]] costs 600,000 LP from the [https://www.ellatha.com/eve/lp/Amarr-Navy Amarr Navy] LP store, but only 250,000 LP from the [https://www.ellatha.com/eve/lp/24th-Imperial-Crusade 24th Imperial Crusade] LP store). 

{{expansion past | Before the [[Expansions#Inferno|Inferno]] expansion, the faction tier directly reduced prices in each militia's LP store (so an item would be cheaper the higher the faction tier)<ref name="patch notes inferno 1.3" />. This led to a massive see-saw as the factions earned their LP at lower tiers, then made a massive push to tier 5, cashed out all their LP into items (promptly crashing the markets for those items), before letting their tier drop again.}}

=== Standings and ranks ===
{{main|Factional Warfare Standings}}
Participating in Factional Warfare can impact your [[standings]] towards, notably, the militia corporations and the empire factions. High standings towards your faction militia corporation not only grants you access to higher-level [[#Factional Warfare missions|mission agents]], but also awards you "ranks" (which are visible on the "decorations" tab in your character sheet). You are promoted to a higher rank every time your standings reach an integer number (i.e. 1.0, 2.0, 3.0 - unmodified); when you are promoted, you also receive a one-off bonus to your standings with your faction. Otherwise, your rank is purely cosmetic. 

== Permanent war ==
Being enlisted in a Factional Warfare militia (be it as a solo player or as a corporation) means that you are constantly at war with:
* the players enlisted in the two enemy militias, and
* the [[#Factional alliances|two enemy NPC factions]]. 

The first of these is similar to being a member of a player-run [[corporation]] which is [[War Declaration|at war with another player-run corporation]]. You can attack pilots who are enlisted in the enemy militia anywhere in New Eden ([[CONCORD]] or sentry guns will not interfere) without impacting your [[security status]] (and, of course, they can also attack you!). This effect is most felt in high-sec, where you now have to be on the lookout for enemy players. 

The second of these restricts your movement through high-sec systems controlled by the two enemy factions. If you enter one of these systems, you will get a text warning on your screen; if you don't leave the system promptly, you will be attacked by NPC faction navy ships. These ships are more powerful the higher the [[Security Rating|security rating]] of the system you are in, and will use [[electronic warfare]] against you (such as [[Capacitor warfare|neuts/nos]] and [[web]]s). They will point you, but they will web you first, meaning if you warp off immediately it requires a very slow ship to be caught. They also do not scram, so if you are caught, you can still MJD to escape. Unlike CONCORD, it's certainly feasible to survive encounters with them - but they make travel through enemy-held high-sec a hassle at the least). The in-game star map (or a third-party site like [https://evemaps.dotlan.net/map Dotlan]) can help you to plan safe routes. 

Additionally, you cannot dock in stations controlled by the enemy NPC factions in the [[#War zones|war zones]] (but you can dock at enemy NPC stations in all other parts of space). This means that if you have items or ships in a station which is now held by the enemy faction you cannot access them until your faction takes the system back (although, in a pinch, you can create a [[contract]] to a neutral player, alt, or hauling service to get your items out). 

== Leaving Factional Warfare ==
You can leave Factional Warfare at any time through the Militia window if you joined as a solo player (or, for an entire corporation, the CEO or Director can do this). You will keep any loyalty points you have earned, but will no longer be able to participate in the formal Factional Warfare mechanics (capturing complexes and systems, or running missions). Additionally, you can re-enlist at any time (provided you [[#Joining Factional Warfare|meet the criteria]]).  

If at any point your (unmodified, i.e. without taking [[Skills:Social|skills]] into account) standings towards your faction drop below 0.0, you will receive a warning mail to raise them back up at the next [[server downtime]]. If you have not recovered your standings until the downtime after that (i.e. two downtimes after the standing drop), you will be instantly kicked out of the FW militia. The same rules apply for corporation who join FW, except that in that case it's the corporation's faction standings which counts.

After you leave Factional Warfare the navies of your enemy factions will still attack you for several hours (even if you join the opposing faction militia!)  Your status as an "enemy of the state" does not show up in your standings, so be careful when you attempt to travel. Either re-logging into your character or waiting up to 16 hours is enough for the enemy navies to forget about you, though this mechanic remains unexplored as to whether it is functioning as intended or in any form of consistency.<ref name="EVE forums: Enemy of the State mechanics">[http://forums.eveonline.com/default.aspx?g=posts&find=unread&t=384153 EVE forums: Enemy of the State mechanics] (2014)</ref>

== References ==
<references />

== External links ==
* [http://www.gamerchick.net/2013/01/the-beginners-guide-to-faction-war.html GamerChick42: Beginner's guide to Factional War] (2013)
* [https://forum.eveuniversity.org/viewtopic.php?f=105&t=12193 Factional Warfare: What is it, what is there in for me?] (2009)

[[Category:Faction Warfare]]