Drifters

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Drifters

The Drifters were added in Tiamat, with the Coming To EVE In Tiamat dev blog saying:

“

Smarter and more cunning adversaries will begin to appear after the release of Tiamat. You should make sure that you keep an eye on what they're up to, and make sure that you stay locked and loaded whenever you come into contact with them. Things are moving in New Eden, be sure to follow in-game news and uncover these features in-game.

”

A picture of Drifters released with the expansion highlights

Drifter Battleship concept art.

Unidentified Structure concept art.

Drifters

The Drifters faction is similar to that of other NPC organizations such as the empire and pirate factions. By default, no capsuleer has standings with them. As soon as you kill Drifter ships, you will quickly gain negative standings (12% per battleship kill). Negative standings don't seem to have any effect currently.

Drifters Emerging from the ruins of the Sleeper civilization spread throughout Anoikis – otherwise known as 'W-space' – the Drifters represent a tremendous challenge and perhaps a dire threat to the empires and capsuleers alike. Seemingly the inheritors of a legacy left behind by some of the most ancient Jove, the Drifters are unafraid to wield tremendous power in response to any who get in their way. In this regard, the Drifters are a very different conundrum than the relatively benign presence that was the Jove Empire.

Vigilant Tyrannos

The Drifters faction has one member corp, the Vigilant Tyrannos corporation. Their CEO is Tyrannos Strategos and so far three pilot names have been encountered: Apollo Tyrannos, Artemis Tyrannos and Arithmos Tyrannos, the latter only in C5 and C6 wormhole escalations. As the Drifters have been found to harvest capsuleer, Jove and sleeper corpses, one speculation is that all identically named Drifters are clones of each other. The name Tyrannos may point to the long lost 2nd Jove Empire, which was erected and by the so called 1st Tyrant Miko Bour and later reigned by so-called Tyrants, powerful but not really tyrannical leaders.

Evidence points to various connections of the Drifters to New Eden's factions:

• Jove observatories have been decloaking in k-space and Jove corpses are floating in the Drifter wormhole systems.
• Sleeper ships and installations also appear together with the Drifters in wormholes.
• Sansha Revenant Supercarrier wrecks are also found in the Drifter wormhole systems.
• Fleets of Sisters of Eve ships can be seen as well in those wormholes and the alpha clone technology pioneered by the SoE may be connected to the Drifters as well.

Vigilant Tyrannos CONCORD intelligence reports indicate that Drifter military formations are operating under a single command structure represented by an enclave level organization with the designation 'Vigilant Tyrannos'. Despite monitoring the movements of ships broadcasting the identifier of this organization, no further information as to the motivation or goals of this force has been gleaned.

Ships

Little is known about the Drifters' ships, but so far capsuleers have encountered the following ship:

Drifter Battleship

Drifter Battleship CONCORD's analysis of this battleship has been hampered by its advanced hull and shielding. The propulsion system is unfamiliar but tentative theories have suggested that the vessel somehow directly interacts with the fabric of space-time while moving. The standard weapon systems of this ship appear to be semi-autonomous and effective against a range of targets. DED contact briefings suggest the free floating turrets are a secondary weapon, with an extremely dangerous primary weapon held in reserve against those this ship's commander considers a significant threat. Threat level: Critical

Encounters with these ships have revealed several unique mechanics related to them alone. One such mechanic is that of an "overshield" - an additional layer of shielding coloured blue on the targeting display. When this blue shield has been depleted, target locks on the Drifter break, in the manner of ECM. Many have also reported that the Drifters' weapons deal massive amounts of damage, difficult for any sub-capital ship to tank without a specialised fit. Even capital ships are not immune, with many carriers being lost to Drifters, many by players attempting to test their capabilities. It has been stated by CCP that the Drifters will not drop loot.

If you are attempting to take down a Drifter, a recommended tactic is to have a ship with a powerful active tank, such as a Marauder or Command Ship. Then, use a carrier to assign fighters to the ship, and use these to kill the Drifter. Another viable tactic is to fly a fast, long ranged ship. Many have reported success with this tactic, as the Drifters' weapons appear to have a maximum range.

Related links

Below are a few links to related pages about these Drifters.

• CONCORD Assembly Lowers Alert Status as Capsuleer Encounters with "Drifters" Raise Questions
• Unidentified Structures Uncloaked, Sightings of "Drifters"
• Drifters - An Overview