Shipcaster Shadow War

The Shipcaster Shadow War is the current Factional Campaign for EVE factional warfare. It began on March 14, 2023

Campaign overview

The four great empires of New Eden are racing to develop and construct the first Interstellar Shipcasters: massive structures capable of launching allied pilots across space to give them a decisive edge in the conflict over lowsec warzones.

Building and operating these Shipcasters will require mastery of two new Triglavian-derived technologies: novel Transport Relay technology discovered in Triglavian facilities on the storm planet Athounon V, and advanced Stellar Transmuter technology that was reverse-engineered from Triglavian Dazh Porevitium Transmuters and recently tested in Vard, Egmar, and Turnur, with devastating consequences in the latter case.

Each empire has requested capsuleer support to obtain the research data required to complete their understanding of both technologies and then to assemble Shipcaster structures powered by nearby Stellar Transmuters within their territory so that they can use them to provide their militas with a significant mobility advantage in factional warfare.

(From: The Agency, Shipcaster Shadow War Overview)

Research Structures The process of stealing this data involves running the State Research Data Node sites.

Waylaid Couriers The process of attacking Waylaid Couriers, defeating the mercenaries wanting to get at the data, and salvaging it for yourself.

Additional information

In order to construct an operational Interstellar Shipcaster, each empire must first gain mastery of both technologies and then they can begin constructing the Stellar Transmuter and Shipcaster facilities themselves.

Each empire is calling on loyal capsuleers to steal and reconstruct classified datacores taken from facilities belonging to the empires that currently possess the technologies that they require.

For example: if your chosen empire currently possesses the Transport Relay technology but does not yet possess the Stellar Transmuter technology, you can assist them by attacking the empire(s) that do have the Stellar Transmuter technology and collecting the datacore components from that empire's facilities.

(From: The Agency, Shipcaster Shadow War Overview)

Joining the campaign

Pledging support to one of the four Empires, is accomplished through The Agency utility in NEOCOM (Home > Encounters > Factional Campaigns > Shipcaster Shadow War).

Join the Shipcaster Shadow War by navigating to the Factional Campaign in The Agency.

It is important to note that supporting one of the Empires, neither enlists you in Faction Warfare, nor prevents supporting other empires in future campaigns. However, pilots enlisted in Faction Warfare for a certain militia, you can only support that militia’s Empire in the Shadow War. You cannot change your selection once you confirm your choice.

When first opening the campaign window in The Agency, a pilot will be presented with an overview of the campaign, and a graphic button that leads to the ability to select an Empire to support for the duration of the campaign. Clicking on an Empire in this second screen will allow a pilot to review the objectives and rewards for that Empire, before confirming their selection.

Prior to confirming the selection of an Empire to support, a pilot may review the rewards for each Empire.

Once a pilot confirms their Empire selection, the Factional Campaign window will instead display a list of objectives and rewards - and the progress of the Empire and Pilot for these categories.

The Gallente Empire progress screen in the Shipcaster Shadow War Factional Campaign

Event Sites

Event Site Overview

Furthering the goals of each Empire starts with running various event sites. The following information comes directly from the patch notes of version 21.03.

• Research Data Node Hacking sites require core scan probes to locate, and you'll need a data analyzer to access the containers. These hacking sites are limited to Navy faction and Tech 1 frigates.

• Waylaid Courier Salvaging sites will require a player to destroy NPCs and have a fitted salvager module - due to the complexity of the encryption used for the classified courier wrecks, salvaging drones are not capable of accessing them. These salvaging sites are limited to Tech I and Faction destroyers, and Tech I, faction and Tech II frigates.

• Besieged Research Labs will require dangerous combat. Destroy NPCs which have reinforced an empire laboratory, and once you've cleared them out, destroy the lab and take the contents for yourself - they can be completed solo but expect a challenge, you may want to bring friends. These dangerous combat sites are limited to Tech I and Navy battlecruisers, and Tech I, faction and Tech II cruisers, and all frigates and destroyers including Tech 3 and below.

• Steal and recover research data fragments, index files, decryption keys and datacore blueprints from these sites, manufacture datacores using the blueprints, and then turn them in to your faction for reward crates and event progression points used to unlock more rewards.

You can turn in the datacores at laboratories which have been setup in each empire's HQ system.

• Amarr - Mehatoor
• Caldari - Onnamon
• Gallente - Intaki
• Minmatar - Amo

Transport Relay research associated sites will be initially present in Caldari occupied factional warfare systems, and in the highsec around Onnamon - in the Aokinen and Minnen constellations

Stellar Transmuter research associated sites will be initially present in Amarr and Minmatar occupied factional warfare systems, and also including the highsec around Mehatoor and Amo - in the Kisana, Ryra, Tiat and Ani constellations.

The locations of where these sites will be available will increase as each faction gains mastery over each research.

• These sites will give ALL capsuleers a suspect timer when taking the acceleration gate into the site, so be prepared for intense PVP action.
• Be aware that this means that legal combat can happen between otherwise friendly players, such as members of allied militias. You never know who might happen to be on someone elses payroll!

The Construction Phase will unlock once a faction completes BOTH the relay transport and stellar transmuter research projects.

• Once the construction phase is completed, the shipcaster will be complete!

State Research Data Node

See State Research Data Node

Waylaid Couriers

See Waylaid Couriers