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Incursion 1.5 patch bringing agent changes to EVE
Significant changes are in the offing for NPC mission agents in EVE Online. A new CCP dev blog details the tweaks, which are currently on the Singularity test server and scheduled to go live on Tranquility with tomorrow's Incursion 1.5 patch. Prior to the patch, each NPC corporation had up to 21 divisions (security, distribution, etc.), each with agents that gave out different types of missions. CCP Molock notes that "these divisions and values did little other than adding complexity to an already complex game," and the devs have condensed said divisions into a more manageable set of four: distribution, mining, security, and research. The tweaks necessitated the removal of the game's seven connections skills, which were then replaced with three new skills (distribution connections, mining connections, and security connections). Players who had previously trained connections skills will find their skill points refunded. EVE's agent quality system was also a bit of a puzzler for both players and devs, and Molock says its "effects were not particularly meaningful." CCP is reassigning both a -20 and a +20 value to all the game's agents, which will effectively make it easier to access many of them as well as raise their payouts. Further details are available via the full dev blog at the official EVE website.
EVE Online Lead Content Creator explains epic mission arcs for pirate factions
One of the new content additions coming to EVE Online this December are Epic Mission Arcs for two of New Eden's pirate factions -- the Guristas and the Angel Cartel. Scott Holden (aka CCP Molock) is the Lead Content Creator at CCP Games who has overseen the inclusion of the new pirate missions into EVE. Holden recently discussed some of the specifics of pirate mission running with Mondes Persistants. The epic arcs for the Guristas and Angel Cartel will offer up roughly 10-12 branching missions, says Holden. The Guristas arc will largely be based in nullsec space in Venal, but players will be able to begin in Orvolle (high security) or low security starting points like Taisy. The Angel Cartel epic mission arcs will mostly be based in the Curse region, the stomping grounds of the Cartel. Would-be devotees to the Angel cause (of sabotage, extortion, and general mayhem) will be able to embark on the faction's mission arc from solar systems like Sendaya or Konora in low sec. Surprisingly, it seems that a player doesn't need high pirate faction standings to access either the Guristas or Angel Cartel epic mission arcs. Players with good standings with empire factions will be able to jump into the pirate mission arcs via mission agents found in low security space.
EVE mission runners and their tormentors rejoice! New Level 4 agents added
Mission running in EVE Online is one of the more lucrative activities players can spend their time doing, at least while in the safety of high security space. The cumulative rewards from NPC bounties, loyalty points, salvage, and loot -- in addition to the mission rewards from NPC agents -- make Level 4 missions a decent ISK/hour income for many of EVE Online's pilots. Level 4 missions are the most popular, due to their relative ease and multiple battleship (high bounty) NPC spawns which yield better loot drops and more salvage components, as well as optimal loyalty point gain. However, the grouping of agents that give the best missions leads to 'mission hubs' where hundreds of players operate in the same solar systems. The latest dev blog by EVE's lead content creator CCP Molock is simply titled "New Level 4 Agents", and deals with dispersing the crowds (and clutter) from some of the high sec mission hubs in New Eden. CCP Games has added twenty-three new level 4 agents to the game in locations a bit removed from the heavily populated mission hubs, hopefully encourage more mission runners to fill quieter solar systems in the galaxy. Molock lists the new agents, along with their corporation and quality, as well as system security ratings for each location.
EVE Online's first Epic Mission Arc to arrive with Apocrypha expansion
It's no secret to EVE Online players that running missions in high security space is pretty much a guaranteed path to wealth, even if only because of how predictable the scenarios are. Speak with an agent and accept a mission, look up the details by pointing your in-game browser to EVE-Survival: Mission Reports, gear up properly and watch the ISK fill your wallet as you down NPC pirate after pirate. Profitable, sure, but doing this for weeks on end will probably have you craving some more variety in your PvE gameplay. Hopefully EVE players will be getting that variety through more engaging storylines beginning next month, as developer CCP Molock explains in his latest dev blog. The Apocrypha expansion will introduce "Epic Missions", a departure from the standard rinse-and-repeat when accepting agent missions. These new missions will be linked together in an ongoing storyline, played out across a number of missions. Players will make choices that determine the outcomes of Epic Missions via the new branching system that will accompany these missions. The rewards will be on par with standard agent missions, but the completion of a chapter and especially an arc will provide some exceptional rewards, CCP Molock says.
