After years as the victims of senseless violence, the Blood Raider Covenant has finally begun to make its presence felt in the universe. Rumor has been breezing through stations and citadels for some time of a fundamental shift in the Covenant’s tactics and technology. Recently it has been discovered that this pirate faction has built and deployed their own Sotiyo-class Engineering Complex, and it would seem that they have the means to defend it. Already, the first probing fleets sent against the Blood Raider stronghold have been wiped out. And in the expected course of things, these space vampires have not only destroyed the assaulting ships but attacked and destroyed the pods of the doomed pilots for their celebrations.
That’s No Moon, Its a Space Station
In the time since INN reported that the Blood Raider Sotiyo had been officially located in the system of E-DOF2 many eyes have turned towards the region of Period Basis. Groups across New Eden are eager to see which organizations would be the first to dip their toes into this most dangerous of PVE activities.
When INN staff investigated the pre-patch version of the Blood Raider citadel (on Sisi), they told stories of several fleets of NPC’s that employed anchors and burned perches to jump to and from the fight. Many hundreds of NPCs worked in ways that very much mimicked the fleet tactics seen during the massive fleet engagements of Null sec. Hundreds of swarming Space Vampires appeared to be eager for payback for years of being farmed all across the universe.
The First of Many
Period Basis, where the Sotiyo was found, is currently under the purview of the Red Alliance. So it comes as no surprise that RA were the first victims of the Blood Raider’s vengeance. A fleet of not quite 2 dozen went to try their might against the Blood Raiders. Unfortunately, the 17 Rattlesnakes and 5 mixed shield logistic vessels didn’t stand much of a chance. A spokesman for the Blood Raiders, however, expressed disappointment that no pods were secured for their celebration.
The next fleet was less lucky. A mixed TEST fleet comprised of bombers and tactical destroyers, as well as few other T1 and T2 frigates—and for some reason, an Onyx—tried their luck on the field. Based on the fleet makeup and the lack of significant logistical support, it appears that these TEST Alliance souls were out for different fish entirely and were caught unawares. In this case, the Blood Raiders did feast on the pods. It’s possible, being so far from home, that the TEST pilots intentionally fed themselves to the space vampires to shorten their trip back to friendlier space. A request for comment was sent out but has so far gone unanswered.
One Reddit user going by TimHM1, in response to having TEST called out for this fleet loss, did have this to say, “You mean TEST that got personally congratulated by CCP for destroying 60 and then 200 battleships, that TEST?” It is unclear whether that means that there were more craft involved in the action and these were the stragglers that ended up dead, or if Tim is referencing a different fight altogether. It does strain credibility that a fleet large enough to power through 200 Blood Raider battleships wouldn’t have drawn far more attention, and losses than the report shows.
Looking Ahead
Regardless of the specifics of these two small skirmishes, it is a safe bet that the violence has only just begun in Period Basis. Start with the extreme difficulty of dealing with so many advanced AI NPCs (to say nothing of the cap pressure from a hundred Bhaalgorns). Then add in the vast numbers of NPC’s and the amount of Tank and Logistics that will be required. It virtually mandates a commitment of capital and super capital fleets. Whoever is willing to commit those fleets then has to also calculate in the fact that any fleet that size is going to draw in every “third party” in EVE to come try to disrupt operations.
This reporter plans to keep a close watch on E-DOF2 for more developments.
