When talking about DUST 514 or its cousin EVE Online, one has to resist the urge to fall into the glistening web of intrigues, wars, and betrayal that is New Edens meta-narrative. One has to understand that players log on to EVE and DUST because they enjoy the games. They dont all expect to spark the next Asakai or wage the next 6-VDTH. That said, players enjoy creating narratives just as much as we love reading about them. EVE and DUST operate on two equal yet very different levels. Understanding how those two levels interact is often key to understanding why EVE and DUST have such rabid fans.

A few weeks ago, GamesRadar took a long, hard look at EVE Onines Fountain War. That series focused on the events taking place as though the politicking and battles were real, historical events. Hardly any words were devoted to the experiences and desires of the individual players. In looking at the conflict in Molden Heath, we want to take a different approach, focusing on the intersection of player experience and meta-narrative. So, to go back to an earlier point--determining why the war started--there are actually two equally correct answers. First, it was a conflict between hostile factions over the limited resources available. Second, because everybody just wanted to have fun shooting each other.