The Winter War has been raging for close to a month, and here on EVE News 24 we made the best effort to keep track of the myriad of fights which it generated. However, with so many alliances and coalitions involved, many new pilots or veterans never involved with the politics of null security space might find themselves struggling to understand who is fighting who, and why. Thus, EVE News 24 presents you this hopefully useful guide to the warring sides of the Winter War.

Attackers:

Stain Fraggin (SF) coalition:

– Circle-Of-Two [CO2] – Having recently lost the Tribute region to a combined assault of Pandemic Legion [-10.0] and Northern Coalition. [NC], the alliance together with several allies formed the Stain Fraggin coalition with the goal in mind of invading the Stain Wagon coalition held territories and carving a new home for itself. The alliance is known for its quick flash-form fleets and fighting against the odds.

– Test Alliance Please Ignore [TEST] – One of the largest alliances in New Eden, Test Alliance Please Ignore proved to be a loyal ally to Circle-Of-Two, fighting alongside it in the Tribute war. However, with the region lost, the Vale of the Silent based alliance chose to abandon its holdings and join its friend in assaulting Stain Wagon holdings. The alliance has recently shown a growth in its military strength, able to field multiple fleets simultaneously.

– DRONE WALKERS [DW] – Formerly an holding alliance for the Drone Walkers coalition, it became an independent entity following the coalition’s collapse. Hailing from the Tenal region, the alliance followed Test Alliance Please Ignore and Circle-Of-Two in their venture, becoming a founding member of Stain Fraggin coalition.

– Requiem Eternal [REQ] – One of the original members of the Drone Walkers coalition, the alliance followed its ally DRONE WALKERS, joining the emergent Stain Fraggin coalition and gaining the status of founding member.

The Greater Stain Fraggin Alliance:

– Vanguard (VG) coalition – The Triumvirate. [TRI] led Vanguard coalition had already deployed to the Curse region as part of its campagin to provide content to its membership. Harboring animosity to Stain Wagon coalition and already attacking its holdings to generate fights, the coalition gladly allied itself with Stain Fraggin coalition, bringing to the table both experience fighting local forces as well as a super capital force.

Member Alliances: Triumvirate., Stella Nova [SNOVA], Hell’s Pirates [HADES], IT’S ONLY PIXELS [PIXEL], Invidia Gloriae Comes [IGC], Re-Forged [RE4GD].

– Phoenix Federation (PF) coalition – The young Fidelas Constans [FCON] led coalition which settled in and around the Immensea region after it broke off from the Imperium following World War Bee (WWB). The coalition was allowed to take over the area by Stain Wagon coalition, the two even signing a diplomatic treaty which included a non invasion clause. However as time went by, both sides started accusing the other of violating said treaty and war seemed inevitable. Thus, when Stain Fraggin coalition looked for allies in its assault, it found a willing partner in Phoenix Federation.

Member Alliances: Fidelas Constans, The Serenity Initiative [SERIN], Legio De Mortem [MORTE], FUBAR. [MGRGY], Asteria Concord [ACORD], The Blood Covenant [VIT.C], Army of New Eden [ARMY], Perfect Dark [STYXX], Off The Reservation [REZZ.], Lord of Worlds Alliance [LORDE].

– Mercenary Coalition [MC] – Once a powerhouse in New Eden, following the debacle of Tortuga the alliance had gone dormant. Recently though, the alliance had re-emerged, taking part in every major conflict in 2016 and growing from strength to strength. Its inclusion in the list of allies for Stain Fraggin coalition just shows the strength amassed for the invasion of the south, with the alliance been hired by Test Alliance Please Ignore for a limited contract.

Defenders:

– Stain Wagon (SW) coalition – The owner of the south east and one of the longest surviving coalitions in the game, the Soviet-Union [CY-27] led coalition is known as one of the Russian based coalitions in New Eden, though mostly eastern European in composition. The coalition has held the Sansha regions in one form or another, forced into periodic retreat to the Stain region from which it took its name, but always re-emerging to claim what it sees as its rightful property.

Member Alliances: Soviet-Union, The Volition Cult [VOLT], The Afterlife. [D3ATH], FEDERATION OF INDEPENDENT STELLAR SYSTEMS [STEL-], C0VEN [C0VEN], Good Sax [MMMMM], Against ALL Authorities [-A-], Swords of Damocles [SW-DA], Desman Alliance [-DA-]

– Goonswarm Federation [CONDI] – The largest alliance in New Eden and a former super power, the alliance still wields considerable power, able to deploy multiple fleets and a super capital force. Living in the Delve region, the alliance has fashioned a new coalition of remaining loyalist alliances such as The Bastion [BSTN], Tactical Narcotics Team [TNT] and Get Off My Lawn [LAWN]. Allied with Stain Wagon coalition, it has deployed to aid its friend in their hour of need to repel Stain Fraggin coalition’s assault.

Catch Entities:

Besides the two sides, there are several entities living in the region which were previously not aligned to either bloc and/or remain so even at the time of writing.

– League of Unaligned Master Pilots [LUMPY] – One of the refugee alliances from the invasion of Goonswarm Federation to the Delve region, the alliance wrestled control over the MB-NKE pocked in Catch from The Volition Cult. The alliance had fought both sides in the past, but decided to throw its lot with the Stain Fraggin coalition, opening its space to the member alliances and allowing them to base from its citadels.

– Dangerous Voltage [DV] and Tactical Supremacy [TIKLE] – Another set of refugee alliances from the Delve region, the two alliances also managed to grab territory in the Catch region, taking choice constellations and resisting successfully Stain Wagon coalition’s attempts to reclaim them. However with Goonswarm Federation’s involvement in the fighting the allies luck had run out, with Goonswarm Federation and Stain Wagon coalition managing to overwhelm them, even with the backing of Stain Fraggin coalition.

– Providence Bloc (Provi Bloc) – The Providence region based coalition maintains sovereignty in a small pocket to the north of the Catch region. The coalition, though friendly with Stain Wagon coalition, has maintained a neutral stance in the conflict, preferring to abstain from direct participation and sending only token forces to act as a third party in the strictest sense of the word.

Other Combatants:

– Drone Regions Federation (DRF) – The Legion of xXDEATHXx [X.I.X] led mega coalition controlling the drone regions in the north east of New Eden, the Drone Regions Federation has held a long grudge against Stain Wagon coalition and has been participating intermittently in the campaign against it on Stain Fraggin coalition’s side. However, most of its appearances were mainly for major battles.

– Northern Coalition. [NC] – The victors of the Tribute war, Northern Coalition. has a long and loaded history with both Stain Fraggin coalition and Goonswarm Federation. The alliance has often came down for major engagement in the war to support Stain Fraggin coalition’s offensive.

Area of Operations:

The main offensive in the war so far has been carried out in the Catch region, which acts as a major crossroad for the Sansha lands, connecting several of the Sansha regions as well as high security space and the un-claimable Stain and Curse regions which offer safe staging areas. The region also hosted Stain Wagon coalition’s main staging system and connected Goonswarm Federation controlled space with Stain Wagon territory. Lastly, the region holds historic significance for Stain Wagon coalition, making it a symbol.

Other regions under control of Stain Wagon coalition which are also being contested are Feythabolis and Impass. Stain Wagon coalition is expected to make a stand in Esoteria, though its not known whether Stain Fraggin coalition will continue its push beyond the region into Paragon Soul.

*The picture featured in this article was created by Cymek and used with his explicit permission.

Salivan Harddin is a member of V0LTA, WE FORM V0LTA, and covers battles across New Eden