They aren't afraid of what might happen; they relish the thought, dream of it, fantasize that they will be the ones standing there at the cusp of something wonderful and terrifying.

Well, here it is.

(From "The Only Way Out is Through", the upcoming Rubicon chronicle)

Greetings Capsuleers! I am CCP Affinity from Team Kuromaku, here to talk to you about going dangerously fast.

The recurring themes for EVE Online: Rubicon’s Nov 19th release are the ideas of speed and going places you aren't meant to be. This ties in with the concept behind this particular expansion: capsuleers are about to take the first step in a journey which will have lasting consequences. From now on there is no turning back and events and consequences will only accelerate.

One major part of this turning point is the Rubicon feature we're calling “Ghost Sites”. These are a new type of PvE (Player versus Environment) content that, in EVE’s universe of New Eden, are the stages for some very dangerous and clandestine experiments that the pirate factions engage in despite the express disapproval of the four empires. These experiments aren't just going to end quietly - they are tied in with both ongoing lore and actual gameplay.

On the lore side, we employed several resources to help underline how things are going way too fast: There will be events, news pieces, and even a new chronicle, that all tie in with the idea of Ghost Sites, what they're for and why they are causing serious concern in high levels of empire governments.

On the gameplay side, the sites are designed for fast-paced, often dangerous action, and may reward you (if you are quick and lucky) with items that either complement the speed of your vessel or assist in claiming your own area of space while trying very hard to avoid detection.

So what are these Ghost Sites?

They are pirate faction anomalies that will crop up in all parts of space. If you're lucky enough to come across one, it'll automatically appear on your system scanner. The moment that the first player enters a Ghost Site, an invisible and random timer will start ticking. You will never know how long until the traps laid by the pirates might explode, shredding your bulkheads and leaving you adrift in your pod.

Your objective, if you wish to risk life and limb (well ... your crew's lives and limbs) is to hack your way into the sites 4 research facilities, grab whatever you find, and get out as fast as you can. At the moment, hacking is only found in exploration-style environments, so we decided it would be fun to shake that up and see how it works under pressure-cooker circumstances. You will only have one chance to hack, if you fail you will set off the containers security and they will explode. While Ghost Sites are not exploration sites, you'll still need to use either a data or relic analyzer to access the vaults. If you're successful in hacking, you'll be given loot (which won't be scattered), but if you take too long, the pirates will be alerted to your presence and will warp in to attack you. The pirates are there just to protect their loot and will not be carrying any items in their cargo or have a bounty on their heads. As I mentioned, these sites are related to dangerous experiments, and the pirates desperately do not want the capsuleers to steal the fruit of their labors. When they realize that they have an intruder in their midst, they will blow up the research facilities, causing damage to everyone in the vicinity.

Where will the Ghost Sites appear?

They will be quite a rare distribution in all areas of space, including wormhole (WH) space

What about the loot?

Within the Ghost Sites, we will introduce blueprints for the first-ever player-manufactured implant set along with materials to build the implants. I will go into a bit more detail on some of the unique loot found in the various areas of space (however, not the full loot tables).

Hi-Sec Loot :

Shattered Villard Wheels, the new material required to build all of the ‘Ascendancy’ implant set

Low-grade Ascendancy Alpha Blueprint Copy

Low-grade Ascendancy Beta Blueprint Copy

Low-grade Ascendancy Delta Blueprint Copy

Low-grade Ascendancy Epsilon Blueprint Copy

Low-grade Ascendancy Gamma Blueprint Copy

Low-Sec Loot:

Low-grade Ascendancy Delta Blueprint Copy

Low-grade Ascendancy Epsilon Blueprint Copy

Low-grade Ascendancy Gamma Blueprint Copy

‘Wetu’ Mobile Depot Blueprint Copy

Ascendancy Alpha Blueprint Copy

Ascendancy Beta Blueprint Copy

Low-grade Ascendancy Omega Blueprint Copy

Null Sec Loot:

‘Wetu’ Mobile Depot Blueprint Copy

Ascendancy Alpha Blueprint Copy

Ascendancy Beta Blueprint Copy

Low-grade Ascendancy Omega Blueprint Copy

‘Yurt’ Mobile Depot Blueprint Copy

Ascendancy Delta Blueprint Copy

Ascendancy Epsilon Blueprint Copy

Ascendancy Gamma Blueprint Copy

Wormhole Loot:

‘Wetu’ Mobile Depot Blueprint Copy

‘Yurt’ Mobile Depot Blueprint Copy

Ascendancy Delta Blueprint Copy

Ascendancy Epsilon Blueprint Copy

Ascendancy Gamma Blueprint Copy

Ascendancy Omega Blueprint Copy

What are the Implants?

The Ascendancy implants are available in a set of two, high and low grades. Each of the implants offer a direct bonus to warp speed as well as a multiplicative set bonus which increases the overall power of them, the more of the set you have. They are manufactured using various Planetary Interaction materials and small amount of tritanium is used as a catalyst.

The power of them is as such;

High Grade Low Grade W. Bonus Set Bonus W. Bonus Set Bonus Alpha 1% 1.15 1% 1.1 Beta 2% 1.15 2% 1.1 Gamma 3% 1.15 3% 1.1 Delta 4% 1.15 4% 1.1 Epsilon 5% 1.15 5% 1.1 Omega 1.8 1.4

I hope you are as excited as I am about Rubicon :) I would love to know what you think about the Ghost Sites in the feedback thread

CCP Affinity // @CCP_Affinity

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