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EVE Online's Newest In-Game Combat Event Brings Back Infamous Enemy Faction

Victoria Rose Updated: Posted:
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It seems EVE Online may be setting up the next chapter in its ongoing in-game lore saga with the return of a big enemy: the Drifters. Per a new announcement blog, the Drifter Crisis is the latest NPC combat event that capsuleers can join. 

The Drifters are a long-recurring NPC Jove-race faction in the EVE Online universe, spanning back to YC116 (or in our timeline, 2014), and their heavier presence was teased in a 2015 Fanfest trailer. They’re the leftovers of an ancient ruling party of the Jove Empire called the Tyrants, which were especially ruthless for their kind. Quite famously, in 2015, the Drifter invasion led to the assassination of the Amarr Empress Jamyl I. (One player has a really great deep dive into the fuller history and lore.)

As for their modern presence, it seems that the announcement is correct—there are event sites popping up across New Eden where players must defend against the Drifters. It seems a lot of these events are relatively low-level for experienced players and tricky for super-new players, so small teams are officially recommended by the EVE Online blog. It’s well known that EVE Online players do help chart the future of the game, even the NPC stuff, so a bit of help won’t hurt. 

If you’re looking to take down a few bastards, the latest patch notes outline the Crisis types and how to participate. (Also, they added an option to open multiple crates. Woo.) 

This may only be the first of many moves in the EVE Online universe, as the official 2025 roadmap teases the “Revenant Update,” which has quite an ominous poster.


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Victoria Rose

Victoria's been writing about games for over eight years, including small former tenures with Polygon and Fanbyte. She mostly spends time in FFXIV, head-deep in roleplay campaigns or stubbornly playing Black Mage through high-end raids. Former obsessions include Dota 2 and The Secret World (also mostly roleplaying). Come visit their estate: Diabolos (Crystal DC), Goblet, Ward 4, Plot 28.