EVE Vanguard: A New Extraction Shooter Spinoff Allowing Players to Salvage and Resell Ship Parts from EVE Online

EVE Vanguard: A New Extraction Shooter Spinoff Allowing Players to Salvage and Resell Ship Parts from EVE Online

**EVE Vanguard: The Next Step for EVE Online’s Expanding Universe**

EVE Vanguard, the latest endeavor from Fenris Creations, aims to create a fresh first-person shooter (FPS) experience set within the expansive world of EVE Online. Nearly three years after its initial reveal as a shoot-and-loot extraction game, Vanguard is currently undergoing its first alpha playtest, Operation Avalon, running from July 7th to 20th. The development team has acknowledged past criticisms regarding the gameplay’s responsiveness and has aimed to enhance the gunplay in this latest iteration.

One of the most intriguing aspects of EVE Vanguard is the incorporation of what Fenris refers to as an “economic bridge” between Vanguard and EVE Online. Players can participate in on-foot raids into ship graveyards, scavenging parts salvaged from player-owned ships that have met their demise in the vast space battles of EVE Online. These recovered components – categorized as Contraband – can be sold back in EVE Online, providing a potential means for players to reclaim lost gear or to engage in new economic strategies.

The mechanics surrounding this salvaging system present a novel avenue for interactivity between the two titles. Once a ship is destroyed in EVE Online, any surviving modules that haven’t been looted are taken to a graveyard facility. In Vanguard, players can embark on missions to these graveyards, partake in extraction efforts, and subsequently offer the salvaged modules for sale within EVE Online. Utilizing mutaplasmids, EVE players can enhance their ships’ equipment, promoting a dynamic economic link that deepens player engagement across both titles.

This gameplay interactivity contrasts with mechanics from Fenris’ earlier title, Dust 514, which involved direct combat interactions through orbital bombardments. EVE Vanguard’s focus on economic and strategic layers allows for dramatic narratives within the larger EVE universe, including scenarios where players may act in duplicitous ways to benefit their corporations through strategically timed recoveries of modules.

In addition to looting missions, Vanguard is part of a larger military campaign framework added in the upcoming Cradle of War expansion for EVE Online. Players in Vanguard will be able to align with major factions, drive the war efforts, and experience storytelling that bridges solutions and conflicts between different character types: the warclones of Vanguard and the capsuleers of EVE Online.

Despite this ambitious integration, EVE Vanguard still faces significant challenges ahead. The FPS genre is competitive, especially with recent successes like Arc Raiders, putting pressure on Fenris to distinguish Vanguard in an over-saturated market. Furthermore, the alpha testing phase has revealed sound gameplay mechanics, though players noted technical issues, including placeholder assets and AI behavior that needs refinement.

Players can sign up for the ongoing Operation Avalon playtest via the EVE launcher and Steam, with hopes that continued tuning will elevate the overall experience. The opportunity to marry the FPS genre with EVE Online’s complex player-driven economy has the potential to enhance narrative depth and player interaction significantly, laying the foundation for a rich, interconnected universe as both titles evolve.