Greetings, capsuleers!
In breaking news, a new means to travel into the heart of the warzone while also giving groups new tools to utilize and new objectives to fight over – the interstellar shipcaster – has been introduced into New Eden. The Caldari State and their loyalist capsuleers have achieved this historic milestone through a mastery of stellar transmuter technology and acquiring the necessary materials from dangerous areas of space. The Caldari have become the first - and so far only - empire to successfully construct an interstellar shipcaster, . State Chairman Akimaka Saraki praised these efforts as being "in the finest traditions of Caldari enterprise and ingenuity" during a recent briefing with the Chief Executive Panel and Executive General Heika Torigo.
This powerful new tool will allow pilots to quickly traverse the Factional Warfare (FW) warzone and participate in frontline battles, introduced in the , with ease, giving them a strategic advantage in the ongoing war. Now, the challenge is set for the other empires to step up their game, catch up, and unlock this technology for themselves!
The timing of this achievement is quite symbolic as the is just around the corner – celebrating another occasion when the Caldari State obtained technology before the other empires!
The interstellar shipcaster is a one-way rapid deployment mechanism designed to move capsuleers from their faction's HQ star system closer to the FW warzone. This system is exclusive to FW and serves to help players access FW systems more easily, while also creating new opportunities for both combat pilots and industrialists alike.
The shipcaster networks operate independently of other gate systems, and assuming each empire is able to follow in the footsteps of the Caldari, there will be one shipcaster complex for each empire located in their respective HQ system.
Mehatoor (Amarr)
Onnamon (Caldari)
Intaki (Gallente)
Amo (Minmatar)
The power required to transport ships long distances is immense, and to ensure that there are no incidents of rapid unscheduled disassembly upon use, the interstellar shipcaster can only send pilots to destinations with a corresponding shipcaster beacon. Each empire can have just one shipcaster beacon per star system in their FW warzone, and only 3 shipcaster beacons can be linked to the shipcaster at a time per empire. While the shipcaster complexes are invulnerable, these shipcaster beacons can be attacked and destroyed by opposing factions.
Shipcaster technology is exclusive to those enlisted with the respective factions, including those directly enlisted. The shipcaster will cycle through each of the active destinations every 6 minutes, staying active for a duration of 60 seconds for each location. There is no cost to using the shipcaster, however be warned that hostiles may be waiting on the other end!
Completing a shipcaster beacon requires the following materials
300 smartfab units
10 self-harmonizing power cores
200 quantum microprocessors
8,000 nanotransistors
However, the empire will reward builders for their contributions up to a total of 55,000 LP. The minimum donation is one item, so every unit helps!
Based on a few factors, including system activity, location, and advantage score, the empires and their respective leaders will regularly choose potential sites for shipcaster beacon construction. It is up to enlisted pilots to choose the appropriate sites, help in the building process, and eventual defense of the shipcaster beacons. Once attacked, shipcaster beacons will have a one-hour reinforcement period before potential destruction.
It will be exciting to see the impact that interstellar shipcasters will have on the warzone, and more importantly how capsuleers utilize them and the new objectives to contest.
