EVE Online Catalyst expansion scheduled for November

EVE Online Catalyst expansion scheduled for November

EVE Online Catalyst expansion scheduled for November

EVE Online’s upcoming Catalyst expansion is scheduled for Nov. 18, according to the official Steam blog update posted on Oct. 21. The update adds a new, unpredictable ore known as Prismaticite, alongside new command ships: the Pioneer mining destroyer and Odysseus exploration ship. Mining will be refined with faster cycles, critical hits, and improved UI. Players can explore the stars with the new upcoming 2D map, alongside beginning a journey in a new epic arc. 

Here are all the new features joining the game; the notes were taken directly from the official Steam blog update and reformatted in bullet points: 

A Resource Rush

  • Mining is now becoming increasingly dynamic, rewarding, and fiercely contested.
  • Mysterious hyperspace fractures reveal volatile asteroids, rich in a powerful ore.
  • Discover Phased Fields and bring your fleet to harvest great riches, but at great peril.
  • Dispatch new phase anchor deployables to be able to mine the mysterious asteroids and the Prismaticite they contain. Act fast before the fracture closes.
  • Prismaticite, a new type of erratic and extremely valuable ore, refines into different minerals at random, although using reactions to reprocess the ore allows you to control the outcome.
  • New industrial and exploration ships expand strategic options.
  • The fight for resources fuels creation, destruction, connection, and conflict across the cluster.

Pioneer: A New Mining Destroyer

  • Level up your industry game with the Pioneer, a perfect middle ground between a mining frigate and mining barges.
  • Even brand new capsuleers can obtain this new mining destroyer after only a few hours and fly it as Alphas.
  • There is even more to unlock for Omegas, so this vessel can scale as you realize your industrialist ambitions.
  • In all, there will be three versions of the Pioneer, including a Tech II version and a Consortium Issue variant.

Odysseus: Exploration Command Ship

  • Lead your fleet further afield with this new exploration command ship and conquer uncharted territory.
  • Features new expedition command bursts and a massive new exploration hold.
  • Allows you to stay out longer, venture further, and carry more loot back home.

Mining Refined

Faster Mining Cycles

  • While total yield remains the same, faster mining cycles make the process more responsive and dynamic.
  • Feel progress every second as your lasers tear through asteroids in shorter, more engaging bursts.

Mining Crits

  • Critical mining hits bring a thrill to every operation, offering a potential bonus yield on successful strikes from your mining lasers.
  • All mining lasers have a chance for critical hits, but skills and modules can improve your odds.

Mining UI/UX Improvements

  • The mining interface has been reworked, with clear, real-time data and a cleaner presentation integrated into the space scene itself.
  • New scanners will work faster and give you clear, color-coded readouts so you can quickly see which asteroids will be worth your while.

Highsec Mining Improved

  • Highsec mining has new visual updates.
  • The return of anomaly sites brings omber and kernite back to highsec.
  • Complete anomaly sites for a rare chance at highsec mining escalations or use scan probes to discover hidden combat sites with valuable ore.

Mining Mutaplasmids

  • Mutate your mining modules and drones for potential bonuses.
  • The new Mining Mutaplasmids introduce risk and reward to industry fittings, letting you push your yield and efficiency to unpredictable extremes.

A new way to see the stars.

  • A tactical, easy-to-read 2D map gives capsuleers the clarity they need for planning and exploration.
  • The new 2D view delivers improved system visualization, clear jump ranges, and dual data overlays, offering precise navigation and sharper tactical insight directly in-game.
  • Both 2D and 3D maps will feature ore availability indicators, enhanced data readability, and customizable scales, including logarithmic options.

Learn the Ropes with a New Epic Arc

  • A new accessible and brief epic arc is intended to introduce expansion content to new and veteran pilots.
  • Explore and experience the new mining content through an introductory narrative journey.
  • At the end, you will have a new Pioneer mining destroyer to launch your mining career.

PLEX Logs

  • Monitor your PLEX-flow with new personal PLEX transaction logs, bringing transparency by showing where it comes from and how it’s spent.
  • The first iteration will display entries for the last 30 days, with a cap of 2,000 entries, covering inflow and outflow.

Carriers Forward

  • Carriers are receiving a buff to utility, a visual refresh, and a reduction in manufacturing cost.
  • These are incremental adjustments to monitor effects and refine their role in the ecosystem.

Get an Early Taste

  • You have an opportunity to see the new hyperspace fractures, rare asteroids, and more mining improvements in advance by jumping into a mass test on the Singularity test server from 17:00 –19:00 UTC on 23 October.
  • This will not be fully representative of the final product, but primarily serve as a performance test. Feedback on design, balance, and user experience is welcome.
  • Resource Rush: A new, highly valuable, and unpredictable ore called Prismaticite will ignite a galaxy-wide resource rush. It can be found in volatile asteroid fields revealed by hyperspace fractures. Prismaticite refines into minerals randomly unless players use reactions to control the outcome.
  • New Ships:
    • Pioneer: A new mining destroyer that serves as a middle ground between a frigate and a mining barge, obtainable quickly even by Alpha clones.
    • Odysseus: A new exploration command ship with expedition command bursts and a massive exploration hold.
  • Mining Refinements: Mining is made more dynamic with faster cycles (while retaining the same total yield) and the introduction of critical hits for potential bonus yield. The mining UI/UX has been reworked with clearer, real-time data. Mining Mutaplasmids are also introduced, allowing risk/reward mutation of mining modules and drones.
  • New 2D Map: A long-requested feature providing a tactical, easy-to-read 2D map for improved planning and exploration, with enhanced data readability and visualization.
  • New Epic Arc: An accessible, brief introductory narrative journey designed to guide new and veteran pilots through the expansion’s mining content, rewarding players with a new Pioneer mining destroyer upon completion.
  • Other Updates: Carriers are receiving a buff to utility, a visual refresh, and a reduction in manufacturing cost. New personal PLEX transaction logs will be added to monitor PLEX flow.

Developed and published by CCP, EVE Online was initially released in May of 2003, more than 20 years ago. The space-based MMORPG is free-to-play, but has a separate full subscription access account option known as Omega Clones. The game is known for its massive scale, complexity, and player-driven sandbox environment. The upcoming expansion will be available for free-to-play players, but they will be subject to general Alpha restrictions.