Fractured Skies
Arrives 10 November

EVE Online
Fractured Skies

• Author:

  Watty

• Category:

  EVE Online

• Date:

  Oct 26, 2026

EVE Online's next expansion has a date. Fractured Skies arrives on 10 November, the second expansion in the Theaters of War trilogy, and it is built around Factional Warfare and planetary conflict.

The empires are arming up

The setup: the four empires are racing to unlock Drifter technology and have been building Conquest Engines, huge war machines able to assert control over entire star systems in the Factional Warfare warzones. A peace brokered by CONCORD holds for now, but Fenris Creations says fractures are expected to appear over the coming weeks, and "when the pact breaks, Factional Warfare changes."

Four navy attack battlecruisers

The first ever navy attack battlecruisers arrive in November, available exclusively through Factional Warfare LP stores. The Naga Navy Issue swaps hybrids for cruise missiles and torpedoes ("You asked for a missile Naga, here it is"), the Tornado Fleet Issue pushes projectile damage further and is harder to hit under a microwarpdrive, the Oracle Navy Issue reaches farther with better optimal range, and the Talos Navy Issue gains mobility and falloff.

Synchronizer rigs

A new kind of rig grows stronger with every matching faction module you fit. There are nine sets, one for each of the four empires and five pirate factions, and the pirate versions bring bonuses no existing rig offers, with heavier drawbacks.

Military Campaigns and a January showdown

The first Military Campaigns paid off: all four empires completed them, and the results go live in November, from new stargates and lower taxes and broker fees to phased fields in Minmatar highsec. At launch each empire starts a flash campaign with four objectives across exploration, PvE, PvP and industry, and every completed objective unlocks a bonus that becomes active in designated faction systems from 5 January. Later in January the four empires clash in a major in-game community battle over Drifter technology, in lowsec, and the winning empire's LP store gets an exclusive Drifter module for a limited time.

Vanguard goes 24/7

EVE Vanguard, Fenris Creations' ground combat game tied to New Eden, becomes playable around the clock as a paid alpha on 10 November, with Founder's Access sold through the EVE launcher and pricing still to come. Its November update adds three maps: High Castle in highsec with no PvP damage, Vorago in lowsec, and The Vault in nullsec, where three squads of three fight to extract with rare Weapon Cores. What warclones achieve on the ground unlocks extra combat, hacking and mining sites for capsuleers in space.

Starting out

For new players, Fractured Skies adds 13 free, pre-fitted AIR Academy ships covering combat, exploration and mining, flown inside Starter Space with no ISK at risk. The AIR Career Program moves into the achievements system with progress reset so everyone can earn it again, and dozens of the most popular level one security missions get a visual update.

Also this week

The Alliance Tournament XXII finals run this weekend, 31 October and 1 November. And CSM 21 voting is open now, with 53 candidates on the ballot, until 11:00 UTC on 3 November. Omega accounts active for at least 60 days can vote, and every voter gets a CSM voter character background, claimable in the New Eden Store from 3 to 17 November.

Talking it over

An expansion this size is easier to make sense of with people who already fly. Our EVE corp The Exiled Titans is in the Discord, and the EVE Online hub has more on the corp.

Further reading: EVE Online: Fractured Skies Expansion Arrives 10 Nov | EVE Online: CSM 21, Cast Your Vote Now | The Exiles EVE Online hub