Capsuleers, prepare for a massive shift in the stars of New Eden. The Legion Major Update has arrived in EVE Online, delivering a wealth of balancing changes, ship reworks, and quality of life improvements that promise to reshape gameplay. From refined drone mechanics to revamped Pochven sites and enhanced UI features, this patch caters to both veteran pilots and newcomers. Explore the details below with interactive charts, polls, and dropdowns to dive deeper into the changes that are setting the community abuzz.
Balancing the Scales: Drones, Armor, and Marauders
A key focus of the Legion Update is the overhaul of drone mechanics. The maximum number of drones assignable to a single character has been reduced from 50 to 20. This change preserves skillful assist mechanics, such as passing drones to a jammed ally or boosting an interceptor for decloaking tactics, while limiting overwhelming swarm strategies that dominated certain engagements. Sentry drones now have a larger signature radius, increased from 100m to 300m, making them easier to lock and counter with missiles, bombs, or Vorton Projectors.
Drone Changes Breakdown
Hover over the bars to compare the old and new drone stats.
Armor setups receive significant improvements. Armor rigs now penalize agility instead of max velocity, making them less restrictive for skirmishers. A new skill, Advanced Armor Layering, reduces the mass penalty of armor plates by 2% per level, requiring Armor Layering IV, Mechanics V, and Hull Upgrades V. Available for 15M ISK at empire schools or 19.5M ISK via the character sheet, this skill aims to make armor tanks more competitive against the shield heavy meta, particularly in small scale PvP like AHACs.
Marauders, known for their formidable firepower, face adjustments to maintain balance. Their 70% Micro Jump Drive cooldown bonus has been removed, and they are now barred from the ESS main bank room. The Vargur sees its falloff bonus per Minmatar Battleship level reduced from 7.5% to 5%. Bastion modules now provide a 60% repair amount, down from 100%, but gain a 20% reduction in cycle time and capacitor cost for repairs, balancing active tank Marauders while nerfing XLASB shield fits.
Marauders remain top tier in PvE and PvP, but these adjustments reinforce their Bastion focused identity. The ESS restriction allows battlecruisers and battleships to shine, while the Vargur nerf addresses its dominant status. Bastion changes make armor repairers easier to manage without over repping, especially with high end fits.
Quick Poll: Your Take
Do you think the drone limit reduction to 20 will improve PvP balance?
Ship Reworks: Tactical Destroyers, Battleships, and More
The Legion Update reworks numerous ships to diversify the meta. Tactical Destroyers like the Confessor and Svipul gain access to the ESS main bank room, enhancing their roaming utility. Both ships receive a 33% bonus to remote armor or shield repairer amounts in defensive mode, a damage increase from 5% to 7.5% per level, and slight speed boosts. These changes aim to distinguish them from competitors like the Retribution and Thrasher Fleet Issue, potentially enabling spider tanking fleets.
Battleships receive significant updates, detailed in the dropdowns below. The Apocalypse and its Navy Issue variant shift toward a sniper role, the Maelstrom becomes a shield based brawler, and the Megathron Navy Issue strengthens its position in nano fleets. Smaller ships like the Ferox Navy Issue, Cyclone Fleet Issue, and others see tweaks to balance their performance.
The Confessor gains a 33% bonus to remote armor repairer amount and reduced activation cost in defensive mode, with damage per Tactical Destroyer level increased from 5% to 7.5% and max velocity boosted from 230m/s to 250m/s. The Svipul mirrors this with a 33% remote shield booster bonus, same damage increase, and velocity boost from 220m/s to 240m/s. These changes enhance their utility and competitiveness.
The Apocalypse and its Navy Issue variant lose their 7.5% tracking bonus, gaining a 5% to 7.5% damage bonus, 10% optimal range increase, and 10% capacitor cost reduction for large energy turrets. This shift positions them as long range snipers, distinguishing them among Amarr battleships like the Nightmare and Bhaalgorn.
The Maelstrom trades a high slot for a midslot (from 8 to 7 highs, 6 to 7 mids), reduces turrets from 8 to 6, and swaps a 5% rate of fire bonus for a 10% large projectile turret damage bonus. Powergrid drops from 21000 to 18000. These changes align it with the Hyperion as a shield based brawler with enhanced alpha strike potential.
The Megathron Navy Issue sees its tracking bonus improved from 7.5% to 10% per level, adds a 15% reduction in armor plate mass penalty per level, and increases max velocity from 130m/s to 135m/s. These tweaks enhance its effectiveness in nano and skirmish armor fleets, compensating for railgun nerfs.
The Ferox Navy Issue has its medium hybrid damage bonus reduced from 10% to 7.5%, tracking bonus from 7.5% to 5%, powergrid from 1250 to 1150, and CPU from 565 to 515, matching the Tech 1 Ferox. Its shield booster fitting bonus improves from 7.5% to 10%, balancing its dominance in fleet meta.
The Cyclone Fleet Issue sees its max velocity reduced from 190m/s to 180m/s and signature radius reduction per level bonus cut from 5% to 3%. These changes reduce its mitigation and speed, addressing its overperformance in certain scenarios.
The Harbinger Navy Issue gains powergrid from 1550 MW to 1625 MW, opening up new fitting options. Combined with armor rig changes, this makes it a more attractive pick in the battlecruiser meta.
The Myrmidon Navy Issue increases drone capacity from 250m3 to 300m3 and adds a 10% drone tracking bonus per level, matching the Vexor Navy Issue. This enhances its versatility and resilience against defanging tactics.
Pochven Revamps and Wormhole Connections
Pochven undergoes a major overhaul with reworked small scale sites like Incipient Drone Swarms and Torpid Sleeper Hives. New hackable containers introduce optional loot, and payouts are adjusted, with Observatory Flashpoints now offering 150M ISK per pilot. Standings tweaks facilitate operations in Triglavian stations, while NPC behavior enhancements ensure more consistent engagements.
Pochven Site Rewards Comparison
Explore how site rewards compare.
Wormholes introduce new wandering connections in C4 systems, with S047 linking to high sec, N290 to low sec, and K329 to null sec. Increased spawns for Z142 and C248 wormholes, along with scan level adjustments, make wormholes easier to navigate. Updated descriptions enhance readability for newer players.
Quick Poll: Your Take
Are the Pochven site changes exciting for small fleet PvP?
Quality of Life and Visual Enhancements
Beyond balance, the update introduces significant quality of life improvements. The global PLEX market simplifies trading, freelance jobs gain new delivery options, and UI enhancements like brighter next destination colors improve navigation. Highsec safety is bolstered by removing Autothysian Lancers and relocating FOBs to lowsec, easing the experience for new players.
Visually, the Smart Light System and Visual Damage System add flair. Fires and smoke appear on damaged ships and structures, with Fire BOBs extinguishing them in hangars. Ray traced shadows and upscaling options like DLSS, FSR 3, and XeSS enhance performance and visuals, particularly in large fleet battles.
