Fenris Creations has set the date for the second chapter of Theatres of War. Fractured Skies goes live on 10 November 2026, and the roadmap announced on 20 October reaches well past launch day: a four-way empire battle in January and a new seasonal form of Factional Warfare, called Conquests, in February 2027.
On r/Eve the announcement was posted as a short news thread linking the official EVE Online news article, and it spent about 20 hours in the top 25 of the subreddit. Here is what is actually coming, and when.
Four Navy attack battlecruisers, only from FW loyalty stores
Four new ships arrive on day one, all sold exclusively through Factional Warfare LP stores:
Naga Navy Issue: swaps hybrid weapons for cruise missiles and torpedoes. The "missile Naga" players have asked about for years.
Tornado Fleet Issue: more projectile firepower and harder to hit while under microwarpdrive.
Oracle Navy Issue: improved optimal range.
Talos Navy Issue: more mobility and falloff, built to stay dangerous on the move.
The official post frames them as hulls for smaller forces that need to "hit above their weight". Not everyone is thrilled: one r/Eve thread asks whether the new ships are a buff for high-sec gankers. It is an opinion post, so for now treat it as a worry from the community, not a fact about balance.
Synchronizer rigs
A new rig family, synchronizer rigs, gets stronger with every matching faction module you fit. There are nine sets, covering the four empires and five pirate factions. Pirate versions offer bonuses that no existing rig has, with heavier drawbacks.
Military Campaigns: the clock runs until January
Four new Military Campaigns, one per empire, start at launch. Each has four objectives covering exploration, PvE, PvP and industry. Players collect faction items and hand them to traders at their chosen empire's headquarters. According to Fenris, you do not need to be enlisted in Factional Warfare to take part.
Completed objectives unlock bonuses for that empire, active in designated faction systems from 5 January. The first faction of each rivalry (Amarr versus Minmatar, Caldari versus Gallente) to finish all four objectives earns command carrier reinforcements for the next event.
That event is the empire showdown in late January: a community battle in low-sec over access to Drifter technology. The winning empire gets an exclusive Drifter module in its LP store for a limited time. Fenris warns: it is low-sec, so fly carefully.
The results of the first Military Campaigns also go live in November, per the official article: new stargates, reduced taxes and broker fees, and the discovery of phased fields in Minmatar high-sec space.
Conquests arrive in February 2027
The headline feature is further out. Conquests are seasonal Factional Warfare conflicts with a clear end and a winner. Enlisted capsuleers complete objectives and fight over faction Directives to build Conquest Power. Each season ends in a final Siege, where every side brings its Conquest Engine online: protect yours, destroy theirs. The winner gets a permanent monument in New Eden.
Game Design Director Greg Hennessey (FC Okami) says Conquests give Factional Warfare "a more reliable rhythm of major clashes". The first one is planned for February.
EVE Vanguard connects to EVE Online
On 10 November EVE Vanguard opens 24/7 as a paid alpha through the EVE launcher, separate from the Omega subscription; pricing has not been announced yet. Jobs completed on the ground raise the frequency of temporary combat, mining and exploration sites in EVE Online, which can yield items for the Military Campaigns. From February, Vanguard expeditions will also contribute Conquest Power. The November update adds three maps: High Castle (high-sec), Vorago (low-sec) and The Vault (null-sec, three squads of three).
New players and the new HUD
13 free, pre-fitted AIR Academy ships for combat, exploration and mining, usable only in Starter Space.
The AIR Career Program moves into the Achievements system, and all progress is reset so it can be completed again.
Dozens of level 1 security missions get a visual update.
The first phase of the new HUD arrives through Feature Preview, optional "for the foreseeable future". It reorganises shield, armor and hull status around the capacitor and puts heat indicators next to module racks.
What to watch
The practical question for alliances is the January showdown: the bonuses and carrier reinforcements decided by the Military Campaigns will shape who starts with an edge. As the official post puts it, the peace brokered by CONCORD "cannot hold forever".
Sources