EVE is a massively multiplayer game, set in a world of galactic proportions. This online universe is governed by a hyper-capitalistic economy where space flight is the path to all commerce, communication, and conflict. Your mission is to establish yourself as a major competitor, trusted by your friends, feared by your enemies. To accomplish this, your principle tools -- apart from an impressive array of sophisticated equipment, customizable space ships and in-game corporations -- will be your natural business acumen, social skills, Machiavellian thinking and cunning combat strategies.

Set tens of thousands of years in the future, EVE Online is a breathtaking journey to the stars, to an immersive experience filled with adventure, riches, danger and glory. With nearly a quarter of a million subscribers worldwide inhabiting the same virtual universe, EVE features a vast player-run economy where your greatest asset is the starship, designed to accommodate your specific needs, skills and ambitions. EVE offers professions ranging from commodities trader to mercenary, industrial entrepreneur to pirate, mining engineer to battle fleet commander or any combination of these and much more. From brokering business deals to waging war, you will have access to a diverse array of sophisticated tools and interfaces to forge your own destiny in EVE.

Characters now exist in one of two clone states. Omega clones will act similar to current active EVE characters, granted unlimited access to skill progression and rapid skill training. Alpha clones will become the new base state for all characters and available to any character at any time for free, able to train and use a specific set of skills to fly some of the most often-used ships into battle - Tech 1 frigates, destroyers, and cruisers. Access to trading, industry, and exploration skills will allow Alpha pilots to explore the vast, mysterious universe, harvest its raw materials, fulfill their shrewd economic dreams, and construct the war machines that make EVE battles famous.

Simultaneously, the introduction to EVE's deep gameplay experience has been completely revamped with Inception, a revised new player experience with fully voice-acted mentors, well-designed UI help, and a grand, unfolding storyline with gorgeous new environments that culminates in a massive space battle.

"EVE Online is a very special game. Our single shard server means that every player truly affects every other, whether through economics, resource gathering, direct combat or social interaction," notes Executive Producer Andie Nordgren. "This in turn means that our universe is more interesting, more exciting and more dangerous with each additional citizen."

Ascension also includes the release of more sandbox gameplay features including the addition of Engineering Complexes, a new class of player-built structures allowing comprehensive research and manufacturing support and furthering the progress of Citadel structures introduced in April 2016.

Other big additions include:

• Making battles more dynamic and boosting ships more involved in fleets with the replacement of warfare links with Command Bursts
• Challenging opportunities for players to disrupt the operations of NPC mining fleets in asteroid belts throughout the cluster
• Deeper experimentation and optimization of ships and modules with a new Fitting Simulator
• New ships: the versatile Society of Conscious Thought Sunesis destroyer and the nimble Porpoise industrial command ship from ORE
• Exciting changes for the Rorqual industrial capital ship that include giant mining drones and the P.A.N.I.C. module which provides temporary invulnerability to mining fleets. Dozens of other ship, skill, module, drone, and balance changes for the mining profession complement the overhaul
• A simpler, more manageable command over character development with a new character sheet
• A balance pass on the deadly Tactical Destroyers with input from players and the Council of Stellar Management
• The ability to warp the fabric of reality across a large area with Effect Generators for Titans

…And all new explosions and wrecks.

In total, the Ascension expansion is perhaps the largest, most fundamental change to EVE Online in its rich, 13+ year history. There's never been a better time for players to test their gaming mettle amidst its beautiful nebulae.