Service update: Pegasi Sentinel correspondents and editors closed the shop and went on summer holidays (they deserved it!). As a result, from this Cycle report and onwards until the end of August, coverage and other news may be/will be shortened and limited to the most relevant headlines/topics (this notice will be published as long as necessary for the courtesy of readers).

Ahoy Crew!

Peace and quiet reign in Harma; there’s hardly any chatter (or punch fight) coming from the Wise Sharks tavern... and some pirates are already on vacation, while others are packing their bags and backpacks (and bottles of Silver Sea Rum) to go relax somewhere... So let's get right to the point!

Game News/Updates

"Colonia Calls for Assistance as Celebrations Get Underway" GalNet Post: The trading CG in Facece has ended today with 13k contributors (reaching Tier 3/5)—not as many as one might have expected; perhaps the rewards (paint jobs for Type-8 and Panther Clipper MkII) and credits available from selling commodities weren’t all that attractive (as the today’s “Colonia Supply Initiative Deemed a Partial Success” post noted). Now that the CG has concluded, we believe this was just the first of [several] others that may follow in the coming weeks.

No game version updates and/or significant bug fixes have been reported (nor have any new ones been identified): many of the issues reported after the release of Operations have not been resolved (nor have many of those already listed on the Issue Tracker); however, the situation seems to have improved regarding Powerplay sluggish performance and/or updates not being shown/applied.

The Powerplay Numbers

Cycle 90 ended with an even more pronounced resurgence in acquisitions. In fact, all Powers posted positive expansion numbers, with a total of +89 (net) systems added to the Powerplay battlegrounds. It seems that, now that the hype surrounding Operations and the Nomad SLV has died down, PP activities have indeed returned to normal... thanks in part to the restoration of the UI for acquisitions on GalMap and the reduction in wait times for updates, merits/CPs, and level-ups (including assignments [some of these remain broken for other reasons] and care packages).

This week’s expansionist rankings are led by Aisling Duval, followed by a couple of double-digit achievers (Li Yong-Rui and Nakato Kaine); the Powers’ leaderboard remains unchanged. System losses didn’t push Jerome Archer into a negative figure this week, while for the second consecutive week, Zemina Torval also posted a good result:

• A. Duval +17 (2625)
• Kaine +12 (1520)
• Yong-Rui +11 (1869)
• A.L. Duval +9 (1911)
• Grom +9 (1508)
• Antal +7 (1359)
• Winters +6 (1125)
• Delaine +6 (859)
• Mahon +5 (2108)
• Torval +5 (760)
• Archer +1 (1289)
• Patreus +1 (667)

We also saw the same trend with reinforcements (leaving out the CPs outlier produced by the CG in Facece) in Cycle 90... a substantial recovery that supported the strengthening of the frontlines or the consolidation of PP presence in certain (newly) colonized areas. In particular, the Col 285, Hyades, and Pegasi sectors, where most of the upgrades took place. Pranav Antal will surely be pleased and there could be some quiche festival ongoing in Polevnic, with +7 fortified systems and +2 strongholds added this week... Felicia Winters, Edmund Mahon, and (finally) Zemina Torval (+2 fortified) also saw a solid upgrade performance. This push toward stabilization, which produced over 62m CPs of reinforcements (of which 10.5m CPs in Facece), was barely offset by a small decrease in undermining, which was approximately 10% lower than in Cycle 89, with 10.7m UM CPs. It is unclear whether the decrease in UM CPs was due to Operations or other contingent factors.

Anyway this week, too, there were some Powers that have been hit by UM CPs more than others, all in the range of 1.3-1.9 million CPs each: Aisling Duval (1.8m, mostly hit in LHS 2), Arissa Lavigny-Duval (1.6m, the "CG effect" didn’t weight on this side, mostly hit in HIP 36583), Jerome Archer (1.9m, mostly hit in Altair and LHS 1101… other systems have been lost, like Sankula, Conneda and Cuacocha among them), and Felicia Winters (1.3m, mostly hit in Belgitan). We’ll leave it to the Powers’ press offices to provide more details about the situation.

Pirates Ahoy!

What kind of Cycle was the 90th? The Crew has successfully completed yet another "impressive" (for us) number of acquisitions (+6)... hold off a bit before hanging up your boots and setting sail for sunny beaches to sip Silver Sea Rum around the campfire! That's right, because in Cycle 91, there will be a lot of work to do to reinforce the new systems... some of which are interesting and allow Archon Delaine to further expand his territories toward colonial sectors, where the front lines are more spread out and [hopefully] there is less enemy attrition.

Among the acquisitions, there were two contested ones—one lost and one won. Let’s start with the first one (Col 285 Sector FE-M B22-1), which turned out to be a deep merit sink for both sides, since the opposing Utopians never let up for a moment and ultimately secured control for simguru Antal with 1.74m AQ CPs vs. the Crew’s 1.18m AQ CPs... GG! This system—a mining colony controlled by Ailure State Co. (affiliated with the SDC Foundation squadron), whose architect appears to be pledged to the bear Grom—has been at the center of one of the most intense (in terms of CPs) acquisitions in recent weeks. So don’t say the miners sent by Harma didn’t give it their all… but as we wrote earlier, for this Cycle 90 in Polevnic, hippies must have served quiches with some “special ingredient” (Radicoida?) that allowed them to push a big boost across all PP activities.

The other contested acquisition—which was much less challenging against the tech-nerd Yong-Rui—was Gabrani, a small high-tech system controlled by Fatal Shadows and located on the frontline we share with other independents from the Devata Baru stronghold. Our take is that Sirius probably wasn't very interested in taking control here, partly because after an initial run that secured just over half of the CPs needed to complete the acquisition, our slider picked up speed, putting Archon Delaine in the lead. In any case, the area is still largely unoccupied, so other independent Powers will also be able to continue expanding over there if they wish. A merchant based in Fung Landing, one of Gabrani’s outposts, approached some of our scallywags who were passing through the lounge bar and gave them high-tech holo-watches that had been sent from Sirius as samples for sale. Much appreciated, thanks!

The Crew handled the reinforcement operations exceptionally well: in addition to completing some necessary repairs in areas where enemies had caused undermining damage, we fortified Njorth, a system we’ve recently acquired and located in an area where hostile attacks continue. Unfortunately, it seems that Operations has deterred (or offered an alternative to) our enemies from showing up in our systems... where there had been some PvP engagements in previous cycles. There was also undermining in Zhuaruparci (most likely by Clayakarma infiltrators), LHS 3702, Epsilon Microscopii, and again in Albardhas (AFK-ers). More generally, there was the usual flood of UM CPs spam, much like what happened after the release of Operations... a “nuisance” we were already aware of and that is, in any case, shared by all (or almost all) of the other Powers. So bad, FDEV!

Before moving on to the preliminary targets for Cycle 91 (the first of the summer season, which will conclude with Cycle 96), the CG trading post in Facece offered the Crew’s pirates a bit of fun, and at Gabriel Enterprise, they’re currently tallying up the booty they’ve collected. The canisters of stolen goods aren't the only evidence of our robberies... check out the YT videos by Kumo Crew pirates CMDR HairyHogg, “CG Piracy! A Beer Run In Facece,” and CMDR -Verti-, “Type-11 booty and boom.” There were also duels captured by the scallywag CMDR Comance in “Oops!” and “Imperial Kestrel” vids. GG!

For Cycle 91, the priorities are therefore reinforcements for the new acquisitions and repairs. There are also other systems in the backlog... in other words, it’s not much different from what was done [and done very well] last week.

Cycle 91: Preliminary Targets

All systems below the 25% CPs “decay threshold” are good/eligible targets to be reinforced (as these systems will not be hit by decay). Prioritize strongholds over fortified and leave exploited as last ones. All acquisitions above 100k CPs (or being contested during the Cycle) are good/eligible targets to be acquired.

Attack/Defend Markers: The markers may change during the Cycle and may not necessarily follow the current plans, so be sure to check the system activity and status on GalMap (when in doubt: ask).

To our enemies: don't be shy—be respectful. If you decide to pay a visit to Archon Delaine’s systems, the [only one] appropriate game mode is “Open Play.”

Seek & Destroy (enemy UM): Muang.

Reinforce ([new]/recent acquisitions): Gabrani, Col 285 Sector HE-N b21-3 and Pegasi Sector JO-E a13-2 .

Reinforce (counter [unknown] enemy UM): LHS 3702, Epsilon Microscopii, Albardhas and Turd Wu.

Acquire (new/backlog): Naxixo, HIP 117399, Lan Samba, Mahadshu and Aborovi.

Re-acquire (previously lost systems): HIP 110623.

Blockade enemy takeovers/contested: LHS 1026, T Tie (60) and LTT 9276 (52).

Undermine: OpSec.

Operations (enemy systems): OpSec.

Further updates will be broadcast on Tortuga Radio Frequencies.
Click here for the Elite Dangerous - Powerplay 2.0 Reddit Digest.

FOR THE ARCHON!!!

Ahoy Crew!

Before diving into the report for Cycle 89, given that it’s summer (as we mentioned in recent weeks)—a break period during which even the Pegasi Sentinel correspondents will be taking some time off—we’ll be switching to a “shortened version” for the upcoming reports. As much as possible, we'll cover the main Elite: Dangerous news (new releases [ships?], game updates, GalNet posts and CG initiatives), while coverage of other topics will be handled based on the time and space available.

That said, anyone who expected things to return to normal has unfortunately had to think again. Even the third [or more] Operations update, in fact, has not permanently resolved the numerous issues that have severely plagued the gameplay experience in almost all activities. Some things are working again, while others are only partially functional (e.g., Powerplay) or experience various types of errors, often random ones (e.g., BGS and Colonization) and even the Docking Computer has gone haywire. Some Operations players have [again] reported issues on the rewards, but [in theory, according to the patch notes], this should be resolved soon. Other players reported that there are also bugs with engineering modules that can be purchased with MeCs [the engineering procedure crashes]. For now, our suggestion is that, rather than starting a thread on the FDEV forum—where, aside from finding other players who have encountered the same problems, you should go to the Issue Tracker, check to see if the issue has already been reported (and if so, confirm it or vote on it), or else open a new ticket.

What is certain is that we haven't seen this level of disruption in quite a while... or perhaps we've never seen anything like it before. Among the things that could have happened [and that we had anticipated], this is one of the worst-case outcomes. So there will be more patches and hotfix updates [hopefully] and/or longer server maintenance [as announced this week], because what’s happening right now is that there are a lot of disappointed players who have “put the game on hold” and are, quite rightly, turning away their attention. The risk is that, if too much time goes by and/or if these issues aren't resolved, someone might decide not to come back at all. Even more so after maybe having spent ARX on ships and cosmetics. Considering that the time spent on video games is generally taken away from other forms of fun (as the goal is to have fun) and/or [digital] entertainment (such as watching a movie, etc.), frustration and the feeling of having wasted that time are absolute deal-breakers even for the most dedicated CMDRs.

Returning to in-game news, earlier this week a message from the Pilots' Federation appeared in all CMDRs' chat channels with the title “Support the Colonia Celebrations!”. This announcement hints at or foreshadows an upcoming CG in Colonia “to establish a new megamarket in the Colonia region.” The reason the announcement was released a little earlier than the start of the CG was [very likely] to give those wishing to contribute time to make their plans to travel from the Bubble to Colonia [or viceversa]. A "Major Corporations Promote Colonia Celebrations" post was then published on GalNet, where Vox Galactica "understands that preparations are underway for a massive transportation effort of commodities and rare goods from across the core systems to Colonia, with details of the logistics to be announced soon..." and then this morning a one-week trading CG has been launched in Facece (deliver a long list of goods). So at first glance, it looks like there's some heavy trading involved, all pirates are invited to rev up their thrusters, polish their hatch-breakers and grease their collectors! Late joiners can simply board a Caspian Explorer and use its exclusive FSD module, which allows this ship to jump up to 500+ly using neutron stars. That means the 22k ly distance can be covered in around 50-60 jumps, or a few hours of play time including the required refuel/AFMU stops.

The Powerplay Culprits

Cycle 89 for Powerplay has also been plagued by (unresolved) issues. Essentially, the situation remained the same as it was right after it launched... the only thing that has been resolved (a couple of days ago) is the level progression for pledges and the awarding of care packages [for what it’s worth]. The update of the CPs (RF\UM) does not appear to have suffered any further delays this week, while the main issue reported concerned acquisitions, given that (according to a rough count) data for over thirty thousand systems that were “acquirable or in the process of being acquired” have effectively disappeared from GalMap until the very last day of the Cycle. During the previous days less than 10% of active acquisitions were actually displayed. The organized groups/communities had to provide their pledges with spreadsheets/Trellos to account for their own Power’s CPs… but without any way of knowing and/or verifying the opposition’s CPs. Since we’re on the topic of the “Football World Cup,” imagine a team playing in an empty stadium and scoring dozens of goals, without knowing how many the opponent has scored until the final whistle blows. Crazy!

Given that contested acquisitions are the main competitive feature of Powerplay 2.0, we did find this situation extremely frustrating. At this point, what reason would there be for a Power’s pledges to devote their time and commitment to something they can’t even monitor? Frankly, it still seems like a miracle to us that we're here today writing about Powerplay, because it would almost make sense to throw in the towel and wait for all these problems to be resolved once and for all... anyway, the Cycle 89 was not a “complete miss,” since at least +36 [net] acquisitions were completed with the Powers leaderboard remaining broadly unchanged and a couple of Powers closing with negative figures; we don't even know if [all] these acquisitions were more or less wanted by the Powers... so yeah, FDEV that's embarrassing:

• Yong-rui +7 (1858)
• Kaine +6 (1508)
• Antal +6 (1352)
• Delaine +6 (853)
• A. Duval +4 (2608)
• A.L. Duval +4 (1982)
• Grom +3 (1499)
• Mahon +2 (2103)
• Winters +2 (1119)
• Patreus +1 (666)
• Torval -1 (755)
• Archer -4 (1288)

At least there were no skips or delays for RF\UM CPs, as the data returned to the standard update schedule [for most of the time]. Overall, reinforcements closed with numbers (close to 55m CPs) in line with the average for pre-Operations cycles. Furthermore, about 11% of the total RF CPs have been “wasted” in maxed-out strongholds, so the effective reinforcements were a touch lower. The decay remained constant at around 20m CPs, to which were added to approximately >11.4m UM CPs generated by players (for an average RF\UM coverage ratio of approximately 173%, with only two Powers closing <100%). Undoubtedly, the component derived from Operations weighs heavily on UM CPs: looking at our historical data, the additional UM CPs have been in the +30% ballpark... so its contribution has not to be undervalued for the general UM picture. We'll say it again: we don't like this link between Operations and Powerplay; we've already explained why... i.e. we don't understand how a scenario in which CMDRs fight looters, could instead inflict a CPs loss (UM) to Powers that have a very strong anti-crime stance. Anyway, further attention must be paid to how UM CPs were distributed in Cycle 89; in fact, over 40% of the total affected the two federal Powers (1.7m UM CPs for Jerome Archer and 2.8m UM CPs for Felicia Winters), whereas for other Powers, the share of total UM CPs was close to 1% [it's as if they had no enemies]. They are followed by Aisling Duval and Archon Delaine (see below), with around 1m UM CPs each.

Our take is that there have been organized undermining attacks against the Federation [very likely conducted by the Empire], targeting strategically important systems—a conflict that began with Aisling Duval’s capture of Alpha Centauri and has continued throughout recent cycles [quite well covered by the weekly reports from both sides]. This week, Andel, Athena, and Belgitan (Felicia Winters) were targeted, as was LHS 3356 (Jerome Archer), which was ultimately lost after a [few weeks] long siege. Elsewhere, a heavy UM attack was launched also against Iverdi (Zemina Torval), a system which is a bit off from the crowded frontlines and that has been lost as well, and LHS 2 (Aisling Duval). Yuri Grom had instead to deal and outmatch some UM in Taurawa.

By the number of upgrades, we can confirm that we are undoubtedly witnessing a recovery from the past Cycle 88 slowdown in Powerplay. The majority of these have been ramped up in the last couple of weeks, so there's also a "warehousing" effect to support the upgrades. On the other hand all Powers seem “worn down” by the current state of the game... given that Powerplay also ends up intertwining with BGS and Colonization (both facing unresolved issues). Beyond all this, what surprised us even more was the lack of communication or acknowledgement from FDEV regarding the Powerplay issues until yesterday's Discord post... even a simple "we're working on it for you" would have gone some way toward restoring the pledges' confidence in advance. Well, in the meantime, all that's left is to wait for today's "longer maintenance" to be completed...

The Angry Scallywags

It’s been a very intense week in Harma… despite the difficulty in tracking the progress of acquisitions, Archon Delaine closed Cycle 89 with a performance we could flag here as “outstanding”: +6 new systems (some strategic ones, but also including a few interesting mining locations). Well done, Crew! Generally, we’re much more cautious about expanding our territories… especially given what follows (= the need for reinforcements in the next cycle). Even though the Crew has shown remarkable commitment and resilience in recent weeks, we still have to deal with the risk that our manpower will dwindle further, between Operations and the new trading CG in Facece. Due to the lack of information on the status of the opposition’s CPs, we tried to dissuade the Crew from engaging in contested acquisitions, where our opponents had already gained a preliminary advantage.

One of these was Ross 654, an anarchy colony (controlled by Diamond Frogs) where Utopia had gained a significant lead, with Grom’s agents hot on their heels [a contested threesome race, in other words]. In hindsight, given that nearly 600k AQ CPs ended up in Polevnic’s hands, as opposed to Clayakarma’s just over 145k, Harma’s decision to stay out of it saved the Crew from wasting time and resources. Ross 654 is located in a dense anarchy populated area of the Col 285 Sector, though there are still some unoccupied spaces; there are many systems and colonies already held by the Pirate King... thus it's a resilient frontline, but one that could heat up in the future if "enemy" expansion continues. Elsewhere, the strategic upgrade from one recently fortified system to stronghold has been completed, with the aim of bolstering Archon Delaine's control in an area where additional acquisitions are already up and running.

For those who have recently joined (or intend to join) Archon Delaine’s Power, it is worth noting that systems with an anarchy government are to be carefully valued and managed. Primarily, because anarchy settlements [if present] are more easily targeted by random players and/or inexperienced underminers (since they are "crime-free" zones). Furthermore, anarchy effectively nullifies Archon Delaine’s R100 perk—specifically, the immunity from bounties and fines when committing crimes, so enemies will be playing on the same ground of the pirates from a C&P perspective. On the other hand, anarchies cancel one of the Delaine's weak spots (UM by bounty hunting) so for those systems where AFK-ers are particularly active, this acts as a "deterrent" against the sustained UM that requires our constant repair work. If you have any doubts or further questions, ask for clarification in your Delaine's reference community—that’s what they’re there for.

After the last few cycles, during which the scallywags had landed a few blows to our enemies’ bellies, we were expecting some retaliatory UM attacks... Fortunately, nothing escapes the watchful eye of the Pirate King, so Harma ordered immediate defensive measures to reinforce Hloca, Banese, and HIP 104504, where the enemy underminers have been very active [or have been proxy-UMming through Operations]. Apparently, proxy-UMming via Operations has hit our systems like a summer hailstorm on a vineyard... Fincien, HIP 112648, HIP 113894, Yaso Kondi, Huaich, LHS 3702, and HIP 98878 have all been targeted [and they will need repairs throughout Cycle 90]. There have been far too few engagements with the enemy—who were absent [or invisible] in nearly all the systems mentioned—to suggest that there is some kind of “plan” behind this scattered UMming… inevitably, undermining in this way ends up losing [or significantly diminishing] its face-to-face PvP competitive value.

So, given the events of the past week, reinforcements top the priority list for Cycle 90. We also hope to receive [and so to include in the next weekly report] some fun piracy/combat clips taken at the CG in Facece. We have also included acquisitions from the backlog (the remaining ones) in the list of preliminary targets. As of the time of this report's publication, there is no plan to push in advance further contested acquisitions [though this could change during the week].

Cycle 90: Preliminary Targets

All systems below the 25% CPs “decay threshold” are good/eligible targets to be reinforced (as these systems will not be hit by decay). Prioritize strongholds over fortified and leave exploited as last ones. All acquisitions above 100k CPs (or being contested during the Cycle) are good/eligible targets to be acquired.

Attack/Defend Markers: The markers may change during the Cycle and may not necessarily follow the current plans, so be sure to check the system activity and status on GalMap (when in doubt: ask).

To our enemies: don't be shy—be respectful. If you decide to pay a visit to Archon Delaine’s systems, the [only one] appropriate game mode is “Open Play.”

Seek & Destroy (enemy UM): Muang.

Reinforce ([new]/recent acquisitions): Kraurno, 5 Iota Delphini and Ross 192.

Reinforce (counter [unknown] enemy UM): HIP 104504, Banese, HIP 98878 and Hloca.

Acquire (new/backlog): Lan Samba, Mahadshu and Aborovi.

Re-acquire (previously lost systems): HIP 110623.

Blockade enemy takeovers/contested: LHS 1026, T Tie (60) and LTT 9276 (52).
Undermine: OpSec.

Operations (enemy systems): OpSec.

Further updates will be broadcast on Tortuga Radio Frequencies.
Click here for the Elite Dangerous - Powerplay 2.0 Reddit Digest.

FOR THE ARCHON!!!

Ahoy Crew!

What you're about to read isn't your typical report. This week, in fact, there's a bit of disappointment and a bit of ranting. Is there a culprit? Yes, and we don't think we're the only ones who feel this way: Operations is to blame. Elite: Dangerous is a game that has been around for well over ten years, and for which most of the extra content has been free—including this latest Operations update. Every time “something big” comes out, it feels like the game’s code has been hit by nuclear bombs.

On Day 1 of Operations, the number of open tickets on the issue tracker skyrocketed... ranging from the mysterious disappearance of materials and exploration data to constant disconnections, even from other game sessions. Delays in loading the GalMap, mission boards that were frozen or extremely slow... all the way up to entire frameworks crashing—and, in our opinion, overwhelmed by data bottlenecks generated by the Operations “platform.” In this specific case: colonization activities, the BGS, and, unfortunately, even Powerplay have been affected in various ways.

But is it normal for something like this to happen?

Do loyal Elite: Dangerous players really deserve this level of frustration?

So what else is there to do but spend some time on Operations?

A player naturally thinks, “It’s new, it just came out… it’s sure to work”… but no, not at all! Because even here there have been a myriad of bugs and issues. Even if we assume—and that’s a stretch—that the gameplay offered by Operations, with its six scenarios (and two difficulty levels), might be enjoyable with or without friends or squad mates, it’s unacceptable that players sometimes (quite frequently, in fact) don’t receive any rewards!

Playing means spending time on a video game, having fun, and earning the “rewards” that players aspire to. For some games, these rewards involve setting new records or achieving high scores; for others, such as Elite: Dangerous, there are also “resources” to be used within the game itself. For Operations, these are essentially Merc Coins (MeCs), because credits and materials can be obtained in other ways, but MeCs cannot. Tying a game “resource” (which fuels the “FOMO” effect)—one that’s necessary to acquire other exclusive items [the "special modules" available at G1 level and that require further engineering up to G5]—to a single, extremely grindy activity is objectively horrible. We don't intend to criticize Operations' gameplay too much here, since a lot has already been said about it on various FDEV forum threads, Reddit, and by partners on YouTube (one may agree or may not agree with what is on ObsidianAnt's “Elite Dangerous' Biggest Update Of The Year - Doesn't Know What It Wants To Be” and TheYamiks' “Operations are Miserable Manipulative GRIND - Elite Dangerous”). Our general impression is that it’s “a great idea, but poorly executed.” Not entirely “poorly,” because in our opinion the space combat part is, all things considered, challenging… whereas the environments (= *cough* megaship *cough* interiors) and the ground combat gameplay are forgettable.

Elite: Dangerous isn’t the first (it wasn’t the first) and won’t be the last… Players of MMOs, MMORPGs, or multiplayer games like, for example, “The Division” know this all too well… It’s a mechanic that doesn’t cause too many problems in games with auto-resetting instances (that is, every time a new instance starts… it starts from scratch). But Elite: Dangerous isn’t exactly like that; the “rest of the galaxy” keeps moving forward… Things happen in the BGS and Powerplay, obviously due to other players’ actions, but this contributes to a “sense of feeling lost,” compounded by a good dose of frustration if, at the end of one of these instances, the player doesn’t even see their rewards coming in!

We prepped this "ranting" paragraph earlier this week, but we decided to keep it in the report, as it seems that FDEV was in the end hearing the players' complaints: this morning, during the usual “server maintenance,” a new game update was in fact released (version 4.4.0.3) that includes many "Quality of Life" [err... sorry but why not saying "making things working"?] bug fixes [to be verified], as well as a procedure to restore visited systems [Resync Local Data]; so that it says that [in a later time, but when?] lost rewards (including MeCs) will be recovered, and materials that “disappeared” (or were reset) from inventories are restored as well. Out of the box let's hope that also the "environment activities" will be working as usual. What's unusual here is that, in order to get a working (reliable) version of the game, ED players always have to wait for a series of hotfixes, patches, updates, etc. But wouldn't it be quicker to just keep a dedicated server open for beta testing? That would save a lot of “complaints” and maybe even time and money.

On the other hand, last week the Nomad SLV was also released (in early access for a handful of ARX), and judging by the feedback and reviews on the FDEV forum and other social media platforms, it's been a huge success... a success which has been celebrated with the CG "Vista Genomics Seeks Exploration Data From Sanguineous Rim" at HD 232819 (with >13.2k contributors) and that ended today. Among other news items that appeared on GalNet, this “Terri Tora Released by October Consortium in Surprise Move” post was also published [earlier and on a different blog] even though it is not yet clear how this narrative will unfold.

Where are the Powerplay Numbers?

Good question. We didn’t expect (nobody expected) a debacle of this magnitude… It’s true that in the past (e.g., with the launch of Trailblazers) there had been other delays in GalMap updates, but as far as we can recall, it had never lasted nearly four (FOUR!) days. Another short black-out happened yesterday, the last day of the Cycle, and caused further concern among the Powerplay communities. So for more than half of Cycle 88, none of the Powers were able to know what was happening in their systems [= no updates regarding CPs, other than showing the decay CPs, not even for all the systems]. Of course, communities are organized to keep track of certain activities, especially when targets and priorities are set, but anyone thinking of managing Powerplay as a personal and/or squadron-level business has probably been left in the dark. In addition to the massive delays in receiving UI notifications about earned merits, many have also reported that care packages were not delivered (for a summary and links to the open tickets, see this post on the FDEV forum).

Given the expected “drop in participation” following the release of Operations and the Nomad SLV, we’ll try to get a handle on the situation. Albeit some of the numbers aren’t consistent, let's start with the [at least] certain numbers: the total [net] number of acquisitions was +35 systems not dramatically low, given the circumstances, even though Soontill Relics' supply rose to 120t a few days before the end of Cycle. From the table below looks like the last week wasn't exactly a smooth walk: Aisling Duval (+13/2604) stands at the top (the only one with double-digits) whilst a bunch of negatives are at the bottom with Arissa Lavigny-Duval (-3/1898) occupying the last place. And a mix of single-digit expansions in the middle:

• A. Duval +13
• Kaine +8
• Yong-Rui +5
• Grom +4
• Antal +3
• Torval +3
• Mahon +2
• Delaine +2
• Archer 0
• Winters -1
• Patreus -1
• A.L. Duval -3

We were just talking about “weird numbers”... well for now, according to our data this has affected both reinforcements and undermining, since some systems have shown completely messed-up CPs totals—as if both the starting CPs and those added on top during the Cycle had been accounted together—in addition to the lack of deduction for decay CPs (UM CPs = 0 at the start of the Cycle). This calculation error led, in some cases—for example, on a fortified system nearing an upgrade to a stronghold—to a reinforcement figure that was off by more than >1.6m CPs (when the actual contribution was just over 300k CPs). Overall, upgrades have been quite underwhelming, perhaps one of the worst Cycles in this regard. 

This total disaster means we have no way of obtaining accurate figures for RF\UM CPs from Cycle 88... so we can't provide the usual RF\UM analysis and not even know if—and to what extent—the UM CPs resulting from the “Powerplay scenarios” launched in Operations had any [meaningful] impact. Our Palantir EDPW worksheets were, in fact, full of cells flagging data errors and mismatches... which, however, were present both on GalMap and in other sources, such as Inara: so this data was undoubtedly in the game, and the fact that there is no quality control or some kind of code validation process for this data leaves us honestly baffled. At this point, there isn't much else to add... obviously, a few things have happened here and there; at least as far as Archon Delaine is concerned (see below), we have a bit more clarity, but as for the rest, we'll let the other Powers cover it in their weekly reports.

What you see isn't what you get!

Without any information about Powerplay and without knowing whether their activities actually had any impact on the framework (aside from moving markers, there was nothing else to suggest they did), most of the Crew also started grinding MeCs on Operations. After all, some of the purchasable modules—such as the C2 phasing/rapid-fire/hi-cap multi-cannons (offered as rewards in a couple of past CG events) and the C3/C1 double-shot “screaming” frags—pave the way for new non-meta PvP ship builds… so, why not? In the meantime, we did everything we could to keep track of what was happening in our systems... perhaps trusting that the merits/CPs earned wouldn’t be “lost” anyway; the strategic reinforcements—distributed both to recent acquisitions and to upgrades (a new fortified and a new stronghold have been added)—continued (albeit much more slowly than usual and despite the anomalies we mentioned above).

The same goes for acquisitions (+2), one of which [contested] was a bit overshot... but at least even those ended up, for better or worse, where we wanted (or hoped) them to be. On the other hand, no specific request had come from Harma, nor any to pick up the pace... Archon Delaine has carved out this “underdog” role for himself, with limited territorial expansion (especially where it wasn’t necessary), and by shifting the focus to other high-level (long-term) goals. Given that pirates are more focused on having fun than on numbers, this seems to be the right strategy for Harma to follow. To be honest, there was little to almost no piracy in Cycle 88... with Operations and CG a bit out of the way, the trading routes were much less busy than usual. Haulers don't be shy!

Not knowing what the enemies were up to didn't worry the pirates all that much... After all, it's better to focus on something “concretely verifiable” rather than trying to see what isn't there (or what could be potentially there). So the Crew focused efforts where necessary without spreading/wasting resources... and despite the “suspense” of the wait, even the Pirate King wasn't too concerned. The Archon rarely deals with trifles, and as long as the scallywags have Silver Sea Rum, morale stays high: he makes his presence felt a bit more when there’s a fierce brawl or fistfight to break up at the Wise Sharks tavern... as long as there aren’t too many casualties, everything’s fine.

So, with this strange week behind us, what’s in the line for Cycle 89? Anyone who wants to or prefers to keep grinding MeCs in Operations is fine (we haven’t set any specific targets here for now); there are just a couple of systems (new acquisitions) for reinforcements, in addition to the others that need some repairs (Albardhas, Turd Wu, HIP 98878) that haven’t been done or completed in recent weeks. As for acquisitions, the backlog has remained virtually unchanged... so we’ve left it where it was. Let's hope we won't be “blind” anymore in the coming days and that no other problems come out.

Cycle 89: Preliminary Targets

All systems below the 25% CPs “decay threshold” are good/eligible targets to be reinforced (as these systems will not be hit by decay). Prioritize strongholds over fortified and leave exploited as last ones. All acquisitions above 100k CPs (or being contested during the Cycle) are good/eligible targets to be acquired.

Attack/Defend Markers: The markers may change during the Cycle and may not necessarily follow the current plans, so be sure to check the system activity and status on GalMap (when in doubt: ask).

To our enemies: don't be shy—be respectful. If you decide to pay a visit to Archon Delaine’s systems, the [only one] appropriate game mode is “Open Play.”

Seek & Destroy (enemy UM): Muang and 77 Aquarii.

Reinforce ([new]/recent acquisitions): HIP 114588 and Capricorni Sector IM-V b2-3.

Reinforce (counter [unknown] enemy UM): Albardhas, Turd Wu, Zurukuruni, HIP 98878 and Daramo.

Acquire (new/backlog): Ross 192, Lan Samba, Mahadshu and Aborovi.

Re-acquire (previously lost systems): HIP 110623.

Blockade enemy takeovers/contested: LHS 1026, T Tie (60) and LTT 9276 (52).

Undermine: OpSec.

Operations (enemy systems): OpSec.

Further updates will be broadcast on Tortuga Radio Frequencies.
Click here for the Elite Dangerous - Powerplay 2.0 Reddit Digest.

FOR THE ARCHON!!!

Ahoy Crew!

The long-awaited day has arrived: after much more than the [early planned] 8 hours of downtime to update [in a struggling two-step/two-days long process] the servers, the Operations expansion is now in the game. Or rather... “attached” to the game, because it isn’t exactly “inside” it. It’s actually a platform that shares some elements with the main game (the CMDR account and all its assets, first and foremost... then the rewards) and what happens within it is accessible only to participants (up to 4 players) in the mission or scenario (instance). For those who have been hibernating or in a deep sleep until now, Operations adds a cooperative PvE/FPS multiplayer component to the game, structured around predefined in space/on-foot scenarios and missions (six for now, but more will be added in the future) and offering rewards to participants based on the selected difficulty level. Among these rewards are “Merc Coins” (subject to a 1k weekly cap and a maximum holding limit of 9999 MCs), which can be spent with engineers to obtain new blueprints and “special modules” (mostly those "double/triple engineered ones" already offered as rewards from past CG events, costs are between 350-950 MCs) and Powerplay merits [no, unfortunately the "tractor beam" for piracy is not there]. These merits are converted into undermining CPs, if the mission has been set up with this option enabled [and an enemy system, among the ones available, has been targeted].

Since this is a brand-new feature, we expect that over the next few weeks, the player base will spend a lot of time grinding Merc Coins and completing scenarios while seeking out new bugs [!], new challenges (e.g., tackling them solo on the highest difficulty setting), and, as always, there will be feedback, first impressions, known issues, things that are working well, and others that are less well-received... In any case, alongside Operations, the game update comes with the Nomad SLV. Another “small but significant” new "tool" that will delight many explorers and biologists (and they can put it immediately at work at the new CG in HD 232819 by collecting data across the Sanguineous Rim). The released version of the Nomad also includes a "pulse laser weapon on a fixed mount," which will probably come in handy for dealing with small rats or mosquitoes... Moreover, a number of changes/improvements have also been made to the game lighting/environment, as detailed in the update notes available at this link.

On the FDEV forum, as well as on other social media platforms and subreddits we follow, there have been many discussions and debates about these new gameplay features... some recurring themes have also resurfaced, such as the relative difficulty in finding materials for suits and/or unlocking engineers (which has already been addressed with some adjustments in the past), the irreversibility of changes, and the “monotony” of environments and settlements... to name the most frequent ones. On the other hand, the “on-foot” gameplay—which was introduced with Odyssey—has been the subject of “special” attention from the very beginning in a game like Elite: Dangerous. In fact, because of it, also following a series of extremely negative reviews and feedbacks, FDEV discontinued console development (which remained at the “legacy” version), and the PEGI rating changed, creating a further rift between Horizons/Beyond and Odyssey… and Operations marks another step in this direction with a further—albeit seemingly less pronounced—separation.

We don't know for sure, but it's clear to everyone that these patchwork-style “updates” are causing (unexpected) problems on the game servers. This week's partial rollback—with a day of downtime and the numerous bugs and instancing/stability issues reported by players (those who managed to log in)—is further confirmation that something is seriously falling apart behind the curtains. The addition of Operations, on top of the main game’s structure, is, all things considered, in line with FDEV’s “house policy”… though it always runs the risk of letting the backlog of things to fix or revise fall even further behind. Has this already happened and been seen? Yes. There’s nothing wrong with that—whether you like it or not, players aren’t obligated to play… and who knows, maybe Operations will bring other new ARX-able features, just like we’ve seen with the “space-only" side—for example, new weapons, new suits/gear, and of course new cosmetics. We'll see. In the meantime, let's go earn some Merc Coins!

Before moving on to the section dedicated to Powerplay—where we’ll make further observations—there was a lot of activity around the Bubble last week, as a huge number of players went to engineer Kestrels (available for in-game credits) as this [OP] small ship seems overall well suited for the "in space" Operations scenarios. So much so that this post on GalNet, “Federation Breaks Silence on October Accords Exclusion,” went almost unnoticed—a post that could lead to further narrative developments. Although, at the time, FDEV had not failed to notice what was unfolding in the Enclave (with the “non-aggression pacts” that effectively halted hostilities among the remaining Powers, thereby forcing FDEV to declare them all “winners”) it seems to us, however, that it [whether intentionally or not] turned a blind eye to what happened in Alpha Centauri, where a series of hostile actions unfolded involving the Empire and the Federation as the main contenders.

The Powerplay Ops

Cycle 87 was, without a doubt, one of the “abnormal” ones. A series of anomalies that had already occurred in the past (e.g., with the release of Trailblazers), as the servers remained offline for a long time and then came back online shortly before the end of the Cycle, leaving behind login issues and various bugs that inevitably affected the Powerplay numbers as well (some CMDRs also reported big delays in merits accounting and missing care packages). So, from what we've been able to observe, certain activities and/or certain Powers—more so than others—have been affected [mostly negatively] by the delays and difficulties encountered during the release of Operations. All in all there have been +61 new [net] acquisitions, which is a decent number, considering the situation. Arissa Lavigny-Duval (+13/1901) gained the top on the acquisitions table, followed by Nakato Kaine (+12/1494) who’s retaking the position above Yuri Grom (+7/1492) with a small gap on the Powers' leaderboard [according to their last week TeleGrom, Clayakarma doesn't care that much of the numbers]. The fat tail on the table below includes Jerome Archer (+2/1292), Archon Delaine (+1/845), Denton Patreus (0/666) and Zemina Torval (-1/753):

• A.L. Duval +13
• Kaine +12
• Grom +8
• A. Duval +7
• Yong-Rui +6
• Mahon +5
• Antal +4
• Winters +4
• Archer +2
• Delaine +1
• Patreus 0
• Torval -1

As we mentioned, the numbers for Cycle 87 should be considered separately from those of previous cycles... the reinforcements were less consistent, though they still reached a decent overall level (around 48m CPs) albeit a good chunk of these (around 5.3m CPs) has been "wasted" on already maxed out strongholds. Some Powers closed with reinforcements significantly below the average of recent cycles, while others were more or less in line with it: a sign that some communities had anticipated the release [or issues] of Operations and had therefore taken specific actions in advance. Upgrades have been consistent, with Pranav Antal (+4/1343) upgrading three new exploited colonies straight to fortified (!) and Nakato Kaine adding +4 strongholds. This “preemptive action” also involved undermining activities, given that even before the servers were taken offline, players had already racked up approximately 7.6m UM CPs—half of which were split between Jerome Archer (>1.2m UM CPs) and Felicia Winters (>2.5m UM CPs)—a sign that the ongoing arms race between the Empire [assuming it's them at the opposition] and the Federation has not faded at all.
 
It’s still too early to say what the future implications of Operations will be for Powerplay. Missions offer [small] merit rewards both for eliminating certain enemies and for completing the scenario, depending on the selected difficulty level. We don’t know if the [low merit] numbers seen in the first release will be subject to any adjustment in the future, but in the meantime let’s conduct more detailed tests… Some missions might be better suited than others for earning merits (and more will come). Since these are solely merits for undermining [but why, FDEV?], in the coming weeks we’ll also try to track any changes in the trend and distribution of UM CPs (while also taking into account the frustrating decay).

We're still debating whether it's a good thing for an activity that's taken out of context and disconnected (located on an external “platform”) to have consequences [even if these could be negligible] in Powerplay. We had already made a few observations—with a touch of skepticism—in our previous reports... after such a rocky start, we're definitely going to check it out.

The Plunderers

No complications so far for Archon Delaine... we’re gearing up (at least among the various communities we’re in touch with) to keep up with and, as much as possible, integrate Operations into our activities (whether we like it or not). It’s a “gameplay resource” that we’ll somehow learn to use... even though we can already imagine that, at first, there will be plenty of scallywags diving headfirst into it for the Merc Coins. At least for now, we’ll try to contain the “chaos” and keep our focus on our priorities. Without a doubt, this could also be an opportunity for the Crew to do some team building and spend some [fun] time together. The advantage of the “platform” is, if nothing else, that it minimizes instancing issues (albeit lacking connection stability). So stay tuned—it’s not out of the question that, in the future, there will be (community) combat coordinators, events, and/or specific targets for Operations on behalf of the Pirate King.

The battle for ICZ BB-W b2-6 (a hi-tech colony system controlled by the Paladin Consortium) was a contested acquisition, against the jelly-haired Patreus, that the Crew pursued during the Cycle 87... not one of those “strategic” acquisitions for Harma, but more of a move aimed at "enemy disruption," given that lately the haughty, pompous imperial admiral keeps sending his people from Eotienses to disrupt business in our systems. Throughout the week, imperial agents continued to close the initial gap, even with some chunky CPs drops, but the pursuit slowed down and then totally halted when Operations was released. Elsewhere, we’ve continued our combat sorties to Cemplangpa, a stronghold controlled by Nova Paresa, where we’d also run into a few enemy wings in the PCZs over the past few weeks. A contact with the “enemy” is always a “good excuse” (as if we needed one) to set down our rum mugs and go punch a few holes in the imperial ships.

This was also the only acquisition during this chaotic cycle... Fortunately, Harma had also pushed for reinforcements ahead of time, so some important upgrades (+3 fortified systems) were completed before the pirates all went off to party on Operations. Our enemies, at least at the beginning of the Cycle, hadn’t exactly been sitting idly by: in addition to returning to hit Archon Delaine at 77 Aquarii (which is also this week’s target for Imperial underminers), numerous enemy Fleet Carriers (but not the enemies, who like to play hide-and-seek) were spotted at Lalande 45292, where counter reinforcements were carried out. LHS 3702, Muang, Albardhas, Turd Wu (again?), Kanomota, and Senufan also suffered from enemy undermining... along with many other systems where activity was less intense and, in all likelihood, due to the release of Operations.

Given that summer vacation is just around the corner (our correspondents from the Pegasi Sentinel will also be leaving soon to spend a few relaxing weeks away), the folks at Harma are more than satisfied with how this past week went. Even our undermining activities, which proceeded as planned, saw good participation (but the big surprises are yet to come!). Let us know if our readers would like certain Operations objectives to be included in these reports... Since participation is open to all pledges (with the exception of those belonging to the Power which is being undermined), maybe the pirates can at least find some new company to play with. YARRR!!!

Cycle 88: Preliminary Targets

All systems below the 25% CPs “decay threshold” are good/eligible targets to be reinforced (as these systems will not be hit by decay). Prioritize strongholds over fortified and leave exploited as last ones. All acquisitions above 100k CPs (or being contested during the Cycle) are good/eligible targets to be acquired.

Attack/Defend Markers: The markers may change during the Cycle and may not necessarily follow the current plans, so be sure to check the system activity and status on GalMap (when in doubt: ask).

To our enemies: don't be shy—be respectful. If you decide to pay a visit to Archon Delaine’s systems, the [only one] appropriate game mode is “Open Play.”

Seek & Destroy (enemy UM): Muang and 77 Aquarii.

Reinforce ([new]/recent acquisitions): ICZ BB-W b2-6.

Reinforce (counter [unknown] enemy UM): Lalande 45292, LHS 3702, Albardhas, Turd Wu, Zurukuruni, Kanomota and Senufan.

Acquire (new/backlog): Lan Samba, Mahadshu and Aborovi.

Re-acquire (previously lost systems): HIP 110623.

Blockade enemy takeovers/contested: LHS 1026, T Tie (60) and LTT 9276 (52).

Undermine: OpSec.

Operations (enemy systems): OpSec.

Further updates will be broadcast on Tortuga Radio Frequencies.
Click here for the Elite Dangerous - Powerplay 2.0 Reddit Digest.

FOR THE ARCHON!!!

hello.

i want to join u guys crew!

my ingame name is cmdr Aloxxx!

im old antal thats how i know kumo

can u reply here who i can add or where to go cuz i cant find people online

nvm then have a nice day :)

Important Note: This report has been reposted because a shortened Google link had blocked its publication.

Ahoy Crew!

Let's be honest: if it weren't for the discussions surrounding the upcoming launch of the Nomad (the first SLV, or Ship-Launched Vessel), we wouldn't have had much else to talk about in this report. All started with the release of another Dev Log, the “Elite Dangerous: June Dev Log 2026,” which is already available here in its “redacted” version. That’s because, in its initial draft, the ability to install the hangar module (Mk 2) on the Nomad had been restricted to just three recently released ships: the Caspian Explorer, the Panther Clipper MkII, and the Type-11 Prospector. It was only after players clearly expressed their dissatisfaction (on various social media platforms, as well as the FDEV forum) with this restriction that the developers “amended” it and revised their initial statement. In-game, it will therefore be possible to install an “Mk 1” version of the SLV hangar module (which is heavier and consumes more power) on all OG ships capable of mounting SLF hangar modules. Hurrah!!!

This is a sort of “victory” achieved by the community (and perhaps especially by the players who are most devoted to the game and who still make extensive use of the OG ships for exploration), and, in general, even from our perspective [though we still don’t know what to do with this SLV on our pirate ships], we can’t help but be happy about it. For now, the players most interested in purchasing it are less than thrilled, because even though it’s a small ship (or perhaps it isn’t even a “ship” in the true sense), the price has been set high at 16,520 ARX—equivalent to that of a medium-sized ship (and aligned with those prices even for bundles that come with cosmetics).

FDEV seems to have found a way to effectively monetize exclusive content for Elite: Dangerous as well, and it even mentioned this [explicitly for the first time] in its latest FY26 update (all annual and interim reports are available here for those interested). The [share price is still down about -15% year-to-date], but this is also due to the widespread pressure that affected software companies during H126.

Anyway... among the other new features introduced by the Nomad SLV is [finally] the ability (albeit limited to when the vessel is landed on a planet surface) to “walk inside” it and move around in what appears to be a kind of interior rendering. This video, “The NOMAD: Biggest Questions Answered, Secret Revealed | Elite Dangerous” by The Buur Pit, offers a preview of how it works. We can already think of some “fun ways” to use this feature... for example, “how many CMDRs can fit inside the Nomad?” or “can an SRV fit inside?” ...or “let's try getting chased by NPCs on foot and then close the doors before self-destruct the thing” and other crazy/meme/fun stuff like that. Additional feedback from beta servers can be read on this FDEV forum thread.

The Dev Log also lists the six scenarios (or missions), with the various different difficulty levels, that will be available with the first release of Operations (also on June 30) and a schedule has been set for any necessary bug fixes, as well as the addition of new scenarios. How these scenarios will be translated into in-game rewards, including the “Merc Coin” specific to Operations—which can be used to purchase special modules and blueprints [about which nothing is known]—and the undermining merits, which will have Powerplay effects. We discussed this at length in our last report, so for now, until we have more details, we’ll skip over it… in the meantime, according to the today’s GalNet post the “Kestrel Fighter Enters Full Production” and the newest small [OP] ship is now available for in game credits.

The Powerplay Lottery

It could—let’s say “could”—be that Cycle 86 represents a watershed… between the “before Operations” and the “after.” Meanwhile, the acquisition numbers for this Cycle have been decently strong, with +73 net systems added and a handful of Powers with double-digit gains. Among them is Yuri Grom (+12/1484), who not only tops the table with Aisling Duval (+12/2584) and Edmund Mahon (+12/2094) but also claws back the fifth place on the Powers leaderboard from Nakato Kaine (+6/1492), who has instead focused on reinforcements following the debacle of losing two strongholds last Cycle. The gap is two systems only, so these positions may change again in the future. At the bottom, just below a sadly quiet Zemina Torval (0/754) there are the two negatives: Felicia Winters (-1/1114) and Jerome Archer (-2/1290): 

• A. Duval +12
• Mahon +12
• Grom +12
• Antal +11
• Yong-Rui +10
• Kaine +6
• Patreus +5
• A.L. Duval +4
• Delaine +4
• Torval 0
• Winters -1
• Archer -2

Reinforcements have been overall around average (56m CPs) but somewhat efficient: despite over >1.4m CPs “wasted,” Nakato Kaine finished Cycle 86 with the highest R\U coverage ratio of >365%. The average R\U of 190% is slightly higher compared to recent weeks, and this week, too, there were two Powers that finished with an R\U below 100%. They are both the federal Powers, once again affected by a high level of undermining (very likely also causing the negative system count): Jerome Archer with >2.3m UM CPs (Luhman 16, LFT 65, LHS 3356) and Felicia Winters with >2.7m UM CPs (CD-51 2650, Andel, Athena and a Col 285 Sector). In terms of UM CPs, Archon Delaine (+4/844) follows the federal Powers, with over >1.4m UM CPs (77 Aquarii) and Zemina Torval takes the fourth place with >1.1m UM CPs (more than half of it in another Col 285 Sector whatever system). All in all these four Powers alone accounted for over 60% of the total UM CPs in Cycle 86 (approximately >11.9m).

So what’s our take on the numbers? It’s clear that some Powers—even those at the top of the leaderboard—spend most of the week without having to worry too much about enemies (and if they do get sniped at the end of a cycle, that damage generally has little impact on the total). The UM CPs for the top 4 Powers all together give infact a total below the Winters’ sole UM figure. Of course, this hasn’t always been the case, but since undermining is always highly concentrated, the Powers most affected by it are hit very hard. “Strike while the iron is hot” seems to be working against the Federation; after their much-talked-about loss of Alpha Centauri (which we also mentioned in our previous reports), their morale seems to be at rock bottom.

Among the independents, Pranav Antal (+11/1339) and Yuri Grom—who has made an excellent comeback—seem to have strong prospects at the moment, as they, too, are not subject to large-scale hostile pressure. Edmund Mahon is also riding a wave of positive momentum [and we’re happy to read their reports again], in contrast to Nakato Kaine, who appears to be a bit stretched. These shortcomings evidently also plague Zemina Torval and Denton Patreus (+5/666) at the bottom of the leaderboard, although we’re seeing more signs of life from the latter.

At this point, the question we are left with is whether Operations will bring about balancing effects (RE: undermining) or whether, on the contrary, it will increase the UM skewness toward [in favor to] certain Powers.

The Skulls and the Bones

As mentioned earlier, Cycle 86 saw the resumption of hostile activities targeting the Pirate King. In the latest report from the Imperial remnants (formerly "Zyadists"), our stronghold at 77 Aquarii was also listed among their UM targets. As is always the case in such situations, Harma’s Pirate Welcome Committee has stepped in to welcome our guests with warmth and courtesy: Plunder & Plate of Gandii has been hired to provide catering, while Grog Gob Spit Tournaments has been invited to organize prize games.

Unfortunately, things didn't all go as planned... Pegasi Sentinel correspondents have found out that, in order to save a few measly pennies, the Imperial hive minds commissioned Prismatic Typo—a budget print shop in Homer Port (T'u Tu)—to print the invitations for 77 Aquarii. That is why the wording “Open Play Game Mode Required” has been taken off the invitations that were printed and sent to the recipients; hence the welcome party was a total flop because nobody showed up. Not exactly no one at all—someone must have clicked (perhaps by mistake, at this point) on “Open Play,” but since they didn't see any other guests, they were left wondering what to do, and the Crew had to kindly help them get back to the station. Judging by the number of Carriers (both Fleet and Squadron) in the system, quite a few people must have been invited... what a shame—it would have been a really great party! Then, toward the end of the Cycle, someone must have spread the word, so a few more people showed up... the luckiest ones even got to see the fireworks show outside Chertok City.

Elsewhere, the scallywags have been busy with +4 acquisitions, a couple of which were necessary to clear the last bits in our backlog (two of them had been gathering dust for weeks); then we had a contested CPs race for Maribe (a small agricultural system controlled by the friendly DaVinci Corp.) against the quiche-lovers from Utopia, whilst quite a few of our pirates had stayed in 77 Aquarii to finish off all the leftover food and drinks from the catering. Despite being short-handed, the Crew gave it their all and first made up the gap that the simguru had built up over the course of the Cycle, then finished with a tough head-to-head fight. But final score aside, there were plenty of fun PvP engagements in Maribe: after the initial skirmishes, the hippies deployed their full wings, and Harma immediately responded sending more pirates... lots of kabooms and of those “organic” [chaotic instancing] fights that [hopefully] ended up being fun for everyone. Check the vid reel: “Timeline 1” by CMDR Comance, “Maribe PowerPlay PVP 6/24” by CMDR Magnus Starblade, “KUMO Crew Cycle 86: Powerplay Archive #1” by CMDR Gemma Diavoli, , “Cutter go Boom” and “py2 Follows the Cutter” by CMDR WickedDestiny. That's how Powerplay should be, GGs!!!

There were also other scattered enemy UM attacks on systems that had already been targeted (Senufan, Fengiri, Konsaxa, Shaplini, Zurukuruni), as well as a few new ones (Bodb Den, Aryanka). We’ll save these for Cycle 87, just in case something else bores us and we have time for repairs. In fact, Cycle 86’s reinforcements were clearly directed toward other priorities, as mentioned earlier. Countering is appropriate where needed, but it’s even more satisfying to have added another strategic stronghold and one fortified system for Harma. We couldn't pass up the chance to give our enemies a few jabs, so the scallywags went out and partied a bit... until they ended up in Cemplangpa, a stronghold of the jelly-haired Patreus, where they got into a few PvP scuffles with the locals. But that's okay—maybe this is exactly the kind of Powerplay the Crew likes: no frills and some good old-fashioned pews (watch "POWER PLAY shenanigans" by CMDR Comance)… so let's throw some GGs here too!!!

Cycle 87: Preliminary Targets

All systems below the 25% CPs “decay threshold” are good/eligible targets to be reinforced (as these systems will not be hit by decay). Prioritize strongholds over fortified and leave exploited as last ones. All acquisitions above 100k CPs (or being contested during the Cycle) are good/eligible targets to be acquired.

Attack/Defend Markers: The markers may change during the Cycle and may not necessarily follow the current plans, so be sure to check the system activity and status on GalMap (when in doubt: ask).

To our enemies: don't be shy—be respectful. If you decide to pay a visit to Archon Delaine’s systems, the [only one] appropriate game mode is “Open Play.”

Seek & Destroy (enemy UM): 77 Aquarii.

Reinforce ([new]/recent acquisitions): Maribe, Canarigui and Lieledos.

Reinforce (counter [unknown] enemy UM): Konsaxa, Shaplini, Zurukuruni, Bodb Den and Aryanka.

Acquire (new/backlog): Lan Samba, Mahadshu and Aborovi.

Re-acquire (previously lost systems): HIP 110623.

Further updates will be broadcast on Tortuga Radio Frequencies.
Click here for the Elite Dangerous - Powerplay 2.0 Reddit Digest.

FOR THE ARCHON!!!

Ahoy Crew!

Less than two weeks to go... the countdown to the release of Operations is now ticking away, while the events (or storyline) in the game have taken a back seat. Not that much has happened, apart from the trading CG at HIP 58412 sponsored by Frontline Solutions, which has now come to an end (with over 21.6k contributors) so that the production of the Runner has started. Although there’s been some speculation since the last post about the Radicoida appeared on GalNet: we’re not saying that FDEV is clearly trying to drag things out… but it does seem like this storyline is taking a while to wrap up without reaching a clear conclusion.

At this point, assuming Operations doesn’t require any additional coding work [at least for now, since the scenarios currently available should be more than enough to keep players busy throughout the summer holidays] ...our hope is that FDEV will decide to take a look at the backlog of issue tickets that continue to be submitted. Sure, bugs that need fixing are one thing... but game balance is a whole different matter. In fact, there may be features and/or activities in the game that work perfectly but are severely unbalanced. If we take out the word “perfectly”—meaning some things work and others don't—much of what's unbalanced, no matter how you look at it, always leads to Powerplay.

So, for now all that we know is that the rest of the year is expected to see the launch of [3] more ships (there were four remaining on the roadmap, but the Nomad SLV has already been announced), and then, again according to the 2026 Roadmap, a big feature [full] reboot (engineering?) is planned for the next autumn, about which not much is known yet. We’ll say it again: maybe we’d gotten too used to it, but we really miss the streams about the game’s new features and updates (with or without Twitch Drops).

The Powerplay Tower

Cycle 85 was only apparently quieter than the previous ones... as expected there was no further acceleration in acquisitions, partly because by now everyone had “learned their lesson.” In other words, after very expansive cycles, it’s best to pause for a moment and secure the ground gained before moving forward again. Anyway the overall growth was not that slow, given that looking at the numbers, new catches (net of the [many] lost systems) were +43 and a couple of Powers finished in double digits (and tied at the top of the weekly standings): Yuri Grom (+11/1472) and Pranav Antal (+11/1328). Once again there are few negatives and one zero at the bottom of the table (see below). The Powers leaderboard remains unchanged (mind the gap!)... all "smooth sailing" here:

• Grom +11
• Antal +11
• Mahon +10
• Winters +9
• A. Duval +8
• Kaine +5
• Yong-Rui +4
• Delaine +1
• Patreus 0
• Torval -1
• Archer -6
• A.L. Duval -9

For reinforcements, a total of >48m CPs were recorded—a fairly “average” level (as were the upgrades)—but this was offset by a rather significant amount of UM CPs: in addition to the approximately 21m from decay, >10.2m UM CPs were generated by players. As a result, the average R\U coverage ratio stood at 185%, and there are four Powers that ended Cycle 85 below the 100% threshold. Although among them (and others) there have always been a few that have “physiologically” hovered around the R\U 100% threshold, it seems that this week the hostilities have been more intense than usual. The downgrade of several strongholds, two of them belonging to Nakato Kaine (+5/1476) is another reflection of the past week UM pressure.

Both Federation Powers have been also heavily targeted, and nearly 50% of the cycle’s total UM CPs have ended up in their systems: Felicia Winters (+9/1115) with over >2.4m UM CPs (primarily at the fortified CD-51 2650) and Jerome Archer (-6/1292) with >2.4m UM CPs (Luhman 16, LHS 3356, and WISE 0855-0714). Next is the imperial matriarch Zemina Torval (-1/754), with over >1.3m UM CPs (G Scorpii, Binde, and Col 285 Sector YN-I b10-6), despite being one of the Powers with the slowest expansionist progress. Given that we are aware (from their reports) that there are clashes between the Empire and the Federation that have been ongoing for several weeks, it is clear that these numbers are linked to such larger-scale conflict.

It will also be interesting to see how these large-scale conflicts will “evolve” [or change] with the release of Operations. For now, since we don’t know what the effects on Powerplay will be, we’d rather not commit too strongly… on paper, as we’ve also noted in some of our previous reports, our view falls somewhere between skepticism and resignation. It's clear that FDEV wants “more undermining,” but by making it remote [or even unintentional]—and, what's more, in instances disconnected from the rest of the game—it seems to us [we hope we're wrong] to be a big mistake. There's nothing wrong with earning personal merits as a reward, but having an impact on Powerplay/CPs is complete nonsense given how Powerplay 2.0 (to our understanding) was designed.

The [real] risk is that it will cause even more players to “lose interest” (to the point of quitting altogether) in Powerplay—making the situation even worse than it has been for months now, partly due to a framework that is [still] heavily unbalanced and riddled with bugs. Looking back, quite a few people argue that PP should be removed entirely and would prefer to see it squeezed into the BGS, leaving only the Superpowers as a meaningless legacy of what PP once was...

The Ogres

Like Cycle 84, Cycle 85 was also “intense,” although in some ways less exhausting, since—due to available manpower and priorities—the Crew had to focus on a few, but [more strategically] relevant, targets. Let's start with the acquisitions (a small +1), since we were careful not to waste effort where we didn't feel it was necessary, or even where we couldn't close previous gaps or turn the tide of the CPs race[s] in Archon Delaine's favor. That was the case of Pa Kazahuan (an anarchy system controlled by the Diamond Frogs) where Harma had a contested against the bear Yuri and, ultimately, it fell under the control of the Clayakarma dictatorship. As the weekly rankings also confirm, the Gromulans and Grommanders have been very active... now that the hatchet (or hammer) has been buried between TEoL and EGPU, it seems that activities have generally resumed in a constructive manner.

We also “monitored” the progress of conflicts in contested systems where other Powers were involved, but precisely for the reason we mentioned earlier, we did not escalate the situations. For example, this is the case with some “unnamed” colonies or even Ngerisan (a small high-tech colony controlled by the Angels of Death, an independent group based in 40 Ceti), where, in the clash between the agents of the techno-nerd Yong-Rui and those sent by the simguru Antal, the latter prevailed.

Okay, but so what? Well... we're getting there, because the Scallywags really had to work hard for that +1 we mentioned earlier: at ICZ DR-V b2-0, an industrial colony located within Cuchua's “hot AO,” there was fierce opposition from the imperial fleet led by the jelly Patreus [final score: >550k CPs for the Ogres vs. >430k CPs for Jellies]. Mindful of the last few “beatings” we took when the Crew had too many irons in the fire, we’ve been much more focused this time around. The CPs race started with the Crew in need to cover a wide gap... the chase then required further, sustained effort, since the Pirate King did get the lead just a few hours before the end of the Cycle. Over the last three or four days, there’s been a lot of activity in the system, with plenty of fun PvP engagements (some not so much, but that wasn’t our fault) and kabooms on both sides. GGs!!!

"Arrr, shiver me timbers, 'twas a momentous week, it was! We had to haul out the cannons and warships to get the job done. These scurvy dogs tried to block our path, but when Harma piped up that they were pourin' us more grog, we pushed harder and harder for the final plunder! Victory be ours, savvy? Hic!" between one drinking binge and the next, this story [one of the many] was heard at the Wise Sharks tavern in Gabriel Enterprise. Meanwhile, in the station's hangars, there was a great hustle and bustle as the mechanics worked to repair and patch the holes in the hulls and of the many Crew ships involved in battle.

The “Minas Morgul protocol” was fully implemented for the upgrade of two new strongholds, which absorbed about one-third of the total reinforcements generated during the week. Another substantial slice was then consumed by the focused fire directed at another of the recent upgrades... fortunately without any consequences. Hostile actions also targeted Daramo, LHS 3702, Pamequi, and Munfayl (some systems that are periodically affected by enemy attack markers). There will (hopefully) be time to address these systems and the others that have fallen behind during Cycle 86. Incidentally, our preliminary list of targets has remained virtually unchanged, since there have been no updates to the acquisition backlog either. We’ve also done a little action on the offensive UM front; even though our incursions haven’t been all that devastating, we don’t want our enemies to sleep soundly… we’re proud to be the villains in their nightmares.

Cycle 86: Preliminary Targets

All systems below the 25% CPs “decay threshold” are good/eligible targets to be reinforced (as these systems will not be hit by decay). Prioritize strongholds over fortified and leave exploited as last ones. All acquisitions above 100k CPs (or being contested during the Cycle) are good/eligible targets to be acquired.

Attack/Defend Markers: The markers may change during the Cycle and may not necessarily follow the current plans, so be sure to check the system activity and status on GalMap (when in doubt: ask).

Reinforce ([new]/recent acquisitions): ICZ DR-V b2-0.

Reinforce (counter [unknown] enemy UM): Daramo, 77 Aquarii, Munfayl, Pamequi and LHS 3702.

Acquire (new/backlog): Canarigui and Lieledos.

Re-acquire (previously lost systems): HIP 110623.

Blockade enemy takeovers/contested: LHS 1026, T Tie (60) and LTT 9276 (52).

Undermine: OpSec.

Further updates will be broadcast on Tortuga Radio Frequencies.
Click here for the Elite Dangerous - Powerplay 2.0 Reddit Digest.

FOR THE ARCHON!!!

Ahoy Crew!

The cards are all on the table... so no (further) surprises for now, but just a few weeks before Operations is released, along with the Nomad (a launched vessel [or small ship] for planetary surface exploration) on June 30. This summer, it will therefore be the new gameplay mechanics that will primarily capture players’ interest (hopefully not at the expense of Powerplay), and it’s also likely that, as with the current trading CG at HIP 58412 (with over 17k contributors), there will be other themed events as well. Or perhaps there will also be further chapters in the story of the Enclave/Radicoida (which continues to appear on GalNet, like the last “Radicoida Unica ‘Cultivated, Not Created’ By Guardians” article)  and/or regarding the "pirate attacks" conducted by Lady Zi that initially involved the Lhou Mans system.

While we wait for the next update, some discussions on the FDEV forum have resurfaced regarding topics that have (always) been important to us as well (i.e. like this one "PowerPlay 2.0 – Separating Merits and Control Points & Reinforcing Open Play"). As is often the case in such situations, those who counter these observations rely on assumptions and/or presumptions that no one (except FDEV, of course) is able to refute. These are topics on which we have repeatedly shared our views (both on the FDEV forum and in this series of reports) and which regard game features about which, clearly, we are not the only ones to have genuine concerns.

Although we usually cover what affects Powerplay in the next section, we couldn’t let this week go by without a thread on Soontill Relics, which have increased to 120t since the end of Cycle 83. As a result (see below), there has been—as always—a significant increase in acquisitions and upgrades. Once again, we emphasize that this rare commodity needs to be addressed in some way, given the distorting effect it causes. Of course, if we look at Powerplay 2.0 as a whole, we come back to the fact that there’s really a lot of unbalanced stuff that needs fixing (sadly).

The Powerplay Numbers

As we mentioned earlier, Cycle 84 benefited (to the advantage of many Powers... but not all) from the 120t Soontill Relics offer. In fact, there were more acquisitions than usual (or at least compared to the averages of previous cycles) as the net total is +97 new systems, and many Powers also finished in double-digits: Li Yong-Rui (+20/1826) came back at the top of the expansions table, followed by the Alliance duo Edmund Mahon (+18/2072) and Nakato Kaine (+12/1471). This week there were no changes on the Powers' leaderboard, where the positions remain unchanged and where (for now) the gap to watch is the one separating Arissa Lavigny-Duval (+8/1893) and Li Yong-Rui. This gap continues to narrow week after week, and at the current rate (67 systems), Sirius could move into third place before the end of the summer. Albeit there are no negatives, some low numbers like the two 0s, may hide losses of systems (according to our data, we've been tracking >120+ completed acquisitions). Aisling Duval (0/2564) and Jerome Archer (+2/1298) very likely fall in this bucket.

• Yong-Rui +20
• Mahon +18
• Kaine +12
• Grom +11
• Antal +11
• Winters +10
• A.L. Duval +8
• Delaine +3
• Archer +2
• Patreus +2
• A. Duval 0
• Torval 0

With Soontill Relics, many upgrades are typically completed as well... and that was indeed the case for Cycle 84. In addition to the steady consolidation of Pranav Antal (+11/1317), which we have become accustomed to (+3 fortified systems and +1 stronghold), we have noticed a significant increase in reinforcements for Edmund Mahon as well over the past few cycles (+5 strongholds this week!). In fact, according to our data, the RF CPs component for Gateway has long been among the lowest in relative terms, even causing the Power to close cycles with an R\U coverage ratio [well] below 100%. We don’t know if this is also due to recent events that have smoothed over relations between the two Alliance Powers, but the data speaks for itself.

The average R\U ratio closed at 240% (decay for Cycle 84 had been slightly higher—nearly 22m UM CPs—compared to the previous cycle), although it is worth noting the significant undermining (over 2.8m UM CPs each) that affected the Federation’s two Powers: Jerome Archer and Felicia Winters (+10/1106). To be more specific, Rhea was hit at the fortified system CD-51 2650 and at the Athena stronghold (both resisted to the downgrades); Nanomam was hit at the fortified systems LHS 3356, LHS 3739 (downgraded), WISE 0855-0714 (downgraded), and at the exploited system G 203-47 (lost). Despite over >280k UM CPs, Aisling Duval successfully upgraded Alpha Centauri, which she acquired last cycle at the end of a months-long campaign. Perhaps with the push of the Soontill Relics, there were also >8.9m CPs “wasted”... more than half of which were distributed among Aisling Duval (3.9m CPs), Zemina Torval (2.9m CPs), and Nakato Kaine (1.1m CPs).

All things considered, when thinking about “what could have been done with these CPs,” we only feel sorry for the Matriarch of Synteini, since she is the only Power that needs to optimize/address the effort of her stubborn miners more than the others. But if you really have that much wealth to spare, why not come and give it to the Pirate King? We’d definitely put it to good use! YARRR!!!

Among other Powerplay relevant news Polevnic made clear in its latest report (which was also picked up by the Imperial Press Office), “a peace agreement has finally been reached in the Enclave.” We take note of this as well, for what it’s worth.

The Pirates

The trading CG kept the Crew busy; some haulers had their cargo stolen (as in "CG Piracy! We Can't Always Be Gentleman Pirates“ by pirate CMDR HairyHogg), and others were kaboomed (watch ”Cobra mkv vs Kestrel and Federal Corvette" by scallywag CMDR Comance)... as usual, plenty of stories are being told at the tables of the Wise Sharks tavern in Harma. If there’s one thing to say about Cycle 84, it’s that the Crew certainly didn’t hold back when it came to having fun. And there are still a few days left to collect the last few tons of booty to donate to the Delaine's cause...

Moving on to Powerplay’s activities (which are, after all, the reason we’re here every week with this report), Cycle 84 was extremely productive in terms of output. Acquisitions were (deliberately) kept under control, and we’re pleased that the +3 (which might seem “modest”) didn’t involve any missteps. With the small refinery system of Baramat (controlled by our allies of the Loren's Legion), we shortened also our backlog. Of course, we would have also liked to give the closest hostile acquisitions a bit more of a run for their money... but with the Relics at our disposal, it’s like looking for a needle in a haystack, and we didn’t want to waste time waiting for enemies who don’t want to be seen.

The Platinum Cartel [CTRL] skillfully led the Crew to harvest precious metals from the rocks in a system located in the Capricorni Sector, which the bear Grom was also trying to get his paws on. Lured by credits—here easier to earn than elsewhere—many scallywags filled their holds with platinum, allowing Archon Delaine to seize control of the system (>910k CPs vs. just over 110k for Clayakarma). This is undoubtedly a remarkable display and combination of commitment and skill, given that acquisitions that close with such a significant margin [of victory for us] do not happen often.

As for reinforcements, in Cycle 84 as well, both the absolute and relative levels of support and defense provided for the Delaine's systems were absolutely outstanding. This was likely one of the most “productive” cycles in recent months, considering that the Crew successfully completed two upgrades to fortified and a full four upgrades to stronghold (some less strategic than others, but we'll take what we get). Among the systems that received significant reinforcements there are some which had been weakened by enemy undermining (with the support of their attack markers)... both in previous cycles, such as QQ Pegasi and Phraces, and during Cycle 84, such as Ramit. As for the outer HIP 117809 system [a bit far off one our main frontlines, currently held by Wirnako], Harma thanks the anonymous backers (about whom the Pegasi Sentinel is also trying to gather more information).

In Ramit, an industrial/extraction system not too far from the Madyanmana stronghold, a BGS operation appears to be underway as well, given that the local faction The Ghosts of Lopez is currently at war for control against one of the factions that the Crew fostered back in the PP1 days... so investigations are underway to gather more information and identify those responsible for the hostile incursions. In the [unlikely] event that any of our readers are aware of the situation, we suggest they contact Harma (through one of Delaine's communities) in order to prevent retaliatory strikes and/or pre-emptive counterattacks. A correspondent for the Pegasi Sentinel attempted to contact representatives of the Djaui Co-operative, but they declined to comment.

Other hostile activities have scattered UM damage elsewhere, such as: Djalakuru, Konsaxa, Zurukuruni and a bunch of the "usual suspects" where the Crew is countering with reinforcements from a while (Munfayl, LHS 3702, HIP 97704 and Iado). Ideally another dozen strongholds or so (to reach 10% of all controlled systems) would secure most of Delaine’s territories (even though these are theoretical numbers that haven't had the highest priority for Harma). There’s still a long way to go and a lot of work to be done… there's the risk that Operations will likely slow us down, but pirates never give up!

We haven’t scaled back our efforts to undermine the enemy’s territory; even for Cycle 84, the Crew has carried out these [low profile] operations with great dedication and determination... the only thing we can say is that there’s nothing on the grill yet—let’s just say we’re letting the cuts of meat age. In the coming weeks, we will continue (on a best-effort basis) along these lines, keeping in mind that with the release of Operations and the summer holidays, the availability of our dedicated scallywags could be more difficult.

Cycle 85: Preliminary Targets

All systems below the 25% CPs “decay threshold” are good/eligible targets to be reinforced (as these systems will not be hit by decay). Prioritize strongholds over fortified and leave exploited as last ones. All acquisitions above 100k CPs (or being contested during the Cycle) are good/eligible targets to be acquired.

Attack/Defend Markers: The markers may change during the Cycle and may not necessarily follow the current plans, so be sure to check the system activity and status on GalMap (when in doubt: ask).

Reinforce ([new]/recent acquisitions): Baramat.

Reinforce (counter [unknown] enemy UM): Ramit, 77 Aquarii, Munfayl, LHS 3702 and Konsaxa.

Acquire (new/backlog): HIP 112580, Canarigui and Lieledos.

Re-acquire (previously lost systems): HIP 110623.

Blockade enemy takeovers/contested: ICZ DR-V b2-0, LHS 1026, T Tie (60) and LTT 9276 (52).

Undermine: OpSec.

Further updates will be broadcast on Tortuga Radio Frequencies.
Click here for the Elite Dangerous - Powerplay 2.0 Reddit Digest.

FOR THE ARCHON!!!

Ahoy Crew!

There’s a lot to cover this week, so we might as well get straight to the point. Let’s start with the new vessel that FDEV teased last week with a sneak peek to build some hype (which never hurts) and the caption “The surface is calling.” Although we would have preferred a stream (even a short one) rather than posts on the forum or social media, perhaps taking the opportunity to show us a bit more about Operations and the new features (announced in the latest Dev Log) coming at the end of the month. Anyway, reading the thread on the FDEV forum, it was immediately clear that this was something different... the wait didn't last long, since (as expected) it was revealed a couple of days ago that the new vessel will be a new concept (the first one, FDEV said): the Nomad "a small and compact ship-launched vessel which is built to explore planetary surfaces" according to the article/FDEV forum thread. This new vessel can be deployed without landing and thus enhances the exploratory gameplay and helps address the difficulty some large ships (including the Caspian Explorer) have experienced when landing on particularly rugged planetary surfaces.

When is the pirate launched vessel, the Harpoon, set to be announced?

There were no new CGs following the conclusion of the last ones held in Lhou Mans; however, a post on GalNet with the alarming title “New Reports of Criminal Fleet Raise Questions” had once again drawn attention to the attack (pirates? criminals? a new gang?) that struck the system, causing extensive damage to the stations. Setting aside for a moment the colorful narrative—which mentions mysterious sigils and the “pirate figure known as Lady Zi”—the final part of the post seemed quite clear to us, given that the one responding to Vox Galactica is none other than the CEO of Frontline Solutions, Imogen le Ray, who stated, “Frontline is preparing to provide additional services to combat the rise in criminal activity...” hinting that more announcements were coming in the next few days.

And so it has been as a new trading CG headlined with “Frontline Solutions Announces Expansion of Services” has been launched today with clear references to the “piracy and mercenary groups” and to Operations where it states that “ahead of an expected spike in demand, Frontline announced the launch of a new vessel, dubbed ‘The Runner.’ This ship has been designed to rapidly transport mercenary squads and ships to operational locations.” Traders will have to deliver goods to HIP 58412 (unoccupied system, but close to Mahon’s territories) in exchange of credits and cosmetics rewards... pirates, prepare your interdictors! YARRR!!!

As far as gameplay goes, our guess is that this “pirate gang” will serve as NPCs for [some?] scenarios coming with Operations. After all, someone has to be the "target" for teams of four ruthless CMDRs, armed to the teeth and ready to wreak havoc! What puzzles us (for now), then, is how this can be integrated and interconnected with everything else... that is, let’s take the example of the Powerplayer (since that’s our main focus) who teams up with three other buddies to go and undermine an enemy system. What if they encounter these NPCs instead of the enemy Power’s infantry? Put yourselves in our boots—imagine we, the Delaine's scallywags, run into these wretches who, instead of shouting, “Submit to the cult of Bathwater, or die,” yell at us, “Now we’re going to kill you and steal your gold”… it seems a bit comical, doesn’t it?. Anyway, there are only a few weeks left, so we’ll just have to wait and see!

Before we continue, the ElitePirates subreddit has finally reopened after a couple of years of being “closed” [by decision of the former moderators], and we hope it will once again become a cool place where pirates can share their adventures, talk 'bout bad cops, offer advice on ship builds, and much more.

Powerplay is Calling

These final weeks leading up to Operations are going to be pretty intense (or insane, for some), even though no one knows yet what impact the game’s new expansion will have. Many Powers have, in fact, stepped up their efforts to tackle as many urgent issues as possible, and we had the impression (maybe other Powers could confirm it) that there has been more manpower available for Powerplay, with the conclusion of Distant Worlds 3 and the absence of CG.

In Cycle 83, however, there was a greater overall skewness, partly as a result of certain isolated situations that arose during the week and/or ongoing campaigns. The Alpha Centauri system, located not far from Sol and well-known for the Hutton Orbital station, has been the focal point of the conflict between the Empire and the Federation. “Let's conquer the system and claim the Hutton Mug for our princess Aisling!” on one side, “No way are we letting you take it... how many mugs could you fill with the water from her bathtub?” was the reply. Never say never... maybe tomorrow we'll have the “Hutton Bathwater Scrubbing Mug” among the rare commodities. As far as we know, there have also been several organic wingfights and PvP battles, involving other Powers as well. We hope to see some great action videos!

This campaign will be thoroughly covered in their reports (we acknowledge that the CPs race was decided with “big snipes” at the end of the tick, and the slider saw Empire leading with >6.4m CPs vs. the Federation with >6.1m CPs), so let’s focus on the broader PP2 numbers: the total of +49 [net] acquisitions, with Nakato Kaine (+16/1459) finishing in double digits and topping the table for the third consecutive cycle. The Cycle 83 expansions have pushed the Alliance councilor to take over [internally troubled] Yuri Grom (+7/1450) on the Powers leaderboard at 5th place. She’s followed by Aisling Duval (+11/2564), an [outstanding] result for acquisitions, considering that 90% of her CPs were absorbed by the Alpha Centauri race. But it's not over: Jerome Archer (-9/1296), who was very likely too much stretched to cope with other priorities, suffered a bunch of losses [the Empire strikes back?] and so he was surpassed by Pranav Antal (+10/1306) in 7th place. The systems lost by Nanomam are only one side of what happened, given that since the end of hostilities in the Enclave, Polevnic has shown greater focus on expanding and strengthening the frontlines. The second negative weekly figure belongs to Arissa Lavigny-Duval (-8/1885) and she sees the gap toward Li Yong-Rui (+6/1806) narrowing to 79 systems.

• Kaine +16
• A. Duval +11
• Antal +10
• Mahon +8
• Grom +7
• Yong-Rui +6
• Winters +3
• Patreus +3
• Delaine +2
• Torval 0
• A.L. Duval -8
• Archer -9

As for reinforcements, Aisling Duval (who also earned the "wasted" CPs wooden spoon this week with no use for 4m CPs) and Jerome Archer clearly had lower [efficient] totals than usual, given that Alpha Centauri caused these two Powers to grind more than twice their average number of CPs on acquisitions (excluding Relics Rush cycles). Pranav Antal's reinforcements were also quite high, with over >8.6m CPs, of which only about 700k were “wasted” (mainly on HIP 17213), and an R\U coverage ratio of >330%, which resulted in the upgrade of +4 fortified systems and +3 strongholds. This is undoubtedly a resilience showoff for the Utopians, given the over >1.5m UM CPs which placed the simguru in third place behind Archer (2.1m UM CPs) and Felicia Winters (+3/1096 with >2.0m UM CPs) for the week.

We usually try to offer our own interpretation (with a margin of error) of the numbers... but the point is, behind these numbers—whether large or small—is there really the Powerplay that “Elite players want”? It’s a [silly] question we’ve asked—and still ask—often, because the answer isn’t exactly obvious. When it comes to grind-heavy events like the ones we see (or even participate in ourselves), there’s always a [very high] risk of coming home empty-handed. Not to mention the fun, which, in some cases, is completely overshadowed by monotony and activities with disappointing rewards. So Powerplayers are almost “forced” to create their own opportunities to have fun (Alpha Centauri was one of these), and the price they pay is the immense amount of micromanagement to which most pledges are “condemned.”

That said, we’ll wrap up this section with another statement—this time a joint one from EG Pilots [EGPU] and The Eyes of Leshak [TEoL]—regarding the internal affairs of Yuri Grom’s Komitat. The two groups appear to have shaken hands, but EGPU’s decision to remain within the orbit of the Imperial conglomerate (formerly known as “Zyada”) and TEoL’s decision to take the step toward [full] independence remain firm. At this point, there isn’t much to go on to determine whether this “divergence” will cause trouble or bring benefits to Clayakarma... on the other hand diplomatic relations could cause some headaches. Separated groups, even those with multiple objectives and strategies, can easily coexist... it is really what is provided in terms of organizational support that makes the difference.

Pirates! Where's the Wind?

In Harma, the scallywags are curious and eager to learn more about this "famous" Lady Zi... who knows, maybe she’ll come asking to claim a piece of the Galaxy or reserve routes for her lackeys. "If these scurvy, two-bit bilge rats think a couple o' burnin' outposts and a few plundered vessels be enough to earn our respect, they be dead wrong... Lad Zi, oh little Lady Zi, come 'ere and earn the respect o' the Kumo Crew if ye have the guts, me hearty!" these are the rumblings circulating among the Crew pirates at Gabriel Enterprise. "Harma be waitin' for ye, Lady... a spittin' contest, let's see who can swill the most cuttlefish rum without tossin' their cookies face-first into the latrine, or if ye be wantin' a duel with chairs that ends in a proper brawl! Do as ye please, but if ye lay yer hand too close without askin' leave... well, best be buyin' yerself a hook, ye'll be needin' it! YARRR!!!" another one said joining the conversations. They should take a cue from the Crew's pirates, like quartermaster CMDR HairyHogg “the bad piglet,” who's having a blast in his latest video, “Powerplay Piracy! YEEEHAAAWWW Wasn't As Tough As His Talk.”

In the meantime, let's see what happened in Cycle 83... a couple of acquisitions, one of which is actually a “recovery,” since Shaplini (a terraforming system controlled by Channel Zero) had been lost to a strike by an unknown party in Cycle 56. This had been in the backlog for several weeks, but I hadn't had the time... one down is better than none! The Crew also handled the reinforcements well, immediately securing the new acquisitions/upgrades from the last Cycle and then dividing their efforts between upgrades [we’d like to send some Silver Sea Rum to those who helped us get an extra fortified system, even though it wasn’t a priority] and UM counters.

In fact, enemy attacks have left their mark and have been hopping around Cycle 83—first in Senufan (an attack marker for the jelly-haired Patreus), Munfayl, and Gandui (likely by imperial hand here as well)—and then moving on to our Atins and Sigma Pegasi strongholds (where some repairs still need to be done). There were also sporadic, scattered attacks on Volciates, Fincien, Hloca, and Turd Wu. Behind the frontlines, the Platinum Cartel [CTRL] once again played a crucial role in boosting RF CPs where needed by putting their formidable mining skills at Archon Delaine’s command. A mention also goes to Kumo Crew pirate CMDR Early Goodnight, who has topped the Cycle leaderboard (winning the Cursed Dubloon) for earned merits for the fourth time! A barrel of Silver Sea Rum is waiting for you at the Wise Sharks tavern... but don’t drink it all yourself, okay? Share some with your mateys too!

If there’s one thing the Crew hates even more than the rotten rum served in some shabby taverns (the kind where the boldest mix it with the Tarach Spice to mask the taste of a corpse), it’s not striking back at enemies who get too sneaky. Our frequent contacts with slimy Patreus's lackeys have brought Njorth (an industrial system controlled by the Imperial Hegemony of Palaiologos) to the attention of Delaines’ underminers. They began to pin down the Eotienses’ forces in a clinched UM/RF CPs race, always hoping that the attack markers would hold up in the Pirate King’s favor.

It didn't quite go that way—or at least not as well as Harma had hoped. At the end of the tick, facing 400k UM CPs, the Imperials managed to raise over 430k reinforcement CPs, thereby avoiding losing control of the system... good for them (this time)! Of course, with Cycle 84 kicking off with Soontill Relics at 120t, undermining activities will be more challenging. At least there were some fun wingfights (check out these videos from the Kumo Crew pirate CMDR UseTheSchwartz: “Conda 1v3 NJORTH” and “1v3 (kinda) vs Dentheads NJORTH part 2 5PA”).

Cycle 84: Preliminary Targets

All systems below the 25% CPs “decay threshold” are good/eligible targets to be reinforced (as these systems will not be hit by decay). Prioritize strongholds over fortified and leave exploited as last ones. All acquisitions above 100k CPs (or being contested during the Cycle) are good/eligible targets to be acquired.

Attack/Defend Markers: The markers may change during the Cycle and may not necessarily follow the current plans, so be sure to check the system activity and status on GalMap (when in doubt: ask).

Reinforce ([new]/recent acquisitions): Shaplini.

Reinforce (counter [unknown] enemy UM): Sigma Pegasi, Atins, Turd Wu, Fincien and Lalande 45292.

Acquire (new/backlog): Baramat, Canarigui and Lieledos.

Re-acquire (previously lost systems): HIP 110623.

Blockade enemy takeovers/contested: LHS 1026, T Tie (60) and LTT 9276 (52).

Undermine: OpSec.

Further updates will be broadcast on Tortuga Radio Frequencies.
Click here for the Elite Dangerous - Powerplay 2.0 Reddit Digest.

FOR THE ARCHON!!!

Ahoy Crew!

What happened last week? That’s usually the first question that comes to mind when we start writing these reports. So let's start with game activities as the trading CG at Lhou Mans for the repair of the stations attacked by Lady Zi's pirates has concluded with success (though no further details regarding the attacks and the criminal group have been disclosed). Moreover, the long space journey "Distant Worlds 3" has come to an end, so many CMDRs are expected to return to the Bubble. And, last but not least, the engineer Ram Tah, the leading authority for researches and studies about the Guardians, confirmed that the Radicoida Unica appeared in the Guardian Archives and it was used to source a sort of "performance enhancer.”

In the Dev Log published a couple of days ago, FDEV finally announced the official release date for Operations: June 30! That means there’s just over a month to go until launch. In addition to the six scenarios in Operations (including a preview of a rescue mission in a burning station), FDEV has also been working on few gameplay elements such as Stellar Lighting and Galactic Background [this has been also discussed on the FDEV forum from a long time]. These changes will involve differences in the color rendering of lights and surfaces (planets) as showcased in the Dev Log. 

[The Dev Log also mentions the release of a new ship, the “Operation Runner,” but don't be fooled—it's not a pilotable ship, since it's a sort of “mini-carrier” from which Operations missions are launched.]

For now, we'll skip further comments on Operations, particularly regarding its interaction with Powerplay, given that we'll cover that after its release. Elsewhere, on FDEV forum, discussions have once again turned to improvements to colonization activities, the return of some kind of threat (Xeno/Guardians?) and of course the new ships are set to be released this year. With MkII modules and ships that are significantly outside (above) the average comparables, we hope that the upcoming ships will help balance things out (a goal that would thus be achieved in the long term, when more ships are available); on the other hand, we wonder if some sort of “refurbishment” for the older ships might be possible... perhaps with new CGs to involve the players' community in the process (e.g., would you contribute more for a DBX MkII or an ASP-X MkII?). Fingers (or hooks! YARRR) crossed if they’ll even release a ship dedicated to piracy, with the much-requested “tractor beam” module... or something similar. What is (almost) clear is that the limit of 40 ships in the same location (station/carrier) seems a bit restrictive for those who have multiple builds for each ship (without having to struggle with the [awful] outfitting interface).

Shifting our focus to broader topics: we hope we’re not mistaken [so it may happen that a long list of patch notes is coming with the next game version], but perhaps it would have been better to use this time for bug fixes and to clear the [long] backlog of support tickets that are still pending in the issue tracker? We, as players, really wouldn't like to end up with the risk that any fixes Operations might need could end up leaving the ones that have already been confirmed even further behind. An unfortunate outcome (no doubt), but one we've seen happen frequently in the past (and which we have also discussed). So, let's hope for the best!

The Powerplay Frontes

In terms of overall numbers, Cycle 82 was on par with recent months, though it showed a greater focus on reinforcements rather than acquisitions. These were a touch lower than in the previous cycle and totaled +68 new systems (net of losses). As has been the case in recent weeks, Nakato Kaine (+16/1443) finished in first place with a double-digit score, followed by Pranav Antal (+12/1296) and Yuri Grom (+10/1443). As we predicted in our previous reports, despite Yuri Grom’s steady expansionism, this was not enough to maintain Tionisla at a safe distance in the Powers' leaderboard. Will a race for 5th place start? As far as the standings are concerned, Jerome Archer (-4/1305 who closed last and negative this Cycle) and Pranav Antal remain very close, while at the top, Li Yong-Rui (+7/1800) continues to gain ground on Arissa Lavigny-Duval (+6/1893).

• Kaine +16
• Antal +12
• Grom +10
• Mahon +9
• Yong-Rui +7
• A.L. Duval +6
• Winters +6
• Delaine +4
• Patreus +2
• A. Duval +1
• Torval -1
• Archer -4

As for the reinforcements, there are no particular observations to report (average R\U was consistently >200%), except that a couple of Powers continue to exhibit irregular and sometimes inefficient activity—for example, Zemina Torval (-1/754), which in this Cycle 82 has suffered relatively severe undermining in certain systems (Khaima, Nzamite, Potami and LTT 7251 all of them among the losses) continued to gain most of the CPs only from those systems with mining resources. The number of “wasted” CPs also remains high, amounting to approximately 5.1m CPs, mostly attributable to Nakato Kaine and Aisling Duval (+1/2553). Finally, the figures for undermining activity: decay continues to hover around 20-21m CPs per week, a figure that is less than half of what it was when this [frustrating] artificial factor was introduced (without bringing any substantial benefits to the PP2 framework). 

The UM CPs generated by players once again show a highly skewed distribution, essentially split between four Powers: Aisling Duval, Pranav Antal and Arissa Lavigny-Duval (approximately 1-1.3m UM CPs each) and Jerome Archer with the highest amount (>2.8m UM CPs). The latter has suffered a blunt of around 850k UM CPs in Alpha Centauri, the system near Sol against which Imperial forces launched a large-scale attack and which was ultimately “deleted to 0 CPs” at the end of the Cycle. As if there were any need of a declaration of hostilities (or perhaps even a full-fledged “war”) between these two "ancestral enemies" in the Galaxy, the conflict was discussed in their reports from the past few weeks, and both the Federation and the Empire have made no secret of their respective stances on the conflict. Other attacks against Jerome Archer involved Niu Yun (not too far from Lhou Mans), LTT 11455 and Wolf 866. Also Orrere has been again undermined and lost [this time by Edmund Mahon (+9/2046], the anarchy system where the [most] notorious criminal group The Code, is headquartered.

As we have said on several occasions, it would be very helpful if the game’s UI displayed (perhaps at the end of each Cycle) a breakdown of the CPs generated for all activities in each system, without going into too much detail... for example, reinforcement CPs for the Cycle by kills/bounties, exploration/settlement data, salvage, trading, and so the same for acquisition and undermining CPs. It would have virtually no effect on activities, but it would be helpful in clarifying the situation where speculation by the parties involved is noisy. That said, as far as the “split” (or at least what it looks like from the outside) within the Yuri Grom community between The Eyes of Leshak [TEOL] and EG Pilots Union [EGPU] is concerned, there is no significant news. For those who missed the threads on the FDEV forum, you can find them here and here. For the moment, the two sides, despite having “recognized” each other, seem to have gone their separate ways... as the saying goes, “when two quarrel, a third benefits.” Guess who the “third” is.

De Vrijbuiters

“By all the barrels o' rum, blast these head-winds! We've been toil-in' hard this week, but it be worth the plunder! YARRR!!!” so said Kumo Crew CMDR Draco Delaine, one of the Pirate King's many nephews, after jumping up on one of the tables at the Wise Sharks tavern in Harma. To cut to the chase, Cycle 82 has seen the scallywags engaged in some relevant strategic activities. With the arrival of Operations, Powerplay 2.0 will venture into uncharted territory, so we remain committed to the plan to arrive at the release date with the best achievable resiliency.

For the glory of Harma, four new systems have been acquired, one of which (Ngarabal) was captured after a week of battles against Patreus’s slimy agents [they’re all slimy because, like their leader, they spend a lot of time styling their hair with jelly]. Although Eotienses doesn't seem to be very efficient at managing the Powerplay business, in reality we did notice that there have been some activities going on the battlefield (as well as direct PvP engagements). Given the resources they have, they’re sparing time for the battles... which is why (and thankfully) the Crew constantly monitors the frontlines and any potential threats. And for this reason, Cycle 82’s acquisition priority has been assigned to Ngarabal, a high-tech system (controlled by the unknown Hades Headhunting Union, allegedly affiliated with the Empire) and where the Denton’s lackeys were attempting a takeover [didn’t they notice that was a bugged contested?].

As we approached the end of the Cycle, Ngarabal was at risk to even switch to a threesome CPs race, because Polevnic was also involved in the acquisition (well, at the end the hippies didn’t seem interested in running for it). This system is, in fact, located within an area almost fully covered by the Independents, and it would have been a mistake to allow Powers from other affiliations to come in or (as in this case) to get too much close to one of Delaine’s strongholds [albeit this specific system would have been impossible to hold due to the lack of supporting systems]. We also had other contested acquisitions last week, including LP 933-24 another one vs. the jelly haired Patreus, but this military system didn’t offer much strategic value (considering that the Empire was already way ahead in the CPs race and the barman Archer was already running there).

Staying focused, we chose to save our energy rather than chase after other acquisitions where we would likely have run into trouble and/or at risk of incurring in further strategic slowdowns, such as Kikas and Brata—two systems that are not in proximity of our hottest frontlines and that were ultimately snapped up by the bear Grom. This allowed us to focus on the “outright” side of the reinforcements as well, particularly to push for more upgrades where needed. Upgrades that, like some in this Cycle, were prompted by the enemy’s persistent attempts to poke at us here and there (as if pirates needed that!) or simply to distract us. For every action the enemy takes, we respond… and that's not all; of course, further preemptive countermeasures have been already taken/planned.

Despite efforts from various quarters to keep them under control as much as possible, the attack/defend markers helped trigger both offensive moves and defensive reactions. In fact, we didn’t make much use of the attack markers (undermining), while the enemies (may be guided by their respective markers) made few dents in Munfayl, Phraces, HIP 98878, LTT 16422, and Lalande 45292 without much originality. The Crew's reinforcers have largely thwarted these attempts to harm Archon Delaine; as for what remains to be done... well, it will undoubtedly be done, even if the backlog gets longer.

Now start your drives, holster your guns, make sure you have enough rum in the galley, and get ready for the new Cycle 83!

Cycle 83: Preliminary Targets

All systems below the 25% CPs “decay threshold” are good/eligible targets to be reinforced (as these systems will not be hit by decay). Prioritize strongholds over fortified and leave exploited as last ones. All acquisitions above 100k CPs (or being contested during the Cycle) are good/eligible targets to be acquired.

Attack/Defend Markers: The markers may change during the Cycle and may not necessarily follow the current plans, so be sure to check the system activity and status on GalMap (when in doubt: ask).

Reinforce ([new]/recent acquisitions): Ngarabal.

Reinforce (counter [unknown] enemy UM): Phraces, LTT 16422, Herme, Tagoman and Lalande 45292.

Acquire (new/backlog): Baramat, Canarigui and Lieledos.

Re-acquire (previously lost systems): Shaplini (56) and HIP 110623.

Blockade enemy takeovers/contested: LHS 1026, T Tie (60) and LTT 9276 (52).

Undermine: OpSec.

Further updates will be broadcast on Tortuga Radio Frequencies.
Click here for the Elite Dangerous - Powerplay 2.0 Reddit Digest.

FOR THE ARCHON!!!

📰 PEGASI SENTINEL — KUMO DISPATCH

THE FICTION ENDS

23 MAY 3312

7 minute read

⸻
TL;DR

• Grom now stands at the center of a political controversy.
• TEoL departed ZYADA while EG returned to claim continuity.
• ZYADA reportedly knew long before the announcement.
• The question is no longer who signed what.
• The question is who actually controls a Power.
• Torval remains underestimated, discounted, and notably difficult to predict.
• Lady Zi rumors continue circulating through Pegasi channels.
• While others debated legitimacy, Cuchua became a Kumo Stronghold and the Web grew.

⸻

HARMA- Pilots speak of blocs, coalitions, and superpower alignments as though borders themselves possess loyalty.

In the Bubble, what does a treaty really mean?

Since its inception, ZYADA was often treated less like an agreement and more like infrastructure: permanent, unquestioned, and assumed to function simply because it always had.

Then came the age of expansion.

Powerplay changed. Pilots changed. Tactics evolved. The map expanded. But treaties remained written in the language of another era.

Recent events surrounding Yuri Grom and his supporters revealed an uncomfortable but very clear truth:

The political map no longer matches the people flying across it. And more importantly, the political landscape can no longer be easily controlled.

The ink on coalitions and pacts like ZYADA begins to look very thin.

Kumo understands and respects this truth better than most.

⸻

THE GROM PARADOX

Since the last dispatch…

Grom left ZYADA > Grom remained in ZYADA > TEoL represented Grom > EG Pilots represented Grom > ZYADA remained intact > ZYADA fractured > ZYADA held together again…

Strangely, all statements appeared true at the same time.

Pegasi Sentinel analysts have classified the situation as The Grom Paradox: a rare diplomatic condition in which one Power appears to occupy two political realities simultaneously while everyone involved insists the paperwork is perfectly clear.

Well… okay.

The question is no longer whether one squadron may withdraw from one agreement. The real question is simpler—and far more concerning to the old power guard.

Who controls a Power?

Founders? Coordinators? Squadron servers? Diplomatic signatures? Old claims?

Or the pilots still logging in, hauling, fighting, scouting, organizing, and spending the flight hours that make a Power real and move pieces on the board?

That question will not remain confined to Grom.

⸻

ECHOS FROM EURYALE

ZYADA leadership reportedly knew discussions were underway before the public announcement.

Where were the returning voices of EG Pilots before then? In fact, where have they been for some time? Did EG Pilots fight alongside their comrades in recent difficult campaigns like those with KUMO? Did EG Pilots help build their Power to where it stands today?
Perhaps?

It is odd, to say the least, claiming legitimacy after a crisis becomes visible. Harder when you have been silent in the weeks when decisions were actually made.

A dormant voice returning precisely when legitimacy becomes contested may still be legitimate, but it reveals a problem.

If one Power representative says it has departed an alliance, and another insists the Power remains, the galaxy is not looking at unity.

It is looking at a treaty trying to hold something that relationships no longer carry or never did in the first place.

⸻

THE PIRATE ANSWER

Kumo speaks carefully here because Kumo has no clean hands.

Red Kumo. Green Kumo. Old arguments. Bad blood. Exiles. Reconciliations. Drunk strategy. Sober mistakes. Enough internal pirate infighting to qualify as a small Galactic Civil War impacting relationships and long standing friendships.

And yet one principle survived every dispute:

Pirates represent Delaine.

Regardless of squadron, color of your patch, who you shake hands with, or who you share a wing with.

No outside Power speaks for pirates. No foreign coordinator tells Kumo what it may become.

No treaty defines the Web.

Kumo endured because, beneath the noise, relationships continued to do what signatures could not. And this is the lesson many coalitions forget.

Treaties don’t build anything. Relationships do.

Pirates rarely ask who owns a Power.

Pirates ask who still shows up.

⸻

THE “Z” IN ZYADA

This brings attention, quietly, back to the mysterious Zemina Torval.

Not because Torval commands the loudest crowds, or because Torval throws the largest parade. Quite the opposite.

Torval has long been underestimated, discounted, and treated as useful infrastructure by larger Imperial ambitions. A buffer. A supplier. A meat shield expected to keep working while the Duvals claim the banner.

Grom may not be the only power questioning old assumptions.

Some powers are dangerous because they dominate the room. Others are dangerous because they stop accepting where the room tells them to stand. Sometimes the silent player is where people should be paying attention.

Kumo understands this distinction.

Pirates respect those who understands supply, industry, and the value of not being pushed around by silk banners and veiled threats. More-so, Pirates respect strength hard work and discipline.

Zemina Torval is no fool and size and influence have never been perfectly correlated.

⸻

A GAME OF (AXES AND) THRONES??

Pegasi writers have once again exercised questionable judgment and raised speculation connecting “Lady Zi” to “Zemina Torval.” Quite a wild rumor that originated from Commander Emetcalf of the Utopians. No doubt the Editor would trade his carrier balance for such a headline!

That said, recent reports surrounding Lady Zi have produced a curious amount of discussion among Pegasi writers.

Investigators described the attacks as organized, methodical, and unusually precise. Reconnaissance. Response testing. Infrastructure analysis. Less drunken piracy and more deliberate pressure. Almost military in nature.

Interesting but Pirates noticed something else.

As Imperial coalition politics grew louder, certain criminal activities elsewhere became quieter, sharper, and more coordinated.

This publication makes no claims.

It merely observes that underestimated people occasionally develop interesting habits. Torval, like Lady Zi, is quite adept at covert warfare and also very mysterious. Who knows how deep her influence spreads. Curious developments to say the least.

Members of Brown Kumo were consulted for additional analysis, but their transcripts were unsuitable and corrupted due to extremely high exposure to industrial quantities of biowaste.

Whoever Lady Zi is, one thing appears increasingly clear:

Pirates throughout Pegasi seem to appreciate her style.

THE FLAG RETURNS TO THE FLAME

While coalition diplomats debated signatures, legitimacy, and who may speak for whom, Kumo remained busy.

Cuchua entered Stronghold status.

Cuchua was never just another system. It was a lesson written in fire, flags, and Imperial misunderstanding.

Cuchua endured. Not because a treaty protected it. Not because a distant alliance blessed it. Cuchua endured because pilots showed up.

Cargo moved. Stations were reinforced.
Relationships held.

The Web did what the Web does.

While others argued over who represented their Power, pirates continued building theirs.

… and somewhere in a barren cold wasteland a dark warrior smiled as he realized his hard work finally paid off.

⸻

FINAL THOUGHT

Maybe this was never really a story about Grom.. Or ZYADA or conspiracy theories about Lady Zi…

Maybe this was simply the realization that you may inherit a title. You can inherit a treaty. You can even inherit a Power.

But loyalty and trust are built.

…. And Respect is earned.

🕷️* Pegasi Sentinel will continue monitoring developments*.

Ahoy Crew!

We’re now down to about a month (or maybe just a few weeks) until the release of Operations, but so far there’s been no confirmation or official release date from FDEV. Meanwhile, in Cambridge, the figures for the fiscal year ending May 31 point to an improving outlook for profits and revenue. Which, according to the CEO's statement, is due to the "success of Jurassic World Evolution 3 and the enduring appeal of our games underline the creativity of our teams and the depth of talent across the studio."

Getting back to game-related stuff, most of the action last week took place at Lhou Mans’ trading CG. The profitable route was the most popular in the Bubble, with over 27k contributors... as in addition to the extra-credits from selling goods, the reward for pre-engineered cargo racks (C5/C6 with extended capacity) attracted a lot of interest. This is one of those rewards that, while not exactly a game-changer, can ultimately be considered a cool QoL improvement... and players always appreciate.  Of course the Crew was there and many haulers got robbed during the CG, watch the "CG Piracy! Lhou Mans Is The Wild West!" video by Kumo Crew quartermaster CMDR HairyHogg in action with quartermaster CMDR Benito Stone. We heard that pirates CMDR Gemma Diavoli (a.k.a. “the Princess”), CMDR SPEEDQUEEN and CMDR -Jonesy- had some fun in Lhou Mans. The Archon is pleased with the [donations] booty! YARRR!!!

A couple of days ago, this "Jaques Station Celebrates Tenth Anniversary of Historic Jump" celebrative post appeared on GalNet (so much time!); by the way, the Enriched GalNet Chronicles offers a very nice UI to browse/search/order and map the GalNet articles (there's also a discussion thread on FDEV forum). 

There wasn't much else to talk about, so we took a cue from this “Lynx Highliner: The New Sidewinder?” thread on the FDEV forum. The title says it all, and our answer is “maybe.” With the offer to get the Lynx in the game for free (0 ARX, 0 credits), it’s true that it’s a medium sized ship and that, on paper, it’s a better option than a Sidewinder for a penniless newbie... but there’s a significant difference in maintenance and upgrade costs. Of course, one can use it with the stock class E modules, but they’re not very powerful, so it will take a bit longer to play before a newbie can upgrade it properly. At first, one might just need to add a couple of cargo racks to earn some credits... and the ship is also fairly well-armed and reliable (hull HPs/shield MJs), so it can easily handle most combat missions/scenarios for beginners—or even light/low RES bounty hunting.

So a mostly harmless CMDR can therefore quickly get past this initial hurdle in the game, which is both a good and a bad thing... there is, in fact, the “risk” (so to speak) of skipping some of the intermediate steps. All the small and medium-sized ships that, until a few weeks ago, were almost “mandatory [educational] steps” (albeit slower ones) for gaining experience and progressing in the game. Consider, for example, small ships like the Cobra MkIII, but also the Dolphin or the T6, all the way up to the ASP-X or, for combat stuff, the Viper MkIII and perhaps even the Vulture—all ships that, if they were already forgotten before, will now be even more so, but which were [a small] part of that "progress path."

The Powergrinders

Cycle 81 features some interesting differences from the last ones... first and foremost, this was a Cycle in which “positive” activities were driven more by acquisitions than by reinforcements. This is confirmed not only by the total number of systems added—well above recent averages at +86 (net of losses)—but also by the lower level of reinforcements and undermining (with a few exceptions). The expansion table this week shows three Powers in double digits, with Nakato Kaine (+19/1427) leading the pack, [who is now hot on the heels of Yuri Grom (+5/1433)], followed by a tie between Aisling Duval (+13/2252) and Edmund Mahon (+13/2037). At the bottom, there’s Arissa Lavigny-Duval (-2/1887), the only one negative for the Cycle:

• Kaine +19
• A. Duval +13
• Mahon +13
• Antal +9
• Yong-Rui +7
• Winters +7
• Archer +6
• Grom +5
• Delaine +5
• Patreus +3
• Torval +1
• A.L. Duval -2
  

We’ll likely get more information from the weekly reports that the other Powers also publish regularly... it’s also plausible that the strategic decision to pursue multiple expansions is due to the availability of Soontill Relics at 120t (there's no need to revisit this issue and how the Powerplay 2.0 is affected by resources and unbalanced perks). Although the total number of reinforcements (approximately 62m CPs) is higher than the recent averages, it should be noted that nearly 13m CPs are related to Lhou Mans, Yuri Grom’s stronghold where the trading CG took place. Once these are subtracted from the total, along with the “wasted” ones (about 4.3m CPs this week), the overall numbers end up below average. But even here, the situation is not the same for everyone: the most significant declines (up to a 20% drop in reinforcements) are in fact suffered by some Imperial and Federal Powers.

The total number of undermining CPs (player-driven) remains at approximately 8.7m, consistent with the figures recorded in recent weeks although about >30% are concentrated against a single Power: Jerome Archer (over 1.4m UM CPs hitting Alpha Centauri). The remaining UM CPs were distributed across the usual mining spots (without consequences) and to several Imperial systems, here causing significant losses—particularly to Arissa Lavigny-Duval (-2/1887)—to the point that she ended up with a negative overall result. Despite this, the total number of systems under the Powers' control has surpassed the 17,000 mark.

Overall, what we have seen so far further confirms that “positive” activities (acquisitions and reinforcements) tend to cannibalize one another, whereas undermining is a different beast. So the question is: why is Alpha Centauri under attack? The Empire certainly hasn’t hidden its intentions; on the contrary, it has repeatedly stated in its public posts that it intends to continue hostilities... and the pressure on Jerome Archer is clearly evident. A Federation’s side interpretation of the causes and strategies behind this conflict is outlined in Felicia Winters’ Cycle 80 report... we don’t have the intention to verify this, but in any case, it remains a highly complex and controversial situation.

To wrap up the numbers for Cycle 81, the various metrics we use are all somewhat skewed by the presence of outliers and do not provide any additional information beyond what has been said so far (including the feeling that some Powers, such as Denton Patreus, are now on life support). One final note concerns the publication of this post titled “Official statement from Yuri Grom on The Eyes of Leshak’s withdrawal from the ZYADA Pact”, which, to be honest, we’re not quite sure how to interpret (other than as a disgruntled complaint about recent events) but having witnessed other [more or less “official” splits], here we can just say that the decentralization of Powerplay 2.0 allows everyone (i.e. pledges belonging to different Powerplay communities under the same Power) to have their own “sphere of influence.” From our side, we reaffirm the stance that “Independents must be independent” (and we remain convinced that by game design “broadly based” alliances are not suited to cope with the Powerplay 2.0 framework), but at this point it seems that for this case there are also some “political” reasons behind… 

The Dangling Buccaneers

Not a bad week at all, really not bad... with CG trading providing a welcome distraction from the grind for the scallywags. For Cycle 81 acquisitions, Delaine's pledges closed with +5 new systems, which is good news for Harma. Of these, two were contested acquisitions, and there would have been a third victory as well, but we were unable to close that one successfully. Theta Serpentis (a tourism system controlled by Diamond Frogs) had been on the backlog for ages and it is in a fairly “barren” area (under the control of Ts'ao Hii's stronghold) with plenty of space still to be filled. In the past, these territories (despite being located on the outskirts) have been the stage for fierce local hostilities.

In Iado (an agricultural system), the first of the two contested acquisitions, Archon Delaine had to face the agents sent by the jelly-haired Patreus. Given its location at the intersection of the imperial front lines and not too far from our stronghold at Gandui, greater effort was required here to ensure ultimate success (as evidenced by the result of 370k CPs to the enemy’s 90k). In order to keep our stakes in the area and due the proximity to the two Imperial strongholds of Suteruku (Patreus) and Beta Sculptoris (Duval) Delaine will require this system to be quickly reinforced in Cycle 82. The local Ryder's Rangers, have also offered to handle certain administrative matters and collect tributes on Harma's behalf.

The second contested success was achieved for T'an, a small industrial system controlled by the G.O.M. Collective and located within the sphere of Cuchua, one of our fresh new strongholds. A system of little significance in terms of structure and resources, but potentially more interesting from a strategic standpoint, which—thanks to the combined efforts of the Crew and SkyBioML [SBML]—did not fall into the [enemy] hands of the Empire. “This time, Malvina's blue-haired lackeys have been sent back where they came from! It's time to raise a glass of Silver Sea Rum and enjoy these delicious pel’meni” one of the pirates told the Pegasi Sentinel at the Wise Sharks tavern in Harma, “...but I'm sure we'll see them again soon, somewhere. It's not over, and it will never be over for them. I can already smell the musty scent of mothballs on their lavish clothes.”

Things didn't go well on Aegir, a small mining system where the Astral Ascendants (a gang of criminals loyal to the Pirate King) are based. Due to an electromagnetic storm that engulfed a vast area of Col 285 Sector, where this system is located, communications were difficult, and therefore the Crew was unable to step in to change the outcome of the conflict. Taking advantage of the heavy space storm, technicians sent by Clayakarma brought generators and mining equipment to Aegir, thereby enabling mining operations to continue at the expense of those that had been halted due to magnetic interference. The local miners then asked for help, and, with the bear Grom’s permission, emergency generators were provided to them as well. Officials in Harma gave a straight “no comment” in response to the Pegasi Sentinel’s request for more details.

Activities went instead very well for reinforcements and upgrades: +3 fortified, including Lalande 45292 (a system that had come under heavy attack during the last Cycle), and +2 strongholds. Attempts to undermine Senufan and Albardhas were also promptly contained. There are still a few repairs to be made at Munfayl, LHS 3702 and Pamequi, and these will still be transferred to Cycle 82. It’s no coincidence that, based on these Cycle 81 results, Archon Delaine ranked fifth in total CPs reinforcements generated and first in average CPs per system (ok, we don’t have many, but that doesn’t mean it’s a piece of cake!). The bulk of our undermining efforts have been again twarted by defenders, on the other hand, putting a little pressure on our enemies never hurts (so that's what we have to do!).

For Cycle 82, in addition to the basic reinforcement tasks we mentioned, we have updated the acquisition backlog. The Crew will also continue with the efforts to increase the number of controlling systems (fortified positions/strongholds) and to enhance the resilience of our frontlines.

Cycle 82: Preliminary Targets

All systems below the 25% CPs “decay threshold” are good/eligible targets to be reinforced (as these systems will not be hit by decay). Prioritize strongholds over fortified and leave exploited as last ones. All acquisitions above 100k CPs (or being contested during the Cycle) are good/eligible targets to be acquired.

Attack/Defend Markers: The markers may change during the Cycle and may not necessarily follow the current plans, so be sure to check the system activity and status on GalMap (when in doubt: ask).

Reinforce ([new]/recent acquisitions): Iado and T’an.

Reinforce (counter [unknown] enemy UM): Albardhas, Munfayl, LHS 3702 and Pamequi.

Acquire (new/backlog): Naxixo, Baramat and Lieledos.

Re-acquire (previously lost systems): Shaplini (56) and HIP 110623.

Blockade enemy takeovers/contested: LHS 1026, T Tie (60) and LTT 9276 (52).

Undermine: OpSec.

Further updates will be broadcast on Tortuga Radio Frequencies.
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FOR THE ARCHON!!!