Summary
- CCP Games unveils their new FPS project, EVE Vanguard, at EVE Fanfest 2023 as a playable module within EVE Online.
- Vanguard is built on Unreal Engine 5 and will launch with a limited time public mass test in December for Omega players and will encourage social dynamics and squad play.
- The game features a PvPvE experience with extraction-style gameplay, where players collect loot and complete contracts while defending against other players.
CCP Games has unveiled their new FPS project, EVE Vanguard, at EVE Fanfest 2023.
First teased by CCP Games CEO Hilmar Veigar Pétursson at EVE Fanfest 2022 as a successor to CCP's canceled Project Nova, Vanguard is now officially titled and playable later this year, revealed during EVE Fanfest 2023's Keynote presentation alongside EVE Online's newly unveiled Havoc expansion.
EVE Vanguard is a multiplayer FPS module for EVE Online built on Unreal Engine 5 and will be playable this December for Omega players (players buying into EVE Online's premium subscription) in the "First Strike" public mass test, a limited time event, with more tests planned for 2024. Vanguard will be a module launched from within the EVE Online client though player characters are not the same as their Capsuleers from EVE Online. Instead, boots on the ground players play as the Vanguard, "a new generation of war clones fighting for their survival and to free their consciousness as they undertake hazardous contracts on the planets of New Eden."
First Official EVE Vanguard Gameplay Screenshots
From the screenshots, note how enemies and enemy details highlight upon ADSing (looking down the barrel). Also note how a detailed minimap can be pulled up at any time during gameplay (take note, Starfield).
A complete departure from the original vision of Project Nova which was described to me as a standalone shooter set in the universe of New Eden, and quite literally set in space environments, EVE Vanguard will launch with a direct connection to EVE Online starting from day one as a planetary experience. The module can be best described as an extraction shooter from what we've seen and will launch sort of like a pre-alpha exclusive playtest for Omega players with the goal of building the game with the established EVE community.
Another major change with CCP's shooter plans is on the development side and instead of having their London studio work on Vanguard independently, the London site is working directly with EVE Online's leads from CCP HQ in Reykjavík, Iceland as one large, cohesive team. Creative Director Bergur Finnbogason, Game Director Snorri Árnason, and Lead Game Designer Gavin Skinner for example, are serving the same role on both EVE Online and EVE Vanguard.
One team. One game. One community.
EVE Vanguard will be a PvPvE experience that can be played solo, but it is highly recommended to be played in a squad, and the game will encourage the same social dynamics EVE Online players know so well. Do you trust someone or betray them for your own reward?
Vanguard launches with just one large open map with its focal point being a massive shipwreck that has spilled loot. The idea is that in the future these crashed ships will be the result of battles happening in EVE Online, potentially even having these downed craft being player-owned. Players enter the map via a drop pod and attempt the complete a Faction contract, which in the example shown to us, involved collecting a Nexus chip that another player squad had already acquired. After hunting down that player, taking them out, and looting the goal, the players summon an extraction which will attract other players in the game. You must of course, defend the extraction zone until you can successfully leave.
EVE Vanguard Concept Art
Upon death, players lose any loot and gear on them and can spin up another clone. Presumably there are permanent skills and progression systems that carry through, since this is EVE Online we're talking about and since the game was described to me as sort of a roguelite in this sense. In the concept art gallery above, there's an image of toxic sulfur marsh and we saw this in a gameplay demo where the devs told us they can't cross this right now without taking damage since they don't have the right gear, but the concept art shows that something can be unlocked or earned eventually to make this path accessible.
An interesting new system demonstrated in the EVE Vanguard gameplay that's wholly different to what I played of Project Nova in 2018 is the "adaptive weaponry and advanced ammunition." The map features NPCs as part of the PvE gameplay (the environment itself is a big part of this as hinted above with the marsh) and they can be scanned to reveal their different resistances. Starting with ballistic/kinetic ammo, we later met enemies who were resistant to this but weak to energy weapons and so the weapon can be augmented by spending resources looted (energy/nanites) on the fly to switch to energy ammunition. The amount of ammo types and weapons has yet to be revealed but we have concept art of four of the weapons below and can confirm that favorites from DUST 514 - the first CCP shooter that was exclusive to PlayStation 3 from 2013-16 - will make a return alongside all new guns.
EVE Vanguard Weapons Revealed So Far
"We have 20 years of real history to build upon. So the new and the legacy will coexist in Vanguard," says Neil Kaminski, Art Director at CCP. "We'll be bringing back fan favorites from DUST 514, to sit alongside newer weapons and equipment, and by visually representing their designs, the cultures and identities of not just the empires, but also the corporations and the factions."
EVE Vanguard will evolve over time and include other modes, maps, and more as CCP Games first conducts their mass test later this year. For a few more details, see below for what's available from the official fact sheet:
The Official EVE Vanguard Facts from CCP Games
- One Team, One Game, One Community: EVE Vanguard is connected to EVE Online from Day One and built in close collaboration with the EVE community, where player voices matter.
- Your Next Shot Will Topple Empires: You have the power to impact New Eden with evolving interactivity between EVE Online and EVE Vanguard.
- Evolve and Overcome: Advance your suit and equipment to become more powerful and synergize with squadmates to overcome new challenges.
- Intense Action: Experience visceral FPS action with boots-on-the-ground gameplay in solo or squad-play with up to 3 team members.
- Fight for Survival: Watch your back. The bond between Vanguards is fragile. Today‘s squadmate could be tomorrow‘s rival.
- A New Gateway Into New Eden: Human-scale conflict across the planetscapes of New Eden, each with its own hazards and distinct aesthetics.
- As Above, So Below: Experience the signature high degree of player customization, persistent progression, and social interaction from a game set in the EVE Universe.
Players will be able to drop into EVE Vanguard’s gameplay experience directly from the EVE Online launcher on PC. To register and learn more, visit vanguard.eveonline.com.