The meaning of Faction War

So the endless debate on plexing rages on…

For me Faction War is all about the pilots & corps who fly in it. That is all that really matters.

Many people assume that FW is a bunch of newbies flying around in T1 frigates and destroyers - OK sure that’s how a lot get started however it is seriously short sighted to believe that this is all that FW is all about.

I've been in and out of Gallente Militia since pretty much the start with RS and then permanently since joining SOTF last year. In that time sure I've seen plenty T1 frig/cruiser fleets. But I have also seen HAC fleets, RRBS fleets, Carrier engagements, Black Ops operations, high-sec raids, fleets with logistics, EWAR of all shapes and sizes, T3s, super carriers and this one time at gate camp there was a Titan on the field (and not for the first time).

FW has attracted some superb, individuals, ex-alliance corps and of course pirates of all shapes and sizes. As they have come and gone they have created new opportunities and new dangers. Who can live through the ups and downs of Black Nova Corp, Wolfy, BYDI, Invicta and PERVS, to name just a few, and deny that such capsuleers have changed the playing field of FW whilst they were part of it?

Sure some have used it as a training ground, some have stayed, obviously many have moved on. But FW is not meant to stay the same, it is in constant flux. And this creates a unique and testing atmosphere. You have to be on your toes all the time. Your friends one day are your enemies the next. A quiet system today, could be a hotbed of gankage next week. Nothing stays the same in FW for long. It is a challenging atmosphere within an already difficult environment.

As with all low-sec systems there are no real safe pockets to play in out here (or high-sec for that matter). If you want to mission, mine, run cosmic sites/DED plexes or belt rat you need to stay sharp at all times. And the amount of folks who’ve been probed down and jumped on whilst sitting uncloaked in a safe spot… well they soon learn not to do that again ;-)

I have seen infiltration, spying, diplomacy, betrayal, heroics, hilarious fits, some that worked, many that did not. I have seen fleets of 5 to the 100s. And I’m not talking about chaotic doom blobs here I’m talking about highly organised and controlled fleets. I have seen several 4 way fights with the militias and sometime last year I also found myself in a rather crazy 6 way gangbang involving all 4 militias plus some pirates and CVA… and wow that was amazing, albeit rather laggy and painful. I have seen terrible losses, great achievements, new pilots who learned, and made a name for themselves, success against impossible odds and Loren Gallen.

FW can be as diverse, fun, dangerous and amazing as anywhere else in Eve and often at a much faster pace.

Then we come to plexing… yay (sarcasm).

In my opinion the plexing and bunker flipping, sadly, takes away what FW is really all about. It was, I believe, originally intended to create some meaning and focal points for pvp. Whilst I’m not denying that fights happens in plexes the fact is there is no tangible point to it, none whatsoever. It has simply turned into a distraction and created a lot of forum hate. I feel endlessly sorry for the pilots who put in the effort to plex. Aside from standings and tags (both of which can be gotten elsewhere) there is simply no real fruit for their labour.

But more importantly, there is no consequence to plexing either, which goes entirely against the grain of EvE. If a system is lost, big deal? What does it do? Nothing. You could argue that moral can drop or be boosted by plexing efforts or the lack thereof (and I have seen this happen), but people would really be none-the-worse off if plexing was not part of FW.

CCP appears to have put FW on the back burner which means plexing is unlikely to have any real consequence or meaning any time soon. So… I reckon all militia pilots should consider doing 2 things:

1. Forget about plexing, or at least accept there’s no point to it. You’re doing it for kicks and storyline aggravation, but not for glory. Hell if ya lucky and flip a system folks who weren’t even there at the time might get a mention in the news next month for you. Win.

2. Encourage more PvP focussed corps to join FW. More pvp’ers = more fleets = more fights = more moral and enjoyment = more people joining FW = More of everything that makes FW so much dam good fun.

Faction War is all about the pilots & corps who fly in it and that is all that really matters.