News: Pandemic Legion and HERO Coalition Clash in 4M-HGL

4M-HGL system, Catch region. On the 11th of Match, 22:20 EVE Standard Time, Pandemic Legion and HERO Coalition clashed in the system over the first Infrastructure Hub reinforcement timer.

Pandemic Legion brought a 70 pilot Tempest Fleet Issue Battleship fleet, with Triage Carrier support, against HERO Coalition’s Tengu Strategic Cruiser fleet, some 140 pilots strong.

The two sides met on the 3-OKDA gate, where Pandemic Legion bridged their fleet, and HERO Coalition was already perched.

Fighting started immediately, with both sides exchanging few losses. HERO Coalition forces kept at a moderate distance from the Pandemic Legion Battleships, able to tank the incoming volleys most times, while unable to break the tank of the Tempest Fleet Issues.

The fight continued this way for almost half an hour, with Pandemic Legion managing to snag a kill here and there, but no decisive fighting occurring, as the two fleets maneuvered around each other. Finally, Pandemic Legion managed to get a good warp in on the Tengu fleet, using both Interdictors and Heavy Interdictors to trap it while spreading points.

With the Tengus trapped, Pandemic Legion’s Battleships set to the task of wiping them out, destroying a sizable number before the HERO fleet could retreat. With the HERO fleet in disarray and the field won, Pandemic Legion brought in their Motherships, and sent them to push the Infrastructure Hub into its second reinforcement timer, while the sub-capital fleet remained on standby just in case.

With reports of HERO Coalition re-grouping on the 3GD6-8 gate, the Battleship fleet made its way there, landing just as HERO forces jumped out of system. Giving chase, Pandemic Legion managed to catch more of HERO’s fleeing Tengus in the 3GD6-8 system, while the rest of their fleet seemed eager to retreat and not stay and fight.

Pandemic Legion’s Fleet en route to Fight HERO Coalition on the 3GD6-8 Gate

After destroying what enemy ships remained on the 4M-HGL gate, Pandemic Legion extracted both its Mothership and sub-capital fleet safely from the system.

Battle report for the 4M-HGL system can be found here.
Battle report for the 3GD6-8 system can be found here.

The battle lasted a whole hour. Time
Dilation was not a factor in the fighting, with the system holding no
more than 350 pilots at the peak of it, though some pilots have reported
slow downs and module lag during the course of fighting. In total, HERO Coalition lost 110 ships in the engagement, for 12 Bil ISK damages, while Pandemic Legion lost only 8, for 1.7 Bil ISK damages in comparison.

This battle continues a worrying trend of HERO Coalition unable to field large enough numbers to defend its systems, considering the overwhelming numerical superiority it holds over Pandemic Legion.

Criticism has also been levied at Pandemic Legion for its use of Mothership assets, yet it is important to note that in all recent fights, the Mothership fleets were directed at structures only, and came into play after the sub-capital fight was already won.

News: Pandemic Legion Re-Caputres F4R2-Q

F4R2-Q system, Catch region. On the night of the 8th of March, at 23:40 EVE Standard Time, Pandemic Legion forces engaged HERO Coalition over the control of the system, in a battle that proved to be short and one sided.

Pandemic Legion organized a Tempest Fleet Issue Battleship fleet, with Triage Carrier support, some 130 pilots strong, with a WAFFLES(dot) support wing of Svipul Strategic Destroyers, 40 pilots large.

Against them, HERO Coalition assembled a Tengu Strategic Cruiser fleet, of equal size, with Harpy Assault Frigate wing and an Electronic Warfare wing comprised of Crucifier Frigates. All told, HERO Coalition’s force was estimated at around 250 pilots number.

CFC forces were also present in the system, in a Harpy and Claw Interceptor fleets, 120 pilots combined.

Pandemic Legion’s Fleet en-route to the F4R2-Q System

The fighting began when Pandemic Legion’s fleet entered the F4R2-Q system through the ZXIC-7 gate. HERO Coalition was already in position, with its Tengu fleet perched more than 120 km away from the gate, and its E-war wing spread around the gate at a similar distance. The Pandemic Legion force de-cloaked at once and anchored, volleying off HERO ships. At the same time, WAFFLES(dot) set to the task of clearing the E-war wing. CFC and HERO Harpy fleets, in the meanwhile, were occupied in low level skirmishing around the grid.

After a few minutes, HERO Coalition started to pull range, unable to break any of the mainline ships’ tank nor do anything about the Triage Carriers present on field. Losing much of their E-war wing, and being constantly harassed by the CFC Harpies, who changed targets from the HERO Harpy fleet to the Logistics wing of the Tengu fleet. Pandemic Legion took this opportunity and warped its fleet to the station, as it was coming out of reinforce mode.

With the reinforcement timer ticking its last few minutes, and HERO Coalition seemingly unable or not wanting to further engage the Pandemic Legion force, a cynosural beacon was lit by the Pandemic Legion, allowing a Mothership wing to jump into the system.

Pandemic Legion’s Mothership Wing Present on the Station Grid

With the Mothership reinforcements, Pandemic Legion quickly took ownership of the station, as well as destroying the Territorial Claim Unit of HERO Coalition. By this point, HERO Coalition’s morale seem to have been broken, and their fleet evacuated the system.

With the station safely in its hands, and a Territorial Claim Unit of its own in the process of activating, Pandemic Legion quickly extracted its Motherships, and then its sub-capital fleet from the system without further incident.

At 8:33 EVE Standard Time, the system of F4R2-Q was officially claimed by Pandemic Legion.

Battle report for the F4R2-Q system can be found here.

The F4R2-Q system housed at the peak of the fighting 630 players, with Time Dilation being unnoticeable. The fighting itself proved to be short, lasting only 36 minutes from start to the loss of the HERO Coalition Territorial Claim Unit, which signaled the end of fighting.

HERO Coalition lost the majority of ships, 139 in total, for almost 2.5 Bil ISK of damages. On Pandemic Legion’s side, almost no ships were lost, except for some support and the WAFFLES(dot) wing, which tangled with the CFC forces, losing 13 ships for 1.7 Bil ISK damages. As for the CFC, who came as a third party to the battle, it lost 32 ships, for nearly 1.5 Bil ISK of damages.

With Pandemic Legion continuing its operations in Catch, one can only guess which system will be targeted next, and whether HERO Coalition can muster enough force and resolve to re-create some of the victories it was able to pull in the previous clash between the two entities.

Providence Fight Club: V-3YG7 8.3.2015

V-3YG7 system, Catch region. On the the evening of the 8th of March, Providence Bloc forces engaged a Pandemic Legion‘s fleet, in what quickly became a bloody exchange between the two entities.

The fighting started after Pandemic Legion’s forces, who were roaming the Catch region, received reports of Providence Bloc’s fleet making its way towards HERO Coalition’s staging system of GE-8JV. The force was reported at a 100 pilots strong, mainly in Naga Battlecruisers.

The Pandemic Legion fleet at the time was a small Machariel Battleship gang. Realizing it could not take on Providence Bloc with its current numbers, a call was made for reinforcements, and in a few minutes, the fleet’s size swelled to 50 pilots.

With their forces bolstered, Pandemic Legion made its way to intercept the incoming Providence Bloc force, finally catching up to it in the V-3YG7 system, on the GE-8JV gate. Providence Bloc’s fleet was positioned above the gate, while Pandemic Legion’s forces remained close to it.

The fight started when the Naga fleet warped down to the GE-8JV gate. Hesitating, thinking the Providence Bloc fleet was attempting to retreat, Pandemic Legion’s ships maintained their position around the gate, which turned to be a mistake. Quickly, the Naga fleet opened fire on the dis-organized Pandemic Legion’s fleet.

As the first Machariel was volleyed off, Pandemic Legion’s force quickly regained its composure and anchored up, burning away from the gate and the Naga fleet while returning fire. After a few harrowing minutes of intense volleys, with both sides exchanging losses, it seems Pandemic Legion came out on top, as its fleet finally managed to hold repairs, preventing any more losses.

Providence Bloc’s fleet, on the other hand, was in complete shambles, losing ship after ship, with most of its Nagas decimated. While Pandemic Legion was clearing the field of the remaining Providence Bloc ships, A HERO Coalition Harpy Assault Frigate fleet entered the fray, some 80 pilots strong.

The Harpy fleet warped around the battlefield for a while, attempting to land close to the Pandemic Legion Logistics wing, but to no avail. With Providence Bloc’s fleet retreating, Pandemic Legion turned its attention to the Harpy fleet. After a couple of warp ins, it finally managed to land on top of the Harpies. Interdiction probes quickly trapped most of the fleet, allowing the Machariels to use their smartbombs to destroy the helpless Frigates.

With their entire Logistics wing annihilated as well as a fair number of their mainline ships, the HERO Coalition fleet bid a hasty retreat, allowing Pandemic Legion to claim the field.

Battle Report for the V-3YG7 system can be found here.

In total, 163 ships were destroyed in the engagement, for 11 Bil ISK of damages, with Pandemic Legion losing 13 ships, for a total of 5 Bil ISK, Providence Bloc losing 72 ships for an equal value, and HERO Coalition losing 72 ships for 1 Bil ISK of damages. During the fight no Time Dilation was recorded, though local numbers remain unknown, presumed, at the peak of fighting at 300-400 pilots.

Providence Fight Club: GE-8JV 3.3.2015

GE-8JV system, Catch region. On the evening of the 3rd of March, Providence Bloc forces collided violently with HERO Coalition’s, in a bloody engagement that saw many ships destroyed.

The battle started when Providence Bloc’s fleet, a 114 pilot strong Phantasm Cruiser fleet, entered the GE-8JV system through the V-3YG7 gate, where Pandemic Legion and HERO Coalition forces were skirmishing. With the arrival of Providence Bloc, both forces disengaged, while HERO Coalition promised to return with a better fleet.

This proved true, as a few minutes later, while Providence Bloc forces were setting on the V-3YG7 gate, a HERO Coalition Moa Cruiser fleet warped at range, some 120-140 pilots strong.

Providence Bloc’s fleet burned straight into the Moas, and the two fleets started exchanging fire, keeping close range to each other. Quickly, ships on both sides were volleyed off, and the fighting became an intense exchange of ships. However, as the fighting continued, Providence Bloc’s position worsened, as the HERO fleet managed to pull range and kite their enemies, who kept burning in regardless.

After mounting losses, with HERO Coalition continuously re-shipping and applying pressure on them, Providence Bloc decided to concede the field, trying to beat a hasty retreat by warping to the sun, and then hoping to warp back to the V-3YG7 gate. However, the HERO Coalition Moa fleet was not ready to give up, and chased the Providence Bloc fleet there.

Unknown to Providence Bloc, an interdiction probe managed to intersect the warp path of the fleet, allowing the HERO Coalition force to land on top of it. As the remaining ships scrambled to warp back to the V-3YG7 gate, HERO Coalition managed to nab a few more stragglers.

At this point, Providence Bloc’s fleet exited the system, allowed to retreat by HERO Coalition forces, who made no attempt to pursue.

Battle report for the GE-8JV system can be found here.

The Battle from HERO Coalition’s Perspective

The Battle from Providence Bloc’s Perspective

All in all, 176 ships were lost in the exchange, with Providence Bloc taking the burnt of the ISK damage, 11.38 Bil, while HERO Coalition suffered only 1.6 Bil in return. Local reached its peak of 425 pilots, with Time Dilation not being noticeable in the fight, spiking momentarily to the region of 10-20% before quickly subsiding. The entire fight lasted half an hour in total.

Both parties agreed that it was a pleasant exchange, and though Providence Bloc lost, in the end, the fight was enjoyable throughout for both sides.

Special thanks to Jin’taan, of Pentag Blade, Curatores Veritatis Alliance and Mangraa Dementia, of Blue Tridents, Sev3rance for interview and materials.

News: Providence Bloc Locks Horns with Low Sec Entities over Moons in the Ziriert System

Ziriert System, Domain region. On the 27th of February, 20:16 EVE Time, Providence Bloc engaged a fleet belonging to Low Security space entities such as Nihilists Social Club, Legion’s(dot) and Resonance(dot) alliances, over the control of an R64 moon in the system. The fight quickly escalated, with both sides dropping Capitals and bringing reinforcements, including a Titan.

Providence Bloc fielded a 200 pilot fleet divided into a Navy Issue Apocalypse Battleship main force, an Ishtar Heavy Assault Cruiser skirmish wing, a Maulus Frigate Electronic Warfare wing and a Capital task force which included 10 Dreadnaughts and 6 Carriers.

Against them the Low Sec entities organized a Navy Apocalypse Battleship fleet of their own, consisting of 30 pilots, with Triage Carrier support. They contacted Pandemic Legion beforehand for support, and as the fight started, it brought a mixed Legion\Proteus Strategic Cruiser fleet of 76 pilots.

Providence Bloc forces were the first to enter system, situating their sub-capital fleet on the tower itself and keeping their Capital force in reserve. A Cynosural beacon was lit 250 km away from the tower, and the Low Sec entities bridged their fleet in, including Triage Carriers and Tracking Dreadnaughts.

Providence Bloc forces warped to the cynosural beacon at 30 km, thus signaling the start of the fighting. Both forces slugged it out, and once it became clear the enemy Carriers were in Triage mode, Providence Bloc lit their own Cynosural beacon and let their Capital task force onto the field. With their Dreadnaughts entering Siege mode, the enemy’s Triage Carriers were quickly disposed, allowing Providence Bloc to focus on the enemy’s Navy Apocalypses.

However, even with their Triage support gone, the enemy’s Navy Apocalypses turned to be quite a challenge, as their pilots were told beforehand to bring a full Slave implant set, generating a massive armor buffer that took a while for the Providence Bloc forces to chew through.

Pandemic Legion entered the fray during the Capital exchange, landing next to the Providence Bloc Logistics wing, and managing to nab a few. With the Pandemic Legion reinforcements on the field, the Low Sec entities felt confident enough to bridge in an Avatar Titan along with a Hel and two Aeon Motherships. The Super-Capital force warped to the grid and started clearing the Providence Bloc Dreadnaughts, who were busy destroying the remaining Low Sec entities’ Navy Apocalypses.

Providence Bloc quickly changed its focus to the Super-Capital force, targeting the Hel, but unable to break its tank. When it became apparent that they could not break the Mothership’s tank, and with Pandemic Legion on the field, as well as the Avatar, the decision was made to start extracting the remaining Capital ships. A mad race began between Providence Bloc clearing sub-Capitals and Pandemic Legion and the Low Sec entities clearing Capitals.

With their enemies bringing more Triage Carriers, the presence of the Titan and its Mothership escorts, and losing most of their support ships, Providence Bloc decided to concede the field, managing to extract most of their sub-capital fleet as well as some of their Capitals safely.

For the Low Sec entities and their Pandemic Legion allies, once Providence Bloc disengaged, they withdraw as well, allowing Providence Bloc to keep the moon and bringing an end to the fighting.

Video of the fighting, from Providence Bloc’s perspective

The exchange saw Providence Bloc lose 5 Dreadnaughts, 3 Carriers and 44 sub-capital ships for a total of 27 Bil ISK in damages, while their enemies lost 2 Dreadnaughts, 3 Carriers and 32 sub-capitals, for a total of 32 Bil ISK in damages.

Battle Report for the Ziriert System can be found here.

The battle lasted for 40 minutes, during the peak of which the system saw more than 350 pilots in it. Time Dilation proved to be a major factor in the fighting, varying between 40-70% throughout. Several players complained of lag issues, such as no transition between losing ships and pods, modules not cycling correctly and other lag connected issues.

Honoring their fallen Capitals, as taken from CVA Forums

Regardless, both sides agreed that it was an enjoyable fight, and look forward to having similar brawls in the future.

Special thanks to Jin’taan, of Pentag Blade, Curatores Veritatis Alliance and Archeras Umangiar, of Delian Legion, Legion’s(dot) Alliance for granting interviews.

News: HERO Coalition Saves HED-GP

HED-GP system, Catch region. In the early hours of the 9th of December, HERO Coalition and Pandemic Legion [-10.0] clashed for a third time in the system, to determine its sovereignty.

Pandemic Legion forces brought a hundred pilots strong Tengu Strategic Cruiser fleet, supported by forty WAFFLES. [N0MAD] bombers. The Pandemic Legion fleet lacked Logistics, using an Interdiction Nullified variation of the Tengu, nicknamed “Slippery Pete”. As usual, Pandemic Legion forces were first in the system, ready for HERO Coalition’s arrival.

HERO Coalition for its part, brought a full Eagle Heavy Assault Cruiser fleet, with a robust electronic warfare wing in the form of Maulus Frigates, anti bomber support wing of Harpy Assault Frigates and a Test Alliance Please Ignore [TEST] Ishtar Heavy Assault Cruiser fleet. All told, HERO Coalition’s forces numbered around seven hundred pilots in sub capital ships.

The two forces met in HED-GP on the station, both positioning themselves on the station grid, exchanging short bursts of fire and then warping off. HERO Coalition’s forces decided after a while to dock up in the station, while Carriers were brought in to start repairs.

Early fighting on the station grid

This proved to be a mistake by HERO Coalition as attempts to leave the station were countered by WAFFLE. bombers who promptly forced the fleets to dock up time and again. By the third attempt, HERO Coalition’s fleets finally managed to get out and engaged Pandemic Legion’s fleet head on, who for its part continued a pattern of hit and run attacks, warping in and out of the grid and not lingering too long.

WAFFLE. bombing run on the undocking HERO Coalition forces

As the battle continued, news of HERO Coalition Dreadnoughts located on the Keberz gate filtered in. A force containing nearly twenty Dreadnoughts was in the process of removing the Sovereignty Blockade Unit on that gate, while Pandemic Legion’s fleet was occupied on the station grid. With the Capital ships confirmed on the gate, Pandemic Legion’s Interceptors and Interdictors burned in for the tackle.

The trapped HERO Coalition Capitals

Managing to trap a small group. Pandemic Legion’s fleet arrived on grid alongside WAFFLE. bombers and engaged the Capital ships. The combined force made short work of several of the trapped Capitals, however, due to lack of Interdictors, the majority of Dreadnought managed to escape. This left only five Dreadnoughts to be destroyed by Pandemic Legion forces: Three Naglfars, a Moros and a Pheonix, resulting in fourteen billion ISK damages.

HERO Coalition halfheartedly attempted to free the Dreadnoughts, who were probably written as a loss from the start, but was quickly forced back by both Pandemic Legion’s fleet and WAFFLE. bombing runs, deciding instead to re-group at the station.

With the Sovereignty Blockade Unit destroyed, the station was saved from Pandemic Legion’s aggression, and a large Carrier task force was set to repairing the armor and shields of the station. And yet, the battle between the sub-Capital fleets continued to rage in the system unabated. The fight moved from the station and Keberz gate to the SV5-8N gate where the last Sovereignty Blockade Unit was removed by HERO Coalition. A few attempts to harass the force at work were made, but nonetheless the Sovereignty Blockade Unit was destroyed.

Fighting on the SV5-8N gate

The fight then rolled back and forth between the different celestials in the system, as HERO Coalition attempted to destroy a Pandemic Legion tower which was suspected as a WAFFLE. bomber staging base, managing to reinforce it, while being continuously harassed by the Pandemic Legion Tengus and WAFFLE. bombers.

By this point the station was fully repaired and the Carrier force extracted safely from the system. Sporadic fighting continued, but as the fight reached its third hour, it became apparent that both sides were exhausted. Both forces extracted in the end without further incident, with Pandemic Legion deploying new Sovereignty Blockade Units and reinforcing the station once more.

During the peak of the fighting, the system hosted more than one thousand pilots, with Time Dilation playing a significant factor as it fluctuated, reaching up to thirteen percents at times. All in all three hundred and eighty-three ships were destroyed during the fight, for thirty-five billion ISK of damages.

Both Pandemic Legion and HERO Coalition managed to suffer only minor losses to their respective main battle fleets, but losing a great deal of support ships.

Pandemic Legion lost only four Tengus as well as ten tackle ships, with the rest of the losses being WAFFLE. bombers, representing forty-four ships destroyed for five billion ISK in dmages.

HERO Coalition lost only ten percent of its main battle fleet, but also a great deal of tackle, electronic warfare and anti bomber support, as well as a quarter of the [TEST] Ishtar fleet. All told, HERO Coalition lost three hundred and thirty-eight ships, for sixteen billion ISK in damages (Excluding the Dreadnoughts losses).

Bomber activity was moderate, with WAFFLE. bombers dominating the battle and inflicting the majority of the losses.

Fixed Battle Report for the HED-GP system can be found here.

It is important to note that Pandemic Legion did not choose to escalate further during the fighting, unlike in previous engagements. One may speculate as for the reason for this.

All told, the battle of HED-GP is still far from over, with this being only another skirmish in a long series over the system. History has shown that the loss of HED-GP was the death blow for any entity that lived in the Catch region. Should HERO Coalition fail in keeping the defense of this system, one could easily imagine that it would spell its doom. Only the coming days will tell.

News: Battle of Y-2ANO – CFC and N3 Clash Head On

Y-2ANO system, Fountain region. On the 25th of November, N3 and CFC forces butted heads over the first Infrastructure Hub reinforcement timer, resulting in a massive hour long slugfest.

The battle started with N3 forces arrayed around the LBGI-2 gate in the system, with Northern Coalition. [NC] in a full Tengu Strategic Cruiser fleet, staying ten kilometers from the gate itself, and forces of The Kadeshi [THOR] and DARKNESS. [DARK.] in a Legion Strategic Cruiser fleet, stationed seventy kilometers away. Altogether N3 forces had around four hundred pilots on grid, including three Chimera Carriers for triage support.

CFC forces were split between two full Tengu fleets and a large support wing of Celestis Cruisers. One of the Tengu fleets bridged into the system in a safe, and warped to the LGBI-2 gate at close range while the other jumped into system a few minutes after. All told, at the thick of the fighting, the CFC had six hundred pilots on grid.

The usual picture of Tengu fleets keeping range and exchanging fire from afar did not emerge in Y-2ANO as the battle erupted. Instead, a close range, brutal brawl ensued, as one of the CFC Tengu fleets found itself between the Northern Coalition. Tengu fleet and N3 Legion fleet, and being hammered from both sides. Reinforcements quickly jumped in and started to anchor, but it was too late, the first CFC Tengu fleet was losing ships fast.

Both sides focused on Logistics ships at first, and while the first CFC fleet attempted to pull range, Northern Coalition. forces did not allow it, spreading interdiction probes all around and keeping up with it in speed. At the same time, to make up for their lower numbers, Northern Coalition. had sixty Motherships at a safe tower in the system assign their fighter wings to their main fleet, spreading damage across multiple ships in order to inflict further casualties, or at least add to the pressure on the Logistics wing.

As the battle wore on, the first CFC Tengu fleet was in tatters, a decision was made to switch to the second fleet which was pursuing the Northern Coalition. Tengu fleet, while the N3 Legion fleet kept damage on the first CFC Tengu fleet. At the same time, CFC bombers cleared a few of the fighter drones and attempted to disrupt the tank of the Northern Coalition.’s Tengus with void bomb runs, with mixed success. All the while the CFC Celestis wing kept maximum range of the fight and spread their damps on the Northern Coalition. Tengus, with no apparent success.

With the first CFC Tengu fleet decimated, and the second CFC Tengu fleet being targeted now, it seems an attempt by CFC forces was made to stop an N3 Dreadnaught squadron which was working during the fight on pushing the Infrastructure Hub into its second reinforcement timer. The CFC Tengu fleets warped in range of the Infrastructure Hub, only to find they were to late, and being pursued by the N3 fleets.

Bloodied and having lost the strategic objective, the CFC fleets decided to quickly extract from the system, jumping into the LBGI-2 system. N3 forces attempted to give chase, jumping into the system as well, only to find CFC reinforcements ready for them. Instead of fighting further, N3 forces quickly crashed to gate and jumped back to Y-2ANO system.

At this point, both sides decided to stand down.

https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/oKV4ggDrsVY&source=uds

Footage of the fight from Northern Coalition.’s point of view

Battle report for the Y-2ANO system can be found here.

At the height of the battle, the Y-2ANO system hosted more than one thousand and one hundred players. Time Dilation was fixed at ten percent throughout the fight, and clearly effected the battle.

The system saw four hundred ships destroyed in a period of ninety minutes, for a total of seventy-two billion ISK. CFC forces lost a third of their pilots, and received two thirds of the damage, while N3 lost only a quarter of their forces, for a third of the ISK damages.

With this and the battle of LBGI-2, it seems the current Fountain war started with a big opening act. The only question is, whether it will have a grad final climax, or will it show a marked decline as the sovereignty grind takes its toll on both sides.

Special thanks to Minas93, of 0utLaw., Northern Coalition. for granting an interview and Sparith Jeda, of HAX., Northern Coalition. for supplying footage of the fight.

News: Pandemic Legion Conquers F4R2-Q

F4R2-Q system, Catch region. On the 23rd of November, 22:00 EVE Standard time, HERO Coalition and Pandemic Legion [-10.0] clashed for the third and final time over the control of the system.

Pandemic Legion fielded a hundred and fifty pilots Tengu Strategic Cruiser fleet, supported by a WAFFLES. [N0MAD] bomber wing of thirty pilots. As in previous fights, Pandemic Legion were first in the system, setting, as before, on the ZXIC-7 gate, the main entry way for HERO Coalition forces.

HERO Coalition, for its side, brought three hundred pilots divided into several fleets, in a mix of Harpy Assault Frigates and Merlin Frigates, supported by a robust Electronic Warfare wing of Maulus and Crucifier Frigates.

The WAFFLE. bombers for their part attempted to land a bombing run on the ZXIC-7 jump bridge, as HERO Coalition forces jumped into the system, netting only a few kills, before retreating to the F4R2-Q system, with HERO Coalition’s forces right behind them.

Both sides were quickly poised on the gates, and held there for a few minutes, as the tension was building, while the WAFFLES. bombers were scrambling to get into positions around the ZXIC-7 gate. Then, HERO Coalition’s fleets jumped into the system.

As HERO Coalition’s ships uncloaked and started to anchor, WAFFLES. bombers delivered a devastating bombing run. Four squadrons’ worth of bombs landed on the unsuspecting HERO Coalition force, decimating almost half of it within a single moment. Badly bruised from the start, HERO Coalition, regardless, attempted to rally back and fight Pandemic Legion’s fleet, bringing more reinforcements and continuing the engagement on the ZXIC-7 gate.

Pandemic Legion forces holding positions around the ZXIC-7 Gate

However, as the battle unfolded, WAFFLES. bombers went in for a second bombing run, managing to score another crippling hit. Though losing by this time almost half of their bomber wing, this blow proved fatal enough for HERO Coalition’s side, forcing it to concede the fight.

Pandemic Legion’s fleet, which remained mostly idle during these exchanges, except for its Interdictors, warped off field and towards the station. There, it safeguarded the Mothership squadron which was hard at work in flipping the station. With the station under Pandemic Legion’s control, the Spaceship Samurai [HONOR] Territorial Claim Unit was destroyed, and a new one was anchored and later activated by Pandemic Legion at a safe tower.

The destruction of the [HONOR] TCU

By this point, Pandemic Legion’s forces had safely extracted from the system, with HERO Coalition forces retreating as well, suffering continued harassment from WAFFLES. bombers. The only incident to be registered afterwards was HERO Coalition managing to steal a Sovereignty Blockade Unit on the ZXIC-7 gate, which was offlined and un-anchored by a Pandemic Legion Ragnarok Titan making rounds around the system to retrieve said equipment.

Battle report for the F4R2-Q system can be found here.

The battle proved short and one sided, and can even be described as a massacre, with HERO Coalition losing two hundred and nineteen ships, the vast majority of them to WAFFLES. bombers, for a total of four billion ISK of damages. However, it must be said that this was the cheapest exchange so far compared to the costs of previous battles.

For their part, HERO Coalition managed to destroy fifteen enemy ships, most of which belonged to the WAFFLES. bomber wing and equaling to six hundred million ISK in damages.

At the height of the fighting the F4R2-Q system hosted close to five hundred pilots, with Time Dilation being noticeable and effecting the fight.

Unlike the previous battle of F4R2-Q which showed HERO Coalition’s ability to fight toe to toe with Pandemic Legion, and even grasp a strategic victory over its better equipped and more experienced foe, this battle proved to be a far cry from a serious attempt to protect the system, and could only be interpreted as HERO Coalition throwing in the towel. One can only speculate if this will be the continued trend of the current conflict.

News: Ostingele – The Battle of the Five Fleets

Ostingele system, Placid region. On the 22nd of November, 19:00 EVE Standard Time, five fleets clashed in the system, in a brawl that saw the destruction of three Carriers, alongside countless other ships.

The fight started, when an RvB Ganked fleet of mixed Absolution Command ships and Harbinger\Harbinger Navy Issue Battlecruiser, numbering up to a hundred and forty pilots, was roaming the area. Since the Phoebe patch the regions of Placid and Black Rise which borders it have become a battle ground between several prominent Low Security Alliances.

However, during its roam, the RvB Ganked fleet encountered little resistance, in the form of an Ivy League [IVY] sixty pilots Thorax Cruiser fleet and a Providence Bloc thirty pilots Ishtar Heavy Assault Cruiser fleet. Both forces were engaged in combat, but at the sight of the RvB Ganked force quickly disengaged, declining to fight.

After reaching the Ostingele system and unable to find a worthy opponent to engage, the fleet was prepared to move towards the Agoze system when a cynosural beacon lit off the Agoze gate, signaling the entrance of a forty pilots fleet comprised mainly of Overload Everything [8URNT] and Psychotic Tendencies [TISHU]. The combined fleet fielded mainly Apocalypse Navy Issue Battleships, with two Archon Carriers for Logistics support.

The RvB Ganked force warped immediately on top of the newly arrived fleet, while opening communication channels with the fleet commanders of both Providence Bloc and [IVY]. Soon, an agreement to coordinate between the three fleets was reached, and they all set to work on the [TISHU]\[8URNT] fleet. At first they were able to destroy a few of the Apocalypse Navy Issue ships, but a third Archon called to the field was able to contain the damage.

The intense fighting on the Agoze gate between the four fleets

A decision was quickly reached to focus fire on the Archons, one by one, the mighty Carriers succumbed to the torrents of fire. Losing their Logistics backbone, the [TISHU]\[8URNT] fleet quickly bailed, knowing it could not tank the damage. Its escape was helped by a Snuffed Out [B B C] Proteus Strategic Cruiser fleet, some forty pilots strong. [B B C] had been at odds with both [TISHU] and [8URNT] over control of Black Rise and Placid, and learning of its rivals’ engagement were probably hoping to help in their destruction.

It was their bad luck to arrive too late to the fight. With the new [B B C] fleet on grid, the three fleets decided to lengthen their cooperation, targeting the Guardian Logistics ships that formed the Proteus’ fleet’s logistical backbone. This was mainly due to a warp in error on [B B C]’s part, who warped too close to the RvB Ganked fleet, bringing their Logistic ships in range of the RvB Ganked stasis webifiers, holding them down and allowing the combined strength of the three fleets to annihilate them.

In an impressive feat of cooperation, all three fleets managed to coordinate their fire, downing Guardian after Guardian. With almost their entire logistics wing decimated, [B B C] were forced to withdraw from the field.

As all the three remaining fleets sustained losses during the fighting, the Providence Bloc fleet decided to withdraw immediately. The [IVY] fleet though, decided to stay and fight the RvB Ganked fleet, leading to a very one sided battle leading to its utter defeat.

Battle report for the Ostingele system can be found here.

All told, the fight saw a hundred and seventy-eight ships lost, including three Carriers, for nineteen billion ISK of damages, with [TISHU]\[8URNT] suffering a large portion of the damages. At the peak of the battle, the system hosted three hundred and fifty pilots, with Time Dilation being noticeable.

Just another Saturday night in Low Security space.

Special thanks to Douglas Aurelius, of Sanctuary of Shadows, Overload Everything for granting an interview.

Breaking News: Care Factor Loses Five Carriers in G-B22J

G-B22J system, Providence region. On the night of the 22nd of November, Care Factor [C.F] lost five Carriers to the combined forces of WAFFLES(dot) [N0MAD] and Pandemic Legion [-10.0] in what is undoubtedly one of the costlier mistakes to be made by the Alliance in recent memory.

The chain of events that led to the tragic loss of the Carriers started with a [N0MAD] Cruiser gang roaming the Providence region. Since their deployment to the Sendaya system, it has become the custom of [N0MAD] to send fleets to the region in search of fights, with the night in question being no different.

The Cruiser gang, numbering twenty pilots with very light Logistics, came to the G-B22J system on its long journey, encountering very little resistance on the way. It lingered around the station undock for a while, catching a careless Caracal Navy Issue, but finding little prey besides. Preparing to leave the system, the gang gave chase to a Cerberus Heavy Assault Cruiser, while michael chasseur, who was a member of the fleet, kept watch on the station.

His vigilance was soon rewarded as he saw a Thanatos Carrier undock from the station. he then quickly sent the Carrier pilot an invitation to the fleet, a known trick that he used in the past to net quite a few kills. To his surprise, the pilot accepted the invitation. Not wasting a moment, michael chasseur quickly warped his squad, which now included the Carrier, to the second planet in the system, while reporting all of it to the Fleet Commander.

With the news of the Carrier in warp, the [N0MAD] gang quickly warped to the same planet, and deployed interdiction probes, trapping the Carrier as it landed. The [N0MAD] gang then started to quickly apply damage to the Carrier, while an Interdictor was ordered to set up interdiction probes towards the station. This was done in order to make sure reinforcements could not warp on top of the gang, and give aid to the tackled Carrier. This would later prove instrumental in not only separating the Carrier from any possible help, but also catching four more Carriers that warped to their fellow’s help.

Those four Carriers were caught by the interdiction probes, too far to lend help, as the Thanatos dipped into low armor. With the Thanatos destroyed, an attempt was made to tackle the other Carriers, catching two Archons, but allowing a Nidhoggur and a Thanatos to escape. Realizing the lack of damage on his side, as well as his dwindling number of Interdictors, the [N0MAD] Fleet Commander quickly pinged for reinforcements, alerting Pandemic Legion as well to the situation.

While Interceptors burned their way from [N0MAD]’s staging system to the fleet’s location, Pandemic Legion, which was fighting at the time a Providence Bloc Battlecruiser fleet nearby, quickly disengaged and set its destination to the G-B22J system, bringing a sixty pilots Ishtar Heavy Assault Cruiser fleet, mostly unscathed from the previous fight.

Down to their last Interdictor, [N0MAD]’s newly arrived Interceptors were sent to tackle individual carriers, holding them in place for the Pandemic Legion forces which were on route. The rest of the [N0MAD] fleet focused its attention on the trickling of hostile ships that kept warping to the aid of the tackled Carriers, to no avail. At this point, the two Carriers which previously escaped came back to help their friends, only to be tackled this time by the [N0MAD] Interceptors.

By the time the remnants of the Providence Bloc Battlecruiser fleet arrived to help, it was too late, as Pandemic Legion’s fleet was hot on its heels, arriving only a few seconds behind. Bolstered by Pandemic Legion’s numbers, [N0MAD] was able to clear the field of all the hostile support fleet, allowing both forces to finally turn their full attention to the tackled Carriers. One by one, the helpless Capitals succumbed to the onslaught.

With Providence Bloc soundly beaten and the Capitals destroyed, Pandemic Legion and [N0MAD] held the field, looting the wrecks before heading home, a little bruised but nonetheless victorious.

Full battle report for the G-B22J system can be found here.

The butcher’s bill saw one hundred and twenty-two ships destroyed, including five Carriers, for eighteen billion ISK in damages, the majority of which Providence Bloc’s.

https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/_Osomp1wig8&source=uds

video of the fighting, warning, explicit language

Apparently, the tackled Care Factor Carriers did not at any point communicate with Providence Bloc and reported what was happening. Only the disengagement of Pandemic Legion and an incidental reporting tipped Providence Bloc to what was occurring in its very own backyard, too late to organize an effective relief force. This was not the first time either, that Care Factor had undocked ships in a display of force, only to end up losing them badly.

Care Factor’s leadership was reached for a comment through mutual channels, but so far has declined to give a response.

Special thanks to m4ster112, michael chausser and Yngstorm Felix, of SinggWaffe, WAFFLES(dot) for granting interviews.