I started running the Guardians Gala event back in 2017 when it first debuted. That was the first time we saw Spirit SKINs in the universe. I’ve been playing EVE for 11 years and I’ve been part of Live Events since 2013 and Agency events since 2017, so I am drawing comparison between this present event and previous challenges such as other Guardians Galas, Operation: Permafrost, Winter Hexus, Crimson Harvest, and the latest Dr. Who event.
The following assessment and opinions are my own.
Day 9 Update:
New information provided by our pilots in the Events chat has led me to discover that the sites are revealed on the directional scanner and are revealed on the Overview only when a pilot warps to them first, much like the Dr. Who event. Likewise, the Agency Combat Anomalies tracker identifies Guardians Gala sites that are on the directional scanner as well as the Overview, and likewise detects combat sites that are several jumps away. I was unaware of both of these facts until late last night, and upon my usage of this knowledge, I was able to finish the event in 3 days of active participation in searching for and completing sites.
I will be amending my review as such.
My first attempt of this event on Day 1 resulted in my proceeding over 30 jumps without detecting a site on the Overview due to my lack of knowledge that the event was structured similarly to Dr. Who. Beacon sites are first revealed on the directional scanner, and the Agency Combat Anomalies feature revealing Guardians Gala sites helped immensely, saving me time, energy, and actually sparing me several headaches.
Once these facts were understood, I was able to better participate in this event. To my surprise on Day 9, the frequency of sites in high-sec was manageable and actually enjoyable. I was able to stay close to my main base and salvage the sites without needing to go 30 jumps away as I did on Day 1.
I proceeded to do all events in high-sec, with the recognition that the rewards are better in low-sec, null-sec, and wormhole space.
I can now provide a more fair assessment of the event:
Pros:
-bounties per target
-SKIN prizes for a wide variety of ships; repeat SKINs from previous events
-decently pretty sites with low graphics intensity (saving frames) and a camo pattern on the Astrahus leaves me wondering if we’ll get structure SKINs
-no gambling issues from 2019
-functioning challenges that reload upon completion (although they could stand to be automatically redeemed)
-challenging combat sites validate the time and ISK invested in the ships fielded
-site frequency in high-sec was manageable; I hope to finish these events in 3-4 days, which was accomplished
-excellent AIR booster drops, which are likewise useful for Incursions
Cons:
-significant infrequency of high-sec sites (which is the point, I know, but this is just obscene), even when compared to Dr. Who
-lots of targets, waves, time, and ammunition required to clear a combat site
-effort required to clear combat sites is high compared to the value of the rewards (many of which are novelty items that have no monetary value)
-too many novelty items
-not as many scandown sites as I’d have hoped to encounter (although systems with many anomalies can sometimes yield a Data Site, or even 2 in my case in a particular system)
Too Many Waves
4 waves seems to be pushing it when it comes to combat sites. The 4th wave is almost entirely unnecessary given that it takes 2 waves to earn 10 kills and complete one of the challenges. It gives you a workout, sure, no denying that, although to survive the webs that reduce you to near-zero and the neutralizers that will cap you out, you’ll definitely need something heavy and powerful, and keep and eye on your capacitor and drones. I lost alot of drones in this event, which I suppose was the point.
Other than the issue with waves, now that I have a solid understanding of how to find sites and refine my technique over time, I can say that for this evening spent to close the event, I did enjoy it and I do appreciate CCP giving us this opportunity. 
Recommendations:
-Keep the Agency Combat Anomalies tracker functioning as-is (although expanding it to track all neighboring systems 1 jump away would be appreciated).
-Decrease the ratio of novelty rewards
-Decrease the number of waves (i.e., no more than 3)
-Offer drops that are useful, like the Frostline hacking/analyzing module from Operation: Permafrost 2018
