I’m here today to ask for your opinion on this feedback from the CCP. What do you think?
Dear CCP Support,
I am writing to formally report and request an investigation into a situation occurring within Factional Warfare.
The issue concerns players who are currently considered blue or allied to our faction, but who appear to be cooperating with members of the opposing faction, specifically reds, in order to farm Loyalty Points and gain advantages from Factional Warfare mechanics.
From what we have observed, these players are operating alongside members of the opposing faction and coordinating their activities instead of fighting them as legitimate enemies. At the same time, they are engaging and killing players who are supposed to be their own allies within the faction.
This creates a situation where the same players appear to benefit from both sides of the conflict. They are able to cooperate with hostile players, farm Loyalty Points and other rewards, while also killing members of their own faction. This behaviour seriously undermines the purpose of Factional Warfare and creates an unfair environment for players who participate in good faith.
The main concern is not simply that players are using unusual tactics. The concern is the apparent coordinated cooperation between opposing factions for economic and Loyalty Point gains, combined with the deliberate targeting of allied players.
Factional Warfare is built around conflict between opposing factions. Players who join a faction reasonably expect the other faction to be the enemy and their own faction members to be allies. If groups of players are able to manipulate this relationship by cooperating with the enemy while using their blue status to attack their own allies, the entire system becomes vulnerable to exploitation.
This behaviour is particularly problematic if the purpose of the cooperation is to generate Loyalty Points or other rewards. It provides an advantage to the players involved while negatively affecting everyone who participates in the war through normal gameplay.
It also creates a significant problem for the wider community. Players who are genuinely fighting for their faction are placed at a disadvantage against groups that coordinate across faction lines. A player following the intended rules of Factional Warfare should not have to assume that a blue player might secretly be cooperating with reds and then attack them.
I would therefore like CCP to investigate the players and corporations involved, including their combat history, Loyalty Point gains, faction affiliations, standings, fleet activity and any other relevant information available to CCP.
In particular, I would ask you to investigate whether there is evidence of:
- Coordinated cooperation between players belonging to opposing factions.
- Intentional Loyalty Point farming through cooperation between blue and red players.
- Deliberate killing of allied faction members for personal or group benefit.
- Repeated patterns of the same players cooperating across faction lines.
- Manipulation of Factional Warfare mechanics to obtain rewards without participating in the intended faction conflict.
- Any other behaviour that violates the EVE Online Terms of Service or the intended rules of Factional Warfare.
I understand that EVE Online is a sandbox and that players are encouraged to find creative strategies. I also understand that espionage, betrayal, corporations leaving factions and other forms of player-driven conflict are part of the game.
My concern is specifically about the potential abuse of the Factional Warfare reward system and the possibility that opposing players are deliberately cooperating to generate Loyalty Points while simultaneously harming legitimate participants.
There is a major difference between normal betrayal or legitimate PvP and systematically cooperating with the opposing faction to manipulate the reward mechanics. If the behaviour described above is permitted under the current rules, I would appreciate clarification regarding where CCP draws the line between legitimate gameplay and exploitation.
If this behaviour violates the rules, I ask CCP to take appropriate action after reviewing the available evidence.
I would also appreciate clarification regarding whether players who are members of one Factional Warfare side are permitted to coordinate directly with members of the opposing faction for the purpose of farming Loyalty Points, while retaining the ability to attack and kill members of their own faction.
This situation has a direct impact on the integrity of Factional Warfare. Players who spend time defending their systems, fighting the opposing faction and participating in objectives should not be placed at a disadvantage because another group has found a way to cooperate with the enemy and exploit the same mechanics for rewards.
I am submitting this complaint in good faith and I am asking CCP to review the situation based on the available game data rather than relying solely on player accusations.
I can provide additional information if required, including character names, corporation names, screenshots, killmails, timestamps, locations and other evidence showing the interactions between the players involved.
Please investigate this matter and let me know whether this type of behaviour is considered acceptable under the current Factional Warfare rules and Terms of Service.
Thank you for taking the time to review this report.
DARKANPROYT
Dies Ultor
Caldari Factional Warfare
I am submitting a further formal complaint regarding the situation I previously reported in Factional Warfare.
The situation has now escalated significantly.
We are observing players positioning smartbombs directly on or extremely close to Factional Warfare beacons, apparently with the purpose of destroying anything that enters the area. At the same time, their blue characters or alts are able to take advantage of the resulting situation and collect Loyalty Points.
This appears to be a coordinated setup rather than normal PvP activity.
The combination of these mechanics is creating an environment where one group is able to control access to a Factional Warfare objective, destroy legitimate players who enter the beacon and simultaneously allow their own blue alts to benefit from the Loyalty Point system.
This is extremely damaging to the gameplay experience.
The problem is not simply that someone is using smartbombs. Smartbombs are legitimate modules and using them in PvP is part of EVE Online.
The concern is the apparent combination of:
- Smartbombs positioned directly at Factional Warfare beacons.
- Systematic destruction of players entering the beacon.
- Coordination between characters that are blue to each other.
- Cooperation with players belonging to the opposing faction.
- Blue alts receiving Loyalty Points or otherwise benefiting from the activity.
- Repeated behaviour that appears specifically designed to farm rewards rather than participate in normal Factional Warfare.
- The effective denial of the beacon to legitimate players through coordinated use of these mechanics.
This creates a situation where normal Factional Warfare gameplay becomes almost impossible for legitimate participants.
A player entering a beacon expecting a normal PvP engagement instead faces an arranged smartbomb trap, while another group is able to exploit the resulting control of the objective and collect the associated rewards.
This is particularly concerning because Factional Warfare is one of the most enjoyable PvP systems in EVE Online. It creates constant conflict, encourages small-scale engagements and gives players a reason to fight over territory and objectives.
When groups discover ways to manipulate the system by using blue alts, opposing-faction characters and coordinated smartbombing to farm Loyalty Points, the result is that legitimate gameplay is replaced by reward farming.
The damage extends beyond the individual players being killed.
It discourages other players from entering Factional Warfare.
It makes people question whether fighting for their faction is worthwhile.
It creates an environment where players who follow the intended gameplay loop are disadvantaged compared with groups who organize around exploiting or abusing the mechanics.
It also gives the impression that the best way to participate in Factional Warfare is no longer to fight for your faction, but to find a way to manipulate the system with alts and coordinated characters.
That is extremely frustrating for players who genuinely want to participate in the war.
I understand that EVE Online is a sandbox and that players are expected to use the tools available to them. I am not asking CCP to prohibit legitimate PvP tactics.
I am asking CCP to investigate whether the combination of these behaviours constitutes an abuse of the Factional Warfare reward system.
I specifically request that CCP review the following:
- The characters repeatedly using smartbombs at or near the Factional Warfare beacon.
- The characters and alts associated with those players.
- Their standings and faction affiliations.
- Their Loyalty Point income and activity during these incidents.
- The frequency and timing of the smartbombing.
- The players entering the beacon and being destroyed.
- Any repeated patterns showing that the same characters are protecting the beacon while their blue alts collect rewards.
- Any communication or other evidence available to CCP showing coordination between opposing factions.
- Whether the behaviour is consistent with legitimate Factional Warfare participation or represents deliberate manipulation of the reward mechanics.
I also ask CCP to consider the wider impact this behaviour is having on the Factional Warfare community.
Players are becoming frustrated because a mechanic designed to encourage PvP and faction conflict is being used in a way that appears to reward organized farming instead.
This is creating a large amount of frustration and is damaging the reputation of Factional Warfare among the players who actually participate in it.
The situation is especially concerning if the players involved are using multiple accounts or alts specifically to generate Loyalty Points while using other characters to prevent legitimate opponents from participating.
If this behaviour is within the rules, I would appreciate a clear explanation from CCP regarding the intended boundaries of Factional Warfare farming and cooperation between opposing factions.
If it is against the rules, I ask CCP to investigate and take appropriate action.
I also ask CCP to consider whether the current mechanics provide enough protection against this type of coordinated abuse.
Factional Warfare should reward players for participating in the conflict, fighting opposing players and capturing objectives.
It should not become a system where organized groups can place smartbomb traps on objectives, eliminate legitimate participants and then use blue alts to collect the rewards.
This behaviour is creating a significant amount of frustration for the players who are trying to play Factional Warfare as intended.
It is extremely disappointing to see such a good PvP mechanic being undermined by players who appear to be more interested in extracting Loyalty Points than participating in the actual war.
I am not asking CCP to intervene simply because I lost a ship. Losing ships is part of EVE Online.
I am reporting a repeated pattern of behaviour that appears designed to manipulate the mechanics and prevent other players from participating while generating rewards for the group involved.
I am prepared to provide evidence including:
- Character names.
- Corporation and alliance names.
- Killmails.
- Screenshots.
- Locations.
- Approximate timestamps.
- Beacon names.
- Examples of the smartbombing behaviour.
- Information showing the relationship between the characters involved.
Please review the relevant game logs and activity associated with these characters. CCP has access to information that individual players do not, and I believe this situation requires an investigation based on the actual activity taking place in-game.
I strongly encourage CCP to look into this before this type of behaviour becomes normalized.
Factional Warfare is a great part of EVE Online because it creates accessible, repeatable PvP and gives players meaningful reasons to fight.
Allowing coordinated groups to turn those mechanics into a Loyalty Point farming operation, while simultaneously preventing legitimate players from participating, risks seriously damaging the experience for the wider community.
Please investigate this situation and provide clarification regarding whether this behaviour is considered legitimate gameplay, an exploit, or an abuse of the Factional Warfare reward mechanics.
Thank you for your time and for reviewing this report.
They Response :
Greetings Capsuleer, this is GM Saku,
Thank you for contacting the EVE Online Player Experience Team,
I understand your concerns. Any feedback from our players is taken very seriously and we appreciate your contribution. I would encourage you to also consider posting your thoughts on the EVE Online forums.
I recommend that you consider highlighting your concerns to the CSM as well. They ensure that the voices of the EVE community are heard and you can either post on the CSM section of the forum or contact them directly.
If you have any further concerns or if there is anything you’d like to add then please let me know.
Best Regards,
GM Saku
Fenris Creations Player Experience | EVE Online
