The Case for a 100% Safe Highsec (Excluding Duels and War Decs)
Let’s be honest: highsec ganking isn’t PvP, it’s PvK (Player vs. Keyboard). Making highsec fully safe (outside of wars and duels) wouldn’t kill EVE, it could save it. Here’s what that would actually look like:
1. New Player Retention Goes Up
Rookie Ventures and industrialists stop rage-quitting after losing their life savings to Tornado spam.
2. Industry and Trade Flourish
No more billions lost to bump-and-blap tactics. Logistics stabilize, market activity rises.
3. Real Risk vs. Reward Returns
PvE in highsec equals low risk and low reward. PvP and high-reward stay in low, null, and wormhole space where they belong.
4. Reduces Botting and Multibox Gank Fleets
Ganking’s ROI collapses when you can’t alpha freighters with 10 suicide alts.
5. Welcomes Casual and Returning Players
Not everyone can live in full-alert mode. Safe highsec becomes EVE’s chill zone.
6. Frees Up CCP to Focus on Actual PvP
Less cat-and-mouse gank support means more dev time for new combat content and balance.
7. Strengthens Corps and Community
Safer space means more time to build, plan, and socialize without losing progress every undock.
Bottom line: A safe highsec doesn’t kill danger. It just contains it to where it’s meaningful. Want PvP? There’s the rest of the galaxy. Want stability? Stay in the lane.
Don’t confuse “no ganks” with “no conflict.” Wars, duels, markets, and politics still thrive, just without the pointless slaughter.
I agree on many of these points. Highsec ganking is way too cheap.
There’s an easy fix depending on what you want to achieve. In the case of new player experience just ramp up the penalties and concord response based on system sec.
1.0 systems would be way more punitive for ganking and 0.5 would be the same. Maybe sec status would need to be adjusted at newbro and adjacent systems.
I’m just focusing on the “Botting” word. I don’t see how this suggestion would prevent botting at all.
In fact, from my perspective, it would only insure botting was increased.
Also, this is again, an observation from personal experience, if “violence” becomes, I guess I’d call it “regulated” more formally, what incentive is there for me (an older more experienced pilot) to mentor a new player. Why should I bother? If the new player can just potter around in total safety?
Right now, I am accustomed to mentoring new players, flying around with them, to various destinations, mostly tourist destinations, and pointing out various individuals, and groups to set standing to red, and explaining to them “why”.
Under the system you propose, I really wouldn’t see a need to do that any longer. So, I would not interact with new players, to the degree I do now…that seems a “downside” with your proposal as outlined.
Well, at least it would be from my perspective caused I’d probably give up interacting with new players entirely, as there would be no danger to them at all.
I want to add this caveat, I don’t consider npcs to be a “danger” to new players at all. I think npcs are stupid and just a learning hurdle to be overcome. They are not exciting. They are just “make work” and after the initial introduction to the game a “stumbling block” to enjoyment…fun; but, that is a personal opinion.
No, high sec should be dangerous. Stop this high sec is safe BS. Players like OP is why people get confused about “high sec”. All space is dangerous, this is an Everyone Vs Everyone game. CCP says space is dangerous, most veterans say this too. The lack of excitement drives people away. If an area becomes safe, botting will be rampant there, overproduction and inflation occurs. It’s really not that hard to avoid pvp as it is in High sec.
