The backbone of PvP is the directional scanner. It is the one thing that all guides begin with, learn the d-scan. Become the Master of the D-Scan young player! It is the backbone of the PvP experience, it will tell you all, it will save your life, it will give you the targets you need. All of that, is about to change.
Starting today a whole new class of ship will be invisible to d-scan - naturally. Without the aid of cloaks, without the assistance of any module at all, Combat Recon ships will not appear on D-Scan. No matter how hard you try.
The Curse. The Lachesis. The Rook. And the Huggin are, for all intents and purposes, invisible to the main tool for finding things in Eve Online. Today, EVERY WARP CAN POTENTIALLY END WITH A COMBAT RECON AT THE END OF IT!!
All Caps used to emphasis the importance of this development. Please take heed.
Will this spell the end of Solo PvP in Eve? Will Rixx be forced to run with link alts, expensive implants and about forty friends at all time? Uh, no. This is not the end, this is yet another beginning. Let's be perfectly honest here. Yes, many people will jump into their Combat Recons today and in the coming days and exploit the knowledge that they are invisible to scan. Yes, there will be Recons in places they shouldn't be. And yes, some of those people will be moderately successful in taking advantage of this new mechanic.
But Recons are not cheap ships. And Recons are not the devil. A Rook is still a Rook. And despite the changes, it is not going to become the ultimate PvP ship lurking in a dark corner ready to steal your game away. Most likely.
I have to admit however, that I am a tad reluctant to give this change a total pass. There is a part of my brain that is worried. I'm worried that this is yet another brick pulled from the wall that keeps the Solo and small gang player alive and well in Eve. If every warp can potentially end with a Curse at the end of it, well then that changes things doesn't it?
Thing is, I know the very people that will take full advantage of this mechanic. I fly in space with them every day. They are the same people that have a Tengu on the out-gate providing links in every system. They are the same people with a Rapier cloaked next to them. Or a Falcon. And that part of my mind is a tad worried.
So, here we go. Off into the brave new world of things not always being what they seem. Which, really, is how Eve has always been.
A dangerous, scary, dark, and evil place that is constantly trying to get you killed.
Oh baby.