Every so often I write a blog post updating the current situation involving the solo play-style in Eve Online. The last one was back in June of last year. Although to be fair that post was more about the play-style itself and how challenging it can be. So today I thought I'd spend some time talking about the actual landscape right now and why the solo play-style choice is in serious danger of vanishing from the space lanes of New Eden.
First of all, a caveat. Let's be clear up-front. Solo will never actually vanish. There will always be pilots out there searching for good fights alone against the darkness. That's a fact. So, when I say things like "in serious danger of vanishing", what I mean is more large scale, top-of-the-line. A more macro level concern that less and less players will be choosing this play-style over other PvP options. And I think it is obvious that the reality backs up that concern. As a player who participates in this environment every single day, I believe I have a good grasp of that environment. As a leader of a bunch of blood-thirsty pirates who are closing in on passing 100k solo kills - I think my bonafides speak for themselves.
The reality is that New Eden has transformed a lot over the past few years. Players have gotten smarter overall and have been watching a lot of YouTube tutorials in their spare time. The meta in Low Sec has swung heavily towards group play, multi-boxing, small gang tactics, and turtling. Risk aversion in numbers. A solo Exeq Navy is a shiny target, but 3 of them with a tackle frigate are not. At least for a solo pilot. We see less and less single platforms and more and more double, triple, or multiple platforms performing single platform tasks. It isn't unusual to see small gangs of 8-10 Algeese in a single plex these days.
As a result of dropping target opportunities, more and more "traditional" solo pilots have moved into a more aggressive bait/switch tactic, using alts or other players to attract engagements, while holding 2-3 ships in reserve. I know this is true, because we also do it. You have to these days, otherwise you can spend hours flying around and watching a lot happen to other people. We're all trying to drum up content and there is less and less of that content to drum up. It is rather bleak from that perspective.
It isn't all bad news. Stay Frosty's solo numbers have been pretty consistent over the past year. And while we've obviously had ups and downs based on monthly log-in numbers, staying consistent is a big indicator of potential issues. These are numbers I keep a regular eye on as CEO and I've not seen anything that concerns me. Not yet at least.
So while Solo remains extremely challenging we are seeing plenty of content for those willing to dig for it. Easy level solo is drying up however and that means a lot of people who took advantage of that environment are getting angry or moving on to other things. But for those of us who take our play-style seriously, the opportunities are still there. Hiding, running, and as risk averse as always. But maybe a tad smarter and better at getting their pods out safely.