Nearly 2,000 years from now, humans moved beyond our current solar system, looking for new worlds to colonize. The discovery of warp drive technology allowed them to create jump gates that established wormholes between two places, making it easier to travel great distances. Later, the inclusion of warp drives in spaceships enabled humans to explore other star systems without relying on jump gates.

Eventually, humans discovered a natural wormhole that they named EVE in recognition of the promise it offered. Probes sent into the wormhole sent back data indicating that EVE led to a solar system in a new galaxy, although no one knew where it was located relative to the Milky Way. Scientists speculated that EVE would eventually close, so construction began on enormous jump gates that would support the wormhole on either side.

The star system was christened New Eden, and people began settling the worlds there. The wormhole closed, but EVE’s gates continued to operate. However, 70 years later, an unknown disturbance destroyed many of New Eden’s planets and left the EVE gates inoperable. The colonists who survived did so under harsh conditions, since much technology and wealth was lost during the cataclysm. Eventually, they scattered, different groups growing isolated from one another and changing slightly in physical appearance.

The Vast Expanse Between Good and Evil

The present-day setting of EVE Online takes place thousands of years after the cataclysm. Four races — Amarr, Caldari, Minmatar, and Gallente — rule known space, while a fifth group, known only as the Jovians, operate in secrecy, maintaining almost no contact with the others. Only the four main groups are playable — the Jovians consist of non-player characters (NPCs).

“Influences on the game’s development were many, including the science-fiction movies ‘Alien’ and ‘Blade Runner,’” explains Ingvarsdóttir. “Visually, construction areas in Reykjavik, Iceland had a deep impact on some of the architecture, while the strange color of an Icelandic summer sky was reflected in the game’s nebulae.”

Several short stories and novellas fill in much of the game’s back story and round out its current events, while the EVE Chronicles features more stories, along with articles that delve into the minutiae of life in the EVE Online universe.

“The two dominant and intertwined themes in the game are the exploration of human nature and survival of the fittest,” Ingvarsdóttir says. “We wanted to avoid the classic battle between good and evil and instead explore the vast expanse that lies in between.”

Evening the Odds. The cavalry arrives just in time.

Galaxies to Visit, Ships to See. Those little boxes represent locations you can access by clicking on them.

Amarr Empire:

Originally a splinter group of the United Catholic Church known as the Conformists, the Amarr Empire controls about 40% of the known territory in EVE Online. The Emperor, along with the Five Heirs who head the five royal Amarrian families, lead a government that enslaves other races it conquers. The Emperor and Amarrian royalty typically live more than 500 years, thanks to cybernetic implants.

The Amarr Empire began aggressive expansion after it rediscovered warp technology 2,000 years ago, but it met its match when it failed to conquer the Jovians and the Gallente Federation. Those defeats, along with the rebellion of the previously-enslaved Minmatars, slowed the empire’s growth and left it more willing to use restraint when encountering other races.

Amarrian spacecraft are among the most powerful in the game, bristling with weapons and carrying heavy armor. All of their ships tend to fit the same profile, however, giving Amarrian battle tactics a predictability.

Minmatar Republic:

Enslavement at the hands of the Amarr Empire has left many Minmatars fiercely independent, at least those who escaped that brutal existence. The most populous of the EVE Online races, one-third of the Minmatars are still Amarrian slaves, while one-fifth live within the Gallente Federation, one-quarter are Republic citizens, and the rest ply the galactic trade routes, moving between sectors as needed.

Minmatarian history is full of fighting between various clans, but those conflicts calmed down when it became clear that such attitudes just left their race easier to conquer. Many Minmatars now work to free the rest of their people from Amarrian enslavement, using their alliance with the Gallente Federation to their advantage whenever they can.

The Minmatars’ difficult history also left them the least adept with technology, leading to the creation of spaceships that many jokingly compare to junkyards. As a result, Minmatars tend to prefer hit-and-run tactics, employing quick strikes coupled with even quicker scrambles out of weapons range.

Gallente Federation:

The Gallente people can trace their heritage back to the Frenchmen who settled in the Milky Way’s Tau Ceti star system. Those Frenchmen later moved their society through the EVE wormhole, and they eventually became the Gallenteans after EVE’s collapse. The only true democracy in the game, the Gallente Federation is also the wealthiest, making a promise to other races that financial dreams can come true within its borders.

The Gallenteans produce much of the galaxy’s entertainment, and their wealthier citizens create demand for plenty of luxury goods. Unfortunately, their society also contains plenty of poverty, even if they try their best to cover up that fact. Other races tend to find Gallenteans pompous and self-righteous.

Gallentean spaceships are well-balanced craft, thanks to a level of technology that is second only to the Caldari. Their pilots typically prefer short-range attacks that use a mix of blasters and combat drones.

Caldari State:

A handful of mega-corporations control the insulated Caldari society, which is steeped in a military tradition that forces its people to abide by a strict code of conduct. The Caldari and the Gallenteans once fought a war that lasted nearly 100 years and began with the Caldari abandoning their home world to their enemies. Tensions still exist between the two.

While the Caldari are not as aggressive as the Amarrians, their military technology is second only to the Jovians. Their citizens also engage in many underhanded economic dealings, often folding unethical subsidiaries back into their parent corporations when other races complain. Any Caldari company that is threatened by another race will get the full support of the state, with military intervention presented as a possible solution. The accusers typically back down.

Caldari spaceships usually feature weak hulls protected by powerful shielding. In combat, their pilots favor missile launchers complemented by railguns.

Jove Empire:

You can’t play as a member of this enigmatic race, whose technology far exceeds that possessed by anyone else in the EVE Online universe. Small in number, the Jovians also use genetic engineering to solve biological problems and give their people a physical and intellectual edge. Their star systems are unreachable by the other races, although Jovians have a history of sneaking across their borders and stealing information.

If you see a Jovian ship glide by, it’s likely under the control of an EVE Online game master employed by CCP Games. Those ships are nearly invincible craft used by game masters when responding to player needs.