HERO and PROVI WarLog Part 1 (August)

August 6: The War Begins

June Ting, executor of Of Sound Mind (SOUND) published City States: Casus Belli that contained within it a declaration of war. June Ting stated in the article that unless the HERO coalition gained content, it would soon become largely inactive, and thus a war was needed with Provibloc to prevent this from occurring. In her article, she states 3 Casus Bellis: Manifest Destiny, Provibloc breaking an agreement signed between the 2 entities, and revenge for SOUNDs eviction from Providence a year earlier. The 1st Casus Belli is certainly justifiable as Provibloc’s only claim to the northern Catch pipe is equally as vague and fictional. The 2nd Casus Belli was disproven when a copy of the agreement leaked, showing that it was HERO who broke the agreement and not Provibloc. The 3rd Casus Belli, while certainly justifiable and the reason for many wars in New Eden in the past, may have been unjust as SOUND were allowed to remove all assets before their eviction.

August 7–10: The First Battle for UL-7I8

Only a few hours after the declaration of war, HERO began SBU’ing the system of UL-7I8 in an attempt to get a large fight out of Provibloc. HERO brought 130 with Provibloc bringing 100 + 30 Russian allies. Provibloc and RUS did not work together in the fight and so, despite outgunning HERO, they lost the battle quite horrifically. Fast forward a few days and the final timer comes out for UL-7I8. HERO and Provibloc formed up for the timer however a Northern Coalition. (NCdot) Proteus fleet ultimately decided the outcome of the battle by first decimating the RUS fleet and then destroying the HERO fleet. Provibloc faced little opposition after NCdot’s interference and ground down the SBUs until they got bombed off field. HERO decided not to erect another set of SBUs and so Provibloc maintained control over the system.

August 14: The First Battle for 7MD-SI

Provibloc, who formed up a 80 man Harbinger fleet, called upon RUS for help in defending 7MD-SI against the HERO invaders who numbered around 140 Moas/Eagles. RUS/Provibloc were able to kill off an SBU before the HERO fleet had a chance to grind down the IHUB,  saving the system temporarily. HERO erected new SBUs forcing Provibloc to return to the system with drone battleships and battlecruisers. Provibloc set up a defensive position on the IHUB and cyno’d in Triage carriers in an attempt to save the system however the HERO fleet, combined with reinforcements from The Unthinkables (INK), managed to crush Provibloc’s forces thus winning the system for HERO.

August 20–21: The Second Battle for UL-7I8

For the initial fight, HERO managed to muster 300 pilots - 100 more than their opponents. Provibloc came in a largely kitchen-sink fleet with Goku-bomber and Ishtar support. HERO came in a Moa/Eagle doctrine while both sides called upon allies in the form of RUS and INK respectively. The fight was a crushing defeat for Provibloc. The next fight (the final timer) for the system saw Provibloc only manage to rally 50 pilots into a fleet. RUS came to the aid of Provibloc, dedicating 110 pilots to the battle including capital support. Pandemic Legion (PL) came to kill the Russian dreads however a DDoS attack hit just as the dreads began to die. Upon logging back in, HERO won the field and claimed the system for themselves shortly after.

August 26–28: The First Battle for S25C-K

Both Provibloc and HERO formed up their standard doctrines, however Provibloc did not receive support off of RUS, while HERO did receive support from their allies, INK. Provibloc did find unlikely allies in PL, who managed to hold the field up until they left due to a lack of surviving logistic ships. The fight was another overwhelming defeat for Provibloc, with the death toll weighing in at 30b ISK for Provibloc and PL. For the final timer, Provibloc only managed to form 85 pilots which, when combined with help from PL and RUS, still did not lead to them having the numerical advantage over HERO and INK. The fight was another disaster for team Provi/Rus/PL who lost 15b ISK worth and control of S25C-K shortly after the fight ended.

HERO and PROVI Call For a Truce

As the changes of Phoebe loom on the horizon and the major Null entities get ready for the inevitable clusterfuck, HERO and PROVI have attempted to end the border dispute that has since become a proxy war involving PL, N3, RUS, and others.

An allegedly leaked image above details the agreement between the two groups.

Some may have enjoyed the progression of the dispute took over the recent months, but it made perfect sense that this would happen at some point.  Catch will be a very hot target in the coming months after Phoebe as more groups look to join the "fun" in Null.  And holding what they have should be the primary concern.

I'd bet my bottom dollar that we will see both groups pour resources into capitals and supercaps for the coming weeks.  And with PL returning to it's roots as a "burn it all" merc group, we may see a very big dustup between them and HERO soon.

Another interesting point is how both groups will seek to define the common enemy portion of the agreement.  And whether or not it leads to seriously bad outcomes for either.

Pre-Phoebe Null Sec Shakeup

In which we look at the rumors, announcements, and confirmed intel about how SOV-holding entities are preparing for the drastic force projection changes.


Matterall, one of the EN24 team, put this map together, with a rough depiction of how the predicted map of null sec should look post patch. It also includes areas of conflict along with which regions were bought and sold.

Northern Coalition. (Semi Confirmed)
NC. have made it clear that they will be looking at taking what is currently Initiative space. They have moved their assets into low sec, as well as spread strategic assets around New Eden. Expect them to attempt to hold their sov in the East, but should a large push by any entities come they will most likely not put much, if any, effort into keeping it.

Goonswarm Federation (Confirmed)

They have recently announced that they will no longer be interested in holding any of the current SOV below Fountain. They will be looking to tighten up the spread of current CFC alliances into the North West. Expect them to look at deployments for content at a later stage while keeping their fortress in the North west.

Pandemic Legion (Confirmed)

PL have already made a move to sell off half of their sov in the Drone Lands, they sold three regions to xXDeathXx for the price off three months’ rent, with a total somewhere around 150 Billion per region. Expect them to sell more SOV in the near future. Once they cut their ties with all their current SOV and all current blues PL will be looking to go back to their previous existence as a mercenary alliance, taking payments for wars.

Darkness & The Kadeshi (Rumor)

There are rumors these two groups have been mashed together in a manner of speaking.  Sort Dragon is rumored to be in leadership position.  This may indicate a combining of the two in the near future.   Assuming it's true.  Which it probably isn't.

Black Legion. (Unsure)

Black Legion. will be looking to find content post patch. Living near the CFC for long periods of time will be unsustainable, especially with the CFC’s consolidation plan. Currently BL.’s plans are unknown; expect an update on this soon.

Legion of xXDeathXx (Expected)

xXDeathXx have recently bought most of Pandemic Legion’s sov, they will also be getting more sov from N3 soon. Expect them to hunker down in the Drone Lands looking to both farm and rent it.  It could also be possible that some alliances may be looking to exploit the chaos of these resulting acquisitions to screw with them.

Nulli Secunda (Semi Confirmed)

Nulli Secunda will look to make a move for Delve after the patch. Expect NC. to spend the time taking it while Nulli continues to keep the CFC busy up North, until they eventually move to Delve and then hold it for the near future.

Soviet-Union (Rumor)

Their motives currently are a mystery. Many of the Russian corps shed by other alliances have joined with them, swelling their ranks. Expect them to actively fight HERO Coalition alongside Provi Bloc.

UPDATE:

The regions of Impass and Esoteria have seen a lot of Soviet-Union activity, with them actively taking N3 POS’s from the alliances who are currently deployed up north. Could this be an indication of their interests post patch? We will be sure to keep an eye on it.

Brave Collective (Unsure)

We expect them to continue the fight against Provi Bloc, whether not they will push for more SOV, or look to move South and take the vacant N3 sov we will have to wait and see.Although them grinding SOV seems unlikely.

Test Alliance Please Ignore (Unsure)

Test have had their ups and downs as a member of  the HERO Coalition. Their intentions are currently unknown; expect an update when we have more details

The Initiative. (Some Fact as well as speculation)

The Initiative. have recently announced that they will be losing all of their SOV. This will be a massive change for the alliance, who will either have to become a lot more dependant on the CFC as they look to move closer or look to go it on their own with their own deployments.

Razor Alliance (Unsure)

While we do not have much intel on Razor, Although some intel reporting shifting of assets suggests a push for holdings in Fountain.

The Gorgon Empire (Rumor)

There are strong murmurs that Gorgon Empire will look to take over control of Scalding Pass, making it their home base of operation.

Fraternity. (Rumor)

Fraternity are expected to make a move for Cobalt Edge, which is currently PL space. We could see combat break out over this region, although it is uncertain that PL will be fighting for it; it is also unlikely that Fraternity will go up against xXDeathXx for this region, given that their current standings are blue things may become unpredictable if they both look to take the same space.

ProvidenceBloc Captures UL-7I8

ProvidenceBloc Captures UL-7I8

UL-7I8 system, Catch region. On the 18th of October, Providence Bloc took the last system that was lost to it in the start of the war, defeating HERO Coalition forces in a frontal confrontation that lasted four long hours.

The battle started at 23:00 EVE Standard Time, when Providence Bloc forces, in a hundred and twenty Tengu Strategic Cruiser fleet, entered the system and warped to the Infrastructure Hub, which was exiting its final reinforcement timer.

Providence Bloc forces started shooting it when two HERO Coalition fleets entered the system, a twenty pilot Ishtar Heavy Assault Cruiser fleet fielded by Test Alliance Please Ignore, and a hundred and forty Eagle Heavy Assault Cruiser fleet manned by the rest of the coalition.

The two fleets warped to perches above the Providence Bloc fleet, when for some unexplained reason, the Ishtar fleet warped to zero on the Providence Bloc fleet. This allowed the Providence Bloc force to quickly dispatch of the Ishtars, who were quickly tackled and overwhelmed by the Tengus. The HERO Coalition fleet for its part warped to a sniping position and a fight flared up between the two coalitions, with both forces maintaining a considerable distance from one another.

Providence Bloc, however, seemed to have had the upper hand, and soon HERO Coalition Logistics ships were dropping at a rate of four a minute. With much of its Logistics wing annihilated, the HERO Coalition fleet attempted to maintain its distance, with Providence Bloc closing in each time. However, once it was made obvious the HERO Coalition fleet was merely stalling for time, Providence Bloc switched targets and fired at the Infrastructure Hub which quickly succumbed to the volleys.

With the Infrastructure Hub gone, Providence Bloc decided to go after the Territorial Claim Unit next, instead of attempting to force HERO Coalition into a full confrontation, which they seemed to decline. Once setup on the Territorial Claim Unit, Providence Bloc forces were continuously harassed by both the main HERO Coalition fleet, and by reinforcement fleets. The first was a twenty-five pilot Caracal Cruiser gang which managed to land next to Providence Bloc’s Logistics wing. Losing quite a few Logistic ships, Providence Bloc managed to destroy the gang before returning its attention to the Eagle fleet which kept drawing it away from the Territorial Claim Unit.

After the Caracal gang, a Cormorant Destroyer fleet of thirty-seven pilots came next in an attempt to disrupt Providence Bloc Logistics. They managed to destroy one before once more being overwhelmed, only able to destroy some of the Interceptors and Frigates that accompanied the main fleet.

HERO Coalition forces attempted to destroy the Providence Bloc Territorial Claim Unit a few times but could not contend with the tower and stood down. Providence Bloc forces on their part extracted from the system, and on the 19th of October, 10:18 EVE Standard Time claimed the system as their own.

Fixed Battle Report for the UL-7I8 system can be found here.