Exploration & Industry Balance Rework

Exploring Capsuleers, 

Over the past several months, we've been tracking the impact of capital ship demand on both the industrial economy and the exploration landscape. With the July 17th Legion update, we took a targeted step toward addressing what we consider an important balance issue: the relationship between exploration sites, rare component acquisition, and the bottlenecks affecting capital and supercapital production. 

This isn’t a sweeping overhaul — yet — but rather a focused intervention intended to smooth a few key pain points, while opening the door for a richer, more rewarding exploration experience. 

We want to walk you through what changed, why we changed it, and what we’re watching closely as things develop. Read below and/or watch CCP Swift chatting about the changes with CCP Kestrel and CCP Okami here:  

Capital Bottlenecks 

Capital production is one of New Eden’s most complex economic chains — and with that complexity come pressure points, many of which are tied to solo explorers who supply critical inputs. To support both explorers and industrialists, we’ve revisited exploration site mechanics and increased drop rates, helping solo players earn more ISK while fueling the capital economy. 

A key issue has been the inconsistent availability of Capital Control Items, which are essential for capital ship construction. These components weren’t entering the ecosystem at sufficient volume, especially after major destruction events like dread brawls. These items are mainly sourced through exploration, and the feedback was clear: The sites weren’t consistent enough relative to their rarity and difficulty. Some were too hard, some were too punishing, and in many cases, the risk-to-reward ratio just didn’t justify the trip. 

Enhanced Neurolink Protection Cell — one of the major bottlenecks relieved 
Source: Ravworks 

Our aim with this update is to reduce friction — both in acquiring these components and in moving them back to market — without eliminating the challenge entirely. 

Exploration Sites and Loot Drop Tuning 

We’ve taken a fresh pass on Covert Research Sites (Ghost Sites), which have long been one of the more intimidating forms of exploration content. The changes here were surgical: 

• Timer ranges tightened: Players should experience more consistency in site behaviour, with a tilt toward more time to complete them 

• Danger-to-reward rebalanced: Ghost sites remain risky, but the payout is now more aligned with the hazard 

• Component volume reduced: Several Capital Control Items (such as Life Support Backup Units and Power Couplings) had their volume reduced, allowing explorers to carry more in frigate-sized hulls 

• Minefields in Aegis Capital Sites have been reduced for smoother navigation 

The thrill of hacking a can and finding a big payday is infectious and a core part of exploration. To facilitate more of this, we have also added Capital Control Items as rare bonus loot in all Sleeper Caches.  These refinements aim to ensure explorers can engage more directly with New Eden’s high-tier industrial economy. 

Industry Tax Relief – SCC Surcharge Cut 

In parallel, we made a precision adjustment to industry taxes, specifically targeting the SCC surcharge applied to blueprint research: 

• The SCC surcharge is now calculated as 50% of the baseline, which effectively reduces it from 4% to 2% for both Material Efficiency and Time Efficiency research 

This makes R&D and blueprint scaling more accessible to solo, small-group, and newer producers aiming to enter larger manufacturing workflows. While temporary, this change is part of a broader industry review to come. 

Iteration and Feedback 

These updates are part of our ongoing initiative to iterate quickly and meaningfully, reacting to real-time player data and feedback. Recent improvements to Pyerite refine rates, exploration spawns, and item distribution have been guided by your input, and we’re not stopping here. 

Join the conversation, hear directly from CCP Okami, and participate in brainstorming threads — hop into the EVE Online Discord and share your insights!  

Aye aye and goodbye, 

o7