There’s a lot of noise out there. People claiming that fixing nullsec is just about tweaking numbers, or that I don’t understand the mechanics well enough to propose a real solution. Let’s put that to bed right now. The problem isn’t “not enough ISK” or “too much safety”. The problem is that the geography and mechanics of this game currently force us into the blue donut.

We need to break the physics of stagnation. Here is exactly how we do it.

The Geography of War

Right now the meta is simple. Cram everyone into one system, drop the hammer, and go home. We need to change the battlefield from a single grid to the entire constellation. To do that, we are introducing a system of inverse scaling that fundamentally changes how you capture space.

• Mechanic: We are physically changing where capture nodes spawn based on the ADM. In the low ADM systems—the floodplains—the server spawns 5–8 capture sites scattered across the system inside deadspace pockets gated to subcaps only. Conversely, in a deep fortress system with high ADMs, the sites condense into a single command node where you can bring your capitals.
• Impact: This creates a geographic progression of war. If you want to hold vast swathes of empty space you can’t just drop a titan umbrella on a five man gang. You have to send subcap patrols into those deadspace pockets to secure the individual sites. This forces the big blocs to split their fleets. If they want to hold the borders they have to actually live there. If they don’t, smaller wolf packs will rip those systems away.

The Siege Mechanic: Active Sovereignty

We need to move away from the idea that sovereignty is decided by a single forty-five minute timer. Real territory warfare should be a campaign, not a skirmish. We are replacing the current entosis system with a Siege & Break mechanic that forces a multi-day conflict.

Mechanic:

• The Siege Phase (The Bleed): Attackers fit a Siphon Module (Cruiser+) and activate it on the Sov Hub. This acts as the “battering ram.” It actively drains the system’s Military and Industrial indices per cycle, generating loot tags for the attackers. A fully upgraded system effectively has a massive “structure HP” bar made of these indices. It cannot be drained in a single sitting; it requires a sustained assault to strip the system’s defenses.
• The Break Phase (Reinforcement): You cannot flip the system while the indices are holding. Once the attackers successfully drain the indices to zero, the system does not flip immediately. Instead, it enters a reinforcement cycle exiting 24 to 48 hours later (based on the defender’s timer).
• The Capture Phase: When the system exits reinforcement, the Hub becomes vulnerable. This is the final stand. Attackers must win this timer using a traditional Entosis Link to officially claim the system or drop the TCU.

Impact: This changes Sov war from “whack-a-mole” to a strategic siege. Defenders see their indices dropping—their upgrades going offline and their ADMs weakening—and have time to mobilize a response before the final timer. However, if they ignore the Siphon fleets (the “Wolf Packs”), they wake up to find their system stripped of defenses and reinforced for a final showdown. It also fixes the “self-hacking” loophole: since the Siphon destroys the system’s upgrades to generate the payout, hacking your own system is simply burning down your own infrastructure. You destroy weeks of grinding in hours.

Weaponized ADMs

Currently a high ADM just means the timer is annoying. That is boring. A high ADM should mean the system is fortified. We need to make the PvE activity in a system directly contribute to its physical defense logic.

• Mechanic: The moment a Siphon Module or Entosis Link is activated on a node, the server checks the current ADM level.
  • If ADM is High (Fortress): The system instantly spawns a defensive wave of diamond rats (advanced AI) or capital NPCs directly on top of the node.
  • If ADM is Low (Floodplain): The system spawns standard belt rats or nothing at all.
  • Note: The capture timer/siphon cycle pauses while these NPCs are alive.
• Impact: This kills the troll toaster meta instantly. You can’t just burn into a high level system with a throwaway ship to annoy the owners because the NPCs will just blow you up. If you want to take a fortress you have to bring a fleet that can clear the grid. Your PvE activity essentially hires a mercenary NPC fleet to guard your door.

The End of Citadel Safety

We have to address the elephant in the room. Citadels. As long as defenders can sit on a tether and play games stagnation will continue. We are moving the vulnerability phase off grid.

• Mechanic: To attack a citadel’s shields or armor you do not shoot the structure. You must warp to an anchor hub spawned at a nearby celestial (planet, moon, or belt).
  • The attackers hack this hub using a Data Analyzer.
  • Each successful hack shifts the citadel’s reinforcement exit time by 15 minutes, up to a maximum cap of +/- 4 hours.
  • Defenders can counter-hack to pull the time back to their original setting.
• Impact: Moving the fight to an anchor hub removes tether safety and structure guns from the initial engagement. If you want to save your keepstar you have to undock and fight in open space. The time-shifting mechanic kills timezone tanking without destroying work-life balance. If you try to tank your structure by setting the timer to 4am on a Tuesday to avoid a fight, we are going to drag that timer back to midnight or push it to 8am. We’re going to make it inconvenient enough that you have to defend it.

The Bottom Line

This isn’t about handing out free wins. It is about creating an ecosystem where stagnation is dangerous. If you get too big and lazy to patrol your floodplains you lose them. If you hide on a tether you lose your station.

We can make nullsec great again, but only if we have the guts to change the mechanics that are holding us back.