Exploration - what changed across expansions

1. 09 Dec 2014

   Rhea - Tactical Destroyers and Jove Observatories

   3 changes
   1. 5

      Thera and 100 "shattered" wormhole systems were added - Thera being a unique 340 AU multi-station hub system at the centre of the new shattered cluster; opened a whole new layer of EVE geography that did not exist before Rhea.

   2. 3

      Shattered wormhole systems came with frigate-and-destroyer-only mass restrictions on 25 of the 100 new systems, creating a deliberately small-ship-only exploration tier; this seeded the "shattered WH" subgenre that gankers and explorers still mine in 2026.

   3. 3

      Unidentified Sites began appearing across New Eden - cloaked structures hinting at the Drifter / Jove lore arc that would land in subsequent expansions; the structures themselves were uninteractive but the lore drop set up the next 18 months of CCP's narrative direction.

2. 29 May 2018

   Into The Abyss - Abyssal Deadspace

   3 changes
   1. 4

      Abyssal Filaments became loot - they drop from anomalies, sites, and certain hulls, so your scanner is now hunting for filament drops alongside relic/data cans, with T4/T5 filaments commanding strong markets.

   2. 3

      Triglavian-themed exploration sites and bioadaptive datacore loot pre-seeded the Triglavian invasion arc that would go live a year later - explorers got "in on the lore" before the wider playerbase.

   3. 2

      Abyssal Deadspace itself is a kind of explorer content - randomised rooms, environmental effects, no two runs identical - pulling exploration-temperament players into PvE that previously felt repetitive.

3. 28 May 2019

   Invasion - Triglavians Strike

   4 changes
   1. 4

      Triglavian invasion exploration sites and the World Ark Proving Ground spawn a fresh tier of relic/data content with bioadaptive datacore loot - explorers got a high-value, contested-content site type that didn't exist before.

   2. 3

      Invasion-system effects (warp scramble bubbles, environmental modifiers in some sites) demand explorer fits that handle Triglavian web/neut towers - the Buzzard / Cheetah is no longer a "click and warp" loadout in invasion-affected high-sec.

   3. 2

      Triglavian datacores entered the explorer loot table as a market commodity - feeds the Triglavian T1/T2 invention pipeline that started in Onslaught and matured in Invasion.

   4. 2

      Pre-Pochven "Triglavian-flagged" systems started showing up on the map, foreshadowing the eventual Chapter 3 region creation - explorers paying attention had a head-start on what would become Pochven runs in 2020.

4. 27 May 2025

   Legion - Capital Ships, Freelance Jobs, and Sov Maturity

   2 changes
   1. 4

      **Sov exploration upgrades return** - re-introduced with guaranteed-spawn-on-install, multi-system distribution affecting spawn rates across several systems instead of just one, and escalation-path chances across each tier with new implant + module rewards. Strategic systems become genuine treasure-trove targets.

   2. 3

      **Map overhaul iteration 1** - long-term project to bring the new map to parity with classic + third-party tools begins. First pass: filter sharing through chat, view-mode toggle, quick-action buttons marking current location and home station at a glance.

Impact score 1-5 (5 = paradigm shift for that playstyle). Numbers in lime are 4-5; blue is 3; grey is 1-2.