EVE Online's New Zarzakh Region Looks Beautifully Brutal And Ripe For Chaos

mmorpg.com:

As I walked into the main hall at EVE Fanfest 2023, prepped for the keynote announcements, the giant screen in the Laugardalshöll Arena was tuned into the Twitch stream of the MMO. In front of me was the giant Jovian stargate, tiny blips representing capsuleers eager to see what was happening in orbit around the structure.

Within moments of me finding my seat, the lights on the stargate turned on, the gate itself shaking itself to life. Almost immediately, capsuleers began jumping into the unknown — a new system uncovered as part of the unfolding events of August's Epiphany update.

Warping in, the screen filled with clouds suspended in space. It was an awesome sight, full of movement, energy, and chaos. And that last feeling is fitting, thanks to the system being owned by the new Deathless Circle, a new mysterious faction that has come on the scene in EVE Online as part of the recent narrative push.

For years, we've heard, and at times seen, talk from CCP Games about their EVE Evolved initiative. Effectively, the initiative is all about modernizing the tech underlying the MMO, as well as boosting the visuals of the world. Things like volumetric clouds, better shadows, reflections on ships, or improved animation work have been drip-fed over a series of updates in the past few years.

However, in that first glimpse of Zarzakh, everything was there. Violent, chaotic clouds dominate the sight line, the shimmer of a bubble that notes the point of no return in space off in the distance. Visually, it's the most interesting system I've seen in EVE since the Triglavian invasion, and possibly the most visually busy overall. Normally, the starfield dominates the screen, and while still beautiful, it can feel one note. 

In Zarzakh it's