Today, Fenris Creations launched Operation Avalon, the first time-limited Alpha playtest for EVE Vanguard, letting fans get behind the gun rather than the driver’s seat.
EVE Vanguard is shaping up to be a title that works alongside EVE Online, not just a spin-off, and it appears Fenris Creations is putting the title to the task over the next two weeks with an Alpha playtest called Operation Avalon. In Operation Avalon, players will dive into EVE Vanguard’s core experience with emphasis placed on gameplay. Fans will contend with more responsive combat, expanded enemy variety, higher-pressure extraction, and escalating risks and rewards the longer the Vanguard stays on mission. EVE Vanguard’s playtest also launched an official trailer, and it can be seen below courtesy of Fenris Creations.
EVE Vanguard lets players step into the shoes of brutal Warclones, technologically immortal mercenaries who can be redeployed after death. In Operation Avalon, players drop onto dangerous planetary battlefields to raid enemy sites, gather valuable technology and intelligence, fight rival players and hostile forces, then extract before it’s too late. Like every other extraction shooting experience, the longer fans stay deployed, the more risk (and reward) there is to face off against. What players recover helps fuel Warclone progression and supports the fight to establish Avalon as a future sanctuary for Warclones beyond the reach of New Eden’s empires. The intelligence recovered be Warclones can help shed light on the greater conflict on New Eden.
Operation Avalon brings a new map called Lost Convoy to the equation. As a planetary combat zone built around an Upwell salvage recovery site, where wrecked ships, dig sites, and refineries create high-value targets to raid, Lost Convoy has a boatload of threats and rewards for Warclones to survey. Operation Avalon expands how players build strength between deployments. Players can gather resources, earn Deathmarks, unlock blueprints, use vendors, manufacture equipment, and develop progression that persists beyond a single deployment.
On top of all of the action, EVE Vanguard is connecting Warclone deployments to the wider EVE Universe. In EVE Vanguard, Warclones fight to recover resources and intelligence that support Avalon’s future on the surface. In EVE Online, Capsuleers hunt roaming convoys, secure Vanguard Tokens, and exchange them within their empire’s space to influence where Avalon ultimately takes hold. All for Avalon.
To get started, all fans have to do is head to the official Steam page or the official EVE Launcher to request access to the Alpha test. Upon acceptance into the playtest, you can jump in with the Vanguard and explore Lost Convoy. Operation Avalon is available now through July 20, 2026, so if fans aren’t accepted into the playtest right away, there’s still a chance to get behind the visor of a Warclone until July 20. See you on the surface.
