Spectre fleet is an NPSI group, that means if it’s not in their fleet (purple) they’ll shoot it. Spectre Fleet was formed by Jayne Fillion – A CSM X Member. He told me “I founded Spectre Fleet because fleet fights are one of the most enjoyable things to do in eve and a public fleet that anyone can join and shoot at anyone is the best way to do that”.
Over the past year, Spectre Fleet has had a steadily growth pattern. Growing from fleets of 50 players in early 2015 to filling multiple fleets on a regular basis. Spectre Fleet saw a huge growth pattern after taking over the popular NPSI event ‘RvB Ganked’ after Mangala Solaris’ Departure from the game. Since the start of the war it has never been more popular with the channel regularly hosting up to a 1000 players.
This has allowed Spectre fleets to regularly field large fleets over 250 people. Spectre Fleet has no political ties and so content is everywhere throughout New Eden. On the day of writing Spectre Fleet has just formed a 250+ man maelstrom fleet with triage support to assist the Money Badger Coalition who are preparing to take a system in the region of Tribute.
I asked Jayne Fillion how new players could get involved in a Spectre Fleet. He said this:
“Joining is really easy, just join the ‘Spectre Fleet’ channel and check the MOTD for our schedule of upcoming fleets. Pick a fleet and show up in the channel at that time, simply type an X in chat and the FC will invite you to fleet, even if you can only fly t1 frigates you are more than welcome to join the fleet”
Spectre Fleet recently took a straw poll on their neutrality for this war and its members voted overwhelmingly to fight against the Goonswarm Federation.
“The price for joining the war may have been our neutrality but the reward was some of the best content we’ve had for months if not years!”
I talked to a few regular fleet participants from the Spectre Fleet channel, one-member Market Tycoon had this to say.
“I started in a vigil about two years ago, it was the first community and the I enjoyed it so I Stayed. Spectre is all I have really, I was bullied as a child and was looking for a group of people to accept as I am, Spectre Fleet thinks I’m a big Cheese (Cool Guy) and therefore I like being around these guys.”
I decided to see where most of the FC’s for Spectre Fleet came from, I interviewed a Pilot Called Pomagre an FC who specialises in Frigate roams he said this:
“I bounced around a few of the NPSI groups Bombers Bar and RvB Ganked, but then I found Spectre Fleet, the fleets were fun, there was lots of content and It meant that I can live in High-Sec around Amarr and Jita safely and still go to null and have loads of fun blowing stuff up in Null-Sec.”
I talked to him to decided what encouraged him to become an FC for Spectre Fleet instead of just a regular fleet member.
“I became an FC because I wanted to improve individually and there weren’t many fleets in my time zone and so I decided to step up and create content for the players in my TZ. I found that I enjoyed FCing Interceptor Fleets and I’ve continued FCing them since.”
Spectre fleet has a wide range of Doctrines ranging from cheap t1 frigate fleets all the way up to Pirate Faction Battleships and Triage support. In its own way, Spectre Fleet has become a sort of Alliance. An alliance with no Sovereignty, no Space, hundreds if not thousands of members and the ability to stage from any system in New Eden.
Fleet Types vary between FC’s and so many pilots will only fly with a few FC’s for example one FC RiotRick, flys Black Ops fleets Exclusively, bridging tens of bombers to shiny ratting ships in Low-Sec and Null-Sec. Others such as Jayne Fillion is known for leading expensive and complicated doctrines most FC’s wouldn’t dream of touching. There is a fleet type for everyone in Spectre Fleet.
If Spectre Fleet can keep up with the pace of New Edens established alliances it is on track to strengthen its status as a formidable enemy and an entity to be taken seriously. Its ability to stage from any system throughout New-Eden allows it to become a force similar to Pandemic Legions Nomadic style, but with more freedom and with less reaction time due to their ability to freely move through high-sec.
Fleet Commanders in spectre fleet are certainly not lacking and many new FC’s in spectre fleet are seen every day taking out fleets for the first time. It is a proving ground for many new FC’s and allows them to gain experience without the pressure of performing well for an alliance operation as pilots within spectre fleet have no political goal other than getting the most amount of pew.
So if you would like to experience PvP as a new character without moving your assets across the universe into the deep dark and dangerous Null-Sec Space, join the ‘Spectre Fleet’ channel in game and consider joining one of their upcoming fleets.
