Since their first appearance on the Singularity test server two months back, the Caldari Octopus Red Flight SKINs set my heart afire. And when our beloved Editor-in-Chief (noted for his SKIN collection) started asking questions, I got curious.
It’s clear that Octopus Red Flight is at least technically live on Tranquility. EVEMarketer (one of EVE-Central’s better successors) shows that all the Octopus Red Flight SKINs have been purchased, though none have been sold. As of this writing, four Drakes have gone for 80m, one Raven for 80m, eight Golems for 180m, three Jackdaws for 261m, five Caracals for 5m, three Cerberus for 200m, and three Cormorants for 35m. Speaking of which, let’s take a moment to appreciate the Octopus Red Flight SKIN on a Drake.
Of the two dozen Octopi running around New Eden, all of them have stayed with their first purchasers. So where are they getting these SKINs? Not in the New Eden Store, last I checked. Are they bound up with the new Arms Race event? Linked somehow to EVE Vegas like the new CONCORD ships? Hoarded by nefarious CSMs? Or tied to the new easter egg hunt that Arataka pointed out not long ago?
Item descriptions offer potential insight:
The Caldari Navy’s 37th (Octopus) Squadron has a long and storied history stretching back to the Caldari-Gallente War that led to independence for the Caldari State. One of the original frigate squadrons established during the war, the 37th is notable as a capsuleer unit within the Caldari Navy.
Octopus Squadron’s “Red Flight” later became famous as a missile strike unit using Kestrel-class frigates. In recent years, the Octopus Red Flight has been upgraded to a flight of missile cruisers and, together with the rest of the 37th, is a frontline unit of the Caldari Navy.
Factional warfare seems to be the key, but what form that connection may take is unknown. CCP has made a point of detailed patch notes lately, and the Octopi don’t seem to appear there. Whether this is a botched release, an upcoming announcement, or an Easter egg, I’ve got no doubt the Octopus Red Flight SKINs will be coming to your Caldari boats in relatively short order.
Just not, you know, now.
Jenne Exupery is a low-wattage independent who dabbles in shipping, salvage, trade, exploration, and nearly victimless heists. He can usually be found bumming around Derelik and Domain under one name or another. Preferred contact method: in-game mail to Jenne Exupery of Manticore-Horizon Shipping [MANHO].
