While the members of the Arataka Consortium searched the EVE universe in search of more Drifter ships to harvest information from, players on the EVE subreddit turned to other sources. The bane of new story elements in many MMORPGs is the data mining websites dedicated to those sites, and EVE is no stranger to them: A fan-run website called hoboleaks scans the EVE test server after every patch, comparing it to the live server, and presenting the differences to its visitors. Near the time that the Drifter swarms carrying the Trinary Data Vaults began to appear, hoboleaks was updated with several new ships hidden in the game files. In addition to models of the new vessels, there was also a name for them: Triglavian.

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EVE player Uriel Anteovnuecci, a member of the Arataka Consortium, posted a video of the ships to YouTube. Immediately, similarities between the new vessels and the footage recovered from the Drifter wrecks were noticed. The central core of the Triglavian vessels is easily seen in the footage of the Drifter ships being attacked, and can be seen flitting around the battlefield, harassing the Drifter fleet in the footage. Between the footage recovered from the data vaults, and the game files updated to the test server, the Consortium seemingly has their answers: Yes, the Drifter fleets are indeed being attacked by what seem to be brand-new entities within the EVE Online game world.

The timing of these storyline elements emerging in the game world is very likely not coincidental. In just over a week, EVE Online will be celebrating its 15th anniversary by playing host to thousands of players from all over the world at the annual EVE Fanfest celebration in Reykjavik, Iceland. Fanfest, a massive party celebrating all facets of EVE Online, is usually the occasion of major announcements regarding the future of EVE. As the event draws near, the mystery surrounding the Drifters and the new Triglaivan ships is rapidly unraveling.

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Over the weekend leading up to Fanfest, a damaged Triglaivan vessel was located by EVE players. The mysterious ship was seen floating in the home system of EVE’s in-universe police force CONCORD. The vessel is shown to be piloted by an NPC actor who has been featured in the storyline as a member of the security force. Players from all parts of the galaxy have traveled to the system to watch and wait for further updates.

This storyline will seemingly be opened up during the Fanfest celebration, since the schedule lists a panel called “The Triglaivan Domain.” This panel should be the first official announcements about just who or what these mysterious new vessels are, and will represent the culmination of several months of emergent storytelling inside the game world. And as with many events in the world of EVE, its discovery has been primarily driven by the players themselves.