Youtube Video showing the course of the fight.

Leaders from both sides of the cataclysmic battle seem to agree with the sentiment Elise suggested. Dunk Dinkle, a member of the PAPI coalition and the “Electromagical Majordomo”—aka the official unofficial face of the BRAVE alliance, part of the PAPI coalition, —told Kotaku, “The M2-XFE battle will go down in EVE Online’s history as one of the bloodiest and balanced butcher’s bill we have ever seen. Records not just broken, but shattered.”

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Dinkle added, “Beyond the short term posturing by the opposing sides, every pilot that was there is part of a fellowship that goes beyond this war. In years to come, at player meetups, those that fought in the Massacre in M2 will gather to tell war stories, laugh, and raise toasts. A bond forged globally by thousands, that will last for decades to come.”

When asked if he had any specific regrets about the fight or its aftermath, Dunk said, “My only regret is that I didn’t get to salvage the wrecks,” adding the familiar BRAVE salute emoji, “7o.”

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Smaller vessels near the Keepstar while Doomsday blasts from both sides streak past them. Screenshot used with permission by Walter Islands.
Smaller vessels near the Keepstar while Doomsday blasts from both sides streak past them. Screenshot used with permission by Walter Islands.
Screenshot: Walter Islands

Leadership of the Imperium are very proud of the victory their side sees themselves as achieving. The Mittani, overall leader and spokesperson of The Imperium. told Kotaku, “Through focus and commitment the Imperium won against impossible odds, outnumbered and outgunned the entire battle. To win, we had to punch far above our weight and simply out-fight the enemy; there was zero room for error…. We worked together as one whole, and in doing so triumphed against the combined might of the rest of the galaxy.”

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Titan formation during the late stages of the fight.
Titan formation during the late stages of the fight.
Screenshot: Razorien EVE (Other)

His sentiments are backed by Asher Elias, The Imperium’s lead strategic Fleet Commander, who maintained overall control of the Imperium forces throughout the battle. When asked who won and why, Asher told Kotaku, “It’s obvious that we did, we killed more Titans with less people...I think I would credit our line members having superior discipline. Additionally, some of [PAPI’s] strategy was flawed, which is sort of a repeated trope from this war.”

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The fight may not be the cataclysmic end of the war that some expected it to be, but it may be the catalyst for the next stage of the conflict. In the past, these battles have often had follow-up battles even larger than the original, which could well happen here in the coming days. A large portion of the PAPI fleet is logged off in range of the now-vulnerable space station, being guarded by the reinforced and refueled Imperium super capital forces. The coming days could usher in an even larger fight and ensure the M2 the system becomes forever known as the largest graveyard of god machines that EVE has ever seen.