What EVE Online content do EVE Online content creators watch? We know that sounds like a riddle, but it’s actually the question we posed to our dedicated community of EVE Online content creators - longtime fans of the game who know both New Eden and its content scene inside and out. Rather than asking them to share their own content, this time we asked them to recommend their favourite EVE Online content made by others. Their answers vary from the educational to the epic to the downright silly. Fetch the popcorn and clear your afternoons: clear skies ahead!

Clear Skies

“Clear Skies is an absolute classic. It’s still as great today as it was 12 years ago. It somehow seamlessly combines EVE Online and Half-Life 2 footage (for the interior scenes), and it’s a timeless source of EVE quotes, including the infamous ‘It’s hot-drop o’clock!’”

That’s Nohus, and they’re right. Clear Skies is as classic as it gets when it comes to EVE content. It’s a multi-part space-western “cinematic masterpiece” machinima created by Ian Chisholm. It even has its own Wikipedia and IMDB pages. Episode one was released in 2008 with subsequent episodes released in 2009 and 2011; both episodes one and two have won awards. And the best news? Episode 4 is still apparently in the works. Unfortunately, the official website has been taken offline, although Clear Skies can still be found on YouTube. 

It’s so nice it was nominated twice. Here’s Sturmer: 

“I admire the incredible work Ian put into this project, including modding other games to replicate station walking before it was even a feature in EVE.”

Rooks and Kings: Clarion Call 

The Clarion Call series combines storytelling and education. Created by the now-defunct group Rooks and Kings, these super-high-quality videos remain fan favourites many years down the line. FUN INC recommends episode three, which has 680,000 views: 

“1,000% this! You’ll learn game mechanics, tactics, and it’s still as relevant today as it was when it was released. Pop the kettle on, sit down, relax, and enjoy!” 

 Alternatively, visit this YouTube playlist and watch the episodes chronologically. 

Alliance Tournament XIV finals

The Alliance Tournament is always a treat, and we’d like to add these awesome EVE fan trailers for Alliance Tournament XX to the recommended EVE Online content mix. However, ShoMenao's choice takes viewers back to 2016 for the finals of Alliance Tournament XIV. Sho would specifically like to highlight match three, a showdown between the once-dominant Pandemic Legion and PvP corp The Tuskers. As Sho points out, not many of the prize ships survived:

“You’ve gotta love the ‘taking the simulation as is’ approach when not a single player was able to control their ships, losing us a whole load of Caedes and Rabisus.”

When PvP players go mining 

Mining isn’t EVE’s most action-packed of activities, but EVE is what you make of it. If you’re up for a laugh, this short but brilliant EVE Online content recommendation from Amoni P is bound to do the trick. Originally intended as a tongue-in-cheek propaganda video, it lives on as a hilarious, intentionally over-the-top joke on both miners and PvPers. 

“This has to be my favourite EVE Online video content of all time. It's such a joyful self-ribbing of how serious PvP can sound, and it's one of those videos that always makes me chuckle when I watch it. The camera work was really good and calls to mind any number of official CCP trailers that use in-game footage. It's one of those videos that stands out in my mind as one that shouldn't be forgotten, even if some of the details no longer accurately reflect current gameplay. The folks who made it really outdid themselves with some top-tier humour.”

Phoenix Dread Ratting! - Skrubs - Eve Online - July 2020 

The next recommendation is purely educational, but it’s also authentic and heartfelt. orik Kado recommends the video, which was published by The Brave Dojo. Here’s why: 

“There’s so much amazing EVE Online content out there, and narrowing it down to just one video is challenging. However, I want to share one that caught my attention and helped me immensely when I felt lost in the game. The Brave Dojo is a channel focused on guides and tutorials for members of the Brave alliance. The video demonstrates how to use a Phoenix dreadnought to earn ISK in anomalies, resulting in approximate earnings of 70 million ISK per tick.”

Galactic Outlaws EVE Echoes trailer

Kane Carnifex is also a fan of Brave Dojo, but his chosen video is a far cry from educational content. It’s actually a corp recruitment video for the spinoff game EVE Echoes. Quite a peculiar recommendation for must-watch EVE content, right? Wrong. Its creators have seamlessly combined EVE Online ships with the Cowboy Bebop opening credits, resulting in a perfectly executed 94-second video. Unfortunately, it can’t be viewed off YouTube, but you can still watch it here. 

Star Wars vs Eve Online - Star Destroyer Attacked by Machariel Battleship!

These aren’t the drones you’re looking for. As the Marvel show of the same name proves, fans love to wonder: What if? After taking another Disney IP, Star Wars, YouTube creator Resurrected Starships thinks through a hypothetical scenario and plays out the story of what if, following the Battle of Endor, a star destroyer made an emergency jump only to find itself pitted against one of the Angel Cartel’s Machariel battleships. This is the stuff dream crossovers are made of. 

Rooks and Kings: The False Tower

It’s testament to Rooks and Kings that after all these years, their old videos have featured on this list of essential EVE Online content twice. This second recommendation comes from Brother Grimoire, who says “I always get a laugh out of this 5head movie, and the video is really well done <3”. 

This video can’t be embedded either, but you can watch it directly on YouTube. Easy to understand, gripping, and well-written, it’s EVE storytelling at its finest.

This is EVE (and This is REALLY EVE) 

“One of my favourite EVE Online videos is This is EVE (2014) by CCP Games. Although it’s an official trailer, it features real player audio from various in-game scenarios, making it feel like a community-driven project. The video is a compilation of real fleet fights, mining operations, wormhole adventures, and more, all set to an epic soundtrack.

“The video highlights the importance of teamwork, strategy, and communication in EVE. It’s a reminder that while EVE is a game of space and ships, it’s really about the people who pilot them. Every time I watch This is EVE, I feel inspired to log in and become part of something bigger than myself. It’s a powerful reminder of the stories and adventures waiting to be had.”

That was JHenckes giving a ringing endorsement of one of CCP’s most popular videos. But we also received a recommendation for a riff on that video. It’s probably for the best that the riff can only be watched on YouTube, as the language is not safe for a Just audience. It drops more f-bombs than a Manticore and shows that things can sometimes get more than a tad heated in New Eden. It was FirestormGamingTeam who recommended it, adding “This, for me, encapsulates what EVE really is. It shows the emotions of players: the anger, the rage, the joy, the love. It shows us in our best and in our worst.”

We’re not sure we’re hearing all that much joy and love in there, but there’s certainly passion. We’ll share the epic, official video instead, but if you want to watch FirestormGamingTeam’s nominated take on it, watch it here at your own risk, and don’t say we didn’t warn you.

Warning: even this official video has some NSFW language.

The Making of EVE Online 

Those of us fortunate enough to have caught the premiere of this documentary at 2023’s Fanfest will remember the rapturous applause throughout. The Escapist’s documentary does exactly what you’d expect: it tells the story of EVE’s journey, but it does so with humour, heart, and some iconic CCP Hellmar. 

Limal recommended it, here’s what they said: 

“It’s a well-crafted film that features early footage, photos, and insightful interviews with the creators. The documentary does a fantastic job of capturing the game's development journey, and explaining how the project evolved into the iconic game it is today. The combination of rare behind-the-scenes content and engaging storytelling makes it a must-watch for any fan. It’s great EVE Online content for an evening watch on the big screen, you can bring your family too!”

If you’d like some more iconic Hilmar, check out this highly recommended community Q&A: CCP Hellmar interview.

If you’re friends with any of the creators whose videos we’ve shared above, point them this way and let them know that their EVE Online content has been chosen as essential viewing. If you’re looking for even more amazing EVE Online content, check out these seven EVE Online creators nominated by our community for their outstanding work. 

Some text has been edited for brevity, clarity, or spelling, punctuation, and grammar. You can find the original wording here. Image credit: Razorien on Flickr.