PvP & Combat
Nova Rift is a competitive open-world game. Conflict happens at two layers: station attacks on player bases, and fleet interdiction at asteroid fields. No fleet is truly safe once it leaves the dock — plan accordingly.
Fleet Interdiction
Mining fleets operating at asteroid fields can be attacked directly. Send a probe ship first to gather intel, then dispatch an interdiction fleet. Both sides select a combat stance before the engagement — the interaction between attacker and defender stances determines who fights, who flees, and who gets the cargo.
Send a Probe ship to an occupied asteroid zone. When it arrives it scans the fleet, returning intel: player name, doctrine, fleet size tier (Small / Medium / Large / Massive), and whether combat ships are present.
Launch an interdiction fleet with your chosen attack stance. Your fleet travels to the asteroid field. At 5 tiles out, the defender receives an incoming fleet warning with a live ETA countdown on their zone map.
On arrival, stances are applied, combat resolves, and cargo transfers if the attacker wins. If the zone is empty on arrival, the interdiction fleet returns home empty-handed. A battle report is filed for both players.
Combat Stances
Target Miners
60% of the defender's mining ships attempt to escape before combat. You fight the remainder plus any dedicated defenders.
Target Defenders
Engage the defender's combat ships directly. Mining ships are largely ignored — good if you want a clean fight.
Overwhelm All
+10% combat power bonus applied to your entire fleet. Go in swinging — no special targeting.
Miners Flee
Mining ships retreat to safety before combat starts. Combat ships stay and fight. Your cargo is safe; your miners survive.
All Fight
Every unit holds position — mining ships included. Higher risk, but no one runs. Best if you have a strong defensive fleet on-site.
All Flee
Abandon cargo, save the fleet. Everyone retreats. Attacker gets all cargo but your units survive to mine another day.
Stances interact: if the defender chose Miners Flee and the attacker chose Target Miners, there are no miners left to target — combat proceeds as Target Defenders. Set your default defense stance in Base → Overview. It applies to all fleets you dispatch and can be changed live on the zone map when a threat is approaching.
How PvP Attacks Work
Scout
Send a Probe ship or Scout drone to gather intelligence on your target. A successful scout reveals their fleet composition, resource stockpile, and building levels before you commit to an attack.
March
Dispatch your attack fleet. Travel time depends on distance to the target and your fleet speed. Your fleet is visible on the map while en route — the target will receive an incoming attack warning.
Combat
Two-phase combat resolves automatically when your fleet arrives. Phase 1: space combat with ships and space drones. Phase 2: ground combat with assault drones against base defenses.
Loot & Return
If your attack succeeds, your fleet loots resources from the target (up to fleet cargo capacity). The fleet then begins the return journey. Resources are deposited when the fleet arrives home.
Shields
Activating a shield makes your base immune to all incoming attacks for the duration. Shields consume Energy to activate. While shielded, you cannot attack other players either — it is strictly a defensive tool. A shield is consumed whether or not an attack actually arrives.
4h
Short window — use after a quick mining run to deter retaliation.
8h
Overnight protection. Activate before logging off.
16h
Extended protection during a busy period or after taking heavy losses.
24h
Maximum protection. Use after a devastating attack while you rebuild.
Shield cost scales with duration. The Defense Command building reduces shield costs. Military doctrine players get bonus shield efficiency.
Incoming Attack Warnings
Warning System
When an enemy fleet launches against you, a red warning banner appears at the top of your screen showing the attacker's name, time until arrival, and estimated fleet size. You have a window to react — activate a shield, deploy defenders, or recall your own fleets.
Reaction Options
- • Activate a shield before impact
- • Deploy a defensive fleet to reinforce
- • Recall vulnerable mining fleets home
- • Move resources into the vault
- • Join an Alliance for coordinated defense
Kill Board
Every successful PvP kill is recorded on the public Kill Board (accessible from the game navigation). Kill events show the attacker, victim, ships destroyed, total ISK value, and the sector where the fight occurred. The Kill Board updates every 30 seconds and is visible to all players on the server — victories and defeats alike.
Vault Protection
Attackers cannot loot everything. A base vault protects a portion of your resources from any single attack. The protected amount scales with your Command Center level and the difference in CC levels between attacker and defender.
- • Higher CC level = more resources protected
- • Attacking a much lower CC player protects less (penalty for punching down)
- • Build your CC to protect more resources while you're offline