It was the first battle of its scale since the game publishers introduced a time dilation feature that slows combat involving large numbers of players.

The presence of such a large ship caused both sides to escalate the conflict, calling in additional reinforcements from their respective allies.

The presence of Dabigedboat's large, expensive supercapital ship then shifted the tactical objective from territorial control to destruction of enemy materiel.

Enough of the supercapital ships coming to the fleet commander's aid had their navigation systems shut down by electronic warfare such that a retreat would require significant sacrifice by leaving many behind, and so the stage was set for all sides to fully commit to the battle.

However, Liandri Covenant, an ally of CFC and who controlled Asakai VI, retained their hold on the system and made a significant profit collecting scrap from the battlefield.

In order to create a balance of power against CFC, PL joined in alliance with TEST under the auspices of HBC.

[b] In mid-January 2013, Dabigredboat, a Goonswarm fleet commander, encamped near a system controlled by the factions Drunk 'n' Disorderly (DND) and Lost Obsession.

The Goonswarm commander received Titan-class back-up, and DND and Lost Obsession were pushed back with heavy losses.

Seizing the initiative, Dabigredboat then pursued a campaign against DND and Lost Obsession in the nearby Black Rise region, in which Asakai is located.

[a] Dabigredboat, using his character Oleena Natiras, prepared to create a hyperspace bridge and commit ships to defend the Asakai system.

[b][c][d][1] The exact source of the misclick remains unclear; the game has a complex interface, and it is very easy to select the wrong button.

Because Asakai VI is in a low-sec system, Dabrigredboat's Titan could not freely employ its doomsday device, reducing its effective firepower to that of a dreadnought, a ship costing 70 times less.

[a] Meanwhile, Dabigredboat came under attack from DND and Lost Obsession and requested rescue from the entire CFC navy, which committed a fleet.

With the only in-battle HIC destroyed, DND and Lost Obsession attempted to return their pilots to bases in the adjoining Prism system to switch craft, leaving CFC dominating the Asakai battlespace.

[d] Since Asakai was centrally located and near both CFC and HBC space, neither coalition could obtain a decisive advantage before their opponents' reinforcements arrived.

[a] Eve Online's publisher, CCP Games, had recently instituted a feature called time-dilation, which slows combat and movement within a star system during massive-scale player battles, in order to avoid lag and server hang.

Elise Randolph, another PL commander and one with extensive contacts in other alliances, sent out a general message for assistance, promising temporary amnesty for any allied combatants.

As the size and scope of the conflict rapidly grew to full-scale war between the galaxy's major powers, Liandri retreated behind the protection of their POS, and would remain a minor player in the remainder of the fight.

A 500-ship strong fleet from TEST, trained in combat by Goonswarm, arrived at the site, as well as the 60 Black Legion dreadnoughts engaged in exercises nearby;[a][d] these forces destroyed a third CFC Titan.

DND and Lost Obsession, apprehensive of lingering near aggressive alliances such as TEST and Black Legion, likewise retreated.

Pandemic Legion, seeking safety in numbers, was among the last to leave, waiting until the effects of time-dilation and lag were low enough that the entire fleet could exit as a coordinated group.

Liandri made enough profit from its salvage runs to be able to provide each alliance member with several months worth of free EVE Online subscriptions.

[a] Although one of the largest battles experienced in EVE Online history at the time, there had previously been conflicts of a similar and even greater scale.