The Apocrypha expansion introduced wormhole space into Eve Online universe. Wormholes allow players to take shortcuts through various systems and find long forgotten relics. These relics help build certain ships, and there are tech level three components that can be found only in the systems on the other side.
Relics found in these areas let players reverse engineer technologies that had been forgotten or abandoned. Some of the newer ships require relics found in wormhole space. The author would like to thank Kalith Blackhand, a Caldari Pilot, for providing information for this article.
Wormhole space offers Eve Online pilots a number of advantages and disadvantages. A pilot should be prepared to defend himself before he enters such a system. Wormhole systems in unknown do not belong to any PC or NPC faction and no player faction can claim them.
Wormholes are a staple of the science fiction genre. Where a wormhole will develop is unpredictable, and a pilot will not know where one of these unstable regions of space will take him until he makes it to the other side. A wormhole may lead to established space, or it may lead to an unknown region of space. They only last for a few days in real time. It is possible for a ship to enter a wormhole and not be able to get back to the section of space he entered it from.
The sensors of most Eve Online ships let a player know if a wormhole leads into unexplored space or an area of known space. The sensors also tell the pilot about the security level on the other side of the wormhole. It is a good idea to make sure your ship's weapons and shields are fully charged before deciding to enter a wormhole.
A wormhole may collapse while players are inside these regions. Probes may be able locate an exit for him, which at least gets the pilot back to known space, but there is also way for pilots to get out of wormhole space in emergencies. A pilot can activate his ship’s self-destruct mechanism and wake up at a starbase in a known system.