Hulkageddon IV Scheduled

​Jita, The Forge - A fourth Hulkageddon event, scheduled for 02.113, was announced on Galnet yesterday. Organised by infamous pilot Helicity Boson of The Jerk Cartel, Hulkageddon is a contest where pilots compete to destroy the most Exhumer-class mining vessels, particularly highly-profitable Hulks.

Hulkageddon will take place in February of next year and Helicity Boson has started gathering prizes for next year's competition, with many pilots and alliances already stepping up to contribute and suggest categories for awards. In a novel move, pilot ElJo123 of Chains of Chaos has offered a prize of an unfitted Hulk to the first Retriever pilot to lose their ship in the event, though hopefuls should note he claims he was drunk at the time.

Previous events have shown the response from miners to be surprisingly mixed. While many ardently oppose Hulkageddon and demand CONCORD action, others have abandoned their mining vessels for the event and joined the hunt in an effort to thin out competition - particularly from unmanned, robotic mining vessels - and drive ore and mineral prices up. Last year, however, Helicity was quite clear that the event is not altruistic in any way, describing it as "mean-spirited" and focused on harvesting "delicious tears" from miners.

The last Hulkageddon event saw over two thousands mining ships destroyed, a figure that next year's event is hoping to beat. XenosisReaper of Intrepid Crossing said "Last time over 2000 Hulks met their glorious end, this time let's aim higher." He went on to say that pilots should send prizes to Orichalcum in Jita, but Helicity Boson has stated that he is not part of Hulkageddon's organization and pilots should not send prizes to him.

A "HULKAGEDDON 4: Counter-action Guide for Miners" has already been published, offering a guide on protecting mining ships during the competition. While CONCORD will act to punish those who attack unflagged vessels in high-security space, most Hulkageddon hunters prepare high quantities of ships that can kill a mining ship before CONCORD can destroy them, with Ruptures, Thrashers and Catalysts being popular in past events. Insurance payouts then cover the cost of ships lost to CONCORD.

Pundits anticipate a rise in ore prices near the end of January as many miners dock up for February's Hulkageddon and the illegal "Open Season" on Hulks, also referred to as the "Miner's Holiday," and many systems are expected to experience short supply of destroyers and high impact weaponry such as projectile artillery and neutron blasters.

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