The Dust Hall of Fame

Love them or hate them they are the most dynamic individuals in Dust's short history. As the core community and luminaries leave and the game draws to a close, we felt it was our duty to highlight New Eden's most influential planetside mercenaries and powerbrokers. Without further ado:  Your ten Dust Hall of Fame members.



1. Zionshad - The great communicator, Zionshad was the first merc to use numerous forms of media to turn himself into a brand while leading the organization he aptly named after himself. While his secret identity and actions as Nameless514 was probably one of Dust's worst kept secrets, it helped to draw players to his organization. Even defeats at the hands of ROFL and the death of the Legacy Rising alliance could not force Zion TCD to shut down. Shad is a shining example of how adapting to the ever-changing Dust landscape was the best way to stay relevant.

2. Cazaderon - Some referred to him as the only console player among the CPM. We recognized him as the owner of the Dust France website, the CEO of WTF, a high level, founding corp in CRONOS [which was Dust's first mega alliance] Cazaderon also appears on this list for another reason, as a member of the CPM, his shining example of 'community first' when he decided to resign in protest upon learning the 'Dust to PC' news was being delayed rather than CCP simply being upfront and honest with the community months ago. While hindsight tells us how the announcement [commonly referred to as the 'Rouge Wedding'] went over, we will forever hold him in high esteem for his actions.

3. Alldin Kan/Regnum - Not so long ago Alldin Kan wondered if the servers could handle his presence. Many players wouldn't have been surprised if he were right. Through much debate among our writers, he was voted Dust's most elite and dominant player. Some might argue, but his non-reliance on the FOTM mechanics most 'elite' players resorted to put him ahead of guys like Regnum [who still gets an honorable mention here] but to those who know, Alldin Kan was simply in a class all by himself.

4. Kane Spero - Few would doubt Kane's status as Dust's preeminent powerbroker. Has there ever be a better tyrant and backstabber disguised as a liberator and organizer? We tip our hat to the man who constantly harnessed elite players and got them to do his bidding. From poaching all of Betamax elite players, to PFC and ERA's almost total takeover of Molden Heath [chuckle, to prove a point of course] Even the devs fell for it and elected him to the CPM after his much publicized outing as an AFK abuser. Recognizing the power of media, he even wrote for our blog for a spell. While none would go on the record, no less than two of his CPM peers declared him the biggest fraud, grandstander and manipulator of game mechanics to fit his own ends in Dust. He was in the end, a smaller scale Mittani for the planetary version of New Eden.

5. Quickgloves - No one will ever forget STB claiming an entire PC planet as their own and dubbing it SVER Prime. Easily one of the most charismatic leaders of the Dust era Quickgloves was one of the first to assemble a group of players from multiple skill levels into a massive group and partner with EVE entities. He rose to prominence after claiming CCP purposely kept his group out of the first Mordu Tourney. Never one to shy from the players he considered 'tryhards' and the forums, he fought wars on multiple fronts and introduced a major shift in tactics being one of the first to employ ringer groups like the Team Players to augment his forces when the opponent outclassed them in skill.

6. KageHoshi - The patron saint of immersion, great suggestions and design balance Kagehoshi easily earns a spot on our list. One of the community's most influential and neutral players, the Dust version of Switzerland often chimed in on debates with a deft voice of reason. He also championed the progress cause by submitting some of the great suggestions we will no doubt see in Legion [or else].

7. Teamplayers - They are simply the group of mercenaries that changed the way PC is played. While our blog weren't big fans of small, elite groups dominating PC, The TP were simply the best at it for the longest period of time. EON's A-team reduced the overhyped FEC to a non-event due to their ability to methodically win 16 vs 16 battles. From there they set the standard as for-hire mercenaries to the point where acquiring the services of the TP was enough to guarantee you victory and make your enemies shiver with fear.

8. Kevall Longstride - The man also known as Dennie Fleetfoot takes his spot in the HOF for his unwavering desire to become his own personal NPE. Anyone who has played Dust knows how utterly and completely lacking the introduction for new players was. His commitment as the CEO of Dust University is by far one of the most noble acts in Dust's short history. Their mission was to grab as many new players as they could and educate them on the ways of New Eden. For going above and beyond and attempting to do much of CCP's work for them--we salute you Kevall.

9. ShottyGobang - The man responsible for the scout registry and by extension every registry that came after it is next. While an elite player in his own right SGB is largely credited with prompting each player class to broach issues of balance with CCP. He is the man behind the rise of the scouts and even if the class is now unbalanced, few would argue our speedy, low-HP brethren weren't in need of major tuning when he began his campaign for change.

10. The Imperfects - They were truly the first dominant group of players in Dust. So much so that players like Protoman, notorious for his bravado, wisely sought them out to join rather than compete with them. Their domination of the Mordu's Tourney introduced them to the community and forum villains like Mr. Zitro, Regnum and Sleepy Zan made them even more infamous. Sadly, like many elite players before and after them, Dust's lack of progress and core mechanics eventually caused most of them to leave the game. We feel a little cheated, never knowing what this group of elite players could have accomplished in New Eden.

We hope you've enjoyed this piece detailing the most notable names in Dust's short history. Do you agree with our list? Maybe you felt like we left someone out? Let us know in the comments. Stay tuned for our next piece 'The Top 10 moments in Dust' releasing on Monday.