Xander Ryn

Before TNF

Xander Ryn’s story is short before it gets to us, and that is the point. The character was born in May 2023 and started out in the University of Caille, the Gallente starter school, before a brief spell in Strategic Exploration and Development Corp. Three months after his first undock, in August 2023, he found The New Federation.

Joining TNF

TNF prefers returning and veteran players. Every so often, though, the corp takes a chance on someone newer who is clearly in it for the long haul, and Xander is the case for doing that (his three years, told in full). He has been here ever since: 1,165 days and counting, in a single unbroken stint.

On 7 May 2026 he posted a short note: “Xander turns 3 years old today! What a ride.” Six weeks later he wrote the line that headlines his newsroom story:

I am still grateful I lucked out finding TNFED and being let in as essentially a newbie 3 years ago. I still feel like a newbie a lot of the time, and I appreciate all the great teams and info from the corp and alliance.

The milestones, in his own words

• June 2025, after the opening fights of the Horde war: “The last CTA was my best kill day ever in Eve!” (Front Row Seats)
• Summer 2025, trying a new ratting style: it took some getting used to, with “a lot of activity going on,” but it was “certainly engaging” and felt “like a new game all of a sudden.” (Crabbing in Catch)
• August 2025: a first outing on a new kind of op, and a hand in two kills. His review: “Fun stuff!”
• April 2026, the largest PvP battle in gaming history, where the server had other plans. He kept his head: “Hopefully a ping will go out soon to regroup.” (Oh Yeah, I Was There)
• May 2026, Fanfest: straight onto the “Into the Glacier with EVE Devs” tour on a tip from Marri02, and a verdict: “Stunning vistas, wonderful food, and friendly people. Great to meet folks in person.” (TNF Does Fanfest 2026)
• September 2026: the top kill of the month.

In the fleet

The record backs up the enthusiasm: 1,671 kills on the TNF record, on kills worth more than 1.9 trillion ISK combined.

The biggest of them came on 27 September 2026, when he was on an Avatar titan worth about 142 billion ISK with Judas Aralius and oli Padecain, the corp’s kill of the month. Before that, on 10 November 2025, he was on two Keepstar kills in a single day, worth about 238 billion and 191 billion ISK, plus a Fortizar. In December 2025 came two Minokawa force auxiliaries (one, two), and April 2026 brought a Sotiyo worth about 99 billion ISK and three more Fortizars (16 April, 19 April, 20 April). After one night’s work he posted a pod kill with a two word review: “spicy pod.”

By the numbers

On the detailed record since October 2025, combat battlecruisers are the most common victim, 171 of them, ahead of 155 battleships and 137 cruisers. The Abaddon leads the hulls at 46, with 43 Hurricanes and 30 Rokhs behind it, and he has been on 103 capsule kills. Logistics cruisers (32) and heavy assault cruisers (32) round out a broad spread. The detailed rows show 191 kills in late 2025 and 815 so far in 2026, and there is one solo kill on the record too.

Milestones

• First flew with TNF in August 2023
• 1, 2 and 3 years in TNF
• 100, 500 and 1,000 kills
• 24 Academy answers right, with a best streak of 4

Where he shines

Paying it forward. The newbie who was let in now welcomes everyone else: Tamanade, Meowlicious and Ardagan Fatal all found a “Welcome aboard!” from Xander waiting. After Fanfest he brought merch home for the corp: “T-shirt and models up for grabs.” And his advice for anyone thinking about a break is the voice of someone in it for the long haul: “Eve seems to keep going on and on, if you take a break it will still be there.”