On December 30th, the forces of the PAPI coalition ready themselves to attack the Keepstar in M2-XFE, part of the evacuation chain for the Imperium and as such, a vital target. It is the second Keepstar in Delve to be attacked by PAPI, but 2 more were lost in failed de-anchoring (one of them being captured by PAPI forces), and the 13th overall. While the shield had been reinforced without too much issue, the Imperium jumped in more than 660 titans on the Keepstar, as well as many supercarriers. The fight would last until downtime, and the armor of the Keepstar was destroyed with too many issues. At the end of the battle, while many PAPI supers left the field, the order was given to stay on grid, under the Keepstar, to wait there for the final timer.

On January 2nd, both sides prepared for the battle, which could accelerate the war in the case of a PAPI victory, or stall it massively in the case of an Imperium victory. The Goonswarm formed first, being ready after downtime, jumping close to 700 titans in the system. When PAPI formed, a few hours before the timer, M2-WFE Local was already at 5400 players. When order was given to jump in the reinforcements, 6700 people were present in PAPI staging system of T5ZI-S. Due to the load, however, the new titans, that PAPI jumped over the Keepstar, appeared on grid before their pilot could actually see anything. As such, it was a one-sided slaughter. Order was then given for PAPI titans to leave the game, where a strange phenomenon occurred: the “Ghost titans”. As the game loads the hull on the grid before the modules, many titans died without actually being there. Out of 159 PAPI titans destroyed, 83 were in fact ghosts, lowering the actual losses of PAPI forces to 76 titans. While a huge blow to their war effort, the titan's numbers are still estimated to be equal.

The Imperium's Keepstar repaired. About 300 PAPI titans were trapped in the system, half of which would be liberated during The M2-XFE Breakout. Imperium forces would camp the system for over two months, sacrificing the remaining Delve systems they still possessed, barring 1DQ and its constellation. The system would eventually be retaken by PAPI forces later on, and once the system was jammed once more, the Imperium abandoned the system, the remaining PAPI titans would be freed, and the keepstar would be killed. The war, however, would enter a much slower phase, resulting in the long siege of 1DQ1-A.

• The Massacre of M2-XFE: a Titan Graveyard Unlike Any Battle in EVE Online’s History, New Eden Post, by Redline XIII
• M2-XFE: Titandeath YC122, New Eden Post, by Gergoran Moussou
• Titan Massacre at M2-XFE, Ancient Gaming Noob, by Nosy Gamer
• EVE Online’s ‘massacre at M2-XFE’ gets an official breakdown from CCP Games, officially tallies losses, Massively Overpowered, By Chris Neal
• EVE of Destruction: The Titan Massacre at M2-XFE. Imperium News Network, by Sophia 'Alizabeth' S
• The Second Battle in M2–The Fight is On Now!, Imperium News Network, by Gray Doc
• The Massacre at M2-XFE, EVE Online, by CCP Aurora
• The Massacre of M2-XFE: a Titan Graveyard Unlike Any Battle in EVE Online’s History, New Eden Post, by Redline XIII