Core Dynamics’ latest triumph the Kestrel Mk II in now available in Elite Dangerous via ARX Early Access!Learn more about the Kestrel Mk II.

The Kestrel Mk II is available in the following bundles:

STANDARD

Take on all who challenge you in a new way with the Kestrel Mk II, the latest in combat innovation from Core Dynamics.

Includes:

• Kestrel Mk II Ship
• Kestrel Mk II Shipyard Unlock
• Kestrel Mk II Owners Club Decal

Get the Standard Edition Now

STELLAR

Concentrate fire on enemies big and small with this compact highly agile Stellar edition of the Kestrel Mk II, the latest in combat innovation from Core Dynamics. Equipped with Mk II agile boost thrusters for high speed agile boosting manoeuvrability and three Mk II plasma shock accelerators you'll be sure to shake up the status quo.

Includes:

• Kestrel Mk II Ship
• High-Spec Agile Combat Loadout
• Class 4 FSD (SCO), Mk II Plasma Shock Accelerators and Mk II Agile Boost Thrusters
• Kestrel Mk II Primacy White Paint Job
• Kestrel Mk II Aggro Ship Kit
• Kestrel Mk II Shipyard Unlock
• Kestrel Mk II Owners Club Decal

Get the Stellar Edition Now

GALACTIC

Add some flair to the fear you'll impose on the enemy with the Galactic version of the Kestrel Mk II, utilising the same combat loadout as the Stellar version, pre-equipped in Galactic style. Mk II agile boost thrusters for increased manoeuvrability while boosting, Mk II plasma shock accelerators weapons and Mk II SCO capable FSD allowing increased boosting as well as 2 Ship Kits, 6 Paint Jobs and Flare Animated Holo-Kit.

Includes:

• Kestrel Mk II Ship
• High-Spec Agile Combat Loadout
• Class 4 FSD (SCO), Mk II Plasma Shock Accelerators and Mk II Agile Boost Thrusters
• All Kestrel Mk II Stellar Bundle Content
• Kestrel Mk II Flare Red Holo-Kit Pack
• Kestrel Mk II Swift Ship Kit Pack
• Kestrel Mk II Shipyard Unlock
• Kestrel Mk II Owners Club Decal

Get the Galactic Edition Now

The holiday season is almost here, and to celebrate this special time of year, we’re bringing festive rewards and activities for everyone to enjoy. 

Sandra’s Workshop

Sandra Corrs, the philanthropist and CEO of the renowned toy manufacturer Sandra’s Workshop at Frost Dock, needs your help! One of her mischievous workers has replaced six delivery letters with riddles. Your mission: solve these riddles and ensure festive gifts reach the correct destinations.

Galnet has all the details you’ll need to!

Festive Calendar:

If you missed it, we’ve been running a festive calendar packed with free paint jobs and items on select dates. Don’t worry—you can still claim these goodies until January 8th.

Twitch Drops:

We’re excited to bring back the chance to earn exclusive paint job rewards through Twitch Drops!

Tune into Elite Dangerous streamers of all levels on Twitch and unlock a range of stunning designs. Drops are available until December 30th at 11:00 UTC, so don’t miss your opportunity! 

Check out the Festive Twitch Drops article for more details.

Festive Ship Paint Jobs:

Amongst the festive celebrations, four of the galaxy’s latest ships are getting a seasonal makeover! The Corsair, Panther Clipper MK II, Type-11 Prospector, and the Caspian Explorer will soon be available with new festive designs.

Available from the 18th of December.

As mentioned in our November Blog, the team is hard at work on exciting new content and features for the New Year. We’ll share more in the next Developer Log video in February - we can’t wait to see you there!

That’s all for this transmission. Keep your sensors tuned to our channels for further updates. Until then, have a wonderful festive season and fly safe, Commanders.

o7

With the arrival of the Caspian Explorer and the festive season, we are bringing back the chance to earn paint job rewards through Twitch drops, for our Elite Dangerous streamers of all levels!

Tune in to some of your favorite Elite Dangerous streamers on Twitch or YouTube (or both!) to be in with a chance to earn these sleek paint jobs for joining in the fun!

From Tuesday December 2nd, 11:00 UTC until December 30th at 11:00 UTC, you will have the chance to earn these unique Snowfall Icicle paint jobs in the form of Twitch Drops from our partnered Twitch streamers or code drops via our YouTube creators!

The example above is a glimpse at the design, however there are four to collect!

Twitch Drop Information

If you're tuning in to our creators via Twitch, the following paintjobs will be available as drops as follows:

• Viewers to watch for 15 minutes to earn the Anaconda Snowfall Icicle paint Job.
• Viewers to watch for 30 minutes to earn the Krait Phantom Snowfall Icicle paint job.
• Viewers to watch for 1 hour to earn the Diamondback Explorer Snowfall Icicle paint job.
• Viewers to watch for 1 hour 30 minutes to earn the Type-9 Snowfall Icicle paint job.

Drops For All!

If you're not currently an Elite Dangerous partnered Twitch streamer, fear not, for YOU TOO can gift drops to your loyal community!

That's right, we're offering up the following paint jobs as drops for all who choose to stream Elite Dangerous via Twitch between the dates of December 2nd (11:00 UTC) and December 30th (11:00 UTC)!

Viewers to watch for 30 minutes to earn the Krait Phantom Snowfall Icicle paint job.

Viewers to watch for 1 hour 30 minutes to earn the Type-9 Snowfall Icicle paint job.

Be sure to watch out for any participation announcements from our partners who have signed up to this campaign, by checking them out here:

• Partner Wave 1
• Partner Wave 2
• Partner Wave 3
• Partner Wave 4
• Partner Wave 5
• Partner Wave 6
• Partner Wave 7

Simply tune in to one of the participating creator streams for the above durations throughout the celebratory period and claim your rewards on Twitch!

LINKING YOUR TWITCH & FRONTIER STORE ACCOUNTS

To make sure everything runs smoothly, if this is your first time participating in a Twitch Drop campaign for Elite Dangerous, please follow the short list of instructions below to setup your account:

1. Create an account at https://www.frontierstore.net/ if you haven't already.
2. Link your Elite Dangerous account to your Frontier Store account if you haven't already.
3. Link your Twitch account to your Frontier Store account here.

Once that's all done, you're ready to go! Simply watch for 30 minutes+ , make sure to claim your reward on Twitch, and your paintjob should appear in-game shortly afterwards.

We're excited to announce the next squadron of awesome content creators who are joining the ranks of the Elite Dangerous Partner Program!

Please welcome:

• PeaceAndLoveJodi
• Gaming Snips and Bits
• Digmbot
• TheNakedRaider
• Esdeeon
• Slamscape
• EkyLibre
• Dituri's Elite
• TheOldManThatGames
• Elknud

They will be joining forces alongside our current partners who you can check out here: Wave 1, Wave 2, Wave 3, Wave 4, Wave 5 and Wave 6.

Twitch Drops

By tuning in to watch those of our official Elite Dangerous Partners who stream via Twitch, you can earn yourself some unique paint jobs for a selection of your favourite ships when Twitch drops are active!  

YouTube Paint Job Gift Codes

If your preferred streaming platform is YouTube, fear not, our YouTube creators are issued their very own paint job bundle codes to share with their communities!

Future Applications

If you haven't been selected this time around, or you're yet to apply to become an official Elite Dangerous Partner and are considering doing so, our next review date for applicants will be in 2026.

By becoming a member of the program you can gain access to these exciting benefits!

• Content and channel promotion from Elite Dangerous channels and streams.
• Twitch Drops for your own Twitch channels and code bundles for YouTube channels containing in-game cosmetics.
• An exclusive set of Elite Partner Program merchandise.
• Early behind the scenes looks at upcoming content

Click the link at the foot of this article to access the official Elite Dangerous Partner Program portal for more information and to look around!

We’ve got plenty to cover today - from a deeper dive into Zorgon Peterson’s Caspian Explorer, to the latest intelligence from HIP 87621, and a first look at changes coming to on-foot combat - here's what’s coming next.

Discover New Horizons: Meet the Caspian Explorer

With cutting-edge modular compatibility, the Caspian Explorer is Zorgon Petersons latest masterpiece. Discover new horizons; this large class vessel is built for long-range expeditions, making it the perfect choice for those who chase the thrill of discovery. Combining its raw capability with refined engineering, it makes every journey across the Black unforgettable.

Building on the heritage of the Mandalay, the Caspian Explorer offers a commanding presence and panoramic cockpit views which turn each descent into a spectacle. With its sleek landing profile and reinforced hull, whether you are gliding over icy ridges or threading through volcanic plains, approaches have never been smoother.

The Caspian Explorer introduces three new MKII modules:

• Armour which allows for steeper, faster gliding and seamless orbital approaches.
• Optimised thrusters tuned for near-planet flight, reducing the impact of gravity on thrusters.
• FSD supercharge upgrade which pushes the range further when scooping from neutron and white dwarf starts.

With a Size 8 Frame Shift Drive and generous internal capacity, this ship is built to carry every tool an explorer could need, all without sacrificing jump range or maneuverability. And, while it was designed for discovery, the Caspian Explorer can adapt. Its layout supports long-range trading & mining, and with seven hardpoints (6x medium and 1x large) it’s well equipped to handle unexpected encounters.

Technical Spec:

Hardpoints:

• 1 x Large Hardpoint
• 6 x Medium Hardpoint

Core Internals:

• Size 8 Power Plant
• Size 7 Thrusters
• Size 8 SFD
• Size 5 Life Support
• Size 7 Power Distributor
• Size 8 Sensors
• Size 7 Fuel Tank

Optional Internals:

• 3 × Size 1
• 1 × Size 2
• 1 × Size 3
• 2 × Size 4
• 4 × Size 5
• 2 × Size 6
• 1 × Size 7

We are pleased to confirm that the Caspian Explorer will be available via ARX Early Access on December 2nd.

On-Foot Combat & Weapon Rebalancing:

The fight on the ground is about to feel smarter, sharper, and more responsive. The team has been reworking on-foot combat to make it more dynamic and satisfying. Here’s what we are changing:

Weapon Adjustments:

• All weapons have faster stow and draw times.
• Plasma weapons have increased projectile velocity.
• Select weapons have had ammo, clip size, and damage values adjusted to align with the new balance changes.
  • Damage type interactions have been reworked.
  • Lasers now deal more damage to health.
  • Kinetic weapons deals more damage to shields.
  • Previous cross-type bonuses have been reduced.

Smarter AI:

• Enemy AI will make better decisions about taking cover and their positioning.
• Enemy AI will move with greater urgency when required and can also advance more aggressively to flush players out.

These updates are part of our long-term plan to bring on-foot and space gameplay together, creating a more cohesive experience for Commanders on all fronts from December 2nd.

HIP 87621:

The mystery surrounding HIP 87621 has gripped the Galaxy since August, when Terri Tora's trail of beacons led Commanders to the system. Where there had been whispers of a secret hidden here for decades by the October Consortium.

Speculation has grown in recent months, and the Powers have been building an enclave of systems around HIP 87621, signaling high interest in something. However, no direct moves have been made yet, but the tension is undeniable.

Two weeks ago, mounting pressure forced the October Consortium to open the system, where Commanders then uncovered a new species of flora – Radicoida Unica. One week later, leaked Galnet reports alluded to its unique bio-chemical applications and suggested the Power’s interest is far from over. Over the past two weeks, more than 25,000 Commanders have sampled this new discovery, feeding a torrent of data into the hands of those who stand to gain the most.

With just two days left of the sampling initiative, the scene is set for something much bigger – keep an eye on Galnet and our social channels for the latest updates.

The team is hard at work on new content and features, and we couldn't be more excited about what’s coming in the new year. We’ll be back with the next Developer Log video in February which will go into more detail about what's to come...

That’s all for this transmission. Keep your sensors tuned into our channels for further updates into HIP 87621, the upcoming combat rebalancing, and more on the Caspian Explorer as it prepares to launch. Until then, fly safe Commanders.

o7

Zorgon Peterson's latest masterpiece the Caspian Explorer in now available in Elite Dangerous via ARX Early Access!

Learn more about the Caspian Explorer.

The Caspian Explorer is available in the following bundles:

STANDARD

Embrace the depths of space with the Caspian Explorer, the latest in large vessel exploration from Zorgon Peterson.

Includes:

• Caspian Explorer Ship
• Caspian Explorer Shipyard Unlock
• Caspian Explorer Owners Club Decal

Get the Standard Edition Now

STELLAR

Explore deeper into the unknown with the Stellar version of the Caspian Explorer, large exploration vessel made for delving into the unknown. Fitted with Mk II armour for faster planet entry, Mk II Thrusters for better surface control and Mk II SCO capable FSD allowing increased boosting across the stars.

Includes:

• Caspian Explorer Ship
• High-Spec Exploration Loadout
• Class 8 Mk II FSD (SCO), Mk II Armour and MK II Thrusters.
• Caspian Explorer Journey Slate Paint Job
• Caspian Explorer Voyage Ship Kit
• Caspian Explorer Shipyard Unlock
• Caspian Explorer Owners Club Decal

Get the Stellar Edition Now

GALACTIC

Traverse space in style with the Galactic version of the Caspian Explorer. Utilising the same exploration loadout as the Stellar version, pre-equipped in Galactic style. Mk II armour for faster planet entry, Mk II Thrusters for better surface control and Mk II SCO capable FSD allowing increased boosting as well as 2 Ship Kits, 6 Paint Jobs and Lodestar Animated Holo-Kit.

Includes:

• Caspian Explorer Ship
• High-Spec Exploration Loadout
• Class 8 Mk II FSD (SCO), Mk II Armour and MK II Thrusters.
• All Caspian Explorer Stellar Bundle Content
• Caspian Explorer Lodestar Blue Holo-Kit Pack
• Caspian Explorer Deep Space Ship Kit Pack
• Caspian Explorer Shipyard Unlock
• Caspian Explorer Owners Club Decal

If you’ve yet to upgrade to Elite Dangerous: Odyssey, it may help to know what the expansion adds aside from an airlock to the great outdoors. Yes, you can walk the same settlements and planetary surfaces you may be familiar with from inside your SRV, but you’ll have a greater variety of planets and moons to explore, with many more diverse and distinct geological features across them than exist in Elite Dangerous alone.

The increased variety is enhanced by the fact that there are billions of undiscovered bodies in the galaxy. You could be forever associated with many of them by being the first to set foot there, or by discovering the first stirrings of life within a thin atmospheric world. There’s a lot to find - and much profit to be made - if you know where to look!

Meanwhile, across settled space, you can disembark from your ship and gain a new appreciation of its size and any customisations you have applied to make it uniquely yours. Once you’re done gawping, simply take the lift up to the station concourse where you can shop, socialise and take on a variety of missions that will test your first-person combat and stealth abilities to the limit - and reward you with the materials to upgrade your gear. 

Also unlocked through Odyssey are two new ranking categories, Mercenary and Exobiologist. The former the on-foot equivalent of the in-space Combat ranking and Exobiologist a standalone expansion to the Explorer ranking. Currently you may be Defenceless and Directionless - literally and figuratively - but all that’s about to change…

FIRST STEPS

Your ambulatory adventure began of course at Briscoe’s Legacy, where you will have discovered how to use TERMINALS to select and locate objectives within facilities, the ENERGYLINK TOOL to charge open and overload doors, the ARC CUTTER to cut through maintenance panels and the PROFILE ANALYSER to scan bodies and clone security profiles to gain access to restricted areas. Hopefully during the course of the engagement you will have become adept at manoeuvring in your Maverick Suit - including using jump assist to get to higher ground - activating your personal shield, replenishing your health, picking up any items that may be of use and using “Lasers for shields. Bullets for bodies” as Mr. Sylke so precisely put it. If you want to hone your newfound skills still further, you can relive the mission by exiting to the MAIN MENU and replaying SURFACE OPERATION from the listed TUTORIALS.

Relieved of your weapons and equipment, you will then have been returned to the settlement of Chamberlain’s Rest, where you are asked to pay a visit to INTER ASTRA, which is where you can buy and manage your ships and from where you will be reminded of your ship training. Next you need to head to PIONEER SUPPLIES, which is the chain of retail outlets for all your on-foot equipment needs, from suits and weapons to the consumables for any future assignment.

DELIVERY MISSIONS

You’ll begin by acquiring your own MAVERICK SUIT, which is the main suit you should use for settlement-based missions, as it allows you to salvage more gear than the others and comes equipped with the ARC CUTTER. The lighter ARTEMIS SUIT is designed for exobiology and the DOMINATOR SUIT purely for combat, with its increased shield strength and extra weapons slot. We’ll get into both later.

Once you’ve found a TERMINAL and created and equipped your MAVERICK SUIT loadout, select the MISSION BOARD where you’ll see a few DELIVERY missions for the local system. Don’t worry, you won’t need to be armed to complete them, you just need to hand over whatever it is you’ve been asked to deliver in person, usually at another station or a settlement. To start your journey there, head back to the EXPRESS LIFTS and board your vessel.

After you’ve taken off from Chamberlain’s Rest and are no longer mass-locked, select the closest mission destination from the NAVIGATION tab of the left-hand EXTERNAL PANEL of your ship - it will be highlighted blue - then select LOCK AND SUPERCRUISE. If it’s a planetary settlement you are headed to, if you activate SUPERCRUISE ASSIST your ship will take up orbit around the target body. When you’re ready to attempt a landing, DEACTIVATE SUPERCRUISE ASSIST and aim for the settlement, making sure it’s not obscured by the curvature of the planetary surface (as shown by a dashed circle) and that your speed and angle of descent is not too high - 50-65 degrees is recommended. If you are coming down on the dark side of the body, you can turn on NIGHT VISION via the SHIP tab of your ship’s INTERNAL PANEL. Submit a docking request when you are within 7.5km of the settlement, then slow to zero as you would outside a station and allow your AUTO DOCK to set you down.

DISEMBARK and look for a TERMINAL, which are shown as monitor icons on the radar in the top left of the screen. There, select the name of the person you need to meet from the STAFF LIST and they will be highlighted on the compass at the top of your screen. Head over to them to complete the delivery. Be still if you are stopped by a member of the security team and targeted for a scan as they don’t need much of an excuse to draw their weapons. If you’re armed and accidentally draw your weapon, quickly holster it. You won’t be given a second warning. 

Once you’ve completed the delivery, see if there are any new missions via a nearby TERMINAL, then take off and either head to the next rendezvous, or head back to Chamberlain’s Rest to claim your rewards.

INFILTRATING SETTLEMENTS

Once you have enough credits to augment your suit with a primary weapon and a few consumables from PIONEER SUPPLIES, it’s time to broaden your horizons and take on something more challenging. However, rather than charge ahead into the different types of missions where failure might cause you to incur a criminal record, it’s best to head somewhere where your mistakes won’t be so costly. Think of it as a practise run for all that can - and probably will - go wrong

Bring up the GALAXY MAP and select the GOVERNMENTS tab under the PILOTS’ FEDERATION Map Mode, then toggle ANARCHY. You’ll want a system that has a number of planetary settlements, which is hard to discern if you’ve not explored the system. The best candidate close to Chamberlain’s Rest is HIP 97704, which is three jumps away in your Sidewinder. When you arrive, open the SYSTEM MAP and target the third body orbiting the second gas giant. As you near it’ll register as HIP 97704 2 C and you’ll be able to target the tiny agricultural settlement of Lai Botanical Habitat. Tiny means fewer humans to deal with and agricultural means more civilians relative to trigger-happy goons. With its administration being an Anarchy, while the local population will react in kind to any unlawful killings, it won’t besmirch your good standing in the galaxy.

You can either disembark at the settlement or land just outside and drive closer with your SRV. For larger settlements with more robust defences, you may want to keep your ship close by but out of danger, while an SRV can provide a handy loot drop-off and rearming point. Its turret might come in handy as well.

It’s up to you how to secure the settlement, but it’s best to begin stealthily and if things take a turn for the worse, you can switch to an all-guns-blazing approach. Start with deactivating the alarm system, which will stop security from calling in reinforcements. Often the alarm console is in a building with level 3 clearance, which in this case is the Power Centre. You can target it by selecting FACILITIES from a nearby Terminal. While you are there, check out the STAFF LIST and consider targeting anyone with a level 3 clearance. As you did at Briscoe’s Legacy, you can use your PROFILE ANALYSER to clone their security profile and gain access that way. However, you need to be careful here when dealing with the living. Having a weapon readied or any of your equipment switched to in an illegal mode while in full view of someone will either generate a warning or invite outright hostility. Similarly, if you are carrying any illegal or stolen items, or if you are spotted in an area you shouldn’t be in - regardless of your borrowed security clearance - you can expect your hosts to turn on you.

Get used to using the radar for sneaking around. If they are not facing you, you won’t be seen by any NPC outside of the red circle. For those within it, try to remain crouched and outside their field of vision. Then you can sneak behind them and steal their security profile without being noticed. You can also use your ENERGYLINK in OVERLOAD MODE to silently take them down. 

While stunned and dead bodies will arouse suspicion, unless you’re seen committing the crime and the alarm is raised, you can continue about your business. This makes sniping from atop buildings a good way to take out guards before entering any buildings, as they will only activate their personal shields when threatened. However, it’s likely you will be spotted and the pretence will be over, hopefully by which point either the alarm system will be deactivated, or the enemy will be reduced enough to be able to deal with whoever's left without too much trouble. Once you are the last person standing, salvage as much material as you can carry and leave. The more Anarchy settlements you subdue in this way, the better prepared you are for more demanding missions and the more materials you’ll collect to upgrade your equipment.

CONFLICT ZONES

If you have awakened a taste for combat, or wish to take on a more persistent heavily-armed foe, with your DOMINATOR SUIT equipped visit FRONTLINE SOLUTIONS at any station concourse and you may be able to join a CONFLICT ZONE within the system. CZs can take place in space between ships - which you can just fly to - or over a ground-based settlement, to which Frontline Solutions will transport you and literally drop you off. However, if there are no local ground CZs, you will need to head to the nearest system that is either in a WAR or CIVIL WAR State, which you can find via the STATE tab of the PILOT’S FEDERATION Map Mode of the GALAXY MAP.

On foot CZs are effectively 12vs12 team deathmatches, with NPCs filling in for human players. Upon nearing a ground CZ you will be asked to join one of the sides and will thereafter spawn on that team. The aim is to bring the opposition’s point score down from 1,000 to zero before the same fate befalls your side. Points are lost by being “critically injured”, or by losing control of any of the six control points. All combatants will receive Combat Bonds for their contribution, which can be turned in upon your return to Frontline Solutions in return for Influence and credits. All unused consumables picked up from the battlefield are removed at the end of the conflict.   

EXOBIOLOGY

If abiogenesis and the discovery of new life interests you, exobiology can be one of the most rewarding career choices you can make - quite literally, as the volume of per-hour credits to be earned from cataloguing nascent civilisations is among the highest. Of course, you’ll need to do a little more than turn over the nearest rock, with lengthy travel required to reach the space that no one has gone to before to secure the best returns. 

Before you head out, you'll need an ARTEMIS SUIT and a suitable exploration ship. Your Sidewinder will suffice if all you’re looking to do is sample the life of an exobiologist, but the further you can increase its jump range with which to escape the Bubble the better. As well as the best FSD you can afford, you’ll need a Detailed Surface Scanner and a Fuel Scoop

Exobiology is essentially an expansion of exploration, which you'll find outlined here. Basically, once you’ve completed a surface scan of a nearby planetary body, the heat map will tell you if there is life to be discovered. If there are multiple biological signals, it is often best to make your way towards the one that appears to have colonised the smallest areas of the planet, since it will likely overlap with one of the bigger signals and you may be able to take numerous samples without having to take off and land too many times.

You will need to collect three samples of each lifeform using your suit’s GENETIC SAMPLER, with then needing to be some hundreds of metres apart (distances vary depending on the lifeform). You may need to utilise an SRV to reduce the travel times between sample sites, although it’s often easier to get back into your ship to figure out where they are from above. Once you’ve collected the three samples, you will need to register your claim at a branch of VISTA GENOMICS to secure your reward. The amount of credits will be much higher if you are the first to scan the body where the samples were taken, the first to make a footfall and the first to register the lifeform. However, if you lose your ship on the return journey, all your claims will be lost to the void.

LAST WORDS

Whether you choose the quiet pursuit of science, the thrill of infiltration, or the adrenaline of frontline combat - or would rather rest your legs and enjoy the home comforts of your commander’s chair - you should now have all the information you need to plot your course ahead, whether your journey takes you through entire systems or across the worlds within them.

One of the great benefits of Odyssey is that as well as full access to the most up-to-date and active version of Elite Dangerous, as new ships are fully incorporated into the game’s economy, you’ll be able to purchase them with in-game credits. So, if there are any recently-added ships you’ve passed on for whatever reason, with Odyssey you can sate your curiosity once the ARX early access period for a ship has ended. 

However you acquired it, unlike the verifiable rocket science that goes into mastering your ship, becoming a proficient mercenary or exobiologist essentially revolves around the three specialised suits: Artemis for exploration, Dominator for ground combat zones and Maverick for stealth and infiltrating settlements to gather valuable engineering materials and data needed to upgrade your gear. This material gathering is crucial to advancing on foot (as it is in space), as engineered weapons and suits are essential if you hope to compete with and alongside more established Commanders. A subject for another time, perhaps...

Commander Righton first blasted off from Lave more than 40 years ago, with a head full of dreams and a pocket full of change. This was back when 100 credits could get you a long way, despite the 7 ly jump limit. After a lifetime exploring other galaxies, he's returned to impart his dubious wisdom, baffled at the parlous state of zero-g cricket and how his home planet has become more notable for a radio show than its once-famous tree grubs. 

With the Type-11 Prospector update arriving earlier this week we are bringing back the chance to earn paint job rewards through Twitch drops, for our Elite Dangerous streamers of all levels!

Tune in to some of your favorite Elite Dangerous streamers on Twitch or YouTube (or both!) to be in with a chance to earn these sleek paint jobs for joining in the fun!

From Wednesday October 1st, 17:00 UTC until October 29th at 17:00 UTC, you will have the chance to earn these unique Planetary Purple paint jobs in the form of Twitch Drops from our partnered Twitch streamers or code drops via our YouTube creators!

The example above is a glimpse at the design, however there are four to collect!

Twitch Drop Information

If you're tuning in to our creators via Twitch, the following paintjobs will be available as drops as follows:

• Viewers to watch for 15 minutes to earn the Planetary Purple Weapon Skin.
• Viewers to watch for 30 minutes to earn the Planetary Purple SRV.
• Viewers to watch for 1 hour to earn the Planetary Purple Suit.
• Viewers to watch for 1 hour 30 minutes to earn the Planetary Purple Port – Outpost.

Drops For All!

If you're not currently an Elite Dangerous partnered Twitch streamer, fear not, for YOU TOO can gift drops to your loyal community!

That's right, we're offering up the following paint jobs as drops for all who choose to stream Elite Dangerous via Twitch between the dates of October 1st (17:00 UTC) and October 29th (17:00 UTC)!

Viewers to watch for 30 minutes to earn the Planetary Purple SRV.

Viewers to watch for 1 hour 30 minutes to earn the Planetary Purple Port – Outpost.

Be sure to watch out for any participation announcements from our partners who have signed up to this campaign, by checking them out here:

• Partner Wave 1
• Partner Wave 2
• Partner Wave 3
• Partner Wave 4
• Partner Wave 5
• Partner Wave 6

Simply tune in to one of the participating creator streams for the above durations throughout the celebratory period and claim your rewards on Twitch!

Linking your Twitch & Frontier Store Accounts

To make sure everything runs smoothly, if this is your first time participating in a Twitch Drop campaign for Elite Dangerous, please follow the short list of instructions below to setup your account:

1. Create an account at https://www.frontierstore.net/ if you haven't already.
2. Link your Elite Dangerous account to your Frontier Store account if you haven't already.
3. Link your Twitch account to your Frontier Store account here.

Once that's all done, you're ready to go! Simply watch for 30 minutes+ , make sure to claim your reward on Twitch, and your paintjob should appear in-game shortly afterwards.

With your trusty Sidewinder ready for you to take the helm, you stand on the threshold of a vast galaxy full of wonder, opportunity and danger. However, before you take the first steps along the main avenues for earning credits, you’ll need to familiarise yourself with your surroundings. Not simply your ship and how to fly it, but the many interactions and options for progression on which the success of your journey will depend.

Regardless of where you begin, a great first step is to take on a few missions. Select STARPORT SERVICES from the main station view, then MISSION BOARD. Among the TRANSPORTATION missions there will be a COURIER JOB with a low Threat Level that requires you to travel a few light years away. If there are any other missions with the same destination system, ideally to the same starport (you should avoid planetary settlements for now), consider accepting those as well.

Stacking missions can be time-saving and lucrative, but avoid those that are beyond the capabilities of your ship (or its pilot). Courier and data delivery missions are fine in a basic Sidewinder where cargo capacity is of no importance, but for multiple cargo delivery, sourcing and mining missions you should wait until you have a more capable vessel. 

This is a good opportunity to try out the GALAXY MAP to get your bearings. You can either open it with “1” on the keyboard (or “Left face button” + “Left D-pad”), or by selecting the Galaxy Map icon on the NAVIGATION tab of the External Panel (which will put your current position at the centre of the screen), or via the same icon within the selected mission in the TRANSACTION (which will focus on the mission location). With your destination selected, hold down the required shortcut to plot a route to the system. You can now exit the map, undock and make your way there. Upon arrival, open up the MISSION BOARD via STARPORT SERVICES to receive your rewards.

Outfitting

Once you’ve completed a few mission runs you’ll start to become aware of your vessel’s limitations, so let’s upgrade it with improved modules. It’s worth remembering that there’s no depreciation on ships, weapons or modules, so whether you buy something in error or hold onto it for a while, you won’t lose any of your initial outlay.

From STARPORT SERVICES select OUTFITTING, where you’ll see module slots divided between HARDPOINTS (offensive modules), UTILITY MOUNTS, which tend to be external defensive modules, CORE INTERNAL that every ship needs to function and OPTIONAL INTERNALS which are usually geared around what you intend to do in your ship. 

Modules are categorised by CLASS (size) and RATING (A - E). E-rated are the most basic, D the lightest (maximising jump range), C is considered an effective budget option, B the sturdiest option and A-rated often the best all-round choice - and most expensive as a consequence. It depends on the module, but as a rule pilots will aim for A-rated modules when it comes to drives and power, C-rated where money is tight, and D-rated for exploring the far reaches of space.

Probably the most strident piece of advice you’ll be offered is not to fly what you can’t afford to rebuy. That’s because if you can’t afford the insurance premium - typically a small percentage of a ship’s original cost plus that of bought installed modules (as stated on your INTERNAL PANEL, just below your current bank balance) - then all you will be offered upon its destruction is the same stock Sidewinder with which you started. Be aware that all cargo, unclaimed bounties and cartographic data is lost upon a ship’s destruction.

Trading

To afford your first trading ship you could complete a few more missions until you have enough for a Hauler, or, for slightly fewer credits you can simply upgrade your Sidewinder. Let’s do that and replace the 2E POWER PLANT with a 2D one, not because it specifically benefits trading, but because the reduced weight gives a small boost to speed, manoeuvrability and jump range. We’ll also fill the empty OPTIONAL slot with a 1E CARGO RACK and replace the PLANETARY VEHICLE HANGAR WITH a 2E CARGO RACK, which between them gives us the same cargo space as the Hauler. Basically, the higher your cargo capacity and jump range, the better equipped you are for trading

Deciding what to trade is the trickier aspect, but as with all capitalist endeavours the core concept of buy-low-sell-high applies. By looking at a system’s economy TYPE and STATE, you can make a pretty good judgement about what it produces and what it needs. For example, a REFINERY economy relies on raw materials produced by EXTRACTION economies. In turn, MILITARY and HIGH TECH economies will rely to a large degree on REFINERY economies.

The STATE of an economy can have a huge impact on supply and demand. A FAMINE state demands more basic foods than usual, while medicines will be in short supply where there is any kind of OUTBREAK. If you chance across a BOOM state - the motherlode for traders - the population will generally consume more of everything. 

If you’re looking for a trading opportunity in your current system, simply bring up the COMMODITIES MARKET via STARPORT SERVICES. As a rule you want to BUY from the current market at as far below the “galactic average” as possible and sell it elsewhere for as high a price as possible. Other factors that determine whether a trade is worthwhile is how much you can carry, how far you have to travel to sell and how profitable the next leg or return might be. 

A better tool for planning future trade runs is the GALAXY MAP. If you select the TRADE ROUTES icon, you can see which types of goods are moving between systems, with a yellow arc denoting TEXTILES, for example. You can toggle specific goods within each category, but note that the map will only highlight selected trade routes for systems you have docked within during the last 24 hours. If necessary, you can BUY TRENDING TRADE DATA for a system via the column of icons on the right of the map.

As its name suggests the Hauler is a capable trading vessel for a minimal credit outlay, but most would argue the case for the Cobra Mk III. Despite its multi-role capabilities, it can be fitted with enough cargo space to keep you in business until you can afford to start looking at the Type-6 and the rest of the Lakon Spaceways range. Those looking for a leg up might want to consider Type-9 Jumpstart. It may have been superseded by the Panther Clipper Mk II in terms of cargo capacity, but it remains a popular and reliable ship with an excellent jump range. Similarly for passenger missions, the Beluga Liner Luxury Transport Jumpstart is the premium option for space tourists to view the majesty of the cosmos.

Mining

Everything in the galaxy has to originate from somewhere and for all that humanity covets, that’s in an asteroid orbiting a ringed gas giant. LASER MINING and the more intricate process of CORE MINING (which involves placing charges to blow rocks apart) are how ore and other base minerals are extracted. To find out where, open the GALAXY MAP, select the ECONOMY tab via the PILOTS’ FEDERATION Map Mode, then toggle EXTRACTION. If you’ve been to the system or acquired its available exploration data, the SYSTEM MAP will be accessible and you can scout out a spot from which to mine.

Most ships can be kitted out as miners, but if you just want to sample the life of a rock hermit, all you need are a Detailed Surface Scanner to map potential hotspots within planetary rings, a Mining Laser, Limpet Controllers (for both prospecting and collecting) and a Refinery to turn the fragments you collect into a saleable resource. A sizable cargo hold will also be handy, and be sure it’s at least half full with Limpets - bought from STARPORT SERVICES > SHIP SERVICES - before you depart. Salvaging space material is a fiddly and time-consuming process without them, hence the common refrain ‘Don’t forget your Limpets!’ (Spoiler: You will, and curse yourself each time.)

When you arrive at your mining spot, you may be approached by a ship eager to relieve you of your cargo. If you’ve not got any - limpets don’t count - they will scan you and move on. Once they do, you can begin the mining process by launching a Prospector at a nearby rock to give you an idea of what it contains before activating your mining laser. Launch Collector Limpets to have them bring mined fragments into your open cargo hold and the Refinery will automatically get to work on them, depositing the processed ore into your hold. To avoid having to jettison ore that’s not worth your while, you can add ore types to your Ignore List from the CONTACTS tab of the ship’s EXTERNAL PANEL.

Miners tend to prefer medium ships to larger ones, with the Python and Krait Mk II traditionally favoured for their manoeuvrability and cargo space. Both can be fitted for either laser or core mining, with the Python marginally better suited for a dual role. Recently the Type-8 has begun to find favour as a core miner, although that might change with the availability of the Type-11 Prospector. Among larger ships, the Imperial Cutter remains popular, as does the Type-9 Heavy. Those looking for ARX-based options should consider the Krait Mk II Upgraded Laser Mining Jumpstart and the Python Core Mining Jumpstart.

Exploration

It may surprise you to know that more than 99% of the galaxy remains unexplored and it will be many lifetimes before all its mysteries are revealed. Devote yours to exploration and not only will you be contributing to the sum of human knowledge, but you could make a pretty penny in the process.

Seriously dedicated explorers will often operate many thousands of light years from the so-called Bubble, sometimes for weeks at a time. Their ships are unarmed and fitted with lighter D-rated modules to maximise FSD jump range, fuel scoops to harvest fuel (the acronym “KGBFOAM” refers to the types of stars you skin the corona of) and a Detailed Surface Scanner (DSS).

There are essentially three levels to exploration, each one requiring a different ship scanner while travelling in Supercruise and with ANALYSIS MODE active (press “M” on keyboard or “Up Face button” + “Up D-pad”). The Discovery Scanner (or D-Scanner) is common to all ships and used to detect signals within the current system. Activating it unleashes what pilots refer to as the “honk” and doing so is recommended for every system you visit, regardless of whether you consider yourself an explorer or not.

To identify and locate signal sources within a system, you need to use your fitted-as-standard Full Spectrum System scanner (FSS). Where the D-Scanner requires a simple button press, the FSS needs to be tuned to different frequencies and a reticle panned along the orbital plane to locate and identify bodies within the system.

Finally, there's the aforementioned Detailed Surface Scanner (DSS), which uses probe data to map the surface of each planetary body. Fly towards one in Supercruise and when the DSS is in range, activate it and launch probes into and around the surface. (One at the centre and three around is usually sufficient to generate 100% coverage.) Detailed Surface Scans, especially of Earth-like, water and ammonia-based worlds can be especially lucrative finds, and all planetary bodies will earn pilots a huge Credit bonus if they are the first to log their findings at a UNIVERSAL CARTGRAPHICS facility.

While the Mandalay has quickly overtaken it as the explorer’s ship of choice, the classic Asp Explorer remains a very capable vessel. However, if you’re looking for a cheaper option, you can’t go wrong with the Diamondback Scout or the more capable Diamondback Explorer, which have the perfect form factor for landing on rocky planets. If you need to get away from civilisation as quickly as possible, The Asp Explorer Exploration Jumpstart has an almost unrivaled jump range, as well as reinforced hull armour to protect you from any bumpy landings. 

Combat

You already know how to get from A to B, but to succeed in combat you need a deeper mastery of how your ship operates, one that includes an appreciation for power and heat management that can only come from refining how you outfit your ship.

Naturally you will need a dedicated combat ship, or a multi-role vessel specifically fitted for enemy engagements. For a ship's modules, a Shield Generator is often desirable and Hull Reinforcement modules are a good choice for when shields inevitably fail. For weapons, a mix of thermal (lasers) and kinetic (multi-cannons) is a popular combination. Thermal weapons are highly effective at stripping shields, while kinetic weapons excel at damaging the hull once the shields are gone. You should bind your fire groups so you can fire both types of weapons simultaneously. Gimballed mounts are a forgiving option for rookie combat pilots, as they allow your weapons to automatically track targets in a limited cone.

Once in a fight, pip management is a crucial skill. Your ship's power distributor has six "pips" you can allocate to three systems: Systems (SYS), Engines (ENG), and Weapons (WEP). When you're under attack, put pips to SYS to increase shield strength. When you're trying to outmaneuver an opponent, put them in ENG for better speed and turning. When you have a clear shot, put them in WEP for increased fire duration. The key is to constantly adjust pips depending on the situation you are in.

Practice is the only way to improve your combat readiness. Rather than taking on combat missions however, head to a nearby Resource Extraction Site (RES), one patrolled by system security ships. Follow them around and shoot ships they're already engaging to get bounties without being made the primary target. Avoid high-risk areas like Conflict Zones until you're more comfortable and your ship is better equipped, ideally with engineered modules.

Ask two pilots what the best small combat ship is and they will immediately argue over the Viper Mk III and the Cobra Mk III, before a third pilot arrives to suggest the Vulture. Those looking to fasttrack their way to a suitable combat ship might like to consider the Vulture Bounty Hunter Jumpstart, which is perfect for engaging hostiles in RES sites. Among medium-sized hulls, the Fer-de-lance has long been a popular choice while the Mamba Conflict Zone Jumpstart - the spaceship equivalent of a shotgun on skates - is also great fun to fly. Once you’re ready to brave the Witch Head Nebula, the Alliance Chieftain AX (anti-xeno) Combat Jumpstart has been specifically developed to counter the ever-present Thargoids threat. 

System Colonisation

The resources and logistical might required to build stations used to be the sole preserve of governments and system-spanning corporations, but thanks to recent innovations in ship design, coupled with the oligarchic influence of commanders and squadrons, new markets and facilities have come online, rapidly expanding the frontiers of settled space like never before.

System Colonisation is a relatively simple process - you stake a claim, pay a 25 million credit fee, then have 28 days to source and transport the materials needed to complete construction. Once done, you are recognised for your efforts as the system’s Architect and can develop your system’s infrastructure and economy further at a more deliberate pace.

Preparation is key to bringing your first facility online. System claims must be located within 15 light years of a previously colonised system and within a realistic working range either of a robust market that can supply all your building materials, or one of the seven Trailblazer Megaships that offer them for sale. A good mix of ground and orbital sites is key to future development. It may be tempting to choose a quiet system that only allows for the building of a starport, but it’s much more realistic to start with an outpost, especially if you are working alone. 

Due to the sheer volume of building materials needed to complete early colonisation efforts, ships with large cargo capacities are essential. You should aim for a Type-9 Heavy, which is available for credits as well as a Trading Jumpstart version with a Guardian Frame Shift Booster. You will likely also need a medium-size hauler at some point - to access smaller landing pads - for which you can’t go far wrong with a Type-8.

Last Words

That’s the main career choices covered, but if you are still feeling a little directionless or overwhelmed and are unsure what to do next, signing up to a Community Goal (CG) is often a good option. Active CGs either involve trading, mining, combat or exploration and can be found via the MISSION BOARD and typically last a week or two. The rewards can be substantial, however because they are often focused on a particular system, you may come into contact with commanders whose intentions are less than honourable. To avoid any unpleasant entanglements you may wish to avoid Open Play for a time.

Know that while a tiny minority will be a hindrance, the vast majority of commanders will only be too happy to come to your aid, whether it’s by responding to questions in chat, or offering more substantial guidance across forums and elsewhere, or even offering to fly by your side. You can also seek out like-minded commanders by creating or joining a Squadron. Simply open the SQUADRON interface via your INTERNAL PANEL to find out more. 

For the next stage of your adventure through the galaxy you will naturally be focused on amassing rank and riches and discovering which ship and its modules will best help you secure them. However, perhaps the most important and most difficult lesson to learn is to not be so focused on a destination that you miss the journey. The more of the galaxy you come to experience, the more you understand that success isn’t about having the most money or the highest rankings, or the “right” ship set up in precisely the “right” way, but by having enough of what you need to be able to do what you enjoy doing in any given moment. Good luck finding out what that is, because it’s something that only you can.

Following early feedback from our Partner Program, we will be delaying the release of the Type-11 Prospector and the coinciding update until early next week. This is to allow the team necessary time to address concerns which will improve your experience with the ship.

These changes will include:

• A rebalance of the Prospector’s mining stats, including increasing the fragments per second from mining, increased limpet speed and more
• Minor visual changes to the Prospector, including the removal of a flashing light reflecting in the cockpit while firing the Mining Volley Repeater
• Audio rebalancing for the audio distribution of the Prospector’s mining laser
• Tweaks to the Prospector’s flight model
• Additional fixes

Whilst we understand many of you were looking forward to the release tomorrow, this short delay will allow us to ensure the Prospector launches ready to deliver a mining performance worthy of Lakon’s latest innovation.

We are currently aiming to release the ship and update early next week, and we’ll provide further updates as soon as they are available.

The new Type-11 Prospector from Lakon is available in Elite Dangerous now via ARX Early Access!

Learn more about the Prospector with the brand-new webpage from Lakon here.

The Prospector is available in the following bundles:

STANDARD

Delve deeper into the asteroid fields with the latest vessel from Lakon Spaceways, the Type-11 Prospector.

Includes:

• Type-11 Prospector Ship
• Type-11 Prospector Shipyard Unlock
• Type-11 Prospector Owners Club Decal

STELLAR

Blast through asteroid fields faster than before with the Stellar version of the Type-11 Prospector, with a Mk II Mining Multi-Limpet Controller and brand new 3C Mining Volley Repeater, it's made for mining.

Includes:

• Type-11 Prospector Ship
• High-Spec Mining Loadout
• Class 5 FSD (SCO) and Mk II Mining Tool
• Type-11 Prospector Excavation Red Paint Job
• Type-11 Prospector Hardline Ship Kit
• Type-11 Prospector Shipyard Unlock
• Type-11 Prospector Owners Club Decal

GALACTIC

Navigate through asteroids sporting the latest in ship styling with the Galactic version of the Type-11 Prospector. Utilising the same mining loadout as the Stellar version, pre-equipped in Galactic style. Contains a Mk II Mining Multi-Limpet Controller, brand new 3C Mining Volley Repeater and dedicated fighter bay as well as 2 Ship Kits, 6 Paint Jobs and a brand-new Animated Holo-Kit.

Includes:

• Type-11 Prospector Ship
• High-Spec Mining Loadout
• Class 5 FSD (SCO) and Mk II Mining Equipment
• All Type-11 Prospector Stellar Bundle Content
• Type-11 Prospector Chevron Holo-Kit Pack
• Type-11 Prospector Hazard Ship Kit Pack
• Type-11 Prospector Shipyard Unlock
• Type-11 Prospector Owners Club Decal

We're introducing a new option when purchasing ships via ARX Early Access in Elite Dangerous: the Galactic Edition! This new premium cosmetic offering will first be available for the Lakon Type-11 Prospector on the 23rd September, but you'll get to see the contents during the early access window for our Elite Partner Program creators this week. The Galactic Edition builds on the existing Stellar Edition contents to deliver the most comprehensive package yet for those of you who want to stand out amongst the stars!

Available for 60,000 ARX, the Galactic Edition contains the same high-spec ship and cosmetics found in the Stellar Edition, alongside even more cosmetic content, giving you more ways to personalise your new ship. The Galactic Edition of the Type-11 Prospector also includes the very first Animated Holo-Kit, a striking new visual option for your ship which can be applied over any Paint Job!

Here’s a look at the contents of the Galactic Edition!

This means that Commanders will have three options available to them for the Type-11 Prospector from day one of ARX Early Access:

• Standard: Standard Ship + Owners Club Decal
• Stellar: High Spec Ship + Excavation Red Paint Job + Hardline Ship Kit + Owners Club Decal
• Galactic: All Stellar Content + Animated Holo-Kit + Hazard Ship Kit Pack + Owners Club Decal

The first Galactic Edition launches on 23 September, alongside the ARX Early Access launch of the Lakon Type-11 Prospector.

Last week we revealed more details about the Type-11 Prospector, coming to Elite Dangerous in Arx Early Access on September 23rd

In case you missed it, you can catch up with Phil and Curtis talking about the new features below.

The Type-11 Prospector is a beautiful new medium ship that has a very industrial look to it, invoking old sci-fi vibes but with a modern twist. As the first dedicated mining ship added to Elite Dangerous and created by Lakon it shares more than a passing resemblance to other ships, such as the Type-8. The cockpit is front-mounted with a wide angle for spotting all of the best asteroids. The engine pods on the outer arms will also retract when either the landing gear or cargo scoop are deployed, which creates a tighter profile for navigating between asteroids or core mining in particularly dense asteroid rings.

It's also impossible to miss the brand new precision mining tool, the Mining Volley Repeater! This new tool fires specially designed projectiles to maximise the amount of fragments extracted from an asteroid, granting a higher yield than other mining tools when laser mining. When laser mining it also has a chance to produce a higher density fragment similar to those found via abrasion point mining. The Type-11 has also been designed to handle the thermal load output of the new mining tool. As such, this large mining tool is currently only able to be equipped on the Type-11 Prospector. 

The Type-11 Prospector features EIGHT hardpoints, four of which are dedicated mining hardpoints, which will only be able to equip mining tools. The sizes of these are one large, two medium and one small whereas the remaining four can equip any hardpoint that matches their sizes, which are three small and one medium. The Type-11 Prospector also has four standard utility mounts.

The Type-11 Prospector features 12 optional internals

• two size one,
• one size two,
• one size three,
• one size four,
• four size five and
• three size six

As with the hardpoints, some of these internals are reserved for specific modules. One size five is dedicated to the fighter bay, in case you need a little extra defence while in those hazardous resource gathering zones, whilst another size five is dedicated to drone controllers and is the only slot that can equip the brand new size five Mk II mining limpet controller. This brand new Lakon prototype is being rolled out to maximise space saving by controlling all limpets from just one module type.

The ships core modules consist of

• Size 6 Power Plant
• Size 5 Thrusters
• Size 5 Frameshift Drive
• Size 3 Life Support
• Size 7 Power Distributor
• Size 3 Sensor Suite
• Size 5 Fuel Tank

Whilst the Type-11 Prospector Is not a combat ship, it still has the potential to defend itself. The hardpoints dedicated to any weapon are positioned to favour turreted weapons. If you find you’ve bitten off more than you can chew, it’s no slouch in a straight line when you decide to do a tactical retreat.

We’re excited to see what you do with the Type-11 Prospector when it launches into Arx Early Access on 23rd September.

The Elite Dangerous: Vanguards update launched this week, bringing brand new ways for you to shape the galaxy as part of a Squadron. 

Not sure where to get started? We’re here to help with a series of videos showing off how to use the new Squadron and social features in Elite Dangerous: Vanguards. 

How To Create or Join a Squadron 

Learn how to find likeminded players across the galaxy or form your own identity and create a new Squadron. 

How to Manage Members 

Learn how to manage and organise Squadrons, including setting roles or taking applications for new members.

How to Use the Squadron Bank 

Learn everything you need to know about the Squadron Bank, including sharing ships, credits and resources across your Squadron.

How to Use the Squadron Carrier

Learn all about the new Squadron Carriers, including how to acquire and manage your very own.

Great news! We’re happy to share that the free Elite Dangerous: Vanguards update will be available Tuesday 19th August!

Elite Dangerous: Vanguards features the revamped Squadrons system, giving your Squadron management more control and support then ever before!

The improved Squadrons system introduces several new features, including:

• A dedicated Squadron Carrier
• A Squadron Bank where you can share resources, items and even ships
• A reworked Squadron Browser, complete with banners, mottos, ID’s, and even customisable logos!
• Squadron perks to benefit your members
• …And Much More!

Keep an eye on our social channels and forums for release schedule details and update notes!

The release of the Vanguards update is almost upon us! In celebration we are bringing back the chance to earn paint job rewards through Twitch drops, for our Elite Dangerous streamers of all levels!

Tune in to some of your favourite Elite Dangerous streamers on Twitch or YouTube (or both!) to be in with a chance to earn these sleek paint jobs for joining in the fun!

From Tuesday August 19th (10:00 UTC) and September 16th (10:00 UTC), you will have the chance to earn these unique Military Stripe Purple paint jobs for the Vulture, Adder, Asp Explorer and the Python, in the form of Twitch Drops from our partnered Twitch streamers or code drops via our YouTube creators! 

The example above is a glimpse at the design, however there are four to collect!

Twitch Drop Information

If you're tuning in to our creators via Twitch, the following paintjobs will be available as drops as follows:

• Viewers to watch for 15 minutes to earn the Vulture Military Stripe Purple Paint Job.
• Viewers to watch for 30 minutes to earn the Asp Explorer Military Stripe Purple Paint Job.
• Viewers to watch for 1 hour to earn the Adder Military Stripe Purple Paint Job.
• Viewers to watch for 1 hour 30 minutes to earn the Python Military Stripe Purple Paint Job.

Drops For All!

If you're not currently an Elite Dangerous partnered Twitch streamer, fear not, for YOU TOO can gift drops to your loyal community!

That's right, we're offering up the following paint jobs as drops for all who choose to stream Elite Dangerous via Twitch between the dates of August 19th (10:00 UTC) and September 16th (10:00 UTC)!

Viewers to watch for 30 minutes to earn the Asp Explorer Military Stripe Purple Paint Job.

Viewers to watch for 1 hour 30 minutes to earn the Python Military Stripe Purple Paint Job.

Be sure to watch out for any participation announcements from our partners who have signed up to this campaign, by checking them out here:

• Partner Wave 1
• Partner Wave 2
• Partner Wave 3
• Partner Wave 4
• Partner Wave 5
• Partner Wave 6

Simply tune in to one of the participating creator streams for the above durations throughout the celebratory period and claim your rewards on Twitch!

Linking your Twitch & Frontier Store accounts

To make sure everything runs smoothly, if this is your first time participating in a Twitch Drop campaign for Elite Dangerous, please follow the short list of instructions below to setup your account:

1. Create an account at https://www.frontierstore.net/ if you haven't already.
2. Link your Elite Dangerous account to your Frontier Store account if you haven't already.
3. Link your Twitch account to your Frontier Store account here.

Once that's all done, you're ready to go! Simply watch for 30 minutes+ , make sure to claim your reward on Twitch, and your paintjob should appear in-game shortly afterwards.

The highly anticipated Panther Clipper Mk II from Zorgon Peterson is now available in Elite Dangerous via ARX Early Access!

The Panther Clipper Mk II is available in the following bundles:

Panther Clipper Mk II Standard

Bring the galaxy to their doorstep with the latest version of the legendary freighter from Zorgon Peterson, the Panther Clipper Mk II.

Bundle includes:

• Panther Clipper Mk II Ship
• Panther Clipper Mk II Shipyard Unlock
• Panther Clipper Mk II Owners Club Decal (only available during ARX early access)

Panther Clipper Mk II Stellar

Empty countless warehouses and dominate the market with the Stellar Edition of the Panther Clipper Mk II.

Bundle includes:

• Panther Clipper Mk II Ship
• High-Capacity Cargo Transport Loadout
• Class 7 FSD (SCO) and Mk II Cargo Racks
• Panther Clipper Mk II Freighter Gold Paint Job
• Panther Clipper Mk II Merchant Ship Kit
• Panther Clipper Mk II Shipyard Unlock
• Panther Clipper Mk II Owners Club Decal (only available during ARX early access)

On this week's Frontier Unlocked we shared an in depth look at the Panther Clipper MK II, which launches into ARX Early Access on 22nd July. If you missed the show, you can catch up below to see the Panther take flight for the first time!

Below we have added three example builds to whet your appetite when it comes to outfitting this legendary ship - we can't wait to see what builds you come up with for yourselves!

Build 1 - Optimised For Cargo

This build maximises your storage space, perfect for the safer trade routes or colonisation efforts, or for when you absolutely have to transport as much cargo as possible.

Build 2 - Long-range Comfort

Sacrifice some storage space for comforts such as shields, a fuel scoop and an advanced docking computer to make your long-range cargo running more comfortable.

Build 3 - Striking A Balance

Looking for more of a balance? This build has everything you could deem as essentials for hauling, without sacrificing too much storage space.

o7

3311 has been filled with new opportunities for players to leave their mark on Elite Dangerous, following the introduction of Trailblazers at the start of the year, and the launch of the year’s first brand-new ship, the Gutamaya Corsair. In early August, our second major update of the year, Vanguards, will launch, offering new Squadron functionality, a new Squadron Carrier and more. You can find out more about Vanguards by watching June’s Frontier Unlocked.

Alongside the launch of the Panther Clipper Mk II on 22nd July 2025, we will also be re-classifying our ARX pricing structure for ships in order to accommodate a wider range, such as the Panther Clipper Mk II.

New ships will continue to launch in ARX Early Access, before arriving for in-game credits at a later date. You can find the full details in the graphic below.

Elite Dangerous – ARX Early Access Pricing Overview (Live from 22nd July 2025)

Thank you for your outstanding support over the last 10 + years. We are regularly assessing our in-game pricing to ensure we are creating a sustainable model allowing us to continue supporting Elite Dangerous with meaningful updates which bring more content and features to your time out in the black. 

We have plenty of exciting updates to share later this year, including two additional new ships and a brand-new feature. We’ll have more to share on these in the coming months.

o7

The Corsair is available in the following bundles:

Corsair Standard

Embrace a new age with the latest in Gutamaya design, the multi-role capable Corsair.

Bundle includes:

• Corsair Ship
• Corsair Shipyard Unlock

Corsair Stellar

Honour an artisanal Gutamaya legacy spanning over 300 years and embrace elegance with the multi-role capable Stellar Edition Corsair.

Bundle includes:

• Corsair Ship
• Multi-role capable Loadout
• Class 5 FSD (SCO)
• Corsair Imperial Argenteus Paint Job
• Javelin Ship Kit
• Corsair Shipyard Unlock

Trailblazers launched February 26 2025, bringing a brand new opportunity to Elite Dangerous, the chance to colonise your own systems and spread your influence throughout the galaxy! The response so far has been astounding and humanity has grown the "bubble" at a rate that was previously unimaginable!

The Trailblazers Beta has been an incredibly helpful process, generating huge amounts of data and feedback on scale, really helping us shape the process going forward. We've made several adjustments based on your feedback including improving the rates at which you can gather CMM Composites, allowing you to rename planetary ports as a System Architect, refinement of server capacity to facilitate your expansions and more!

Here's some of what you have achieved with Trailblazers so far:

• Claims Made: 42,226
• Systems Colonised: 23,423
• Starports & Outposts Completed 47,821
• Surface Installations Completed: 27,227
• Total Units of Cargo Delivered: 1,505,765,686
• Most Popular Construction: "Industrial Outpost - Vulcan" with 5970 constructed

This data is correct as of March 24 2025.

If you are looking for advice on how to get started with Trailblazers be sure to check out our System Colonisation Guide!

We're still in the Beta phase of Trailblazers so we will be making adjustments and improvements as time goes on. Please be sure to keep on sharing your feedback and reporting any issues you encounter as we continue to make establishing your own place in the galaxy even better.

Since the release of Trailblazers, we have seen an impressive number of stations and outposts built by the community. However, this has had a significant impact on our weekly maintenance cycle, as each new station requires time during maintenance to become fully operational. As a result today's maintenance cycle was going to be significantly longer and we made the decision to bring the game back online.

The remaining stations will be made operational next week. While we are in Beta, we will continue to monitor this data to continuously improve Trailblazers.

We thank you for your patience, keep on building!

o7

Thank you for your patience following our pause of the Colonisation Contact to allow us time to investigate the issues being reported. We have made some adjustments and are preparing to turn this Colonisation Contact back on.

Please be advised this is part of a load test of the live Beta, and we intend to monitor how the system behaves. We will keep you informed if the situation changes again.

Thank you for your continued feedback, reports and support.

Thank you so much for your feedback and participation in the live Beta for System Colonisation. The response and engagement we have had has been phenomenal and you have progressed in colonising the galaxy at an incredible rate.

So far you have colonised over 8000 Systems and completed over 13,000 facilities! In just a few days that is an astounding achievement! 

One of the reasons we launched System Colonisation as a live beta was to test this at scale, which is something very hard to do for us internally. Thanks to your astounding efforts we have received lots of incredibly helpful data and feedback and it has also identified an important issue that needs to be addressed. This issue greatly impacts the ability to claim systems and needs more thorough investigation.

To that end we have made the decision to temporarily disable the Colonisation contact and pause the ability to claim new systems. This will prevent further expansion for the time being but does not impact any of the progress already made. Players that have already claimed systems will still be able to colonise within them.

The development team are working on this as a matter of urgency. As soon as we have more to share we will let you know.

FAQ

Will there be any more changes following this investigation?

During this live Beta we will be continuing to review data and feedback and make changes where necessary. The live Beta is designed to gather data on scale to ensure we can offer the best outcome.

Will my progress be lost?

No! Any efforts made to colonise the galaxy so far, including any System Architect status', will continue to remain in place and you can continue to focus on building and upgrading your systems. This only affects the ability to claim new areas.

I made a claim but it reset when I logged in, what happens now?

Any progress which was made before the pause will have taken effect but may not have been shown on the UI. This is a visual issue and progress will be correctly displayed once our investigations are complete. No progress has been lost.

Will you be rolling back?

There are no current plans for a roll back.

What about the CG Megaships coming to support System Colonisation?

We have temporarily delayed these until next week.

My system architect status is missing / I can't continue to work on my systems

This issue is currently being investigated and a solution will be available very soon. Once this solution is in place your system architect status and progress will be displayed correctly.

With Trailblazers just released and the brand new System Colonisation feature giving Commanders the freedom to make the galaxy truly their own, we want to show you why this is only the beginning for Elite Dangerous in 2025!

Elite Dangerous 2025 Roadmap

Elite Dangerous will be releasing a number of significant releases as part of a five-phase road map. Our first phase involved the release of Trailblazers and System Colonisation and this is only the beginning! Please note that the key features are in addition to various fixes and quality of life improvements.

• Phase 1 (February) - Trailblazers
• Phase 2 (April) - Gutamaya Corsair
• Phase 3 (Summer) - [REDACTED] Ship | Vanguards
• Phase 4 (Autumn) - [REDACTED] Ship
• Phase 5 (Winter) - [REDACTED] Ship | New feature

*Please be aware this is our current roadmap and is subject to change.

Phase 1 - Trailblazers

With Elite Dangerous: Trailblazers the hotly anticipated System Colonisation feature is now in your hands! Launching initially in a Beta format, System Colonisation gives you the tools to expand the Bubble and make your own mark on the galaxy. Whether creating a thriving new economy, a bustling trade hub, or a new port of operations, the galaxy awaits your vision.

Learn more about System Colonisation

In order to let you establish your presence even further, we'll be bringing you the ability to customise your systems with your own station cosmetics! We'll be sharing more on this soon!

Phase 2 - Gutamaya Corsair

Coming this April is the next magnificent vessel to join your collection. The Gutamaya Corsair is a multi-role medium sized vessel created by the same minds behind the Imperial Clipper. This ship offers a strong variety of hardpoints as well as a great amount of cargo space. Ideal for those with a little less... legal approach to trade. The Corsair will be available in April.

Phase 3 - New Ship & Vanguards Feature

This Summer, not only will we be bringing you another ship but we're also launching a new feature, Vanguards! Vanguards is the spiritual successor to the Squadrons system and aims to give you greater tools for group gameplay, including making it easier for experienced players to onboard new players and the potential to offer perks and benefits to like minded Commanders.

Check out the interview with Game Director Piers Jackson from February's Frontier Unlocked stream:

Phase 4 & 5

New ships are on the horizon for Autumn and Winter along with a brand new game feature! We can't wait to share more with you on these so keep an eye out on our socials and website for updates!

To hear more check out the full video from Frontier Unlocked!