Operations

Operations are multi-stage, variable challenge based scenarios.^[1] It's intended for a squad with up to 4 commanders. The Odyssey expansion is required, because it includes on foot gameplay.^[2] This major update launched on 30 June 2026.^[3]

Overview

The scenarios take place on-foot, in space or both.^[2] It's designed to offer you and up to 3 other commanders challenging obstacles to overcome.^[2] Explore some parts of ED never seen before such as the internals of a megaship in a hostile environment.^[2]

The initial release has multiple operations, with more being added overtime, and at various difficulty levels.^[2] In the long-term you can expect some operations to revolve around combat, some around mining, and more elements of ED as the feature expands.^[2] Operations are repeatable and give you access to rewards that are hard to obtain elsewhere in the galaxy.^[2]

The Operation Runner is a non-flyable, capital ship from which team members start an operation, respawn and extract.^[4]

Guide

Initiate

Start an operation while docked by accessing "Operations" in the right Ship Panel at any Starport, Outpost, Fleet Carrier, surface port or visit Frontline Solutions in a Concourse. You can choose "Join a squad", "Mercenary Operations" or "Powerplay Operations" to undermine a chosen Power in Powerplay. Then pick 1 operation and a difficulty mode: easy or hard. The matchmaking system can fill the empty slots of your squad. There is 1 squad leader and 3 members. You can also manually invite friends or mercenaries. The scenarios are unoptimized for solo which makes it more challenging. Having the right loadout, engineer mods and tactics makes a big difference.

Transport

The squad is instantly transported to the Operation Runner. This bypasses normal travel time and deploys you straight into the designated star system.

Respawn

The Runner acts as your central hub, respawn point, and resupply vessel. If you are killed during the operation, you will instantly respawn aboard the Runner with your ship fully repaired, refueled, and re-armed, allowing you to quickly redeploy into the action.

Rewards

Successful completion of the operation objectives yields rewards: Merc Coin, credits and materials. You can have a maximum of 9999 Merc Coin with a weekly allowance limit of 1000. This can be spent on special rewards like unique effect modules, new engineering blueprints, and exclusive on-foot gear mods that are otherwise difficult to acquire in the galaxy.

Upgrade

It is recommended to upgrade your weapons and suit grade at Pioneer Supplies. Apply specific modifications via specialized Engineers to boosts capabilities like shield regen, sprint duration, and battery capacity. This increases the chances of survival for solo players and squads. For hard difficulty it's best to have 3-4 squadmates with fully engineered gear.

The NPC ships are often engineered. So flying an unmodified ship is a disadvantage. Engineering your ship can increase the firepower, shields, speed and maneuverability.

Modes

Operation mode^[4]	Description
Mercenary	This is the default mode for Operations. It carries no consequences or Powerplay effects, and is fully accessible to any Commanders who meet the scenario requirements.
Powerplay	Adding a layer of strategic depth, squads are able to undermine a chosen Power as part of an Operation. Eligible systems are determined by the Squad Leader's Power alignment and current location, ensuring Commander's can't target their own Power. Unaligned Commanders can join these scenarios but they will not earn any Merits.

Operations

There are 6 operations.^[1] More will be added later.^[1] All operations are designed for squads. They can be completed solo, but this is more difficult.


Operation^[1]^[5]	Description^[6]	Objective	Recommended Players	On Foot/In Space	Difficulty	Recommended Gear (Easy)	Recommended Gear (Hard)
Biohazard Takedown	"A group of researchers is developing a dangerous weapon, you need to assault the ship, obtain the location and IDs of the researchers and take them out."	Assault a bioweapon creation Megaship, identify those responsible, find their location and eliminate them.	2 - 4	On Foot	Easy / Hard	Grade 1/2 On Foot \| A Rated Ship (No Engineering)	Grade 4/5 On Foot \| Grade 4/5 Engineering
Firestorm Rescue	"There are hostages trapped in a burning station, break the siege and evacuate those that remain. You will need to manage the station's heat to buy enough time to complete the rescue while dealing with the hostile forces trying to stop you."	Rescue the inhabitants of a burning station that is under siege. Fight off pirates and blow off door clamps whilst guiding the inhabitants to safety.	3 - 4	Space	Easy / Hard	Grade 1/2 On Foot \| A Rated Ship (No Engineering)	Grade 5 On Foot \| Full Grade 5 Engineering
Rapid Response	"A planetary port has come under attack and some personnel are still trapped inside who need rescuing. You cannot delay, as a huge hostile fleet is on the way. If the evacuation is not completed in time, there will be no hope for those still inside."	Rescue the inhabitants of a surface port before the attacking forces return with reinforcements and neutralize them.	3 - 4	On Foot	Easy / Hard	Grade 1/2 On Foot	Grade 4 + Engineering On Foot
Reclamation Point	"The megaship has been hijacked, your job is to eliminate all hostile forces in and around the megaship so the client can recover it. You'll need your best gear and ship to accomplish your goal."	Fight to reach a hijacked megaship, kill the hostile looters and battle enemy ships on your way back to safety before time runs out.	2 - 4	Both	Easy / Hard	A Rated Ship (Two players in an evac ship, one in combat ship)	Grade 4/5 Engineering (Two players in an evac ship, one in combat ship)
Tactical Takedown	"The client's megaship has been compromised by a rival faction, you will need to board the ship and fight your way through the command deck to obtain intel and trace the origin of the attack. Then you'll want to bring your firepower to bear on the general responsible for the attack at their home base."	Infiltrate a stolen megaship on-foot, learn who is responsible for the attack, assault their home base.	3 - 4	Both	Easy / Hard	A Rated Ship (Two players in an evac ship)	Grade 4/5 Engineering
Terminal Prosecution	"A criminal element is causing trouble in the system, they've been raiding for weeks now, it's your job to clear them out."	Eliminate pirates that are ravaging a system. Take out much of the pirate fleet to taunt their boss into a fight.	2 - 4	Both	Easy / Hard	A Rated Ship (Low Level Engineering)	Full Grade 5 Engineering

Development

Operations was unveiled during the ED Developer Log - 4 November 2025 on the ED YouTube channel.^[2] The original release date was winter 2025 which was postponed to early 2026.^[2] The first stage was a balancing pass of on-foot combat, NPC combat behaviour, rebalanced suits and weapons, and AI improvements.^[2]^[7] This was part of the free Caspian Explorer update on 2 Dec 2025.^[7]

Operations was further delayed in April 2026 to 30 June 2026, citing a need for 'quality and care'.^[4]^[3] To compensate for the delay, Frontier released the passenger liner Lynx Highliner straight into access for credits on 28 April 2026.^[4] It skipped the usual ARX period.

There are 6 operations at launch, and a Networking & Balancing beta.^[1] Additional operations, bug fixes & various improvements will be added later.^[1]