Conflict Zone (On Foot)
- Not to be confused with Conflict Zone (Signal Source).
A planet surface Conflict Zone (On Foot) activities refers to a battle between two minor factions for control of a settlement. Frontline Solutions allows commanders to serve as mercenaries in these battles on the side of their choice, and offers rewards for winning. Commanders can also freely enter Conflict Zones mid-battle with their personal ships and SRVs, and choose a side to support.
Overview
A Conflict Zone (CZ) spawn in a system where at least 2 minor factions are at war with each other. This is visible in the galaxy map by the faction states War and Civil War. The CZ appears at a settlement when it's contested by 2 factions.
Joining a CZ
The are 2 ways to join a CZ:
Frontline Solutions
- Find a system with a "war" or "civil war" state in the galaxy map. You can use the systems filter.
- Dock in a Station or Surface Port in the system.
- Sign up via Frontline Solutions at a station's Concourse.
- Select a mission by choosing a planet with the CZ icon.
- Select a settlement with a CZ and choose to join 1 of 2 warring factions.
- Board a Frontier Solutions dropship using special lifts next to FS desk. (It is a converted Vulture). It will take you to the CZ with up to 5 other players or NPCs.
Frontline Solutions does not offer any battles to join if no factions in the local system are in conflict.
Fly your ship
- Find a system with a "war" or "civil war" state in the galaxy map. You can use the systems filter.
- Fly to the system and locate the conflict zone settlement on the system/planetary map. It has a yellow crossed-swords icon
over the settlement on the system/planetary map (similar to a space conflict zone). - Fly towards the settlement until you're nearby.
- A prompt appears to ship's Commander when you're close enough in your comms panel.
- Choose a side to fight for (visible in the comms panel). If there are other player(s) in Multicrew, ship Commander's choice applies to all players in the crew.
- Land your ship, disembark.
- Head to the conflict zone on-foot or with an SRV.
You can change your loadout at your ship and deploy in an SRV. However you may not be automatically redeployed (via Frontline Solutions ship) if killed ('critically injured').
Base's air defenses can sometimes shoot at your ship when approaching base and they are able to destroy your ship in seconds !
If you wait too long after battle ends, the conflict zone resets into new battle again, and the base may become hostile toward you or your ship.
Dismissing your ship during a battle will make possible escape harder later.
Power and CZ
There are currently no Power CZs for ground conflicts. Powers are not aligned with minor factions.
Conflict zone difficulty
Called 'Conflict intensity'. Has 3 difficulty levels: Low, Medium, High. With higher difficulties the NPC combatants at the zone are harder to kill and do significantly more damage.
Currently the only way to find out difficulty of CZs is by visiting Frontline Solutions desk in Concourse inside a Station or Surface Port. Talking to the person will show system map of current system with all Conflict zones' information. The difficulty is shown as 'Conflict Intensity': low, medium, high.
The plus signs 
and shield symbols 
displayed next to Settlement in the navigation panel are unrelated to the conflict intensity level.
The Threat level displayed in Settlement information in regular System map is unrelated to the conflict intensity level.
Objectives
Conflict Zone battles involve two opposing teams of 12 fighters each. Fighters are deployed into a settlement from mid-air via dropship. The primary objective of each encounter is to whittle down the enemy team's reinforcement points, denoted on the HUD via a counter. The player's team is shown in green, and the enemy team is shown in red. Both teams begin with 1,000 points, and lose 5 points each time a team member is killed or, in the case of players, "critically injured".
The secondary objective is to capture and hold six control points, designated Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, Echo, and Foxtrot, scattered across the settlement by standing within the highlighted zone surrounding each point and surviving until the meter reaches 100%. There are no more than three points active at any time. When a point is captured, the opposing team loses 50 reinforcement points, and all players on the capturing team are awarded a 3,000 Credit bond. Shortly after, a control point in another location becomes active and available for capture.
If the settlement is also unpowered, then the Energylink and possibly Arc Cutter will be needed to gain access to any buildings. All settlement consoles and other interactables like Data Ports and Turret Controls (including the Reactor Control) are locked down. Access restrictions are disabled, so doors will open for both sides if powered.
Fighters
Aside from Commanders who may use any weapons their suit choice permits, there are five main types of NPC fighters;
- Scouts are fast-moving but somewhat fragile assault troops who use the Karma C-44 or TK Eclipse carbines for close-range combat.
- Strikers sprint into close combat and use the Manticore Intimidator. Most deadly indoors, as they can take out opponents in just one or two shots.
- Commandos make up the bulk of infantry forces, using either the Karma AR-50, TK Aphelion, or Manticore Oppressor to engage targets at all ranges.
- Sharpshooters are fragile and fight from long range using the Manticore Executioner, picking off opponents with precision fire.
- Enforcers are tough and counter SRVs and Ships using the Karma L-6, switching to the Karma P-15 or Manticore Tormentor at close range.
For Commanders, the Dominator Suit is recommended for its durability and higher capacity for weapons and consumables. There are no lootable Assets or Goods in Ground Conflict Zones, so the increased carry capacity of the Maverick Suit is of little use, though the Arc Cutter can be useful for accessing depowered buildings. The Artemis Suit and Flight Suit should be avoided given their fragility, limited supply of consumables, and limited weapon slots. As far as choice of weaponry goes, carrying at least one kinetic weapon and one laser weapon is advised.
Redeploying
As the battle progresses, more Frontline Solutions dropships will arrive and deploy reinforcements for both sides. If the player is critically injured, they immediately redeploy aboard one of these dropships, where they can examine an overhead map of the Conflict Zone and change their Loadout if desired while they wait for the dropship to complete its descent from orbit.
Victory
Once a team's reinforcement points have been reduced to zero and all of its members have been killed, the other team is declared the winner of the battle. They can summon a dropship to pick them up at their leisure, and once back at Frontline Solutions, they can accept their reward and redeem any bonds they earned. Note that if the battlefield was entered without using a dropship, then extraction via dropship will not be available, although a summary of the battle can still be reviewed and the commander can recall their ship in the usual on-foot manner.
Vehicles & weapons
Conflict Zones are not compartmentalized instances. Other players can enter them on their own, and bring their ships, SRVs, and SLFs into the fray, potentially intervening for the benefit of one side or the other or simply disrupting the battle. Intruding vehicles and ships will be targeted by anti-ship turrets and Enforcer NPCs armed with Karma L-6 rocket launchers, however, making this a potentially dangerous option unless allies on the ground can disable the turrets and kill the Enforcers.
Most ship-based weapons are somewhat ineffective against ground targets, but the explosive splash damage of Missile Racks and Pack-Hound Missile Racks makes them ideal for targeting troops on the surface. Conversely, the Karma L-6 is the best choice among handheld weapons for countering ships.
Notes
- Conflict Zones were introduced in Elite Dangerous: Odyssey.
- Odyssey Update 7 added anti-ship turrets and Enforcer personnel to Conflict Zones.[1]
- On-Foot Conflict Zones play very similarly to Electronic Arts' Battlefield series of first-person shooters, as both involve capturing control points to reduce the other side's reinforcements.
- Bounties do not apply in conflict zones.
Videos
Gallery
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A pair of Commando NPCs, wielding a Karma AR-50 and TK Aphelion. -
A Striker NPC wielding the Manticore Intimidator. -
Frontline solutions desk in Concourse -
Frontline solutions Conflict zone selection screen -
Frontline solutions Conflict zone selection screen
References
| Geology | |
| Biological sites |
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| Xenological sites |
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| Objects and Structures |
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| Points of Interest marked with O are only available if Odyssey is installed. | |