# Elite Dangerous Elite Dangerous | Caspian Explorer Update - Product: Elite Dangerous (https://whatsnew.fyi/product/elite-dangerous) - Vendor: Frontier Developments - Date: 2025-12-02 - Original notes: https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/359320/view/506220641733575509 - Permalink: https://whatsnew.fyi/product/elite-dangerous/releases/2025-12-02-elite-dangerous-caspian-explorer-update What's New is an index, not a publisher: every entry below links to the vendor's own release notes, which are the authoritative source. Entries are labelled where they are hand-curated sample data, pre-releases, or drawn from a secondary source such as a developer blog. Reuse: the summaries, labels and curation here are © What's New. Quote freely with attribution and a link back; wholesale republication of the corpus is not permitted — terms: https://whatsnew.fyi/terms. The vendors' own release notes remain their publishers'. --- - **added** — Added Zorgon Peterson Caspian Explorer ship with three pre-built configurations (Standard, Stellar, and Galactic) - **added** — Added Mk II Ablative Armour with multiple variants for faster and steeper planetary entries - **added** — Added Mk II Gravity Optimised Thrusters (Size 7) to reduce gravity effects on High-G worlds - **added** — Added Mk II Supercharge Optimised Frame Shift Drive (Size 8) to enhance FSD supercharging at neutron or white dwarf stars - **added** — Added holo-screen adverts in-world for the Caspian Explorer - **added** — Added Powerplay markers on the galaxy map indicating systems for undermining and reinforcement efforts with a maximum of 3 markers per Power - **added** — Added Power Conflict Zones within marked systems to enable combat as a viable means of undermining - **added** — Added merit bonuses of +25% for undermining actions and +35% for reinforcement actions within marked systems - **added** — Added reinforcement action contribution to the 4 Opening Campaign Community Goals - **changed** — Improved on-foot NPC combat movement speed with a new haste system and enhanced combat efficiency - **changed** — Enhanced NPC dodging to prioritise taking cover when possible - **changed** — Increased NPC crouching frequency including behind cover, during reloading, or to evade - **changed** — Improved NPC reaction time when taking cover and made NPCs make better use of cover - **changed** — Modified NPC under-threat behaviour to attempt taking cover when shot at or at low health, replacing the old fleeing behaviour - **changed** — Extended crime scan range for security NPCs to remove the short walk to target - **changed** — Adjusted grenade usage patterns for NPCs to be used more often against groups and to flush targets from cover - **changed** — Rebalanced NPC suit and shield resistances to reduce disparity between damage types against shields and armour - **changed** — Improved stow and draw times for all on-foot weapons - **changed** — Decreased flight time on projectiles for Manticore Executioner, Manticore Tormentor, and Manticore Oppressor - **changed** — Increased ammo capacity for Karma AR-50 and TK Eclipse Greetings Commanders, The Caspian Explorer Update is now live. Embrace the depths of space with a large new exploration ship from Zorgon Peterson built to seek the stars. Available now via ARX early access, alongside a number of changes to on-foot weapons and NPC behaviours as well as bug fixes. **Features of Note:** - Added Zorgon Peterson Caspian Explorer: - In world holo-screen adverts now present for Caspian Explorer. - Mk II Ablative Armour - Armour that allows for faster and steeper planetary entries. These include lightweight alloy, reinforced alloy, military grade composite, reactive surface composite and mirrored surface composite variants. * - Mk II Gravity Optimised Thrusters - Size 7 thrusters that reduce the most severe effects of gravity on High-G worlds. - Mk II Supercharge Optimised Frame Shift Drive (SCO) - Size 8 FSD that enhances the effect of supercharging your FSD when using a fuel scoop at a neutron or white dwarf star. *We are aware of an issue with the Mk II Ablative mirrored surface composite and as a result it has been removed from the game temporarily. The team are working on a balancing fix has which shall be implemented next week. Once this fix is in place the module will be available for purchase and use. - Added Pre-Built Ships: - Caspian Explorer Galactic (69,000 Arx). - Caspian Explorer Stellar (38,000 Arx). - Caspian Explorer Standard (19,020 Arx). - Adjustments Made to On-Foot NPC Combat Behaviours: - General Movement Speed: - Introduced a haste system which controls NPCs movement speed. Maximum haste values make NPCs run faster than current speeds. - NPCs will be more combat efficient, more decisive, and have better threat detection. - Dodging Improvements: - NPC will now prioritise dodging into cover if possible. - Crouching Improvements: - NPCs will crouch more often including behind cover, reloading, or to evade. - Retreating/Cover Movement: - Improved reaction time when an NPC needs to take cover. - NPCs will make better use of cover and be less likely to stand in the open. - Under Threat Behaviour Improvements: - If the NPC is shot at or has low shield or health, they will attempt to take cover. - Once their shield has returned, they will resume usual behaviours. - This behaviour replaces the old "fleeing" behaviour entirely. - Advance Towards Threat Behaviour: - Strikers and Scouts may decide to advance under fire until they lose their shields entirely. - Other NPCs are more likely to retreat under threat. - Crime Scan Adjustments: - Security will now crime scan from a longer range. This removes the short walk to the target. - Security NPC will turn to face the target before starting. - Grenade Behaviour Adjustments: - Grenades are more often used against groups. - Grenades are used to flush targets out from cover. - NPCs will now use memorised and reported positions to better identify large groups of targets. - Ensured that NPCs will no longer throw EMP grenades at targets with low shield proportion. - Rebalanced suits & weapons - Rebalanced NPCs suit and shield resistances to reduce the disparity between damage types vs shields and armour for suits/shields (this does not affect the player they are using the old resistances) - Weapon changes: - Improved stow and draw times for all weapons - Adjusted weapon handling modification to account for new stow and draw times - Decreased flight time on projectiles for: - Manticore Executioner - Manticore Tormentor - Manticore Oppressor - Increased ammo for: - Karma AR-50 - TK Eclipse - Decreased ammo for: - Karma C-44 - Decreased reload speed for: - Karma L-6 - Powerplay: - Markers will now be placed on the galaxy map over rival systems, indicating targets for undermining and reinforcement efforts - A maximum of 3 markers will be placed per Power - The system targets of these markers is determined entirely by player undermining efforts - the top 3 undermined system by players in a power _[Truncated at 4000 characters — full notes: https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/359320/view/506220641733575509]_