Anaconda Mk II
Arrives 20 October

Elite Dangerous
The October Dev Log

• Author:

  Watty

• Category:

  Elite Dangerous

• Date:

  Oct 15, 2026

Frontier's October Dev Log went up on 14 October, and there is a lot in it. The Anaconda Mk II gets its first in-game look and a full spec sheet, a new free Operation called Found Adrift arrives alongside it, and the crime overhaul Law & Disorder finally has real detail behind it. The ship and the Operation both land on Tuesday 20 October.

The Anaconda Mk II

Frontier revealed the Mk II in September: a reworked take on the ship so many commanders worked their way up to, now SCO-compatible, with the cockpit raised above the hull like a conning tower and a new forward-deploying large hardpoint set into the nose. It arrives in ARX Early Access on 20 October, which means at launch it is bought with ARX rather than credits.

Core internals: size 8 power plant, size 7 thrusters, size 8 frame shift drive, size 5 life support, size 8 power distributor and size 8 sensors.

Optional internals: one each of size 1, 2 and 3, two size 4, five size 5 (two of them military), one size 6 for cargo, two size 7 and one size 8.

Hardpoints: one huge, four large and two small.

Cargo: up to 750 tonnes.

Senior Game Designer Curtis Griffiths says the team wanted a multi-role ship for future ships to be measured against: good at everything straight out of the shipyard, but never better at one job than a dedicated ship of the same size. In his words, "it's not gonna out jump the Caspian or out trade the Panther Clipper, but it does trade better than the Caspian and jump better than the Panther." It also takes the newer Mk II modules, including Mk II ablative armour, an Optimised Cargo Rack in that size 6 slot, and a Mk II mining optimised hardpoint best suited to the Mining Volley Repeater.

Ten older ships get another look

The same update rebalances ten existing ships. The Asp Scout gets an extra utility slot, more jump range, more speed and better maneuverability. The Federal Dropship gains a size 6 internal, more jump range and more speed, and the Imperial Clipper a size 7 internal, more jump range and stronger shields. The Type-6 gets a size 6 internal and stronger shields, and the Type-7 a size 7 internal, more jump range and better thermals. The Viper Mk IV gets stronger shields, speed and maneuverability, the Sidewinder stronger shields and maneuverability, and the Eagle stronger shields. The Caspian and Mandalay both get more jump range.

Griffiths says the goal is to bring these ships back into consideration, "even if it's just as a viable intermediate ship for newer players". Full stats go up with the update on 20 October.

Found Adrift: a new Operation for four

Also arriving on 20 October, and free, is a new Operation for up to four players. In Found Adrift, a megaship thought lost for months has reappeared with no communications. Your team goes into the wreck to recover a valuable asset, through corridors full of fire and debris, while another group fights you for the same prize. Frontier sums it up better than we could: "Find the vault. Eliminate the opposition. Get the goods. Get out."

Law & Disorder: crime that can actually pay

Law & Disorder is a free update due in December, and it fundamentally reworks crime. Today every crime is reported instantly, as if the police can see everything. Under the new system a crime has to be witnessed and confirmed before it goes on your record. Commit one and you carry an unconfirmed bounty, which lets anyone in the instance legally attack you and collect it, and if you leave the scene before the authorities confirm it, it is wiped. Game Director Piers Jackson: "if you can avoid detection or eliminate those who would report it in, there's no proof that you were the one involved."

Around that, a lot changes. The kill warrant scanner is removed, because scanning a ship now shows every crime its pilot has committed, and crimes belong to the commander rather than the ship. Crime is split into five tiers. Small fines can be paid on the spot, and they no longer quietly turn into bounties while you are away from the game. Loiter on a landing pad and the station will offer to fly your ship out instead of opening fire, which should save a few new pilots. There is no more hunting for Interstellar Factors either: fines and bounties can be cleared at any valid location, and only the top two tiers need a Record Cleaner in a criminal port. Notoriety moves to ships, so a known pirate ship gets scanned more often and a clean ship works as cover.

Piracy gets a proper mechanic too. You can demand cargo from NPC ships, and they weigh up your ship, your notoriety and your reputation before deciding whether to comply or fight. Inhabited anarchy systems become criminal systems with enforcers of their own, more bouncers than police, who might pirate you if your standing with them is low. Crimes against other commanders go to the Pilots' Federation and draw a significant response from the ATR, with bounties scaled by the gap in skill and ship between attacker and victim, though players who want PvP without penalties can still turn crime reporting off. Powerplay pilots get a carve-out as well: killing another power's ships counts as warfare rather than a crime, so no bounty is issued. Frontier says next month's Dev Log covers new modules, Pilots' Federation bounties and a first look at the changes in game.

Flying with the squadron

Found Adrift is built for a team of four, and whichever side of the law you pick in December, it is more fun with a wing. If you want people to fly with, come and say hello in our Discord, and our Elite Dangerous hub has more on flying with the squadron. New commanders welcome, no gatekeeping.

Further reading: Elite Dangerous: October Dev Log | September Dev Log: Anaconda Mk II revealed | The Exiles Elite Dangerous hub