Elite Dangerous: In-Game Purchases and Customizations

This guide is designed to help players of Elite Dangerous with various issues related to in-game purchases, customizations, and account management. Whether you're looking to understand how to use Arx, redeem codes, or apply paint jobs, this guide has you covered. Locate your issue below and click the heading to see troubleshooting steps.

Arx is an alternative currency in Elite Dangerous, introduced in the September 2019 update. It can be used to purchase in-game extras such as Paint Jobs, COVAS, Ship Kits, and Bobbleheads. Arx can be earned by playing the game or purchased through the in-game store. Note that Arx is platform-specific and cannot be transferred between different platforms.

If you have purchased Arx through the Steam Store and are not seeing them in Elite Dangerous, follow these steps:

• Ensure you are logging in to the game through Steam directly.
• If you have previously logged in with your Frontier account, log out and then log back in using Steam.
• Link your Steam account to your Frontier account if you haven't already.
• If issues persist, contact Customer Support.

Pre-built ships offer a great starting point for players. You can purchase them from the Game Extras menu or within Ship Services. After purchasing, you can deploy them from any Shipyard. Here are some steps to help you with pre-built ships:

• Purchasing a pre-built ship from the Game Extras menu
  • Review the ship preview detailing build content of your chosen pre-built ship.
  • Optionally, select Toggle Details and scroll the information panel to see the exact details of the modules provided with your pre-built ship.
  • To finalize your purchase, simply select [BUY PRE-BUILT SHIP.]
  • You'll get a confirmation window providing further clarity on the contents available, next select [BUY PRE-BUILT SHIP] once more to finalize your purchase.
  • You will then be presented with a purchase confirmation in the top right and the buy button will update to reflect your ownership.
  Purchasing a pre-built ship from within Ship Services:
  • To finalize your purchase, simply select [BUY PRE-BUILT SHIP] and you'll get a confirmation window providing further clarity on the contents available.
  • Next select [BUY PRE-BUILT SHIP] once more to finalize your purchase.
  Deploying a pre-built ship from the Shipyard UI
  • Having purchased a pre-built ship you can deploy it from any Shipyard. For this go to the "Local Services" at a port and select the "Shipyard" button.
  • All purchased pre-built ships will be displayed on the right-hand side for quick access. Vessels ready to be deployed will have the "Ready to Deploy" text towards the bottom of the image and a yellow icon in the top right.
  • Select the pre-built ship to deploy, this will display the ship preview for this vessel and a central "Deploy Pre-Built Ship" button. Selecting this button will then deploy the vessel to your current location.
  • Following deployment you will be presented with a notification to inform you the vessel is now ready for use in the bottom right. Simply select the now deployed pre-built ship to be shown the ship management options. Select "Use This Ship" and your current vessel will be stored and you will be transferred into your pre-built ship.
  Purchasing a pre-built ship when starting a new CMDR
  • Select to start your new adventure in the world of Elite Dangerous! Upon either completing the Odyssey tutorial or if playing without this content you will then be shown the "Select Your Package" screen.
  • From here you can choose to deploy into either one of your default packages (denoted by a lack of a "PRE-BUILT SHIP" tag at the top) or you can purchase a pre-built ship.
  • Upon selecting your choice of pre-built ship you will be shown the details page outlining the content of your pack and the price on the left-hand side, your current balance can be seen in the top right.
  Playing with a pre-built ship: Multiples
  • Please note, only one pre-built ship can be deployed on your account at a time. Purchasing a specific pre-built ship multiple times will not result in the ability to deploy duplicate pre-built ships.
  • Selling a pre-built ship: The ship and all the modules composing its initial loadout have a zero credits value meaning that when a pre-built ship is sold it will be for a value of zero credits.
  • Dying with a pre-built ship: As the ship hull and all of its modules are worth zero credits, the rebuy cost in an unmodified version of this ship is zero credits. If one or more of the modules on the ship had been altered from a default to another purchased module then these modules will incur their normal rebuy cost, the hull of this particular ship will never contribute to the rebuy cost.
  • Re-deploying a destroyed or sold pre-built ship: If your pre-built ship has been destroyed or sold, it can be re-deployed for free using the steps provided in the deployment steps provided in this article.
  • Storing Modules from a pre-built ship: Pre-built ship modules cannot be stored. They can only be sold or exchanged for other modules via the normal purchase flow.
  • Engineering pre-built ships: Modules from pre-built ships can be engineered but will retain the restriction on being stored.

If you purchase the Midnight Black Gloss paintjob for the Mandalay before 30th November 2024 and are unsatisfied, you can request a refund. Indicate 'Mandalay Midnight Black Refund' in the subject and follow the subsequent options. The paintjob will be removed, and the Arx will be returned to your balance.

The Midnight Black paint jobs are available during limited-time promotional sales on FrontierStore.net and in-game stores. They are the same as the Black Friday paint jobs. If you pre-ordered Elite Dangerous: Horizons before 27th November 2015, you received these paint jobs for free.

To apply a new paintjob or decal, dock at a station with an Outfitting facility. Select Livery from the Starport Services menu, choose Paint Job, and click Apply. The same steps apply for Decals. If you experience issues, contact Customer Support with your order number.

In most cases, digital products are non-refundable once downloaded. If you encounter technical problems, open a ticket with Customer Support. They will assist with any issues and may issue a refund if problems persist.

To redeem a code, visit the User Portal at https://user.frontierstore.net/code/redeem. Follow the instructions to claim your code. If you encounter issues, contact Customer Support.

To claim Twitch Drops, link your Twitch account with your Frontier account and watch designated streams. Drops will appear in your Twitch Inventory and be automatically added to your linked game account. For more details, visit https://twitch.frontierstore.net/.

If this guide does not resolve your issue, please contact Frontier Developments Customer Support for further assistance.