Elite Dangerous 2026: Ground Combat Rebalanced (Everything You Need to Know)

Elite Dangerous is about to see its biggest on-foot overhaul since Odyssey launched in 2021 — and Frontier’s new 2026 update could finally bring boots-on-the-ground gameplay up to the standard of Elite’s iconic space combat.

In this video, I break down everything Frontier has revealed so far about the upcoming On-Foot Combat & Weapon Rebalance, including:

• Faster weapon stow and draw times
• Plasma weapons with increased projectile velocity
• Updated ammo, magazine sizes, and damage values
• A full damage-type rework (lasers vs kinetics)
• Major AI upgrades: better positioning, smarter cover use, aggressive pushes
• The long-term plan to unify space and ground gameplay
• What this means for Combat Zones, missions, and the Ops Add-On
• How this will affect your loadouts, builds, and playstyle
• And what we can realistically expect when the update arrives

This is the most significant step toward a cohesive “ship-to-suit” Elite Dangerous experience — smarter enemies, more tactical combat, meaningful weapon choice, and a faster, more modern FPS feel.

If you play Odyssey, enjoy combat zones, or just want Elite’s ground game to finally reach its potential… this update is the one to watch.

Like, subscribe, and let me know in the comments — will this be the update that fixes on-foot combat for good?

Fly safe, Commander o7

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➤Link: https://youtu.be/FfBJW6Nuivs

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⏱️Timestamps⏱️
00:00 – The Biggest On-Foot Update Since Odyssey
00:30 – What Frontier Just Announced
01:00 – Why This Rework Matters Now
01:35 – Faster Weapon Draw & Stow: Why It’s Huge
02:10 – Plasma Weapon Velocity Buff Explained
02:40 – Ammo, Clip Size & Damage Rebalances
03:20 – The New Damage Type Meta (Laser vs Kinetic)
04:10 – Smarter AI Changes: Cover, Movement & Pressure
05:00 – How This Alters Combat Zones
05:40 – Impact on Player Loadouts & Builds
06:20 – Will This Unify Ship & Suit Gameplay?
07:00 – How It Prepares Us for the Operations Add-On
07:40 – What Players Should Expect in 2026
08:15 – Final Verdict: Does This Fix On-Foot Combat?
08:45 – Outro: Like, Subscribe & Fly Safe

@RicardosGaming