Elite Dangerous - Error codes and fixes

So Elite Dangerous has been around the block a few times, and in recent years have started their own little naming scheme for game errors. Similar to Rare’s take on Sea of Thieves, Elite now uses a colour and ship system to let you know what’s gone wrong

Sadly though, other than giving you images of a rainbow fleet of starships, the error names don’t give much away in terms of what’s going wrong. Here, you can find the reasons behind the errors as well as suggested fixes to combat them.

There are a number here which share more than one name for the same type of error. If the fixes below don’t help and you do have to log a support ticket with Frontier, it’s still worth remembering the specific error you had. While these answers provide an umbrella of understanding, the individual errors themselves are valuable to the support team for further diagnosing your particular problem.

Orange Sidewinder

The Orange Sidewinder error in Elite Dangerous is what Frontier refer to as a “generic error” with your connection to the Elite server. This message typically refers to errors when your CMDR cannot be loaded.

In order to fix this, Frontier recommend restarting your router as well as your machine (PC / Xbox / PS4) in order to fully refresh the connection. Wait at least five minutes and then try and log in once more. If this doesn’t fix things, Frontier will usually move your CMDR into another system to get you back into the game, and you should log a support ticket.

Mauve Adder

The Mauve Adder error again appears when you are having server issues, with this one specifically pointing to an error with your connection to the matchmaking server. If this only ever happens when you are in-game with other players (friend or foe!) it’s likely that port forwarding will help, and they have a great guide on how to do that just here.

If it happens at other times, it’s worth logging into your router and disable any likely looking content filters. It’s worth saying of course, that you should only disable filters if you have a grasp on technology as otherwise you may disable important security filters.

Scarlet Krait / Magenta Krait

These two names both refer to errors with your connection to the transaction server. To fix this on your lonesome, Frontier recommendadjusting your MTU, and again have a handy guide which can show you just how to do that, available here

Black Adder / Yellow Adder

Look. I’m trying desperately hard not to sing the theme tune so let’s just get past this one. The Black Adder and Yellow Adder errors within Elite Dangerous refer to an unrecoverable error on the transaction server.

This is usually a temporary error regarding your CMDR’s details, involving either the CMDR data itself or a module within. Frontier suggest restarting the game and trying once more to load in. If you are not successful with a follow up attempt, it’s likely that the support team will need to make some changes within your CMDR data, and you should log a support ticket.

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Purple Python / Blue Cobra / Gold Cobra / Teal Cobra / Taupe Cobra

We all got past Purple Python ok, yeah? These errors are variations on issues relating to the adjudication or in-game mission servers, typically appearing where you are requesting missions. To properly test, it’s worth ensuring that no data-heavy processes are running on your network, as your system will be trying to download a chunk of data within a relatively short time.

Again, Frontier here suggest taking a look within your router’s content filters to disable any which may be present, with a particularly close eye on ones which aim to filter fragmented traffic.

Silver Fer-De-Lance

The Silver Fer-De-Lance error here refers to a multicrew timeout. Another connection issue, it seems but this time one with connecting to another player rather than to Frontier’s servers. As the Multicrew and multiplayer aspects of elite use Peer-to-Peer networking, it’s important to have a good connection to each other.

Frontier’s first suggestion to resolve the Silver Fer-De-Lance error is to ensure that all players you are interacting with have their NAT types set in a compatible configuration. Those who have been playing multiplayer games for some time will know the impact that these settings can have, and for an ideal setting, all players should have their NAT type set to “open”.

Test by seeing which players can connect with which others (if there are more than two of you involved) and once you’ve found which account is causing the issue, get a ticket created with Frontier support using their account.