Alien Techthargoid-and-ax
Thargoid and AX
What Thargoid content is live vs gone, the 8 Titan graveyards and scavenging loops, Thargoid parts for engineer and PESCO unlocks, how to find Thargoids and AX Conflict Zones, Thargoid ship types, the AX gear meta, proven builds, and how an AXCZ plays out.
Verified: September 10, 2026Game: 4.4.x (Rhino SRV update)
Highly volatile ⚠️. Thargoid content is story driven. Frontier can change it any week.
Summary
- The Second Thargoid War is over. All 8 Titans were destroyed. The last one, Cocijo, died in Sol in December 2024.
- Thargoids are still out there. You can fight them in the Pleiades, Coalsack, Witch Head, and California nebulae. AX Conflict Zones only exist in the California Nebula right now.
- Titan wrecks are now "graveyards." They are the only source of Titan Drive Components (for PESCO drives) and a great source of Meta-Alloys and Thargoid Sensors.
- Two Module 1 flags, solved. Meta-Alloys (Farseer) come from graveyards. Sensor Fragments (Palin, Sedesi) come from shooting Thargoid Sensors.
- AX meta: Modified Guardian Shard Cannons, a Thermal Vent beam, heat sinks, and a Shutdown Field Neutraliser. The Krait Mk II and Corsair lead.
What Is Live and What Is Gone
| Status | Content |
|---|---|
| Live | Non-Human Signal Sources (NHSS) with Scouts and Interceptors |
| Live | AX Conflict Zones in the California Nebula |
| Live | Hyperdictions near Thargoid nebulae |
| Live | 8 Titan graveyards to scavenge |
| Live | Thargoid surface sites and static signal sources |
| Gone for now | Live Titans and Maelstroms |
| Gone for now | Station and port "under attack" conflict zones |
| Gone for now | Orthrus scenarios and war progress |
| Gone for now | Some materials for Anti-Guardian Zone Resistance engineering |
Titan Graveyards
Each Titan died where it stood. The wreck fields are still there.
| Former Titan | System | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Cocijo | Sol | Needs the Sol permit (Federal Petty Officer). No Interceptors spawn here. |
| Raijin | Pegasi Sector IH-U b3-3 | |
| Leigong | HIP 8887 | |
| Thor | Col 285 Sector IG-O c6-5 | |
| Hadad | HIP 30377 | Far from the arrival star (roughly 39,000 Ls) |
| Oya | Cephei Sector BV-Y b4 | |
| Indra | HIP 20567 | |
| Taranis | Hyades Sector FB-N b7-6 | Close to the arrival star. The first Titan killed. |
What to Expect
- The caustic clouds have faded. Graveyards are no longer caustic.
- NPC AX pilots patrol and fight any Thargoids that show up.
- NPC pirates patrol too. They scan your cargo and attack if you carry commodities.
- Scythes leave you alone unless you carry Thargoid Bio-Storage Capsules. Do not pick those up.
Scavenging Kit
| Item | Why |
|---|---|
| Agile, fast ship | Loot spawns as you fly into range. Cover ground. |
| Long range sensors, A rated if possible | You spot and load more loot |
| Collector limpet controller | Grab floating loot |
| Corrosion Resistant Cargo Rack | Titan Drive Components, Hearts, and Sensors are caustic cargo (Module 4) |
| Normal cargo racks | Limpets and non-caustic loot |
| Beam laser or abrasion blaster | Scrape new materials off Titan hull chunks |
| Shields and a couple of weapons | Pirates |
Scavenging Loop
- 1Fly into the graveyard and keep moving. Watch your contacts panel.
- 2Scoop what you want. Ram and destroy junk you do not want. Clearing the field lets new items spawn.
- 3Fly laps around the outer edges. Players report Titan Drive Components out there.
- 4Pop any Thargoid Sensors you do not need to carry. They drop Sensor Fragments.
- 5Relog or leave and return if the field goes quiet.
Loot Priority
| Tier | Item | Type | Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| S | Titan Drive Component | Caustic cargo | One per PESCO drive (Module 4). Rarest item here. |
| S | Caustic Crystals | Material | Anti-Guardian Zone Resistance engineering (Ram Tah) |
| S | Caustic Shards, Corrosive Mechanisms | Material | Caustic Sink Launcher ammo synthesis |
| A | Meta-Alloys | Cargo | Felicity Farseer unlock. Corrosion Resistant Cargo Rack. Bobblehead. |
| A | Thargoid Heart | Caustic cargo | Bobblehead |
| A | Scout and Interceptor materials (Propulsion Elements, Weapon Parts, Carapace) | Material | AX ammo synthesis, PESCO drives, Azimuth weapons |
| A | Thargoid Sensor | Caustic cargo | Opens Thargoid surface sites. Shoot it for Sensor Fragments (Palin and Sedesi unlocks). |
| B | Cyst Specimens, Bone Fragments, Organ Samples | Material | No known use yet. Scraped off Titan chunks. |
| D | Thargoid Bio-Storage Capsules | Cargo | Worth little. Makes Scythes hostile. Skip. |
Thargoid Parts for Unlocks
| You Need | For | Best Source Now |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Meta-Alloy | Felicity Farseer (Module 1) | Titan graveyards |
| 25 Sensor Fragments | Professor Palin or Chloe Sedesi (Module 1) | Shoot Thargoid Sensors at graveyards, or farm the crash site below |
| 1 Titan Drive Component per drive | PESCO FSD (Module 4) | Titan graveyards only |
| Propulsion Elements | PESCO FSD (Module 4) | Graveyards, destroyed Scouts and Interceptors |
| 16 Meta-Alloys | Corrosion Resistant Cargo Rack (Module 4) | Titan graveyards |
Sensor Fragment Crash Site
HIP 17403, body A 4 A, at lat -34.9890, long -141.4022 (Pleiades). A deep crater holding a crashed Thargoid Interceptor, an Anaconda, and a Type-9 Heavy. It is a known source of Thargoid Sensors and Sensor Fragments. Tourist Beacon 0633 marks it.
- Warning: once you have ever carried a Thargoid Sensor, your chance of being hyperdicted near Thargoid space rises to about 20%.
Non-Human Signal Sources (NHSS)
| Threat Level | What Spawns |
|---|---|
| 3 to 4 | Scouts only (an Interceptor may join if you wait) |
| 5 and up | Interceptors possible |
| Up to 9 | Toughest groups |
Hotspots
| Region | Where | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Pleiades | About 175 ly around Merope. Try Asterope, Sterope II, Merope. | Stations nearby. Sterope II is a good Hydra hunting ground. |
| Coalsack | About 60 ly around Musca Dark Region PJ-P b6-1. Try Musca Dark Region HM-V c2-17. | No stations nearby. Bring a Fleet Carrier. Material traders about 30 ly away. |
| California | About 100 ly around HIP 18390 | The only AX Conflict Zones |
| Witch Head | About 75 ly around Witch Head Sector IR-W c1-9 | Players report performance and game breaking bugs here |
"The Zoo" (Pleiades Sector MI-S b4-0) used to be the best Hydra spot. Colonisation turned it into the AXI and XSF headquarters. It has almost no NHSS now.
AX Conflict Zones (California Nebula) ⚠️
| System | Zones | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| California Sector BA-A e6 | 1 High, 1 Medium near body 4. Both work. The Medium sits 450 km up, inside orbital cruise. | Yes, the High. Most traffic. Best place to meet other commanders. |
| California Sector HR-W d1-28 | 2 High, 1 Medium near body 3. One High was reported broken. | Use the zones on the same side of the planet |
| California Sector JH-V c2-12 | 1 Medium near body 6 | Yes. Most reliable Medium. Good for learning. |
Thargoid Ship Types
| Class | Ships | What to Know |
|---|---|---|
| Scouts | Marauder, Berserker (orange glow), Inciter (pink glow), Regenerator (green glow) | Kill Regenerators first. Kill Berserkers before they fire caustic missile barrages. |
| Interceptors | Cyclops (4 hearts), Basilisk (5), Medusa (6), Hydra (8) | Big fights. They fire Shutdown Fields. Carry a Shutdown Field Neutraliser. |
| Hunters | Scythe, Glaive | Glaives spawn in High CZs and fire Anti-Guardian Fields that wreck unprotected Guardian modules. Kill them first. |
Weapons
| Weapon | Verdict |
|---|---|
| Modified Guardian Shard Cannon | Best overall for AX Conflict Zones. Good ammo, easy to use, great for stripping and heart sniping. |
| Modified Guardian Plasma Charger | Solid. Very high distributor draw. Plasma clouds block your wingmates' view. |
| Guardian Gauss Cannon | Best heart sniper. Low ammo, so it needs rearming in long fights. Can be engineered to resist Glaive fields. |
| Enhanced or Azimuth AX Multi-cannon | Worse than Guardian options. Good if you have no Guardian unlocks, or for Scouts in a wing. |
| Modified Guardian Gauss | Fires a 4 round burst. Harder to use. Most guides say skip. |
| Flak | Not recommended in Conflict Zones. Swarms move too erratically. |
| Thermal Vent Beam Laser | Add one or two to strip shields and control heat |
Utilities and Internals
| Item | Verdict |
|---|---|
| Shutdown Field Neutraliser | Mandatory. Hold it down until the pulse passes. |
| Heat Sinks | The workhorse. Staying cold keeps you alive. |
| Caustic Sink Launcher | Optional, very handy. Soaks caustic damage. |
| Enhanced Xeno Scanner | Optional. Needed if you rely on multi-cannons to target hearts. |
| Module Reinforcement (MRP) | Mandatory. Standard setup: two small plus one in your biggest slot. Use human MRPs where Glaives appear. |
| Repair Limpet Controller + cargo for limpets | Strongly recommended in open space |
| AFMU | Strongly recommended in open space. Swarm missiles cause module damage. |
Most AX builds skip shields and tank with hull, repair limpets, and MRPs.
Where to Buy AX Gear
| Where | What |
|---|---|
| Guardian Tech Broker (Module 4) | Guardian and Modified Guardian weapons: one time unlocks, or pay per unit |
| Rescue Ship Hutner (Luyten's Star) and Rescue Ship Cornwallis (V886 Centauri) ⚠️ | Enhanced and Azimuth AX weapons, AX utilities for credits |
| Prospect's Deep, Mbooni | Modified Guardian weapons and Azimuth AX Multi-cannons. Needs the Mbooni permit: reach Allied with Azimuth Biotech. You may need to visit the Glorious Prospect megaship in LHS 1163. |
| Sirius Tech Brokers | Sirius AX Missile Rack |
Proven AX Builds (Xeno Strike Force)
Full EDSY links are on the XSF AXCZ Builds page.
| Ship | Weapons | Key Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Krait Mk II | 4 Modified Shards + 1 large Thermal Vent beam | "The war meta." Size 7 distributor. Versatile. Gauss and Plasma variants exist. |
| Corsair | 4 Modified Shards + large and medium Thermal Vent beams | One more medium hardpoint than the Krait. 600 m/s boost. Very tough. |
| Alliance Chieftain | 4 Gauss + small and medium beams | Incredibly agile. The classic heart sniper. |
| Alliance Challenger | 4 Modified Shards + 3 small beams | Great convergence on the three bottom mounts |
| Python Mk II | 4 Modified Shards + beams | Six utility slots. Less tough than the Krait. |
| Mandalay | 4 Modified Shards + 2 small beams | Very agile. Prone to heat spikes. Class 5 distributor limits it. |
| Cobra Mk V | 3 Modified Shards + 2 small beams | Best small AX ship. Health like a medium. |
Typical utilities on all of these: 2 to 3 heat sinks, a Shutdown Field Neutraliser, and a Caustic Sink or Xeno Scanner.
How an AX Conflict Zone Plays Out
- 1Wing up before you drop in. Otherwise you may land in a different instance.
- 2Wave 1: 10 to 20 Scouts. Kill Regenerators and Berserkers first.
- 3Wave 2 and on: Interceptors, usually two at a time. Neutralise the Shutdown Field when they arrive and when they lose their second to last heart.
- 4High zones: Glaives may arrive. Kill them first.
- 5Hydra phase: optional, big reward. One Hydra in Low and Medium zones, two in High and Very High.
- 6Bonds pay out at each milestone and for every kill.
- 7Stuck? Everyone flies out 35 to 45 km to soft reset. 50 to 70 km resets the zone fully.
Gotchas
- Thargoid cargo attracts Thargoids. Carrying it makes hyperdictions hostile.
- Caustic cargo damages your ship unless it sits in a Corrosion Resistant Cargo Rack.
- Glaive Anti-Guardian Fields wreck unprotected Guardian equipment, including Guardian MRPs. Treat every Guardian module as at risk and swap to human versions for High zones.
- Hyperdiction is not always hostile. If you carry no Thargoid cargo, they usually scan you and leave.
- Cook off caustic damage by overheating briefly, or use a Caustic Sink.
- Instancing trouble? Check your port forwarding.
Needs Checking ⚠️
| Item | Why | Where to Check |
|---|---|---|
| Thargoid return | Story driven. The autumn 2026 "feature reboot" could involve Thargoids. | Frontier news, Galnet |
| California AXCZ status | Last recon noted in 2025. Zones can break or move. | AXI Wiki, AXI Discord |
| Rescue Ship Hutner and Cornwallis | Many rescue megaships were destroyed in December 2024. The AXI Wiki still lists these two as sellers. | Inara station pages |
| Titan Drive Component drop rate | Rare and random | Frontier forums |
| Bond payouts | Change with balance patches | Module 9 |
Sources
| Source | Used For |
|---|---|
| Frontier Galnet and X: last Titan destroyed in Sol (December 2024) | End of the war |
| Xeno Strike Force: Scavenging at Titan Graveyards | Graveyard list, phases, kit, loot tiers, what is gone |
| Xeno Strike Force: Anti-Xeno Conflict Zones and AXCZ Builds | AXCZ flow, California zones, weapon and utility verdicts, builds |
| Anti-Xeno Initiative Wiki: Finding Thargoids, Weapons | NHSS hotspots, The Zoo, AXCZ systems, where to buy, Mbooni permit |
| Canonn Research Group: Maelstrom | Titan systems and arrival distances |
| NEWP: AX Combat | NHSS threat levels, 20% hyperdiction rule |
| Elite Dangerous Wiki (Fandom): Shipwrecks, Thargoid Titan | HIP 17403 crash site, Titan history |
| Frontier Forums and Steam discussions (2024 to 2026) | Titan Drive Component farming tips, Titan Pulse Neutraliser context |
Cross links
Module 1 (Farseer, Palin, Sedesi unlocks)Module 4 (PESCO drives, Guardian weapons)Module 5 (Ships)Module 6 (Sol and Mbooni permits)Module 7 (Guardian weapon blueprints)Module 9 (Money loops)