Siege of Orison is back in Star Citizen Alpha 4.10.0 "Siege of Orison", and this time it is a completely reworked, four-player co-op FPS mission — the very first activity in the Persistent Universe to run on the game's new Instancing technology. If you jumped in after the patch went live on 2026-08-26 and you are staring at the Orison skyline wondering where the mission even starts, this guide walks you through exactly how to trigger it, what happens on each platform, what you get for finishing, and the loadout and team tips that keep you from bleeding out on platform two.
Everything below is verified against the Star Citizen Wiki's Siege of Orison page and the Alpha 4.10.0 patch notes. Star Citizen is still in alpha, so mission details and rewards get tuned between hotfixes — check the in-game contract text and the official patch notes before you assume a number is current.
Quick answer: how Siege of Orison works in Alpha 4.10
- What it is: a closed, instanced FPS mission for up to 4 players where you retake three occupied Orison platforms from the Nine Tails gang and their commander, Mendo Ren. It is a full rework of the old open-world Siege of Orison event and the first mission built on Instancing on Demand.
- Where to start it: board the shuttle at Inspiration Station, on the rooftop of the Crusader Industries Showroom in Orison (Crusader, Stanton system). You do not need to fly anywhere during the fight.
- How it triggers: pass the instancing gate and walk down to the Solanki Platform shuttle — you automatically receive the "Retake Platforms From Nine Tails" contract. The optional Mercenary contract "Orison Platforms Under Attack" just points you to the entrance.
- Rewards: aUEC, blueprints, and a bespoke weapon skin, plus access to the new BUL-H4 Super Heavy Armor and Apocalypse Arms Vendetta HMG (also tied to the Wikelo Exchange).
- The lifesaver: the instance has unlimited medical-bed respawn checkpoints — you respawn inside the mission without consuming MedGel, so a wipe is a setback, not a run-ender.
Siege of Orison is genuinely one of the best reasons to log into Alpha 4.10, and because the SERP for it is still dominated by thin vendor blogs, it is worth learning properly from a source that actually cites the wiki.
What is Siege of Orison in Alpha 4.10?
The legacy Siege of Orison was a dynamic, server-wide event you flew into with everyone else on the shard. The 4.10 version is a comprehensive rework: a private, party-only instance you and up to three friends drop into, fight through, and complete without random players or server churn interrupting you.
As the Star Citizen Wiki puts it, it is "the first activity to implement instancing technology in the Persistent Universe." That is the headline. Instancing on Demand spins up a fresh copy of the mission space for your group, which is why the fight feels tighter and more scripted than the old free-for-all — and why "the instance didn't load" is the most common failure people hit (more on that below).
The premise: the Nine Tails have seized three Orison floating platforms and installed IFF inverter devices to jam Crusader Security's response. Northrock's Rep. Adrienne Du-Buisson and Crusader Security's Cpt. Reynolds brief you on the way in. Your job is to move platform to platform, clear the gang, and disable each inverter until you reach and eliminate commander Mendo Ren.
"As you make your way to the next platform, understand that by shutting down an inverter the Nine Tails may be adjusting their offensive strategy, so be careful."
— Rep. Adrienne Du-Buisson, in-mission briefing (Star Citizen Wiki)
This is a pure FPS encounter. Unlike the old version, you no longer fly ships between platforms during the fight — the shuttle handles transit, so bring your ground kit, not your best interceptor.
How to start Siege of Orison (step by step)
- Spawn in Orison, Crusader. Orison is the cloud city on the gas giant Crusader in the Stanton system. If you are not already there, quantum-travel to Crusader and land at Orison.
- Head to the Crusader Industries Showroom. Make your way to the showroom building. The staging area — Inspiration Station — is on its rooftop.
- (Optional) grab the pointer contract. The Mercenary contract "Orison Platforms Under Attack" can appear in your Contract Manager and direct you to the entrance. It is optional and does not affect the main mission's progress — you can skip it entirely.
- Pass the instancing gate. Walk to the gate at Inspiration Station and through it. This is where the game builds your private instance. If you are running as a party, make sure everyone is grouped before you cross so you share the same instance.
- Walk down to the Solanki Platform shuttle. As you descend the stairs, you automatically receive the "Retake Platforms From Nine Tails" contract and the intro from Rep. Du-Buisson. Board the shuttle when prompted.
That's it — no legacy priority contract to hunt for, no ship flight. The mission is designed to activate after entry rather than requiring everyone to find and accept a contract first, which is a deliberate change from the old event.
The three platforms: what to expect
You clear three floating platforms sequentially, disabling an inverter on each.
- Solanki Platform (Stage 1). The first drop. Du-Buisson warns that the previous defense team was under heavy mortar fire — those mortars are your first obstacle to clear when you touch down. Expect open sightlines and Nine Tails infantry dug in around the inverter.
- Second platform (Stage 2). This is where Cpt. Reynolds' ATLS team was pinned down. Disabling the inverter here shifts the gang's strategy, so the AI adapts — push as a group, don't over-extend solo.
- Final platform (Stage 3). The endgame. You reach and eliminate commander Mendo Ren and disable the last (primary) jammer to trigger mission complete.
Because it is instanced, the pacing is consistent run to run — the same platforms in the same order — which makes Siege of Orison very learnable. Your second attempt is almost always faster than your first.
Siege of Orison rewards in Alpha 4.10
Completing Siege of Orison is one of the higher-value FPS payouts in the current build. Per the 4.10 patch notes and wiki, a successful run rewards:
- aUEC (a mission payout for finishing the instance).
- Blueprints for the fabricator/crafting system.
- A bespoke weapon skin unique to the mission.
- Gateway to the new 4.10 gear: the BUL-H4 Super Heavy Armor set (one-piece armor + BUL-H4 Helmet + H4-PBF Ammo Carrier backpack) and the Apocalypse Arms Vendetta HMG — a brand-new belt-fed Heavy Machine Gun weapon type — are tied to Siege of Orison plus the Wikelo Exchange.
One honest caveat on the aUEC number. Exact mission payouts get rebalanced constantly in alpha, and most of the specific "X aUEC" figures floating around are from aUEC-selling vendor blogs, not CIG. Treat any precise number you see elsewhere as unconfirmed and read the payout off the in-game contract. What is not in doubt is that aUEC is wipeable test currency — CIG's own documentation states aUEC "can be wiped at any point" and that players "cannot be reimbursed aUEC if lost due to a crash or bugs." The Vendetta HMG and BUL-H4 blueprints are the durable prize; the aUEC is nice, but do not treat your balance as a permanent asset.
The Vendetta is worth calling out: it is a Heavy Machine Gun, belt-fed, and only usable with the super-heavy armor. A teammate can even reload your backpack via tractor beam — a small but real reason Siege of Orison plays better as a coordinated four-stack.
Best strategy and loadout tips
- Bring a team of up to four. It scales as a co-op mission and the super-heavy-armor reload mechanic rewards coordination. Solo is possible but slower and riskier.
- Kit for FPS, not dogfighting. No ship flight happens during the encounter. Pack a solid primary, meds, ammo, and armor. If you already own super-heavy armor, the Vendetta HMG shines here.
- Use the free respawns, but reset smart. The instance gives unlimited medical-bed respawn checkpoints with no MedGel cost, so dying isn't a run-ender. Still, respawning throws you back — clear angles methodically rather than sprinting into mortar fire.
- Clear mortars first on Solanki. The opening platform's mortar positions are the biggest early threat. Suppress or flank them before pushing the inverter.
- Expect adaptive AI after each inverter. The briefing spells it out: shutting down an inverter can change the Nine Tails' offense. Re-check your flanks between stages.
- Prep your aUEC beforehand if you want a cushion. Combat kit and armor cost aUEC. If you are short, a mining or hauling loop first gives you a buffer — our Alpha 4.9 mining ship guide and how to make aUEC fast guide both still apply to the loops that carried into 4.10.
If you want more FPS reps before you tackle the commander on the third platform, the same combat fundamentals from our Alpha 4.9 bounty hunting guide transfer directly.
Common problems: when the instance won't load
Instancing is brand-new tech, so the number-one issue is the mission failing to load or hanging at the gate. A few things help:
- Group up before the gate. If teammates end up in different instances, back out and cross the instancing gate together.
- Restart the client if it hangs. A stalled instance often clears with a full client restart — and if you catch a general timeout on the way in, that's the classic "30k". Our Star Citizen 30k error and connection-code fix guide covers the reconnect steps.
- Check server status first. If instances won't spawn game-wide, it may be server-side. Confirm at status.robertsspaceindustries.com before troubleshooting your own PC.
- Known launch bug context. Alpha 4.10 shipped alongside a big stability pass (CIG logged hundreds of bug fixes and dozens of crash/stability fixes at launch), but instancing edge cases still surface. If a mission genuinely won't progress, run other 4.10 content and wait for a hotfix rather than retrying endlessly.
For the full picture on what else changed in the patch — the Levski missions, economy shifts, and wipe status — see our companion Alpha 4.10 patch notes breakdown.
FAQ
How do I start Siege of Orison in Alpha 4.10? Go to Orison on Crusader, head to the Crusader Industries Showroom, and take the shuttle from Inspiration Station on its rooftop. Cross the instancing gate and walk down to the Solanki Platform shuttle — you automatically receive the "Retake Platforms From Nine Tails" contract. The optional "Orison Platforms Under Attack" Mercenary contract just points you to the entrance.
Is Siege of Orison a ship mission or an FPS mission? It is a pure FPS mission in 4.10. You do not fly ships between platforms during the encounter — a shuttle handles all transit — so bring ground combat gear, not a fighter loadout.
How many players can do Siege of Orison? Up to four players in a private, instanced copy of the mission. It scales as co-op and the super-heavy-armor reload mechanic rewards playing as a coordinated group.
What are the Siege of Orison rewards? aUEC, crafting blueprints, and a bespoke weapon skin, plus it gates the new BUL-H4 Super Heavy Armor and Apocalypse Arms Vendetta HMG (shared with the Wikelo Exchange). Exact aUEC payouts get rebalanced in alpha, so read the amount off the in-game contract rather than trusting a third-party number.
Do I lose my progress or rewards if I die? No — the instance has unlimited medical-bed respawn checkpoints that don't consume MedGel, so death sends you back to a checkpoint instead of ending the run. Your aUEC balance itself, however, is wipeable test currency and can be reset at a future patch with no reimbursement.
Why won't my Siege of Orison instance load? Instancing is new tech and can hang at the gate. Make sure your party crosses the instancing gate together, restart the client if it stalls, and check status.robertsspaceindustries.com for a server-side outage. A general connection timeout on the way in is the classic "30k" error.
Is Alpha 4.10 live, or is Siege of Orison still on PTU? Alpha 4.10.0 went live on 2026-08-26. Any guide still saying "4.10 is PTU only / LIVE is 4.9" was written before launch and is out of date.
