Torpedo

Lore & Background

In the vast, lawless reaches of the Galaxy, torpedoes have long been the workhorse of guided ordnance. Where the elite Heavy Missiles and Large Missiles demand expensive hardpoints and are reserved for the heaviest warships, Torpedoes slot into a far wider array of hulls. A lone fighter in a backwater system, a mid-size corvette running a smuggling route, a light carrier dropping escorts into a contested lane—all can carry a rack of torpedoes and threaten a capital ship that would shrug off their laser fire.

The design philosophy behind the Torpedo line is one of accessibility and reliability. The warhead is less exotic than that of a Heavy Missile, the propulsion is slower, and the guidance computer is simpler. But the lock-on system is forgiving: once the target is painted, the torpedo will chase, correct its course, and deliver its payload with a stubborn, almost mechanical determination. In the hands of a patient pilot who can hold a lock through evasive manoeuvres, a volley of torpedoes can turn a losing dogfight into a pyrotechnic victory.

Across the many star systems players traverse, torpedoes are manufactured by a range of industrial concerns and are stocked at virtually every shipyard and trading post. They are the first guided weapon most new pilots ever fire, and for many, they remain the preferred choice—cheap, plentiful, and satisfying to watch streak across the void toward a glowing lock reticle.

In Their Own Story

The lock indicator blinked amber, then green. Kael exhaled, fingers easing off the rudder as the Small Torpedo left its tube with a low, guttural thrum. Ahead, the raider's escort shuttle wove in a lazy figure-eight, banking hard to shed the projectile's guidance. Kael matched its rhythm, drifting the starfighter just enough to keep the lock reticle centred on the shuttle's engine glow. The torpedo's trail of pale blue exhaust stretched between them like a thread of frozen lightning. The shuttle banked again, too late. A soft orange bloom swallowed it whole, and the debris field caught the light of a distant sun as Kael rolled out and set course for the next jump point. Three torpedoes left in the rack. That would have to be enough.

Reader's Guide

Small Torpedo, Medium Torpedo, and Large Torpedo form a three-tier homing-missile line within the Missile weapon category. They are lock-on weapons: the player must acquire and maintain a target lock before firing, and the projectile then homes on the marked target for the duration of its flight.

In the tech tree, Torpedoes sit alongside the heavier Missile line (Small, Medium, Large, Heavy Missile) but are fitted to a wider range of hulls, including many fighters and mid-size capital ships that lack the hardpoint capacity for the larger missile types. They are energy-powered projectiles and are stocked at most shipyards and trading posts across the Galaxy.

The Small Torpedo is the lightest and slowest of the three, making it accessible to the smallest ships and fighters. The Medium Torpedo adds a meaningful step in damage and warhead mass while remaining within reach of most mid-size hulls. The Large Torpedo is the heaviest variant, offering the greatest single-projectile damage in the line but requiring a larger hardpoint and more mass allocation.

Playstyle-wise, Torpedoes reward a slower, positioning-focused approach. The lock-on window and the projectile's flight time give the opponent a chance to evade, so pilots must manage their own movement to hold the lock. A well-timed volley of torpedoes can punch through shields that would shrug off equivalent laser fire, making them a strong choice for players who prefer deliberate, high-impact engagements over rapid-fire beam combat.

Did You Know?

• Torpedoes are lock-on weapons in Elite Dangerous, meaning the player must acquire a target lock before the projectile will home in—firing without a lock sends the torpedo straight ahead with no guidance.
• The Torpedo line is available to a broader range of ship classes than the heavier Missile line, making it a common guided-weapon option for fighters and smaller capital ships.
• Torpedoes come in three sizes—Small, Medium, and Large—each stepping up in damage and warhead mass while requiring progressively larger hardpoints.
• Because of their slower flight speed compared to other missile types, Torpedoes give opposing pilots a longer window to break the lock with evasive manoeuvres, making them a test of patience as much as firepower.