Star Citizen Alpha 4.6 has moved into Evocati testing, with the early build focused less on headline features and more on stability, bug fixes, and a new Persistent Universe event: Clearing the Air. While this phase is under NDA for footage, the patch notes and early reports outline enough to plan your approach, especially if you want to be ready when 4.6 reaches wider PTU and then Live.

This article explains what’s in the 4.6 Evocati build right now, how the Clearing the Air mission set works (including milestone missions), what’s currently broken or inconsistent, and how to prep your ships and credit flow so you can participate efficiently without wasting time or resources.

Where Alpha 4.6 Is Right Now (Evocati to PTU to Live)

In its current state, 4.6 is an Evocati build with a testing focus on stability and bug fixing. The practical takeaway is that feature completeness is not guaranteed yet. Cloud Imperium has indicated the patch does not contain all intended features at once, and that content may be added iteratively as the build stabilizes. Some features may appear partially implemented, may not be ready for feedback, or could be removed if they aren’t meeting goals.

Timing-wise, Evocati typically precedes wider PTU by days to weeks depending on crash rates, blocker bugs, and overall playability. A Live release is often a couple of weeks after the build becomes stable enough for broader testing, but the exact schedule depends on what breaks when concurrency ramps up.

Clearing the Air: The Levski Outbreak Story and Why It Matters

Clearing the Air is framed as a system-wide relief and security response to a spreading illness centered around Levski. Residents and visitors have been suffering symptoms such as coughing, fatigue, chest pain, and painful lesions in bone structures. The cause is identified as a fungal infection tied to faulty air filters sourced from Gisom Inc., with the strain dubbed Molina Mold after an autopsy revealed the pathogen following the death of a maintenance engineer.

The UEE has stepped in, CureLife is developing a targeted antifungal treatment, and Gisom is working on replacement filtration hardware. Players in Stanton are hired as contractors to locate biological samples, deliver resources for treatment and replacement filters, and transport finished goods to Levski. Criminal groups attempt to exploit the crisis by hijacking shipments and ransoming victims, which creates a natural blend of industrial logistics and combat protection missions.

Even if the event itself is limited-time, the structure suggests mission archetypes and variants that could persist as repeatable content afterward, especially if this is the opening of a longer narrative arc.

Event Mission Types You’ll See in the Persistent Universe

Clearing the Air is designed to populate the PU with multiple mission categories that feed into milestone progression. Expect a mix of civilian logistics, resource movement, and security response. The patch notes describe the following mission types as part of the event loop:

• Hauling and delivery missions tied to medical supplies, filters, and treatment components
• Courier jobs that move smaller packages or time-sensitive items
• Resource gathering tasks supporting CureLife and manufacturing efforts
• Kill ship objectives against opportunistic raiders
• Recover cargo missions after hijacks or wrecks
• Station escort and defend ship contracts to protect relief traffic

Because these missions span both industrial and combat play, they’re a good testbed for how your current hangar performs under patch volatility. If the mission board is inconsistent (a known issue in early builds), it helps to have at least two viable loops: one logistics-focused and one combat-focused.

Milestone Missions: How the Event Progression Appears to Work

The most important structural detail is the milestone system. After completing a certain number of missions in a category, you unlock an “urgent” or “exclusive” follow-up that acts like a capstone. Progress is tracked in the mobiGlas journal, and the exact numbers may be rebalanced, but the early targets described include:

• After a set of hauling-type missions (currently described as 25), you receive a VIP urgent care transport mission that requires moving a single VIP to microTech for treatment.
• After a set of combat missions (currently described as 25), an exclusive target appears connected to a hostile gang, creating a higher-value bounty-style objective.
• After a larger combat total (currently described as 50), a sick VIP in cryo is stolen and held for ransom by a Pyro-aligned gang, implying a more involved rescue or interdiction scenario.

Practically, milestone missions change how you should plan your session. A typical mistake is to treat every contract as standalone. Instead, pick one track (hauling or combat) and commit long enough to reach the milestone, because the milestone is likely where the best payout, reputation impact, or narrative payoff sits.

Industrial Mining and Salvage Missions: Present, But Not Fully Ready

4.6’s testing focus also mentions industrial mining and salvage missions, but with an important caveat: they may exist in the build yet not be ready for testing or feedback. This is a common pattern in early PTU phases where mission hooks are present but spawn logic, objective completion, and reward tuning are incomplete.

If you want to prepare anyway, focus on fundamentals that remain valuable regardless of tuning: fuel budgeting, repair reserves, and having at least one ship that can safely move goods without needing perfect server performance. If you’re planning to invest into industrial gameplay quickly, keep a reserve of Star Citizen credits aUEC for consumables and recovery costs, since early patch loops often include unexpected ship claims or lost cargo.

Evocati builds are often rough, and 4.6 is no exception. The most relevant known issues described so far cluster around mission availability, objective progression, and Nyx/Levski functionality.

Mission spawning and progression problems

• Some Clearing the Air missions may not spawn correctly
• Enemies or objectives may fail to progress, blocking completion
• Some missions may not appear in the mission list at all

Economy and terminal inconsistencies

• Some shops may have no inventory available
• ASOP terminals may not show ship information correctly

Interaction blockers

• Doors that require fuses may not be overrideable in some cases
• Structural or traversal issues reported around Levski/Nyx locations

When these issues hit, the best approach is to minimize sunk costs. Avoid loading an entire play session into a single fragile objective chain if the server is unstable. Keep your loadout practical, keep your cargo exposure low, and pivot quickly between mission types if a specific category is bugging out.

Take a look at: how 4.5 stability and hotfixes set the stage for 4.6

Bug Fixes and Combat Handling Changes (Why Your Gunplay Feels Different)

4.6 reportedly includes a large set of bug fixes (over 80) targeting issues from 4.5, including a notable portion sourced from Issue Council reports. While the exact list will evolve as patch notes update, the key point is the direction: fewer crashes, fewer mission blockers, and more reliable vehicle and interaction behavior.

There’s also a small but meaningful FPS handling adjustment aimed at reducing desync-related weapon issues like fake reloads and weapon swap problems. The change is essentially stricter gating around what actions can happen during stow/unstow animations:

• Weapons can be unstowed while other stow/unstow actions are in progress
• Weapons can’t be reloaded or fired while stowing/unstowing
• Med-pen animations can be interrupted after injecting
• Self-aim behavior for the med gun allows sprinting out more cleanly

If you do a lot of bunker or escort work, expect the “feel” of close-quarters fights to shift slightly. The practical adjustment is to pre-plan reload windows and avoid last-moment animation-cancel habits that used to work inconsistently. This is less about nerfing players and more about preventing the server from being tripped up when frame rates or server tick degrade.

What This Patch Suggests About Nyx and Future Content

Several elements of 4.6 point toward broader Nyx-related development: the Levski-centered outbreak story, references to Nyx-focused mission content, and faction hooks that imply additional gangs and narrative beats. Even if specific missions are temporary, the scaffolding often remains as repeatable sandbox content once the narrative window closes.

Separately, there are hints that experimental features could be tested in parallel spaces like Arena Commander (for example, flight model iterations). Treat these as “possible,” not guaranteed, until they appear in official notes for wider PTU.

Because this event blends hauling and combat, preparation is less about one perfect ship and more about having flexible options and enough liquidity to absorb patch turbulence. This is especially true if you’re aiming to stack milestone missions quickly.

1) Build a two-loop plan: logistics and security

Have one gameplay loop that earns consistently even if combat missions bug out, and one that works even if commodity or delivery missions stall. For example, if hauling contracts aren’t populating, you can pivot into ship combat objectives and still progress toward a combat milestone.

2) Keep cargo exposure small until the build stabilizes

Early builds are notorious for mission completion failures, random claim loops, and server instability. If you’re running deliveries, keep the value per run modest until you trust the patch. This is where many players feel the pinch of replacement costs and lost time, which is why some prefer to keep a reserve or supplement progression through options like Star Citizen aUEC when they’d rather spend limited playtime on the event itself than on rebuilding a bankroll.

3) Stock practical consumables

• Med pens and basic medical supplies for unexpected firefights
• Spare ammo and a reliable primary weapon you can control under desync
• Enough fuel and repair margin to avoid being stranded mid-chain

4) Plan for milestone travel

The hauling milestone described includes a VIP transport to microTech. That means your milestone may force a longer route than your usual local loop. Budget for quantum fuel, time, and the possibility of needing to re-run a mission if objectives fail to update.

Take a look at: practical component picks for quantum, shields, and weapons

5) Don’t over-upgrade on day one

It’s tempting to dump currency into components the moment a new patch hits. In early testing, availability can be inconsistent (shops empty, terminals bugged), and balance may shift. If you do plan upgrades, prioritize the few that reduce downtime: quantum efficiency, survivability for escorts, and reliability for your chosen mission type. A focused aUEC for component upgrades budget is more useful than a broad shopping spree.

As of the Evocati notes discussed here, it’s unclear whether 4.6 will include a wipe. Until CIG confirms persistence changes, the safest planning approach is:

• Don’t assume your current wealth and inventory will carry forward unchanged
• Don’t assume a wipe is guaranteed either
• Keep your strategy flexible: enjoy the event content, but avoid overcommitting all resources into one fragile investment

If you’re trying to stay ready for ship purchases, repairs, and event participation regardless of wipe uncertainty, players often look for ways to reduce grind pressure. For some, that means leaning on efficient Star Citizen money making loops; for others, it can mean researching how to buy Star Citizen aUEC safely for ship upgrades so they can keep testing and flying without spending entire sessions rebuilding after a bad server night.

Newsletter Ship Tease: What We Know (And Don’t)

A newsletter sneak peek appears to show an unrevealed ship that resembles an Apollo-related variant to some observers, with visual cues like a rear-mounted tractor beam and a profile that reads as utility-focused. However, without an official reveal, treat any specific identification as speculation. The most useful preparation angle isn’t guessing the name, but recognizing what a new utility hauler-type ship could mean: more competition in the medium logistics space and potentially new mission tuning around cargo movement.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Clearing the Air a limited-time event, or will it stay?

The narrative framing suggests it’s time-limited, but the mission archetypes (hauling, escort, recover cargo) are the kind that often remain as permanent variants after the event ends.

What’s the fastest way to reach a milestone mission?

Pick one track and commit. If you want the VIP transport milestone, prioritize hauling-type contracts and complete them in a consistent route rather than bouncing between mission categories.

What should I do if missions don’t spawn or won’t complete?

Swap to a different mission type, relog if necessary, and avoid stacking high-value cargo until the build is stable. Early PTU phases can have objective progression blockers.

No. The event includes courier and hauling work, but having a combat-capable option helps when escort and defend-ship missions appear or when criminals interdict relief traffic.

How much aUEC should I keep on hand for 4.6 testing?

Keep enough to cover repairs, refuel, and a few re-gears after deaths. If you’re short and want to avoid endless grinding, some players explore where to buy aUEC for Star Citizen without endless grinding so they can spend more time on the event loop itself.