Crossfire 2.0.1 dropped on July 17th, and if you haven't tried this mod, the patch is a good excuse to start.
Crossfire is a large-scale single-player total conversion for Freelancer — a mod that takes the base game's universe and expands it significantly. New star systems, new equipment, new ships, a new extended campaign that picks up after the vanilla story ends. It's been in development for years and is one of the most complete solo-focused mods in the community. If you finished vanilla Freelancer and want more structured content before diving into something like Discovery (which is effectively an MMO), Crossfire is the natural next step.
Version 2.0.1 is a stability and compatibility update following the major 2.0 release. Based on the patch notes published on the SWAT Portal — the mod's primary home — it addresses a number of technical issues that surfaced after 2.0 went out, including mission trigger fixes, AI behavior corrections, and balance adjustments to progression in the extended campaign. The update also revised installation requirements: as of 2.0, Crossfire no longer requires the Freelancer Mod Manager, streamlining the setup process for new players.
One practical note: you'll still need a clean vanilla Freelancer installation before installing Crossfire. The mod replaces significant portions of the base game. That's not a warning — it's just how it works.
For mod details and the current download: ModDB hosts the Crossfire page, and the SWAT Portal (swat-portal.com) has the community hub, install guides, and the most active discussion threads.
This is a singleplayer mod. If you want to play Freelancer online with other people, Discovery Freelancer is the place for that. They're different experiences aimed at different preferences.