Elite Dangerous (2014), the open universe MMO space simulator from Frontier Games, is getting its next chapter soon which will include a new ship, a few new mechanics, and improvements to existent systems. Frontier today announced Beyond – Chapter Two will be launching for free to all Elite Dangerous players on all platforms on June 28th.
Update (06/01/18): Along with the new ship,(‘Alliance Challenger’), Frontier is also bringing a selection of new wing missions, installation interactions, new settlements to explore and, more ways to combat the Thargoids.
“This is the first of the two smaller installments coming as part of the Elite Dangerous Beyond series of updates, with a larger one coming in Q4 of this year, bringing Squadrons and improvements to Mining and Exploration, and much more,” the company says in a press release.
Check out the new updated trailer below:
Original article (02/20/18): Chapter One is the first update to Elite Dangerous’ third season, Beyond, following the Thargoids assault on humanity’s starports which took place in Horizons, the game’s second season.
According to a Frontier forum post, the studio will be bringing four Beyond updates to Elite Dangerous which they say will focus on “adding new content, uncovering and progressing the mysteries of the galaxy and enhancing existing core gameplay experiences.”
Elite Dangerous supports HTC Vive and Oculus Rift on Steam, and for Rift on Oculus Home. As for traditional monitors, ED supports PS4, XBOX, and PC.
Frontier says they’ll have a more detailed rundown on all of the changes coming in the 3.0 Update on their forum in the near future. Here’s the current list of features coming in Beyond – Chapter One:
- New Ship: Chieftain – Elite Dangerous Horizons Commanders will also be able to take to the stars in the new Alliance Chieftain, designed not only to dish out punishment, but to avoid it. Manufactured by Lakon Spaceways, the Chieftain is more maneuverable than ships of similar size and weight, and its combat profile means it can more than hold its own in a fight.
- Improved Core Mechanics – Chapter 1 of Beyond will bring improvements to some of Elite Dangerous’ core mechanics, including accessibility enhancements to the engineering mechanics, an overhaul of mission rewards and big changes to Crime and Punishment. We’ll be sharing more information on the changes to Crime and Punishment, and the Engineers in a future post here on the forums and in the livestreams mentioned above.
- Wing Missions – Chapter 1 of Beyond will give you the chance to take on wing missions with your fellow Commanders, sharing both the efforts and rewards.
- Revised Trade Data – Commanders will now be able to access trade data from systems they have previously visited, in order to make more informed decisions when shipping goods across the Milky Way.
- Planetary Visual Improvements – Chapter 1 also includes the first of the planetary visual improvements coming as part of the Beyond series of updates (with more surface level improvements coming later in the year) bringing a new vibrancy to the Elite Dangerous galaxy.
- GalNet Audio – With the introduction of GalNet Audio, you will be able to catch up on the latest news from across the galaxy without ever leaving the action.