Elite Dangerous News

Greetings Commanders!


We know that many of you are eagerly awaiting the second Fleet Carrier Beta that starts next week, so ahead of that, we wanted to share some of the changes you can expect to see when you jump in to help us test them!

So, let's start with a quick reminder: the next Fleet Carriers Beta begins on 11 May and runs until 26 May. Commanders on PC, PlayStation and Xbox One will be able to jump into this one, and to find out more on how to take part, click here.

Thanks to all the feedback provided to us in the first Fleet Carriers Beta, we wanted to highlight some of the changes you can expect to see in next week's Beta:

• Fleet Carriers will now have Universal Cartographics available as an optional service.

After the feedback from the first Fleet Carriers Beta, we reexamined how Fleet Carriers could be utilised by different play styles. We feel that with the inclusion of Universal Cartographics, explorers out in the black will be able to break new boundaries and launch exciting new expeditions.

• Decommissioning a Fleet Carrier will now refund the full cost of a Carrier, with the only reductions either being unpaid debt when automated or a static fee for voluntary decommissioning.

There has been a lot of conversation and feedback around this, so thank you to all the Commanders who shared their thoughts with us! Fleet Carriers affect Elite Dangerous in a way the game hasn't seen before; they are persistent objects accessible across all platforms and controlled by player Commanders. Due to this, Fleet Carriers require these new systems in order to facilitate them in the galaxy. While Elite Dangerous can sustain as many Fleet Carriers as the community could wish for, there is a finite number of objects that can orbit a single body. Left unchecked, this could become a problem if Fleet Carriers are left in key locations like popular capital systems or near to carrier construction facilities, especially when a recent buyer wants to pick up their new Fleet Carrier. Decommissioning acts as an inactivity system that refunds the initial investment while preventing unused Fleet Carriers adrift in the galaxy. By adjusting the refund amount, we think this will be more in line with your expectations.

• Module and ship storage will now always be available for the Fleet Carrier owner. Shipyard and outfitting services will still need to be purchased to enable visitors to use them and to buy stock for the owner.

After seeing the feedback from players, we agreed that Fleet Carriers should come with these services by default! However, for others to use these services, owners will still need to activate the additional service to provide functionality to visitors as well as just the owner.

• Tritium consumption per lightyear has been reduced by approximately half.

This will directly make Fleet Carrier movement 2x more efficient in the beta. We want to keep monitoring the use of carriers and Tritium during the second beta, but this is our initial step to finding that sweet spot.

• BETA BLOWOUT!

Towards the end of the beta, join us for a BETA BLOWOUT, where Fleet Carriers will be available to almost anyone who has not yet had the opportunity to test them for themselves!

In order to get feedback on Fleet Carriers in an environment that is as close to the live servers as possible, Fleet Carriers will remain at the price of 5bn CR. This is important to make sure we can get as accurate feedback as possible. However, during the Beta Blowout period, Fleet Carriers will be purchasable for 1m CR. We're doing this so that as many people as possible can help try them out and give us feedback, but still enable us during the first week to see how they behave in an environment closer to what the live one will look like.

We're looking forward to seeing what you will do with them (and how many you'll make!).


We'll be closely monitoring your feedback, so please continue to share it with us on the forums!

We'll also be creating a dedicated section on the forums to give a home to feedback, instructions, guides and all things related to the second Fleet Carriers Beta.


Fly safe and see you in the beta next week Commanders! o7

Greetings Commanders


We are excited to announce that the Fleet Carriers Update - Beta 2 will run from 11 May to 26 May, starting and ending at 11:00 AM (UTC).

We've very excited to bring you this beta, which is coming to you on all platforms for the very first time. Whether you're on PC, PlayStation 4 or Xbox One, you'll be able to take part!

As a reminder we will be using the saved game data from the live game taken from 30 April (remember what happens in the beta stays in the beta!).

PC Commanders will be able to join the beta following these steps:

1. Open Steam (If you use the Elite Dangerous launcher skip to step 4).
   
2. Open Elite Dangerous in your library.
   
3. Select 'Elite Dangerous: Horizons' on the Steam launcher (even if you don't own Horizons, Horizons will be enabled in the beta build).
   
4. When the Elite Dangerous launcher is loaded, log in to your account if you aren't already logged in.
   
5. On the launcher window you will notice several options; Elite Dangerous: Horizons, Elite Dangerous: Fleet Carriers Update Beta 2 (Horizons), Elite Dangerous etc.
   
6. Select Elite Dangerous: Fleet Carriers Update Beta 2 (Horizons).
   

If you are planning to jump into the Fleet Carriers Update - Beta 2 on PlayStation 4 or Xbox one, here is how you can register your account for participation:.

1. Via a web browser go to https://user.frontierstore.net/fleet-carrier-beta-key.
2. Log in using your PlayStation Network, or Xbox One account.
   
3. (If you were previously a beta player for Elite Dangerous on Xbox One you will not be able to redeem an additional beta key. You should instead re-download the beta application from your “Full Library” inside “My Games and Apps”).
   
4. Follow the steps to generate a code.
   
5. Redeem the code on your console of choice, starting from 11 May.
   

WARNING: The beta will not be live until 11 May. Redeeming the code before this date, will download an older version of the beta. This is not accessible and will fail to connect, however, your beta application will automatically update with the Fleet Carriers Beta 2 on May 11.

We will be announcing more information on the changes and improvements that we have made thanks to your feedback in the near future.


o7

Greetings Commanders,

Today, we wanted to share an update with you all regarding the on-going development of Elite Dangerous.

Despite transitioning as a company to work from home during these challenging times, we're still committed to providing the best possible support, development and updates for the game and for our community. We've launched the first Fleet Carriers beta and are now busy working on the second installment coming in May. This second beta will be opening its hangars not only to PC Commanders, but also those on console for the first time! Everything is still on track to bring Fleet Carriers to the live servers in June.

However, during this uncertain period, we've also had to re-examine our longer term roadmap and make some adjustments. To ensure that we can bring you an incredible new Elite Dangerous experience without compromising the team who work at Frontier, the Next Era release date will move slightly from December 2020 to early 2021.

We haven't made this shift lightly, but it has been made with both the team and the game's best interest at heart. We know that many of you are eager to hear more about the Next Era of Elite Dangerous and, despite this shift in release date, our schedule to bring you news and details about the future hasn't changed, so keep an eye on all of our channels for more information in the coming months!

Thank you everyone for your patience, understanding and generally being an awesome and passionate community!

Stay safe and keep supporting each other,

o7

Greetings Commanders! o7


On 30 April, we will be saving your game data to be used in the Fleet Carriers Update - Beta 2.

This means that whatever state your account is in, will be the state that we will use for Beta 2. So if you wanted to grab a few more credits, you've got a week to do it!

This will be a new save moment taken from the live game, so it will not carry over anything from Beta 1. As a reminder, any progression earned in betas does not carry over to the live game; what happens in beta, stays in beta.

We'll be sharing more details on Beta 2 soon, stay safe out there Commanders!

Greetings Commanders,


The Fleet Carriers Update - Beta 1 has now closed!

We wanted to take this opportunity to thank everyone who participated in the beta. Throughout this beta you helped us make major changes towards improving the functionality of Fleet Carriers with your fantastic feedback and diligent testing. During Beta 1 we reduced upkeep costs, updated the debt threshold to relieve pressure on Fleet Carrier management and reduced a number of service costs. To find out more, you can read the feedback changes we posted here.

The development team have already started working on remaining feedback and issues you have provided as well as preparing for Beta 2. This second beta starts in May and will be available on PC, Xbox and PlayStation. We will be posting updates and key information about the second beta closer to the time on all of our channels.

Thank you once again Commanders!


o7