Elite Dangerous News

Greetings Commanders

The January Update beta begins today!

Although the beta will run much like the real game, we ask that you focus on testing all the changes, along with your standard gameplay, to ensure the stability of the build. This will help us to identify and find ways to fix as many issues as possible before the update goes live.

As a reminder...

• The beta begins on the 27 November and will run until the 2 December.
• The beta will be only be accessible on PC. We are looking into expanding this for console players in the future.
  
• To take part in the beta, all you’ll need to do is load up the launcher and select (and update) the following product: Elite Dangerous: January Update (Beta) from the 27 November. Once that has been completed, you’ll then have access to the January Update beta. If this doesn't appear, please restart your launcher.
  
• Please report any issues you encounter (in the beta) in the Issue Tracker here.

On our official forums, we have created individual threads to give you more information about the beta:

• January Update Beta Patch Notes
• Participating in the beta
• Reporting a bug
• Testing Guidelines

All issues should be reported to the (Beta) Issue Tracker directly, but if you have any questions, please let us know on this forum thread.

UPDATE: The beta will end at 12:00 (UTC) on Monday 02 December.

Good luck on your mission, Commanders.

Greetings Commanders,

As mentioned in October, our upcoming updates will be almost exclusively focused on addressing recent and longstanding issues and bugs. The next update will be our first step as part of that - and it will be coming towards the end of January.

For this update, our first and foremost priority is to ensure that everyone is able to have a seamless experience when playing Elite Dangerous, so our focus will be on aiming to resolve game breaking bugs and stability issues that cause disconnects, softlocks and crashes. By working internally with Customer Support, QA and Development teams, alongside the feedback you shared with us here and via the Issue Tracker, we've identified and are addressing a number of issues in the January Update, which we've detailed below.

As with previous betas, we found your feedback and assistance incredibly useful in helping us identify and resolve bugs and issues. The next updates will be coming with their own public beta, the first of which will run on PC from 27 November to 2 December for the January Update.

Due to this update focusing on a number of bug fixes, rather than new content and features, the beta will appear and play very much like the existing live game. However, getting involved and testing provides a huge benefit for all Elite Dangerous players, so we are very grateful for any time that you are able to spend in the beta. Every system, ship, loadout, module, mission, activity, rank or other part of the game played provides opportunities to test and identify issues. With your support, we hope to be able to identify and fix as many as possible before the update goes live, offering a smoother and better experience for all. Thank you to all who are able to get involved.

For more details on what we're addressing in the January Beta update, please click here.

BETA - how to get involved!

A new beta section forum will be set up with details on how to take part and how to submit bug reports, but here are the main details on how you can help us in the upcoming beta:

• The beta begins on the 27 November and will run until the 2 December.
  
• The beta will be only be accessible on PC. We are looking into expanding this for console players in the future.
  
• To take part in the beta, all you’ll need to do is load up the launcher and select (and update) the following product: Elite Dangerous: January Update (Beta) from the 27 November. Once that has been completed, you’ll then have access to the January Update beta. If this doesn't appear, please restart your launcher.
  
• We'll be updating the Issue Tracker with a January Update (Update 3.6) Beta section, and we encourage all those who are taking part in this beta to report any encountered bugs or issues through it. In addition, we will also be adding links from inside the game that will take you directly to the Issue Tracker site.

We just want to thank you once again for all the passion and involvement you show for Elite Dangerous. With your participation, we know that we can help to make our game more sustainable and beneficial for the future of this amazing galaxy!

Greetings Commanders.

The ancient generation ship, The Golconda, has been discovered drifting amidst the stars. Contact with the ship's living occupants has revealed that their ancestors chose to remain aboard their ship rather than colonise their original destination. The equipment originally intended for setting up a planetary settlement was cannibalised for materials but now... the Golconda's crew find themselves in need of outside assistance for the first time in a millennia.

Efforts are underway to support the residents of The Golconda, but both the Federation and the Empire look upon this colossal relic with opportunistic eyes. There's a political play to be made here, and the winner stands to benefit greatly.

For this next Interstellar Initiative, we'll be detailing what's at stake over the next few weeks. It's time to back a side, and win!

If you'd rather learn about what happens to The Golconda as the story unfolds, then stop reading now, and keep your eyes on the GalNet feed.


* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Phase 1 (8 November)
The independent faction, Upaniklis Vision Incorporated, has tabled a motion to provide much needed aid to the denizens of The Golconda. Meanwhile, criminal elements prepare their ships in a bid to exploit the supply convoys.

This will mark the beginning of two Community Goals:

Trade Community Goal - Deliver Basic Medicines, Advanced Medicines, Aluminium, Ceramic Composites, and Semiconductors to Fozard Port in the Upaniklis system.

Bounty Hunting Community Goal - Deliver Bounty vouchers to Fozard Port in the Upaniklis system.

• Start Date - 8 November @ 15:00 (UTC)
  
• End Date - 14 November @ 15:00 (UTC)

Soon after, Imperial and Federation megaships will move into the system and prepare their own plans to support The Golconda.


Phase 2 (18 November)
The Empire and Federation each pledge to help, but with different opposing approaches.

• The Empire seeks to provide the former colonists with a planetside home, helping them fulfil their original mission. They would provide full member status to the colony and help them become self-sustaining through teaching agriculture techniques.
  
• The Federation, however, seeks to honour the colonist's unique culture and provide them with an outpost of their own, allowing them to remain a permanent space colony. Landing pads would allow direct trade and help the colonists remain stocked with medicines and supplies.
  Two competing initiatives are set up, with the superpower with the most materials received winning the favour of the Golconda colonists.

Empire Trade Community Goal - Deliver Polymers, CMM Composites, Titanium, Beryllium, and Thallium to the Empire Megaship, in the Upaniklis system.

Federation Trade Community Goal - Deliver Polymers, CMM Composites, Titanium, Beryllium, and Thallium to Federation Megaship, in the Upaniklis system.

• Start Date - 18 November @ 15:00 (UTC)
  
• End Date - 26 November @ 15:00 (UTC)

Interstellar Initiative Rewards
Only one of the two opposing Superpowers may be victorious in this Interstellar Initiative. Backing a specific Superpower will result in different rewards:

If the Empire are successful:

• An Empire-affiliated Planetary Port will be added to the Upaniklis system.
  
• From 5 December to 16 December, any Empire Rank will be earned at a double rate alongside a discount to Imperial ships.
  
• A Rare Good, Apa Vietii, will be introduced and become available for purchase at the new Planetary Port.
  
• 'The Golconda' decal will be available to commanders who dock at the Planetary Port or the Empire megaship from 5 December to 16 December.

If the Federation are successful:

• A Federation-affiliated Outpost will be added to the Upaniklis system.
  
• From 5 December to 16 December, any Federation Rank will be earned at an double rate alongside a discount to Federal ships.
  
• A Rare Good, Apa Vietii, will be introduced and become available for purchase at the new Outpost.
  
• 'The Golconda' decal will be available to commanders who dock at the Outpost or the Federal megaship from 5 December to 16 December.

The Elite Dangerous Halloween Sale is now on! 

To celebrate Halloween in 3305, not only will some of your spooky seasonal favourites be available, but we’re also knocking 25% off the ARX price of all Cockpit Customisation items. The Elite Dangerous Halloween Sale will be running from the 28 October until the 4 November.

But that’s not all! It’s now once again possible for commanders to browse and purchase cosmetic items without strapping themselves into the cockpit. We know many of you like to take a look at what’s available at your leisure, while away from the game, at work, or haulin’ to Hutton.

Well, the Elite Dangerous Gamestore is here for you! 

Players on any platform (yes, those on console too) are be able to log in and view their ARX balance, as well as spend their ARX on whatever cosmetic options take their fancy. These purchases will then be waiting for you when you next log in (it’ll even work if you’re in-game already!).

Happy Halloween, commanders!

Greetings Commanders,

Following the launch of the September Update last month, we’d like to provide you all with an update on our plans for Elite Dangerous.

Firstly, thank you for all of your feedback on the September Update, which you've shared with us on the forums, across social media, on livestreams and through the Issue Tracker. There is no doubt that, in addition to the new features, the September Update introduced a number of issues and bugs which caused a lot of frustration. We are really sorry for these issues. We realise that some of the issues had an impact on your ability to enjoy Elite Dangerous. The team have been working hard to address the most critical issues and have already released a series of patches and updates to bring those fixes in as quickly as possible.

However, we know there's more to be done. You've asked for more focus on existing bug/fixes and issues, and for the community to be better integrated into the development process and testing for these upcoming updates.

In order to improve your overall experience, we have decided to refocus our efforts on addressing key issues and bugs. Since the launch of the September Update, we've been taking a deeper look at our internal development roadmap, the way in which we utilise public betas, and the content of our next updates.

Here is a summary of our plans:

• From now and into next year (2020), the updates will focus almost exclusively on addressing recent and longstanding issues, including those reported in the Issue Tracker, ultimately making the game better.
  
• We are expecting to have a series of these updates, which will be rolled out (approximately) every three to four months.
  
• Each update will also include a public beta that will run prior to the update's release, with a dedicated time to address major issues that appear.
  
• The first of these updates will have its public beta in December, with an expectation that the launch will be early in 2020.

As a result of our updated plans, we have made the difficult decision to defer the release of Fleet Carriers. We are now planning for Fleet Carriers to be released in an update in the second quarter of 2020, rather than in December 2019 as previously stated. This will grant us additional time to refine the feature as well as focusing time on addressing existing reported issues. It will also ensure the state of the game is in a better position to introduce Fleet Carriers, that will provide Commanders even more opportunities to interact with the Milky Way. We understand that this delay will be disappointing for some players, but do know that this decision is one that we do not take lightly, and is made with the best interests of the community and game at heart.

Ultimately, we are confident that this will improve the Elite Dangerous experience for all our players.

The team have been hard at work on the next major milestone, which you may remember we mentioned back in March as our next major paid addition to the game. They’re making fantastic progress and on schedule for release by the end of next year. We are very excited to show you what we’ve been working on. However, we can only announce the content when it’s at the right stage of development, we estimate this will be ready to talk about at some time in summer 2020, after the Fleet Carriers update. We appreciate there is a bit of a wait, but we want to make sure it is ready to be shown before making our full official announcement to the world.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your ongoing and continued support and for helping give us the feedback, steer and insight to make decisions that will benefit the entire community and for your continued passion and dedication.