Greetings Commanders!

The Steam Awards are almost upon us and we'd like your help in making Elite Dangerous a nominee in the Labor of Love category! Since 2014 we've seen Commanders explore the deepest depths of our 1:1 simulation of the Milky Way, finding new worlds, new discoveries and even a few dangers along the way. Over these last six years, we have, and continue to strive to enhance the experience of our players. Updates such as Horizons that added planetary landings, new ships, mysteries and of course the Thargoids. To our most recent update allowing Commanders to become owners of gigantic Fleet Carries and the opportunities they present. We continue to refine the game to this day with patches and balancing passes based on community feedback.

Elite Dangerous is not only a labor of love for us here at Frontier, we have seen thousands of Commanders pour their heart and soul into the game, making the Elite Dangerous community the powerhouse it is today. Most importantly we are not done yet. With Elite Dangerous: Odyssey just around the corner we are excited to bring even more excitement, mystery and enjoyment to all the Commanders out in the black for many more years to come. We humbly ask that you help us spread the word of Elite Dangerous and encourage more Commanders to blaze their own trails by using the option to nominate Elite Dangerous for the Labor of Love Steam award.

Fly Dangerous Commanders!

o7 Commanders

Greetings Commanders,


We're delighted to announce that Twitch Drops are coming to select Elite Dangerous streams! During these streams, you will be able to earn drops just by watching!

On Tuesday 24 November at 16:30 (UTC), during our Supercruise News stream, we will be testing out the Twitch Drops system for the first time, so come along to earn drops!

Once you reach the required time for a drop, you will then need to follow the URL, link your Frontier account to your Twitch account, and then claim your reward.

Here are the rewards that we will be dropping and the times for tomorrow's stream:



Watch the stream for 15 minutes to be eligible for the Vibrant Purple Paint Job.


Watch the stream for 30 minutes to be eligible for the Purple SRV & Fighter Paint Jobs.


Watch the stream for a full hour and you will become eligible for the Purple Weapon and Engine Colours.


After this stream, we will keep you up to date on any of our future streams featuring Twitch Drops.

UPDATE

Before today’s stream, we wanted to share some more information on the Twitch Drops process.

• You do NOT have to link your Twitch and Frontier account to EARN Twitch drops.
  
• You WILL have to link them to REDEEM the Twitch Drop.
  
• Anyone who has a Twitch account and watched the stream for the allotted time will earn a drop. This drop will sit in that person's account unclaimed.
  
• You can claim your drop (by linking your Twitch and Frontier account) BEFORE or AFTER you earn a drop.

FAQ
What are Twitch Drops?
Twitch Drops are rewards given to people who tune in to designated ‘droppable’ Twitch streams. By linking your Twitch account with your Frontier account and watching the nominated streamers during the given timeframe, you could be awarded with an in-game cosmetic item!

Is Twitch Prime required to be eligible for drops?
No! Having your accounts linked, opting into the drops feature and viewing any eligible stream are the only things you need to do. Worth noting, if you begin to watch an official Twitch Drop stream and your accounts are not linked, Twitch will prompt you to link your accounts!

When is the next event taking place?
Take a look at the EliteDangerous Twitch channel for details of our next drops event. In order to give people in various time zones a fair chance to obtain the items, our Twitch Drops window will typically run for a week starting at 10am BST on the first day until 10am BST on the last day. During that time, tune in to one of our Frontier Games’ Partners (who are choosing their own streaming times) to get your rewards.

What will I be awarded?
See above for current and past drops campaign prizes. Information also available on Twitch and Frontier Games’ Social Channels. It is important to note that you don’t have to watch the stream continuously to receive prizes – the time is counted throughout the whole stream campaign. So tune in whenever you want, come enjoy yourselves, celebrate and get some cool rewards!

When and how will I receive my in-game items?
You will receive a notification on Twitch when you have been awarded the items. You will need to first claim your items on Twitch and then via this page using the claim buttons above. The items will be added to your account, so all you need to do is log in to the game. If you are already logged in, you’ll need to log out and log back in. Additionally, your Twitch Inventory will contain any and all drops that you have earned. This can be found in the drop down menu beside your name, titled Inventory when on your Twitch account.

Which platforms are included in the Twitch Drops campaigns?
Twitch Drops are activated for all three platforms the game is currently available on: PC, PS4, and Xbox One. Be sure you have your Frontier account linked with your console account.

What can I do if I didn't receive my reward in-game?
If your accounts are correctly linked and if you cannot find your reward, please do not hesitate to contact our support team

How do I know which account the drop will apply to?
If you have multiple accounts, please make sure that you link the Frontier account connected to the game that you want the reward to appear in. i.e. if you have an Xbox and a PC account, and you want it to go on the Xbox, then use the email for the Frontier account connected to the Xbox game.


CLAIM BY TODAY
Since today's Twitch Drop stream is a test, please make sure that you claim your prize by 20:00 (UTC) today. If you do not claim it by this time you may lose your drop.



o7


o7

Greetings Commanders,



Today we are merging Elite Dangerous and its expansion Horizons together. This will take place via an update at 11:00 (UTC). We do not anticipate any downtime for this.


What does this mean for me?
If you already own the Elite Dangerous base game, or you purchased it from this date, you will now have access to all the features Horizons provides added to your game, for free. Meaning you will now be able to land on planets, explore their surfaces in your SCARAB SRV, craft rare and powerful weapons with the help of a wide variety of Engineers, expand your multiplayer experience with multicrew, plus much more!


What if I already own Horizons?
For all our Commanders who have already been enjoying the Horizons expansion, you will receive the exclusive Azura Paint Job which can be applied to all 41 craft (38 ships, 3 fighters) in-game, as a thank you for your support.







The Milky Way is a big space and we are happy to bring you all a little closer together!

If you're new to Elite, you can pick up Elite Dangerous which will include the Horizons expansion content here on Steam now.

o7 Commanders

Greetings Commanders,


Last week, we released Dev Diary II - Forging Your Path, and followed up with a Discovery Scanner episode taking a deep dive into the diary. Joining us on the show, we had two special guests from the development team, giving us their insight into Odyssey. As always, during the show you had a lot of questions for us and our guests and we tried to answer as many as possible. We have collected all the messages from the forums and stream and have dropped them here as a recap . There are of course some questions that were asked that are not answered here - we have seen them, but we will share those answers at a later date!



Will Commanders be able to get out and explore smaller stations or just space ports?
At Odyssey's launch, there will be three types of social spaces;

• Planetports, Spaceports and Outposts. Planetports will be in large surface installations, such as survey sights and observatories.
  
• Spaceports will be found within larger starbases, such as the Coriolis and Orbis stations.
  
• Outpost social hubs will be located in small orbital stations like mining outposts and trade depots.

Each of these categories will have a unique layout, with a degree of standardisation to help you find your way around. The visuals inside individual installations will be themed around the economy type of the star system.
These social spaces will be the main explorable area, which you will be able to access through the hanger bays. Social spaces will be available to Odyssey players in pre-existing and new locations throughout the galaxy.


Will there being long walks from one area to the next inside starports?
We want our Commanders to be able to enter a social hub and be able to do their business in a timely manner. This is why social hubs will be built for efficiency and quest givers and vendors will be 'roughly' in the same places from port to port. Accessible areas of the starport, such as the hangers where you disembark (and marvel at your ship), are connected by a system of elevators, this will ensure that you won't have to travel for hours to access your ship, to pick up missions or meet contacts - we don't want you to be late for your Apex Interstellar ride!


Can you share more about settlements? Are they controlled by factions?
Settlements are much larger than social hubs, and they will be comprised of multiple buildings which will match the nature of the settlement. There will be different types, such as extraction, agricultural or industrial, including buildings such as power reactors and habitats where workers will be able to stay. Not all settlements will have the same buildings.
Settlements are owned by factions and connected to the BGS, the NPCs in the social hubs will differ depending on which faction is in control of that system, with visual elements inside the social hub reflecting the current BGS. Players themselves won't be able to own settlements but they will be able to support a faction contesting territory - more on this later.


How seamless is the transition into buildings in Odyssey?
We are focused on creating a seamless experience for Odyssey, in the same way we have for the base game, this is why there will not be loading screens when entering or exiting the various buildings and structures. Everything is part of the same live environment, so in the same way you can see ships coming into land through the windows of the starport social hub, you'll be able to look through the windows of buildings and see commanders, starships and SRVs going about their business.


How does mission availability vary through the game?
The missions available from contacts and boards in the social hubs and settlements will depend on the BGS status, this means you will find different missions in different locations in the same way as you do in Elite Dangerous today.
Some missions given by vendors will ask Commanders to visit a certain location, retrieve a specific item, or even kill an NPC. However, you don't need a mission to go to a settlement; you can go wherever you want, when you want - creating your own story. This includes the ability to, if you decide, perform nefarious acts like looting or killing NPCs. Just remember your actions could have a negative effect on the controlling faction, which will in turn affect your reputation with them and the BGS.


How will NPCs react to players and each other?
Odyssey's NPCs will react to players and other NPCs based on a number of factors, from obvious status elements like having a weapon drawn right through to their current BGS affiliations. NPCs have a variety of professionally voice acted dialogue which really adds to the immersion of the galaxy. If you are on good terms with a faction they will be kind to you, if you are not in good terms... start ducking, as they might start firing on sight!


Can you give some examples of the suits that will be available?
Commanders will be able to purchase and switch between multiple suits to help them with different mission types. Outside of the Flight Suit (currently in-game) you will also be able to equip the Exploration Suit, the Combat Suit and the Scavenger Suit. You will also be able to purchase multiples of each suit and give them different loadouts, dependent on your particular playstyle/mission.
The suits we mention above will be geared towards different mission activities. You do not need to own that suit type to take on a specific activity, however doing so will certainly make life easier. Suits can be upgraded in a variety of ways to help improve their capabilities. We will be announcing more on the different suit types and upgrades in the future - stay tuned!


Will suits have shields? If so, how is this managed?
All suits will have shields installed, and they will use up your battery supply. You'll have to make sure you manage your power outlet and distribution between your shields and oxygen (similar to managing the pips in your ship).


Will I have an on foot inventory?
Yes, players will have an on foot inventory and Odyssey will introduce some new materials, which you will be able to gather on foot. This includes organic samples you've collected using the Field Sampler tool for the new Exo-Biologist rank.


Does the Apex Interstellar service now mean that it is viable to travel between systems by way of taxi flights, whilst theoretically never flying your own ship?
Yes exactly, you can now choose to play Elite Dangerous without a ship! Commanders will be able to use their ships, or the Apex Interstellar service, or even both, to move about the galaxy. That being said, there will be areas Interstellar will not take you.



We will continue to answer questions about Odyssey as time goes on, and we thank you for your passion and continued support.


o7 Commanders

Greetings Commanders,



The first dev diary gave us a look into light atmospheres and breaking new ground with exploration on foot for the first time in Elite Dangerous Odyssey (if you missed it you can catch it here). The second dev diary, 'Forging Your Path' will show how Odyssey's approach to missions, station interiors, spacesuits, and give a taste of how commanders can interact with a vast range of new characters on foot. Check it out here!


On Thursday 1 October we'll bring you an in-depth look into the second dev diary with a Discovery Scanner livestream at 18:00 (UTC) on the Elite Dangerous Twitch channel. Let us know your questions about the dev diary in this thread!


Stay tuned for future episodes and updates on Elite Dangerous: Odyssey on our social channels.



o7

Greetings Commanders,

We are happy to announce that Elite Dangerous: Horizons will become a free update for the base game on the 27 October 2020 for PC, PlayStation, and Xbox users.

After the fold down, anyone who owns Elite Dangerous will get access to Horizons content and features free of charge, and all future purchases of Elite Dangerous will include this content.

As a huge thank you to everyone who has purchased Elite Dangerous: Horizons over the past four years you will be receiving an exclusive Azure ship paint job compatible with ALL ships currently in the game.





Elite Dangerous: Horizons brings planetary landings to the Elite Dangerous galaxy, together with weapon crafting, ship-launched fighters and exhilarating multicrew co-op action. This premium expansion also allows players to put wheels on the ground and explore the galaxy up-close with the SRV Scarab ground vehicle, and access to many surface star ports and other locations.

Elite Dangerous: Horizons will remain on sale on all platforms until 26 October to allow players a last chance to obtain the exclusive Horizon owner reward.

o7 Commanders

Greetings Commanders!

This patch brings the following fixes:

Crashes & stability

• Fixed an issue when reading inbox messages in Supercruise caused the game to crash

Fleet Carriers

• Fixed a bug causing delays and disconnections when entering a location with Fleet Carriers present
  
• Fixed a UI focus issue which allowed players to sell ships in the background while using Carrier Management

Mining

• Stopped depleted motherlode asteroids from respawning when a player flies a Ship-Launched Fighter beyond it's maximum limit

Thanks as always for your feedback!

o7

Greetings Commanders,



Make sure you are parked at the nearest Fleet Carrier or station and pour yourself some Lavian Brandy in your favourite Hutton Mug. It is time for the first Elite Dangerous: Odyssey dev diary - One Giant Leap!


We are more excited than the Far God Cult being scanned by a Thargoid to bring you the first dev diary on our road to Odyssey, check it out here!


The first in a series of Elite Dangerous: Odyssey dev diaries One Giant Leap explores how commanders can experience light atmospheres and break new ground with exploration on foot for the first time.

Stay tuned for future episodes set to dive-in to combat, missions, environments and co-operative play over the coming months.



Tonight we will be streaming a Discovery Scanner episode at 18:00 (UTC) on the Elite Dangerous Official Twitch Channel, to take a deeper look into the dev diary with CEO David Braben, and Senior Designer Derin Halil.



o7

Greetings Commanders!

We'd like to talk about the recent patches and a change we have just made to the live game.

Since the release of Fleet Carriers we've made changes intended to balance the overwhelming effect of overlapping hotspots, with the latest update resolving the cause of this issue and bringing hotspots back in line with our original goals. Singular hotspots now provide a significant bonus to a resources' frequency over the rest of the ring and areas where multiple hotspots overlap are still more lucrative than their non-overlapped counterparts, but at much more reasonable levels.

One effect of the latest patch that we felt could be improved further was how it impacts tritium. The reduction in availability of tritium, most notably at overlapping hotspots, has made getting around the galaxy by mining the commodity more time consuming than we would like. In order to maintain the new, more natural distribution of tritium within icy asteroid rings, we will instead be increasing its effect.

Tritium is now twice as potent, allowing Fleet Carriers to consume 50% less fuel (this includes the base tritium requirement) and effectively doubling the capacity of their fuel tank. This change should be effective immediately but players may still see old values until they next log in

Thank you as always to our community for your ongoing feedback.

Greetings, Commanders!



We're pleased to confirm that the patch described in our Known Issues post from earlier this week is expected this Monday 3 August at 11:00 UTC with an estimated 15 minutes of downtime. Please find the Patch Notes and Known Issues below:

Mining

• Fixed an issue whereby surface deposits created after cracking a motherlode would flag themselves as depleted.
  
• Fixed issues related to diminishing returns for commodities in overlapping hotspots.

Crashes and Stability

• Fixed an issue where loading into an instance in a system with a large amount of Fleet Carriers would cause very long load times (potentially long enough to cause a disconnect).

Fleet Carriers

• Fixed an issue which stopped Fighters being restocked from a Fleet Carrier.
  
• Fixed a number of issues related to Fleet Carrier positioning:
  
  • Better enforcement of the 16 carrier limit per body.
    
  • Preventing departing Fleet Carriers from taking up one of the 16 slots from the body they've just left.
    
  • Further work to ensure Carriers are positioned away from other nearby body sites, such as other Fleet Carriers.

Fleet Carriers

• When opening the Fleet Carrier naming pop up in the Livery, an additional unwanted character will be added to the start and end of the name. These characters will need to be manually deleted to prevent them being included.

Please note that the above notes are liable to change as adjustments are made and changes are added or removed. Tweaks may be made up until the time of launch.


Thanks as always for your continued feedback!


o7