The September update for Elite Dangerous arrives today, which will be of particular interest to prospective pilots who have yet to get swallowed up by Frontier's massive simulation of our galaxy. The highlight of the update is the New Starter Experience, introducing the game to new players, though there's also new stuff for veteran pilots.
New players will be taught the ins and outs of flitting around through space by Pilots Federation instructor Theo Acosta, taking them through basic flight controls, combat, docking and all the other stuff needed to make it in the Milky Way. The tutorial is fully-voiced in all of Elite's supported languages.
If you're a returning player looking for a refresher, the New Starter Experience will also be available via the training simulator, accessible via the cockpit of your ship. You can see it in action in the content reveal livestream below.
The update also replaces Frontier Points and cash transactions with the new ARX currency. It's a premium currency that can be used to splash out in cosmetics, but it can also be earned by fighting, trading and exploring. There is, however, a 400 weekly cap on ARX earned in-game.
In addition to the new currency, the livery menu has been given an update and there's a new customisation store. You can purchase items from both the livery menu and the new store without being sent to an external site. Similarly, you can purchase items via the Holo-Me menu.
Finally, there are a bunch of bug fixes and a minor tweak to Supercruise, with an extra option to let the Supercruise Assist module take over your throttle automatically. Check out the full patch notes here.
Elite Dangerous is down for maintenance now, and it's a long one. Expect it back around 6 pm BST/11 am PT.