Elite Dangerous is now four years old somehow, or five if you count the various betas. In that time, it’s gone from impossible promise (ah, those halcyon 2012 Kickstarter days) to absolute bedrock of modern PC gaming, what with its blend of solo noodling about, lethal PVP sandbox and slow-burn, community-driven storytelling. Whether it’s quite what we expected a new Elite game to be half a decade ago is an enduring question, but by this point it’s very much its own game, including embracing the ‘Seasons’ concept that’s so hot right now (er, again for about five years). Season 3, ‘Beyond‘ is kicking off at the end of this month, with a headline wordcount-challenging update named Elite Dangerous: Beyond – Chapter One.
It introduces a whole mess of changes, including new types of ship and traders, revisions to crime and the punishment thereof and an overhauled mission system.
(more…)