Greetings Commanders!
Update 18.04 is now available for Elite Dangerous, bringing with it our newest Elite Dangerous spacecraft, the Python Mk II! This sleek medium class ship, brought to you by the experienced engineers at Faulcon DeLacy, is a primarily focused on being a powerful combat vessel but also with advanced Supercruise Overcharge capabilities for a smoother ride! The Python Mk II is available in shipyards for all Odyssey owners on PC from 7 August or you can unlock early access today via the ARX store! Early access options come in two versions, the 'Standard' which will gives you a great framework to build upon or you can purchase the Python Mk II Stellar Pre-Built pack, an A-rated combat build to head straight into the action!
Python Mk II Stellar - 33000 ARX
Strike fear into your enemies with the Stellar edition of the Python Mk II – built ready for immediate combat encounters with a killer look.
Features:
- Python Mk II Ship
- High-Spec A-rated combat build
- Venom Claret Paint Job
- Strike Ship Kit
- Python Mk II Shipyard Unlock
Python Mk II Standard - 16250 ARX
Features:
- Python Mk II Ship
- Python Mk II Shipyard Unlock
Purchasing a Python Mk II will provide access to the model at any appropriate vendor for credits.
In addition to the Python Mk II this update also introduces new Pre-Built Ships that will give Commanders a helping hand in a variety of new fields! These Pre-Built Ships come with everything you need to get started in a variety of objectives, from mining resources through to taking on Thargoids! These ships will help you enjoy new aspects of Elite Dangerous and can be upgraded further with new components and modules once you've learned the ropes!
Laser Mining Jumpstart Type-6 - 25500 ARX
Begin your road to riches with this pre-built Type-6.
Features:
- Type-6 Transporter Ship
- Specialised laser-mining loadout
- 2 Pre-Engineered Mining Lasers for increased efficiency
- Salvage White Paint Job
- 12-Piece Ship Kit
Exploration Jumpstart Diamondback Explorer - 25500 ARX
Venture further into the vastness of space with this pre-built Diamondback Explorer.
Features:
- Diamondback Explorer Ship
- Specialised long-range space exploration loadout
- Guardian Frame Shift Drive Booster
- Polarity Yellow Paint Job
- 12-Piece Ship Kit
AX Combat Jumpstart Alliance Chieftain - 25500 ARX
Bring the pain to the Thargoids with this pre-built Alliance Chieftain - ideal for engaging with Titans and other Anti-Xeno activities.
Features:
- Alliance Chieftain Ship
- Specialised AX Combat Loadout
- 2 Guardian Gauss Cannons with full resistance to the Anti-Guardian field
- Stygian Green Paint Job
- 12-Piece Ship Kit
To use your new Pre-Built Ship simply deploy it at any shipyard. If the ship is destroyed you can rebuy at no cost, though should you add any upgrades those will require a credit rebuy.
Store Changes
Following on from our previous newspost, the Elite Dangerous Gamestore has now been updated with new prices and with more access to the popular paint jobs that matter most to you, including the Midnight Black paint jobs! Check out the store today and customise your ships and Commanders to be truly out of this world!
Update 18.04 Notes
Features of Note:
- Added the Python Mk II.
- Added pre-built ships:
- Python Mk II Stellar
- Python Mk II Standard
- Exploration Jumpstart Diamondback Explorer
- AX Combat Jumpstart Alliance Chieftain
- Laser Mining Jumpstart Type-6
- Achilles Aerospace completes additional research on Supercruise Overcharge:
- A full selection of SCO Frame Shift Drives, ratings E-A and Sizes 2-7 with varying specialisations are now available at many markets across the galaxy.
- Engineers can now apply the Faster Boot Sequence, Shielded, and Increased Range modifications to SCO Frame Shift Drives.
- All existing Frame Shift Drive experimental effects can now be engineered on SCO Frame Shift Drives.
- The safety limits on SCO Frame Shift Drive jump range have been lifted. Please enjoy the best Frame Shift Drives humanity has ever produced.
- Supercruise Overcharge balance:
- Heat generation has been reduced on most ships (notably making ships with low heat capacities more manageable).
- Heat generation has been fixed on the Dolphin and Diamondback Scout so they no longer run exceptionally cold when using Supercruise Overcharge.
- Adjusted the module prices of the C-class modules in line with the new suite of available SCO Frame Shift Drives.
- Added full black and full white variants of the Titan Destroyed decals - these are automatically available for anyone who has earned an existing variant already.
Bugs/Adjustments
- Fixed SCO heat generation being tied to frame rate.
- Teammate navlock can no longer be used with SCO to teleport unintentionally long distances (but by pure power of friendship, you can still come to a quick halt without taking damage).
- Fixed a crash when running out of fuel with the SCO active on an Anaconda.
- Fixed instances of a crash whilst engaging Titans in solo instances.
- Fixed the "Supercruise Overcharge Unavailable" statistic not being listed for FSD modules in some UI.
- Fixed non-localised text appearing for ship names in the session logs when selling a stored ship.
- Fixed "Not enough fuel to maintain overcharge - emergency dropping" appearing overly frequently on the info panel.
Art
- Fixed the Python's heat vents not glowing correctly
- Fixed some ship thrusters sometimes glowing when not in flight.
- Adjusted the Titan Destroyed decals to stop it getting cut off by the geometry on certain ships.
- The Wireframe Gold paintjobs have been adjusted to improve their metallic appearance.
- The icon for the Mamba Gold paintjob has been fixed to more accurately represent the paint job.