MeinMMO author Sven Galitzki is incredibly excited about the year 2021 in the space sim Elite Dangerous. With the Odyssey expansion, several new features are coming to the game that he and many others have been waiting for since 2014, and he won’t have to envy Star Citizen any longer.
What is Elite Dangerous anyway? Elite Dangerous is a vast sci-fi space sim with MMO and economic elements. It has been one of the most popular space games on the market for years and has a loyal fanbase.
The game revolves around the life of a space pilot, where the player decides who or what they want to become there and what they will do. Whether as a legendary explorer, feared pirate, luxury space taxi, or successful trader – you have the choice. In this process, you earn more and more credits, purchase better spaceships, and upgrade them further. The focus clearly lies on the spaceships.
But that is likely to change soon. In 2021, Elite Dangerous could become interesting for many more players than it has been in its current form as a sci-fi space simulation.
That’s why I’m really excited about 2021 in Elite Dangerous
What’s coming in 2021 for Elite Dangerous: In 2021, the 2nd major expansion for Elite Dangerous – Odyssey will be released. This add-on is highly anticipated by many fans. With it, several promising new features will come to the game, which the community has been longing for since the release of Elite Dangerous in December 2014.
But Elite Dangerous could also become interesting and attractive for players and fans of other genres through Odyssey. With Odyssey, Elite is essentially taking a new direction and becoming more than just a large space sim.
Many have been waiting for these 2 features since release: The core of Odyssey consists of 2 larger features that go hand in hand:
- the so-called Space Legs
- and the shooter battles
Space Legs refers to the ability to leave your ship or its exploration vehicle and move freely with your character on planetary surfaces, inside buildings, or at stations.
The shooter battles are essentially an accompanying element that allows you to customize your avatar, the actual game character, with different weapons and other equipment, and then fight with it in the style of a first-person shooter.
Here’s a first taste of the new gameplay: Until recently, there were only a few images of Odyssey, the Space Legs, and the battles. But in mid-December, there was finally a first real glimpse in the form of a gameplay trailer. Here you can get a first impression of these upcoming features:
Competition for Star Citizen?
That’s why I envy Star Citizen (still): For these 2 cool features, I have always envied Star Citizen – by far the biggest direct competitor and, in the eyes of many, also the absolute market leader in this genre.
Although the ambitious Star Citizen, with its enormous budget, is still in development and Elite is already an established game on the market, the ability to walk and fight outside of spaceships is not yet possible there. In contrast, Star Citizen has had this firmly in its repertoire for quite some time. And thus, Star Citizen currently offers a completely different, deeper experience than Elite Dangerous – an experience that many Elite players have been longing for.
But these 2 wishes, which have long been among the biggest in the community, are finally about to be fulfilled.
What does Odyssey mean for Elite Dangerous? With Odyssey, Elite Dangerous is likely to take an entirely new direction. It will not only fulfill some of the biggest player wishes, but it could also make the game interesting and attractive to a much broader audience – as the development shifts from a space sim with multiplayer elements towards a fully-fledged sci-fi MMO.
The ability to embark on adventures around your character outside the spaceship with other players, as well as the shooter gameplay with its additional weapons and equipment, opens up completely new possibilities. This significantly enhances the existing Elite experience and broadens the appeal of Elite in general. While the gaming experience was previously defined solely by the ship, with Odyssey, the actual character and their adventures will increasingly take center stage and enrich the previous experience, without diminishing the ship gameplay.
What is also exciting is that Elite Dangerous is moving more towards Star Citizen with Odyssey. For the competitor, the experience revolves around more than just spaceships. Social aspects, encounters, and interactions with other players, shooter elements, and adventures beyond the ships all constitute a significant part of the overall experience. Star Citizen is already, in essence, a type of space MMO (or is supposed to be, if it ever gets completely finished) and Elite Dangerous is apparently also looking to take this path with Odyssey.
By the way, especially for fans or interested parties on consoles (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and S), Elite Dangerous with Odyssey could take a very exciting direction. Because the biggest competitor, Star Citizen, is only available for PC. And it will remain that way. In contrast, Elite Dangerous is already present on consoles, and the new expansion brings much of what makes Star Citizen what it is.
Thus, Elite could offer a gameplay that is at least similar in principle (though probably not in the same quality and depth) and would attract console players by providing what Star Citizen cannot offer on those platforms – namely, Star Citizen feeling on consoles. For fans and potential players of Star Citizen who have a console at home, Elite Dangerous could indeed become very exciting in 2021.
If you generally enjoy space MMOs: 7 space MMOs that you can play in 2020 and beyond
