On January 13, over 13,000 pilots set off on a journey through the universe in the MMO Elite Dangerous (PC, PS4, Xbox One). The goal of this event was Beagle Point, but only a few of the pilots would reach this location.
What kind of event was this? The community of Elite Dangerous continuously sets itself special challenges. One of these projects was called Distant Worlds and took players to the planet Beagle Point in 2016, one of the most distant locations in the game.
In 2019, players wanted to repeat the journey and set off together again. This time, however, the event was planned to be even larger. Joint actions were planned along the way, and even the developers participated.
A total of 13,615 players signed up for Distant Worlds II. The pilots wanted to experience the journey together.
Overwhelming majority traveled on PC, few used PS4 or Xbox One
How many players reached the destination? In a forum post, player Qohen Leth published statistics about the event. Among the statistics, there is also the number of players who reached Beagle Point:
- In the end, only 3,747 pilots fully experienced the event. The others were lost along the way.
Nevertheless, the players traveled a total of 1,118,000,000 light-years, mostly from PC. Only about 1,500 players used PS4 or Xbox. Together, they played something more than 18 years of Elite Dangerous.
Dangerous systems and long distances take their toll
What caused more than 9,000 players to fail? From the starting system Sol, over 65,000 light-years had to be covered to reach Beagle Point.
The organizers of the event planned for a travel speed of 5,000 light-years per week. This meant players had to plan at least 3 hours of playtime per week.
But it wasn’t just playtime that took its toll. Due to various dangers in the game world, travelers lost their ships or ran out of fuel.
What dangers lurk in Elite Dangerous? Even small things like the strong gravitational pull of a planet can bring an end to the journey. This reportedly happened quite early in the journey at the solar system “The View”.
There, ships crashed onto the planet and could not start again or even exploded when trying to leave.
However, pirates, asteroids, and other dangers also lurk in the game.
Although players can respawn at a final station, they often lost connection to the event.
Too many players for the servers? But it wasn’t just the players who had problems on their journey. Right at the start of the event, the servers crashed, even though the space explorers started in three separate waves.
Despite the adversities, many players made it to the destination. With the exception of the Federal Dropship, every ship type even reached Beagle Point. A good result for the event organizers.
Elite Dangerous received an update in April that made it easier to get into the MMO:
