Elite Dangerous has now surprisingly introduced its new expansion Odyssey. And as it looks, this could fulfill numerous big player wishes. Moreover, ED could soon pose much more competition for Star Citizen.
Elite Dangerous introduces the next big thing: June 3, 2020, is likely to remain in the memory of many ED fans for a long time.
Initially, the developers of Frontier Developments seem to have leaked the next major expansion or update for Elite Dangerous on YouTube a bit prematurely. Shortly after, Odyssey was officially introduced with a trailer and on Steam.
Since then, it has been clear: The big leaks from 2019 regarding the future of the space sim were correct; something really big is coming. And some of the biggest player wishes will likely finally be fulfilled. Wishes that many have had since the release of the space sim.
What’s in Elite Dangerous: Odyssey
What is Odyssey all about? Odyssey appears to be the big update or the large paid expansion that has so far been known under the working title “The Next Era”.
So far, there hasn’t been much solid information about it. The Next Era was originally supposed to be released at the end of 2020 but was postponed to early 2021 and is expected to have the biggest influence on Elite Dangerous since the game’s release.
All of this aligns seamlessly with the previous information about Odyssey, which is expected to be released “early in 2021”. It is therefore the next big thing that Frontier Development has been working on for quite some time.
It is certain: The trailer showcased the main core features of Odyssey. Some other details were revealed in the official description. Odyssey includes among other things
- Space Legs: This refers to the ability to leave your spaceship or exploration vehicle and then freely move on planet surfaces or in stations. The ability to walk on foot has been one of the most requested features since launch.
- Along with the Space Legs, there will be a lot for players to discover. Breathtaking planets with overwhelming technologies, picturesque sunrises at unforgettable locations, outposts or settlements are among the things waiting to be discovered by the players. More life and more to discover on the planets is also among the biggest wishes of the community.
- Shooter elements: With Odyssey, Elite Dangerous will also introduce the ability to customize your character with firearms and other equipment, and use the guns in a first-person shooter style.
What is still speculated:
- It remains exciting whether the outposts, settlements, and social hubs will be procedurally generated or placed “by hand” on some planets to create truly remarkable locations. Some fans wonder if some selected planets will also feature massive cities created by hand, like in Star Citizen.
- Concept images already showed that you can enter stations and buildings. Whether this applies to all or only selected buildings is still unclear.
- It looks like players will be able to use weapons both as part of regular gameplay (trailer) and in specially designated areas with vehicles and spaceships (description). Whether this will involve PvP or other modes is still unclear.
- Even though the developers have not yet mentioned it – in the trailer, it looks to some fans as if you might land on a planet with an atmosphere. The approach shows the characteristic atmospheric glow, a beautiful sunny day, and dust whirlwinds. Landings on planets with atmospheres have also been among the biggest wishes of the fans since the release.
- With all the previous features of Odyssey, base-building has also been leaked. It will be interesting to see whether players can truly immortalize themselves with their own structures in the universe of Elite Dangerous.
Star Citizen may face real competition
Odyssey is likely to elevate Elite Dangerous to a new level: Even if not all features of Odyssey are yet fully known or the complete scope can be recognized – what has been seen and confirmed so far will fulfill some of the biggest and most important fan wishes and elevate the game to a completely different level.
Simply by having the ability to walk around with others and encounter each other outside the spaceship, Elite Dangerous is making a massive push towards becoming a fully-fledged MMO.
The fact that you can now also use weapons and explore the vastness of space, as well as bustling hotspots on foot, introduces a completely new aspect.
This could make Elite Dangerous interesting for many more players than it has been so far. Because up until now, ED revolved entirely around the ship. However, that seems to be changing soon.
Many features like in Star Citizen: The interesting part is that Elite Dangerous is moving further towards Star Citizen with Odyssey.
Also, in the ambitious space sim from Cloud Imperium Games, not everything revolves around spaceships anymore. The focus there is also on social aspects, player encounters, weapon gameplay, atmospheric flights, walkable and drivable planet surfaces, stations, or whole cities.
Although Star Citizen is still in development (Alpha), the multiplayer part of the game is essentially a complete MMO – or is intended to be.
This is precisely the direction in which Frontier Developments is heading with Odyssey in Elite Dangerous.
Yes, especially in the design of worlds, ED may not reach the quality of Star Citizen and its massive space metropolises. However, many players might also be satisfied with far less, namely smaller settlements or some significant life nodes, as long as they are well and cohesively implemented. After all, Elite Dangerous has a whole different dimension in terms of the number of visitable planets.
In addition, Elite Dangerous has a significant advantage. The game is already finished and is continuously being developed. Odyssey thus comes as an expansion for a completely finished game, where players can immediately dive in. Thus, you would be paying for a finished product.
In contrast, many players are still hesitant to invest in Star Citizen, a game that has been in development for a long time and whose final release date and scope are uncertain.
Odyssey, which is set to be released in early 2021 for Elite Dangerous, could therefore also become interesting and exciting for fans or those interested in Star Citizen – a true alternative to Star Citizen.
ED Odyssey – Star Citizen feeling for consoles: What makes Odyssey very attractive as well: Elite Dangerous is available on consoles PS4 and Xbox One as well as on PC. It is essentially considered safe that the big expansion will also be released for these platforms.
This would finally give console players a game with Star Citizen feeling. Because SC is currently not planned for consoles. With Odyssey, Elite Dangerous could thus be more accessible and possibly more interesting for a broader audience than the massive project from CIG.
So those who have always wished for Star Citizen or a game like Star Citizen for Xbox One or PS4 might soon have reason to rejoice with Odyssey.
Overall, Elite Dangerous is considered the best space sim for consoles. From 2021, it is likely to attract many outside the current fan base – as a fully-fledged SciFi MMO that will likely also be available on next-gen consoles PS5 and Xbox Series X.
By the way, on June 9, the next major feature for Elite Dangerous will be released – The massive carrier ships.
