2019 was a rather quiet year for Elite Dangerous. However, that could change next year. There are many reasons to believe that 2020 could become really exciting around the space simulation.
What 2019 brought for Elite Dangerous: There were no major surprises in Elite Dangerous in 2019. Extensive fresh content or groundbreaking new features were also in short supply.
The developers at Frontier Developments focused more on smaller updates with numerous “Quality of Life” improvements. Here are the highlights of 2019:
- The harsh entry into the hard-to-access game was significantly improved and made more accessible for new pilots. You can find more about this here: That’s why it’s worth it for beginners to check out Elite Dangerous now
- Among other things, new assistance systems, revised menus and tutorials, an improved character creation, a special zone for new players, and a useful pilot handbook – a kind of in-game encyclopedia for all important aspects of the game – were introduced.
- Interstellar initiatives were introduced – a series of community events, comparable to a kind of enhanced community goals.
- The web-based Frontier store was integrated into the game itself.
- A new currency called ARX was introduced, which can be purchased with real money and earned in-game. It is finally possible to buy all kinds of cosmetic items in the shop without (as before) spending real money.
However, it seems that 2020 could be much more exciting in Elite Dangerous. Many fans and pilots are already looking to the future.
That’s why Elite Dangerous could become really interesting in 2020
What could cause excitement: On the one hand, the developers at Frontier Development themselves announced that Elite Dangerous is set to receive a massive update in 2020 – but only at the end of the year.
“The Next Era,” as it is tentatively called, is not only supposed to be a comprehensive update but a large paid expansion (included in the lifetime pass). This update or expansion is said to have the greatest impact on the game to date, according to the developers. However, there were no further details, at least not from official sources.
On the other hand, a leak has already provided some first information about the potential contents. These sound quite exciting and could, if true, actually elevate Elite Dangerous to a whole new level.
What is the leak all about? The leak originally comes from the platform 4chan, which is generally not considered the most reliable source for such information. Therefore, it was initially laughed off by most. However, many now see this leak in a different light.
This came from an anonymous user who claimed to have spoken with a friend who works as a Technical Artist at Frontier Developments.
The anonymous source claims to have learned a roadmap for numerous projects from Frontier for the next few years – including Elite Dangerous.
What makes the leak so interesting? The interesting part about the leak is not even the details about Elite Dangerous itself, but rather the other games – especially their development after the leak.
For instance, there were discussions about upcoming content for Planet Coaster, upcoming DLCs for Jurassic World Evolution, and other (at that time) new projects like Planet Zoo.
And all the unconfirmed “claims” about these aspects have since proven to be true. The source was essentially correct about everything that can be verified to this date.
This also makes the part regarding Elite Dangerous itself interesting. It speaks, like the official sources, of extensive content for the end of 2020 (long before the official information was released) and of a rather quiet phase until then.
With the quiet phase and a big content drop at the end of 2020, the leak has so far also been correct. Therefore, the chances are good that the remaining information about Elite Dangerous will also prove to be true. And they are significant.
Nevertheless, keep in mind that these are not officially confirmed information. So enjoy it with the appropriate portion of caution.
These contents could come to Elite Dangerous in 2020
This is already known officially about the contents in 2020: First of all, it is already known from official sources that the gigantic carriers, the Fleet Carriers, are set to appear in the second quarter of 2020.
This feature was initially supposed to arrive in December 2019, but has now been postponed to the next year. While there have been no further details regarding their features or functions, it is assumed that these capital ships can be controlled by players and used as a kind of advanced base.
But what does the leak reveal about the upcoming contents that we could expect in 2020 for Elite Dangerous?
These contents are reportedly coming to Elite Dangerous at the end of 2020: If the leak turns out to be true, fans can look forward to the following new contents and features:
- Space Legs: This term refers to the ability to walk within your own spaceship or space stations, as well as to leave the spaceship or exploration vehicle and move freely in space or on planetary surfaces.
- Gameplay in First-Person Shooter style. Apparently, it is planned that players can engage in combat from a first-person perspective with firearms. However, more details about this are not yet available.
- Base Building: It seems there are also plans for base construction. If the leak proves true, by the end of 2020, players may not only be able to visit and enter distant worlds but also establish outposts of humanity there.
- The Thargoids, the mysterious alien race from Elite Dangerous, are expected to come into focus more. According to the leak, we will not only see their ships but also the aliens themselves. They are said to closely resemble those from Starship Troopers, according to the anonymous source.
By the way: As the source noted, landings on planets with an atmosphere – a major wish of many Elite players – were unfortunately not mentioned in the plans.
What makes these contents so exciting? The quantity of content seems quite manageable at first glance, but each of these features would elevate the space sim to a completely new level.
Especially Space Legs, controllable carriers, and base building have been among the biggest wishes of the Elite Dangerous community for years. If these are brought to the game, it would likely please almost every Elite player and possibly bring back some lost sheep.
If these features are indeed all integrated, Elite Dangerous would gain significantly in gameplay depth and possibilities – and would also be interesting for new pilots.
After all, not only flying to alien planets but also potentially entering them and fighting against other players or aliens in a shooter manner would likely excite many a player who has different focuses in space games – for example, fans of No Man’s Sky, the X-series, Star Citizen, or possibly even sci-fi shooters.
Also the ability to walk freely around space stations, gigantic ships, and even your own spaceship would likely appeal to many. Just like carriers that could be used by players as forward bases – whether for exploration missions or attack flights.
In short: Elite Dangerous would not only provide its die-hard fans with what they have been longing for for years, but also offer a comprehensive package and new depth for all who find the pure flying and landing appealing but boring in the long run.
This would be a consistent and noticeable evolution that many have demanded for years, and would allow Elite to position itself much stronger against its direct competitors – especially on consoles, where for example the ambitious Star Citizen will not exist.
It remains to be seen whether the leak will also prove true in this aspect and how the features will actually be implemented in the game. 2020 is likely to be a very interesting year for anyone interested in Elite Dangerous or space simulations – although it seems to only be towards the end of the year.
What do you think about it? Would you be happy if Elite Dangerous actually got these new features? Would that be a reason to give the game a (new) chance? Which features would you like to see in 2020? Let us know in the comments.
