Frontier Developments has aggressively supported the game for years now and today they introduced players to Season 3. Season 3 will kick off with an open beta called Beyond: Chapter One. This gives gamers a chance to shape the development of the update up until launch. Chapter One advances the ongoing player-driven narrative and introduces a variety of gameplay enhancements, upgrading the experience whether players prefer to trade, fight or explore in Elite Dangerous' massively multiplayer galaxy.
The beta will be available from the in-game PC launcher starting January 25, 2018 prior to the release of Chapter One in early 2018. The open beta will be available to all PC Elite: Dangerous players. Going beyond the Thargoid alien attack of last season, Chapter One enhances the existing gameplay experience by bringing a host of new content for commanders to enjoy while they cruise the galaxy.
One of the main features of the beta are Wing Missions. These quests bring challenging team-based objectives for players to complete with friends and community members around the world. Commanders can share their adventures and rewards with allies while working together to overcome dangerous obstacles. You have to work well as a team and constantly communicate. Only the most experienced players should attempt them.
Trading is a major part of Elite: Dangerous but it's a little complex at the moment. This is mostly due to the fact that not a lot of information is available to players. With Chapter One, advanced in-game Trading Data will empower players to make better deals and carry out smoother transactions. Information on the galactic economy is now more freely available, allowing every commander to become a master merchant with a little bit of practice.
The improvements coming to Elite: Dangerous don't end there. Aside from changes to engineering mechanics, mission rewards, and the crime system, the game's visuals are also getting an upgrade. Frontier Developments has reworked the planet rendering technology in its COBRA game engine. This should result in more realistic and beautiful graphics especially when it comes to approaching planets. In Chapter One, vibrant surface colors better reflect planetary geological properties. Hopefully these enhancements will be noticeable even to the untrained eye.
The finished Chapter One will be available for free to Elite: Dangerous players on Xbox One, PC, and PlayStation 4 in Q1 2018. The game supports Xbox One X so it should look even better on Microsoft's new console with the upcoming changes. If you love space simulators in which you can practically do anything you want, then be sure to give this one a go. Elite: Dangerous is supremely rewarding even though it takes dozens of hours to master.
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