Elite Dangerous is getting a major new update, Powerplay 2.0

Key conclusions

The Elite Dangerous Powerplay 2.0 Rework as part of the Ascendancy update updated the system based on player feedback.
New features, galaxy map modes, and loyalty rewards are designed to give the space simulator a much-needed boost in gameplay.
The new research ship Mandalay is also included in the Ascendancy update, joining some of the game's best research vehicles.

MMO epic Elite Dangerous has received a major update that restructures the space simulator's Powerplay system, all thanks to ongoing player feedback. Elite Dangerous' Powerplay 2.0 arrived on October 31st and is included in the Ascendancy update, which also gave ARX early access to a new research ship, additional aid packages and friendly competition via weekly leaderboards.

Released for PC in 2014 and later ported to Xbox One the following year, the 1:1 open-world game is the fourth title in Elite video game series and sequels Borderlands: First Encounters. Elite Dangerous received significant backlash earlier in the year due to pay-to-win ships, leading to a flurry of review explosions on Steam. Fortunately, the MMO's major update seems to be bringing the community back with its revamped Poweplay system, and there are some big changes that players can be excited about.

Relatives

A Starfield player builds a Federal Corvette from Elite Dangerous

A Starfield player does an impressive job using the in-game ship builder to recreate the Federal Corvette starship from Frontier's Elite Dangerous.

Thanks to community input, the all-new Powerplay 2.0 overhaul allows players to pledge new powers and earn rewards through a loyalty rank system, offering the same modules, albeit in a different order. Each force, including all-new faces Nakato Kane and Jerome Archer, comes with exclusive perks as a token of loyalty, including increased Felicia Winters credits earned through saved payouts in controlled systems. Elite Dangerous joins the biggest open-world games with expansive maps, and the help packs earned through the Loyalty Rank system are designed to increase credits and engineering materials to add even more immersion to the expansive game. In addition, Powerplay 2.0 features new galaxy map modes with deeper details for explorers to add to an already packed list of new features with even more for players to discover in-game.

Elite Dangerous launches Powerplay 2.0 as part of the Major Ascendancy update

Elite DangerousThe Ascendancy update also welcomes Zorgon Peterson's new Mandalay ship, built for long-range exploration and currently available through the Gamestore, parking nearby Elite Dangerous'a catalog of the best ships for research. However, the ship boasts the most fuel-efficient SCO drive ever seen in the game's vehicle roster, flaunting six attachment points, an additional observation window, and new Powerplay Banner ship set details that represent all available forces and ships.

It's no secret that Star field space epic didn't impress the in-game galaxy explorers or compete with other games of its ilk, continuing Bethesda's response to Starfield: Shattered Space critics. However, for Elite Dangerous, the new update firmly puts the MMO back on the radar of space enthusiasts, continuing to honor the fundamentals of the game by offering a variety of factions, including the Empire, Alliance, and Federation.

Elite Dangerous is the ultimate multiplayer space epic, bringing to the modern generation an original open-world gaming adventure with a connected galaxy, an evolving narrative, and a fully recreated Milky Way in its full galactic dimensions.

Starting with a small starship and a few credits, players do their best to earn the skills, knowledge, wealth and power to survive in a futuristic galaxy and join the ranks of the iconic elite. In an era of galactic superpowers and interstellar wars, each player's story influences a uniquely connected gaming experience and a hand-crafted narrative. Governments fall, battles are won and lost, humanity's frontier shifts, all thanks to player actions.

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