Elite Dangerous: Odyssey, the long-awaited boots-on-the-ground expansion to Elite Dangerous, will enter PC alpha later this month on March 29, Frontier Developments announced. To get commanders ready for their first out-of-vehicle missions in the open-world simulation game, the developer released a meaty 8:29 pre-alpha playthrough video that showcases in-game raid combat.
Grouping up in orbit, the team of three community commanders lands outside of a large base on a dusty world. After solidifying their tactics, they enter the base and attempt to take the reactor core offline. It highlights the immense role-playing and tactical possibilities available in Odyssey from both the air and ground.
Of course, even though things start off as planned, things ultimately go south. One team member even remarks that they won’t be able to take part in combat because their “suit’s not designed for it,” making it clear that individual roles will play a large part in missions and sorties.
Take a look below.
To participate in the alpha, Elite fans will need to pre-purchase Odyssey through Steam, Epic Games, or the official Frontier Developments webstore for $39.99. There’s currently no word on how long the alpha will run or if a beta will follow behind it. Odyssey is scheduled for release on PC in “late spring 2021,” which should put it on track to launch sometime before June 20, the first day of summer.
Frontier Developments said that Odyssey is set to release for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in autumn 2021, and it does not appear those systems will be included in the upcoming alpha (it is a PC alpha, after all). It is not clear if any pre-release gameplay opportunities will arrive on those platforms before the expansion’s prospective launch.
Elite Dangerous released on PC way back in 2014 before making its way to Xbox One in 2015, then PlayStation 4 in 2017. Stay tuned for more on Elite Dangerous: Odyssey as we edge ever closer to its release.
