Elite Dangerous: Odyssey is currently in alpha for those who have pre ordered the mammoth expansion. But fans and early adopters won’t have to wait much longer for the DLC to make its final approach.
Docking sequence has been initiated: Elite Dangerous: Odyssey releases for PC on May 19. It will be available through Steam and the Epic Games Store.
Frontier Developments said that the console versions for PlayStation and Xbox would still launch this fall, staying on target for the timeframe the developer set earlier this year.
Odyssey was announced in 2020 and is a big change to the original Elite Dangerous formula, which previously saw players zipping around the galaxy in spaceships but unable to visit planets on foot.
While ships still play a role in Odyssey, seamlessly integrating with core Elite Dangerous gameplay, the DLC expansion allows players to put boots on the ground, exploring planets, scanning flora, and shooting NPCs and other players dead in “tactical combat,” as Frontier describes it.
Frontier teased the breadth of Odyssey‘s missions ahead of the alpha by sharing a combat-focused raid earlier this year. In the mission, a team of commanders infiltrates a compound to disrupt its reactor before being flighted out by their pilot teammate.
Conflict Zones, Phase 2 of the alpha, expanded the galaxy 20 light-years and introduced team deathmatch style instances that influence the overarching conflict in the Elite Dangerous universe.
The most recent addition to the alpha, Phase 3, called Exo-Biology, expanded the galaxy again by another 50 light-years and introduced the scanning mechanic, where players are able to record organic data from planetary flora, selling it for money.
Phase 4 is set to release on April 28. Though it will mostly focus on “compatibility with existing mechanics,” according to Frontier, it will also allow players to use ships in the alpha, including carriers, fighters, and SRVs.
The Elite Dangerous: Odyssey alpha ends on May 5, two weeks prior to the DLC’s anticipated launch. Those who have yet to pre order can do so over on Steam or the Epic Games Store for $39.99.
