Greetings Commanders!

The battle for galactic control evolves in the Elite Dangerous: Ascendancy update. Featuring the all-new Powerplay 2.0 rework that lets you contribute to your chosen Power in brand-new ways, see the effects of your actions like never before and be rewarded for displaying loyalty as you seek to further their influence.

Elite Dangerous: Ascendancy also includes the ARX early access launch of the Mandalay exploration ship from Zorgon Peterson*. Head to the Elite Dangerous gamestore now to get yours and discover the wonders of the galaxy in style.

*The Mandalay will be available for in-game Credits for Odyssey owners at a later date.

Find out more about Ascendancy here[www.elitedangerous.com].

• Pledge to your Power! - all Commanders will be unpledged when Powerplay 2 goes live, this wont incur any penalties for affected Commanders and you will be able to pledge anew straight away.
  
• Show your loyalty - each Power has it's own rewards that it bestows upon it's agents as they rank up and prove their loyalty.
  
• Perk up! - each Power has it's set of perks that players can unlock via the loyalty system these can affect things like bounty payouts or faction rep gain to name a few.
  
• Modules for everyone! - each Power will now reward their agents with access to all Powerplay modules, unlock order will differ between Powers however.
  
• Have a care - Powers reward care packages through the loyalty system that give players a boost to their credit and engineering materials supply
  
• Competitive spirit - compete with your fellow agents to see who can earn the most merits for their power in a given week, participants will be rewarded with credits and the top 10 will be shown off next week
  
• A galactic view - new Powerplay galaxy map modes and filters let you access the information you need quicker, and in greater detail.
  
• A new challenger approaches - Nakato Kaine and Jerome Archer are stepping into Powerplay, Kaine as the newest Alliance power and Archer taking over from Zachary Hudson for the Federation
  
• Actions have consequences - gain control or reinforce your Power’s systems and undermine your opponents by engaging in Powerplay-related activities, including the new ability to hack and repair holoscreens on Stations and Outposts.
  
• Assign me up - take on weekly assignments given to you by your Power, based on your rank and current location. These include a variety of tasks, including gaining an amount of Bounty Vouchers or uploading Powerplay malware to Settlements.
  
• Every contribution matters - engaging in regular activities throughout the galaxy now contributes to your Power, across various aspects of the game including Bounty Hunting, Trading and more. For example, handing in exploration data to one of your Power’s systems will count as a contribution.
  
• Appearance is everything - Powers are now much more apparent when visiting stations. Depending on the Power, and their level of control, you will now see varying levels of support for them as you move around the area. From station exteriors to the concourse and even hangars, controlling Powers are being represented more than ever before.
  
• A display of strength - when systems are pushed into a Stronghold state, you may now find Stronghold Carriers present. These Stronghold Carriers act as a superior market, on the same level as Jameson Memorial, however you can only dock if you are pledged to the Power in the system.
  
• Or a perfect opportunity? - if you’re a veteran Commander pledged to a hostile Power, Stronghold Carriers can be a great target. From disabling turrets to scanning data links, there are multiple ways to engage in undermining activity. Be careful though, these Carriers will be hostile towards you!
  
• It’s who you know - Powerplay Contacts are found in ports and act as a central hub for all other contacts related to Powerplay. They’re also the place to collect your care packages, as well as Power related commodities and data, used for undermining and reinforcing.
  
• Powers on patrol - new Powerplay security vessels are present in any system controlled by a Power and guard against incursion from other Powers.
  
• Staunch supporters - you will now find Power aligned vessels as part of the ambient traffic in appropriate locations throughout the galaxy.
  
• Streamlined success - The following elements have been removed from Powerplay, providing a more streamlined and rewarding experience: Merit degradation, Voting system for expansions, Defection effects (leaving a Power now only resets your progression), Connections to government types

• Dreams of flying - the Mandalay, a brand-new ship from Zorgon Peterson, is here. Venture forth into the unknown in style with the next generation of exploration ship, available on the Elite Dangerous Gamestore now.
  
• Helm the Mandalay - with the most fuel-efficient SCO drive of any new ship to date, coupled with room for a large Fuel Scoop, travelling to those far-away systems and distant Earth-like planets is easier than ever before.
  
• Cutting through the milky way - with six hardpoints and fantastic maneuverability, the Mandalay is no easy target.
  
• To the stars that none yet dare - as well as an expansive view from the front canopy, the Mandalay boasts an additional viewport at the bottom of the cockpit, giving you great visibility when landing or taking in a beautiful vista.

• Rrepresent your Power with these new Powerplay Banner ship kit pieces, available for every Power and every ship on the Elite Dangerous Gamestore.

• Powerplay ranks will be reset when Ascendancy is available. You will need to pledge to a power if you wish to get involved with Powerplay on release.

• Adjusted background and skybox lighting to increase visible detailing
  
• Fixed weapon scope modifications not working
  
• Fixed some ships not having correct SCO audio
  
• Fixed issues when plotting route with FSD Boost enabled
  
• Fixed instances of Assimilated Relics getting teleported/pushed up with a change of getting stuck in the ceiling
  
• Fixed Noble Victory paintjob on the Krait Mk II so it now displays the correct colours

• Fixed instances of crashes relating to fighter bays
  
• Fixed instances of crashes during text mesh creation
  
• Fixed instance of player character being misplaced when pressing specific keyboard commands during sit-down animation
  
• Fixed instances of physical multicrew members being invisible after hyperspace jumping following a combination of loadout switching
  
• Physical Multicrew & Teleprensece members now receive correct rewards when aboard a ship that damages a Titan's core
  
• Fixed mission givers in social spaces not always giving out material awards, they also now give out more materials (up to 24 depending on mission type, material and mission difficulty)
  
• Fixed instances where passenger missions could not be selected unless you meet the required number of minimum-class seats, even if you meet that number with higher-class seats.
  
• Fixed incorrect animations of Type-8's small hardpoint doors
  
• Fixed power usage issues with the Type-6 Mining Jumpstart Pre-Built's default loadout
  
• Fixed instances when trying to select a Concourse Theme in the Livery manager for a Fleet Carrier, causing the screen to go black until the Livery management screen is closed.
  
• Adjusted hitcheck and landing gear extension on the Asp Scout to fix instances where an SRV can get stuck under the ship
  
• Fixed various language translations when running out of fuel with the SCO

Greetings Commanders!

In order to ensure the best possible experience we have made a small change to the release date of Elite Dangerous: Ascendancy, to adjust an issue with NPCs still being more aggressive than intended. 

Thursday 31 October sees the eagerly awaited release of Elite Dangerous: Ascendancy, featuring the new Mandalay exploration ship, Powerplay 2.0 and more! 

Here's when things kick off:

• 06:00 GMT - Maintenance begins and Elite Dangerous servers offline
  
• 15:00 GMT - Maintenance complete and Elite Dangerous: Ascendancy is available

Please note that these are approximate times and are subject to change.

Full patch notes will be available alongside the release of Elite Dangerous: Ascendancy.

Things to be aware of

• Powerplay ranks will be reset when Ascendancy is available. You will need to pledge to a Power if you wish to get involved with Powerplay on release. 
  
• The Mandalay will be available as early access via Arx initially. It will be available for credits in the future. 

Greetings Commanders,

We're pleased to announce that Elite Dangerous: Ascendancy is now scheduled to release on Tuesday 29th October! Exact timings will be shared in the coming days.

Greetings Commanders,

Following feedback and our team’s observations across the Elite Partner Program early access period, we have made the decision to push the release date of Ascendancy to the week commencing 28th October to address an NPC balancing issue and a crash instance, in order to ensure the best possible experience.
As the Mandalay early access is included as part of the Ascendancy content, this will also be pushed in line with the updated release date.

We’re sorry you have to wait a little longer, but we can’t wait to see how you shape the galaxy when Ascendancy is launched!

Greetings Commanders!

This week the Elite franchise celebrates an amazing 40 years of bringing you the freedom to explore the Milky Way in your own unique way!


"Elite" was written by David Braben and Ian Bell starting in 1982 while the authors were still at Cambridge University. It was first published by Acornsoft on the BBC Micro in September 1984 to huge critical acclaim. The rights to other computer platforms were then auctioned by Jacqui Lyons of Marjacq, and British Telecom then went on to publish on many other platforms under the name of Firebird.

"Elite" set many firsts, and was the first genuine 3D game on home computers. Even many years after its release it is fondly remembered. For example "Probably the best computer game ever" (The Times, December 1988). It went on to sell around 1,000,000 units, and is popular still, having appeared on most popular formats.

Indulge your nostalgia and experience the first incarnation with the original Elite, available FREE in the Frontier Store! [www.frontierstore.net]

Written in five and a half years by David Braben, with Konami Inc of Japan as publisher, the game was released in October 1993 and was in the top few slots in the UK Gallup chart for the best part of the following year. It was the best selling game in Europe 1993 according to Gallup.

"Frontier" also set a number of firsts. It was the first game to have real-sized planets, where cities could be viewed from orbit, it was the first to use curved surfaces (Bezier), the only game to do a palette-fit every frame to get best use of colours!

Released in Easter 1995, "First Encounters" also had a number of firsts to its name. The game was renowned for its detailed modelling of the geography of planets, despite the relative lack of power of the target PCs at the time. It was the first game to use procedural texturing to generate the vegetation, snow and more on the planet surfaces. Mountain ranges, cliffs and wonderful alien landscapes and atmospheric effects all contributed to the atmosphere of the game, and the coloured lighting from the redder stars gave some planets an eerie look.

Released in December 2014, the BAFTA-nominated Elite Dangerous is the definitive, massively multiplayer space epic. 10 years later and Elite Dangerous has seen two expansions, an ongoing narrative filled with political intrigue, corporate espionage, a galaxy wide war against the extraterrestrial threat of the Thargoids and astounding community led initiatives and activities!


To celebrate 40 years of Elite we're giving every Elite Dangerous Live player an exclusive Ruby anniversary decal completely free! Simply head to the Elite Dangerous Gamestore[www.elitedangerous.com] to claim it for the amazing price of 0 ARX! The decal comes in a range of colour, allowing you to choose the best match for your ship!

Want to celebrate the Ruby Anniversary of Elite in style? Check out the Ruby Anniversary cosmetics available[www.elitedangerous.com] in the Elite Dangerous gamestore now!
Give your favourite ship or SRV a new look with the Ruby Anniversary paintjob, available on vehicles in the game!

Or, throwback to the past with the Dodec station bobblehead[www.elitedangerous.com]!
The Ruby Anniversary cosmetics, decal and bobblehead will be available until 21st October. Grab yours today!

Have a fond memory from 40 years of playing Elite games? Share them on social channels with #EliteRuby!

With such a historic legacy we can't wait to explore the future with you!

Greetings Commanders,

This Thursday (19 September) we will be releasing Update 18.09 for Elite Dangerous Live/4.0 players on PC.

• 07:00 - Elite Dangerous Live/4.0 servers offline
  
• 10:00 - Elite Dangerous Live/4.0 servers online and Update 18.09 available

Bugs/Adjustments

• Increased clearance for SRV's when deployed from the Type-8
  
• Improved planetary landing checks for Type-8 allowing easier landing in both manual and auto-landing
  
• Fixed Mirrored Armour not showing in outfitting for Type-8
  
• Fixed outfitting and livery camera orientation for Type-8 in VR
  
• Fixed issues with orbit lines when toggling them off

Hey Commanders, we’ve got something special for you! We are delighted to announce that, together with Just About, we are launching Just About Elite Dangerous[justabout.com]: bringing real-money rewards to the Elite Dangerous community for creating the best content and conversation on the internet.

Through their bounty system, Just About pays real-money rewards for all kinds of content and contributions, such as your most epic screenshots, exploration stories, or battle clips. It’s their way (and ours) to recognise this brilliant community.

In the last year, Just About has paid out over $25,000 in rewards, and is always looking for new ways to reward your creativity. They even take bounty suggestions from the community because who knows Elite better than all of you?

If you have any questions, check out their FAQ below.

There’s loads more in store over the coming months, so get involved now and start earning the rewards you deserve!


What are bounties?
Bounties are best thought of as community challenges, developed in partnership with the Frontier team. These might involve a screenshot competition for certain ships, sharing your exploration expertise, or filming your next battle.

Who decides the bounties?
Just About’s staff set the bounties, but taking on board input from both Frontier and community members. We want bounties to best meet the needs of the community, so please give us feedback on how we can improve!

So Just About pays members… why?
Our mission is to reward passionate fans for the contributions they make, whether that’s helpful guides, cool artwork, or brilliant videos! We believe that when you create these things you generate value for brands and platforms, so you should be rewarded for that.

How do I get paid?
Just connect your PayPal account and, if your balance is over $25, you’ll receive a payout each month. If you don’t hit that threshold, your rewards will roll over into the next month. We are looking at additional payment vendors and currencies in future, but for now it’s PayPal and USD only (but you can still be paid out globally).

Which bounties can I take part in?
Any of them and as many as you like!

Why do I have to connect a social account?
You don't have to connect any accounts to participate on Just About - all you need is a valid email address.

However some bounties require submissions to be video-based. In those cases, so that we can validate that you are the original author of that video, you'll need to connect your relevant creator account, such as YouTube, TikTok or Instagram (but even then, we try to offer you a few choices, and we’ll be adding more soon).

Is there an age limit to get involved?
Like most online services, to use the platform you need to be 13 or older. To receive payouts you must be 18+ (or 16+ with parental permission). You can still earn rewards when you're 13, 14 or 15, but we’re unable to pay them out until you're 16, in accordance with our Terms of Use.

Do I still own the content I submit to bounties?
Yes - we might promote it but we will credit you and you are free to post and monetise your content where you see fit.

And what about my data?
We don't sell (or share) your personal data, and never will.

We need to send some anonymised data to third parties so that we can run the platform effectively (for example, Google Analytics), but this is no different to any website or app you might use. You can see our full policies here:

Code of Conduct [justabout.com]
Privacy policy[about.justabout.com]
Copyright policy[about.justabout.com]

Is Just About a global platform?
Yes, however we are English-language only right now.

Update 18.08 is now available for Elite Dangerous, bringing with it the brand new Type-8 ship which is available for early access via Arx!

The Type-8 early access bundles are available in the following formats:

Type-8 Standard - 16,520 Arx
Deliver in style with the Type-8, Lakon's latest addition to their trading fleet - equipped with enhanced Supercruise Overcharge capabilities.

Includes:

• Type-8 Ship
  
• Type-8 Shipyard Unlock

Type-8 Stellar - 33,000 Arx
Own the trading market with the Stellar edition of the Type-8, Lakon's latest addition to their trading fleet. - equipped with a higher carrying capacity across it's 6 cargo racks.

Includes:

• Type-8 Ship
  
• Specialised Cargo Transport Loadout.
  
• Haulage Stripe Red Paint job
  
• Aero Ship Kit
  
• Type-8 Shipyard Unlock

In addition to the Type-8 early access the following pre-built ships are also available in store:

Passenger Jumpstart – Beluga Liner - 25,500 Arx)
Beluga Liner outfitted for luxury long range passenger transportation. Equipped with an increased ranged SCO capable FSD and Luxury Cabins.

Includes:

• Beluga Liner Passenger Ship
  
• Specialised Passenger Transport Loadout
  
• Grade 5 Engineered FSD (SCO)
  
• United Marine Blue Paint Job
  
• 16-Piece Ship Kit

Bounty Hunter Jumpstart - Vulture - 25,500 Arx)
Vulture outfitted for high spec bounty hunting combat. Equipped with Grade 1 and 2 Engineered weaponry alongside Grade 2 Engineered Core Internals.

Includes:

• Vulture Ship
  
• Specialised Bounty Hunting Loadout
  
• Crossfire Green Paint Job
  
• 16-Piece Ship Kit

It's not just new ships which have been added with Update 18.08, we also have made some major changes to Engineering!

Materials
We’re increasing the number of materials you’re getting across the board from various sources. We’ve increased Material availability at Grade 4/5 farming locations by increasing the number of sources of materials and in some cases payout per source.
In the past, you’d be get between 3-6 fragments of microresources in total per site, but now we’ve increased the number of items to 30-100 microresources.

Mission Rewards
We’ve increased the engineering mats you’ll get across the board from missions. So now depending on the mission or material limit, you could get up to 24 of some materials.

Engineering Blueprints
1) Engineering is no longer random when you spin for the blueprint. If you’re at grade 5 rank with the Engineer, it will be 1 roll for a Grade 1 blueprint, 2 for a Grade 2, and so on. If you’re less than a Grade 5, it will be more spins, but it will no longer be random.

2) We’ve changed the unlock requirements on some blueprints, so you can get to work much quicker.

Odyssey Engineering Changes
The recipes for Odyssey engineering have had their material amounts reduced, combined with getting more rewards for missions and needing to spend less. Another thing that should make it easier is the rebalancing of suit carry capacity, we’ve increased capacity across all suits, with the Maverick suit seeing the biggest upgrade. For a more in depth breakdown please check out the Update 18.08 update notes.

Thargoid War Changes
As we get closer and closer to the potential end of the war, we’re making some adjustments to give you even more Engineering rewards for engaging. Contributing to taking over a Thargoid controlled, or invasion system will now reward engineering materials upon system completion.

All Grade 4 Raw & Grade 5 Encoded/Manufactured engineering materials are eligible as rewards, which you can trade down to whatever materials you need at a material trader. A full break down can be found in our Update Notes.

Greetings Commanders,

A new update will be available for Elite Dangerous on Wednesday 7th August.

6AM - In game messages commence
8AM - Elite Dangerous Live/4.0 servers offline to deploy changes
2PM - Elite Dangerous Live/4.0 servers back online and Update 18.08 available to download.

*Please note that these times are estimates and are subject to change.

Features of Note:

• Added Lakon Type-8 Transporter for early access
  
  • In world holo-screen adverts now present for Type-8 Transporter
• Added new pre-built ships: to the store:
  
  • Type-8 Transporter Stellar (33,000 Arx)
    
  • Type-8 Transporter Standard (16,520 Arx)
    
  • Passenger Jumpstart - Beluga Liner (25,500 Arx)
    
  • Bounty Hunter Jumpstart - Vulture (25,500 Arx)
• Python MkII now included in the general Shipyard stock for Odyssey players.

Engineering Changes
Alterations made to the engineering ruleset and systems:

• Updated engineer rolls to consistently give a fixed roll depending on the grade of the recipe and the commander rank with the engineer.
  
  • Increased Material availability/payout at Grade 4/5 farming locations by increasing sources of materials and in some cases payout per source.
    
  • Increased Engineering material rewards across missions.
    
    • Up to 24 depending on mission type, material and mission difficulty
  • Updated unlock requirements for some engineers:
    
    • Hero Ferrari - Settlement Defence Plans required = 5 (down from 15)
      
    • Yarden Bond - Smear Campaign Plans required = 5 (down from 8)
      
    • Wellington Beck - Cat Media, Classic Entertainment or Multimedia Entertainment required = 15 (total)
      
    • Kit Fowler - Opinion Polls required = 5 (down from 10)
  • Removed Power Regulators from recipes
    
  • Reduced recipe costs for upgrading and modifying on-foot suits and weapons
    
  • Backpack Capacity Changes:
    
    • Maverick suit
      Goods capacity 15 → 40
      Assets capacity 30 → 60
      Data Capacity 10 → 20
      
    • Artemis suit
      Goods Capacity 10 → 20
      Assets capacity 20 → 40
      Data Capacity 10 → 10
      
    • Dominator suit
      Goods capacity 5 → 10
      Assets capacity 10 → 20
      Data Capacity 10 → 10
  • Contributing to taking a Thargoid controlled or invasion system will now reward engineering materials upon system completion.
    
  • All Grade 4 Raw & Grade 5 Encoded/Manufactured engineering materials are eligible as rewards.
    
  • Rewards are determined by percentile individual Commander contribution:
    Tier 1 - Top 25% - 120
    Tier 2 - Top 75% - 60
    Tier 3 - Bottom 25% - 18
    
  • 2 materials are picked randomly from each material category (Raw/Encoded/Manufactured) for a total of 6 different rewarded materials.
    For example, a Commander within the top tier can expect to receive 20 materials of 6 different types, for 120 total.
    
  • Materials are randomised per system, so all Commanders contributing to a system will receive the same type of materials when that system is completed.
    
  • Rewards will take you to the microresource cap but not over.
    
  • Any rewards which would have been over the cap will be lost. Careful monitoring of your inventory and usage of materials traders is advised.
    
  • Rewards are issued on an hourly basis and an inbox message will inform you of your achieved tier.
    
  • Contributions will be logged from the release of 18.08 onwards.
    
  • Contributions will not be reset on the weekly turn, and will therefore carry over between weeks until the system is completed.
  Issue Tracker
  
  • Fixed LOD issue with Orca resulting in holes in ships model when viewed at distances.
    
  • Fix for missile racks not firing correctly
    
  • Fixed Python Mk2 hull & integrity being unable to be repaired
  Bugs/Adjustments
  
  • Fixed a crash while idling in the pre-built ships store.
    
  • Updated the new CMDR packages stats to more accurately reflect the content
    
  • Release fee for Pre-Built Ships now calculated correctly when ship has been impounded
    
  • Fix for luxury cabins not counting as suitable for lower classes of passengers.
    
  • Removed power draw from Experimental Weapons Stabilizer modules
    
  • Removed SCO mass lock from small planets to be consistent with medium and large planets
    
  • Added SCO fuel consumption stat when viewing the module
    
  • Fixed an issue where ships could jitter whilst using AutoDock & AutoLaunch
    
  • Fixed some visual effects not playing correctly after sabotaging dropboxes at Thargoid spire sites.
    
  • Adjusted orbit lines to display cleaner in various instances.