Elite Dangerous just implemented an entire system colonisation mechanic, in case you really want to get off this planet

You ever have those games that it feels like everyone else is kinda lukewarm on but that hits you, specifically, in just the right way to consume a huge part of your life? That’s Elite Dangerous for me. I’ve never felt like there was really much I was interested in doing in the game, but that’s honestly fine. I love cruising through its realistically enormous facsimile of space, hearing the creak of the hull, and marvelling at the impossible scale of it all. I have spent many, many hours doing this. I will spend many more doing it too.

But maybe I’ll get sucked into something other than space trucking for a little while, because Elite Dangerous just put out its mondo-huge Trailblazers update, adding a whole new system colonisation feature (in beta) to its ridiculously big Milky Way, letting you expand humanity into systems and planets beyond those it already has. Which can surely only work out great for everyone.

“With the brand-new System Colonisation mechanic launching into Beta,” says Frontier, “the power to claim and expand your very own Star Systems is in your hands. Whether creating a thriving new economy, a bustling trade hub, or a new port of operations, the galaxy awaits your vision.”

In practice, that means the list of contacts you can find at pretty much any space station in Elite has a new addition: a system colonisation guy. Chat to them and before long you’ll be punted over to a redesigned galaxy and system map UI to stake your claim on a suitable system. Frontier makes it sound like this is a process of juggling trade-offs: “do you select a system in a convenient part of Space for your next expedition, or pick one with a range of planets ready to house a bustling economy?” You also get to choose which kind of spaceport will serve as your system’s primary hub, like a podunk little landing pad or a huge coriolis station.

It also looks pricey, naturally—in the example Frontier shows, confirming your claim costs 25,000,000 credits. Far from an unfathomable amount, especially for a long-time player, but you’re probably not gonna dive in and immediately be planting flags on uncharted worlds.

Once that’s done it gets all base-build-y: a humongous colonisation ship rolls into your new digs and demands you pour endless resources into its maw to make your dreams into reality, like some kind of horrible 34th century buy-to-let landlord. Once that’s done, you can build more, both planetside and spaceborne. Get a bustling stellar economy going and the regular income you’ll get from your space-zone will boom.

Also you can spend the game’s premium currency to name your station something like The Deeznuts Memorial Gate Sponsored by Bofa.

It all seems pretty interesting and, oh, also comes accompanied by a whole bunch of other patch notes you can find linked above. It’s been a while since I drifted through Elite’s inky black; I think it’s time I dipped back in.