Elite Dangerous Fleet Carriers might sound like a piece of vapourware to many outer space adventurers but they are almost here and hitting beta soon.
I can just barely remember the first announcement of Fleet Carriers at Frontier Expo years ago and the promised addition to a range of spaceships in Elite Dangerous has been a bone of contention for many pilots for some time. The much-anticipated carriers have been pushed back repeatedly, taking on an almost mythical role after falling by the wayside repeatedly in favor of some more critical work on the game engine. Now, finally, Fleet Carriers are coming to Elite Dangerous on 7 April.
A New Frontier
At the start of April players of Frontier’s space exploration title will get the opportunity to participate in two open beta trials of these massive behemoths before they hit the game for real. Beta 1 is open to PC players and will commence on April 7. Beta 2 will include PC, Xbox One and PlayStation 4 players and will take place in May. Fleet Carriers officially launch into the live game in June 2020.
For players who have been waiting, they better have been saving those credits. Fleet carriers represent a huge investment, costing 5,000,000,000 credits. While individually owned, these carriers have space for 16 landing pads of varying sizes. Other players can dock in the carrier space and use them to jump around 500 light-years. As well as docking, carriers can house services such as repair docks, refueling stations, and shipyards. Will you be a friend to the galaxy and support wayward travellers, or a tyrant who taxes those in need? The Fleet Carrier truly takes Elite Dangerous into entirely new territory, and set up the prospect of some serious EvE style warfare. What you do with it is entirely up to you.
Check out the Fleet Carrier trailer above or head over to the Elite Dangerous website for all the info on this massive project.
