How to get elite dangerous horizons

As Frontier Developments wind up to launch the next Elite Dangerous expansion, today they rolled the first one into the base game for all to enjoy for free. The new content and features from Horizons are now available to all players, things like creating your own spaceman and landing on planets to drive spacecars. To folks who had already bought Horizons, Frontier are giving exclusive ship skins as a thank you.

Horizons brought owners almost five years of new features: landing on planets; driving cars on planets; a character creator to make your spaceman; the ability to fly ships cooperatively with your spacepals; wee fighters you can launch from big ships; a new type of crafting. Space stuff. It's a good spread of features that are good to see rolled into the base game, making Elite's core a lot livelier and varied. It'll also make the game a lot friendlier to newcomers, not nudging them to spend another £20 - especially with a second expansion coming.

If you did buy Horizons, ah you've had years with all this. But to say ta, Frontier are giving existing owners the 'Azure' paint job, which works on all 41 of the current ships. It's a purple-y cyan-ish sorta shimmery thing.

Now everyone's caught up on Horizons, Elite Dangerous: Odyssey is coming in "early 2021". New features include social hubs and exploring planets on foot with first-person shooty combat.

If Elite Dangerous is the final frontier, then its Horizons expansion is the free frontier. Starting in a month, anyway.

Elite Dangerous is getting an update next month that rolls the Horizons add-on into the base game on all platforms. You could look at this and say it’s permanently free. But, it might be more appropriate to say that Horizons is just part of the standard Elite Dangerous experience from now on. 

Whichever way you view it, Elite Dangerous is going to get bigger on October 27. For anyone who already purchased Horizons, they’ll get Azure paint jobs that can be used on all ships in the game. Horizons will remain on sale until October 26, effectively only so people have a last chance to buy those Azure paint jobs. That doesn’t seem like an amazing use of $30 but I’m not in charge of your personal finances.

Horizons is Elite Dangerous‘ only real content expansion, but this shrewd move is clearly a means of onboarding new players before 2021’s Odyssey add-on. There’s a lot to be excited about when it comes to Odyssey, as this is the expansion that’ll allow you to ditch the spaceship and explore planets on foot. Developer Frontier is knocking down barriers to get deep into the Elite Dangerous ecosystem in hopes that it’ll translate to Odyssey sales. It makes sense. When a game like Elite Dangerous gets its hooks in someone, it usually doesn’t let up for a long time.

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Elite Dangerous (2014), one of the first truly massive VR-compatible space sims, is releasing its biggest DLC for free today to all players who own the base game.

Initially announced last month by creators Frontier Developments, the previously separate Horizons expansion has now been folded into the base game.

Before today, Horizons cost $30 on top of the base game’s $30 price tag. The free update includes all supported platforms, including PC (SteamVR, Oculus PC), Xbox and PS4.

Launched back in late 2015, Horizons brought to the space-faring simulator the option to finally head out of the ship, land on planets and drive surface recon vehicles to explore the ground below, craft weapons, and allow for multicrew action.

Although the game has lost some of its appeal over the years, it’s good to see Frontier offering even more to new VR players looking to delve into one of the decidedly ‘classic’ space sims out there.

And while the studio initially said VR wasn’t on the roadmap for its 2021 first-person shooter DLC Odyssey, Frontier developer Arthur Tolmie announced last month that VR will be available when users fly down to planets, fly through atmospheres and drive along planet surfaces in their SRVs, although leaving the ship to continue on foot would bring up a 2D projected flat game screen.

Today's the day when massive open-world space sim Elite Dangerous is making some pretty big changes. As we learned late last month, the first expansion, Horizons, is being rolled into the base game as a free add-on. 

Horizons is no longer available to download separately (at the time of writing, its has disappeared from Steam, though you can still catch a glimpse of its ghost on Google), but Elite Dangerous players who don't own Horizons will receive it automatically as a free update. New purchases will include the expansion as part of the base game download.

If you're one of upwards of a million players who parted with their cash for Horizons, Frontier is keen to ensure that you don't end up feeling aggrieved at the change. As a "huge thank you" to long-time Horizons players, they will receive an exclusive azure ship paint colour, compatible with all ships currently in the game. This rather pretty cosmetic reward will be the only feature from Horizons that remains exclusive to players who owned the expansion before it was incorporated into the base game. If you didn't buy the add-on before October 26, it's now locked off forever, but at least you'll get everything else without having to spend £20/$30. 

Elite Dangerous was first released in 2014, with the various updates that make up the Horizons DLC running from 2015 to 2017. The move to incorporate Horizons into the base game anticipates the release of the second expansion season, Odyssey, which is expected in early 2021.

The below information is a quick start guide for Elite Dangerous: Horizons beta - you can also learn a thing or two by watching our archived livestream about the Horizons beta basics.

What Do I Need To Make Landfall?

First, you’ll need a ship fitted with a planetary landing suite module – but that’s OK, if you own Horizons, every ship you own will now have one fitted! That’s all you need to enter orbital cruise and drop down into planetary flight.

If for some reason your ship is not fitted with a planetary landing suite, you can purchase them in outfitting.

To drive on a planet’s surface, you’ll need to fit a planetary vehicle hangar module. You can find these in outfitting at ports.

Once you have a planetary vehicle hangar, you need to install vehicle bays in it. Vehicle bay slots show up right underneath the planetary vehicle hangar in outfitting. Different size hangars will allow more or less vehicle bays.

Each vehicle bay allows your ship to carry a single SRV, and comes with a vehicle when fitted. Be aware though, if this SRV is destroyed, you’ll need to purchase a replacement for the vehicle bay. You can do this from any port, starport or outpost, from the Restock docking service.

How Do I Get to An Airless Planet?

Firstly, it’s important to remember that not all planets can be approached.

You can tell if a planet supports planetary activities by looking at it in the Contacts Tab or System Map – it will have a small, blue landed ship icon.

Once you’ve found a suitable planet, simply super cruise towards it.

Target the planet to summon information showing maximum speed for a safe transition into Orbital Cruise, a special mode of super cruise when you are very close to a planet.

If you are traveling too fast when you hit the orbital cruise transition height your ship will perform an emergency drop.

What Is Orbital Cruise?

Orbital cruise is an adjusted version of super cruise. It lets you fly around a planet much faster than would normally be possible using the frame shift drive.

To engage orbital cruise, simply fly towards a suitable planet.

As you approach the ship HUD will summon an Altimeter, Attitude Ladder, Heading Indicator and Rate of Descent indicator.

The altimeter shows your height from the planet surface. Notches on the altimeter also show orbital cruise transition height (the OC marker) and, when you get lower down, the orbital cruise drop out height (the DRP marker).

The attitude ladder shows your pitch angle compared to the planet surface, with zero degrees being parallel with the surface.

The rate of descent indicator shows how quickly you are losing or gaining height. When the rate of decent indicator bar displays red your rate of descent is dangerously fast.

When in orbital cruise, a section of the attitude ladder around zero degrees will turn blue. Holding this angle will boost your speed past normal orbital cruise speeds, allowing you to orbit the planet very quickly.

When you descend to the orbital cruise drop out height, you will initiate an orbital glide maneuver.

What Is Glide?

Glide is a flight procedure that allows your ship to cover great distance when transitioning from orbital cruise to normal flight.

Glide will only be engaged if your ship’s pitch is between 60 degrees negative and 5 degrees positive from horizontal flight.

Pitching down further will cause the frame shift to perform an emergency drop.

Pitching up further will simply abort the glide and enter planetary flight.

Other than these limits, glide will automatically end when close to the planet surface.

What’s Different About Planetary Flight?

Planetary flight is very similar to normal flight. However, there are a few key differences!

At slow speeds, more manoeuvring thrust power is diverted into ventral thrusters to help provide lift for level flight.

As a result, other manoeuvring thrusters have reduced effectiveness under load.

Also expect minor loss of stability when facing the surface.

As an automatic safety feature, if your ship pitch is within 30 degrees of horizontal and you are travelling slowly it will automatically attempt to pitch towards level flight.

How Do I Land And Take Off?

First deploy your landing gear.

Slowly approach the surface until the sensor disc displays your vessel schematic above terrain rendering.

When you are directly above an area that can safely support your ship, a small disc projected onto the terrain rendering from your vessel schematic will turn blue.

Additional HUD elements help you to correctly pitch and roll until your ship has the correct attitude for landing.

When your ship has the correct attitude, reduce height to complete the landing procedure.

Once landed, your ship’s drives will cut out.

To take off, apply and hold vertical thrust to engage your drives and lift off.

How Do I Manage SRVs?

Once correctly outfitted, your ship can carry Surface Reconnaissance Vehicles.

Your ship has been updated to reflect SRV capacity: UI focus + UI Down will now take you to the role switch interface. Here you can manage SRVs.

When you are landed, you can deploy an SRV using this interface.

Likewise, when you are in an SRV and under the cargo hatch (you can tell because the Board Ship indicator will light up) you can use this interface to get back in the ship.

Finally, using this interface you can recall your ship to your current location. Be aware, this option will not be available if you are too close to a settlement or port.

How Do I Use Ports?

Ports are ground based equivalents of starports. When in a ship you should treat them exactly the same. You’ll need to request docking, and should refrain from committing crimes if you want to stay safe and welcome!

When in your SRV, if your ship is docked at a port, you’ll need to request docking to get back to it. After docking has been approved, follow the nav-compass – it will lead you to your designated garage.

Once in the garage, you can use the role switch interface to board your ship.

Be aware: if your ship is docked at a port, you cannot recall it to your location if you are within a few kilometers. You will need to move further away from the port or request docking to get back to your ship.

How do I operate the SRV?

First, make sure your bindings are correct. If you use custom bindings, you’ll need to add SRV bindings.

Alternatively, use a default binding scheme (which has SRV bindings set up) then customize as appropriate.

The SRV shares many concepts and elements with your ship: modules, power distributor, shields, fuel, fire groups.

The SRV is driven using throttle and roll controls. When on the floor, roll equates to steering. When in the air, roll becomes roll.

You can engage or disengage Drive Assist: When disengaged you have direct control of the throttle and brake. When engaged, throttle operates the same as in a ship, by setting a desired speed.

The SRV is equipped with jump jets. Activating these thrusters uses ENG capacitor energy.

Ground collisions ignore SRV shields. When falling, try to use jump jets to slow descent and avoid hull damage.

The SRV consumes fuel. Fuel is automatically refilled when you dock at any port. Drive slower and turn off modules to reduce drain on the SRV fuel supply.

Fuel (and other resources) can be synthesised in the SRV by harvesting appropriate materials from the planet surface

The SRV features neural-linked turret. Whilst controlling the turret you can still drive. Likewise, when driving, you can still target entities and fire the turret with limited gimbal. The turret uses WEP capacitor energy and ammunition.

The SRV features a data-link scanner. The data link scanner is a special scanner that you can use in turret mode. It allows you to connect to targeted entities, often activating contextual commands. To use the data link, target an entity then hold the appropriate fire group activation binding.

The SRV features cargo scoop and storage for two universal containers. Simply deploy the scoop and drive over cargo to pick it up.

The SRV features a Wave Scanner, displayed directly above the sensor disc. The wave scanner is a forward arc passive scanner that can detect signatures from a variety of objects.

Each signature is comprised of a number of on/off elements, arrayed vertically in the scanner display.

Different objects have different patterns of on/off elements.

Signatures at distance will be indistinct and large. As you approach, they will shrink and gain definition.

What is Synthesis?

Synthesis is new ship and SRV functionality that allows you to generate resources in situ.

Synthesis uses materials, a new type of resource, found initially only on planet surfaces.

Check your cargo tab to view synthesis options.

If you have the correct materials, you can initiate synthesis for a specific module by selecting it in the module tab.