Today, Frontier Developments announced the release date of the major update to Elite Dangerous titled “Vanguards.”
It’ll launch on the live servers of the long-running space simulator in a week, on August 19. More details and the full patch notes will be released at a later time.
Elite Dangerous: Vanguards includes an overhaul of squadrons that was discussed a few weeks ago.
Said overhaul includes the availability of a massive Squadron Carrier to use as a common base of operation, a dedicated squadron bank to share resources, items, and ships, a revamped squadron browser to administer your group and attract new recruits, squadron perks that members can take advantage of, and more.
Players will be able to create logos for their squadrons (and yes, it goes on ships), while those who are looking for company can search for an existing squadron to join by browsing through a series of filters.
We’ll likely know even more details in a few days as we draw close to the release of the update, which will be free for all players.
If you’re unfamiliar with Elite Dangerous, it’s a space simulator currently available for PC, Xbox One, and PS4, but the console versions are limited and aren’t getting recent expansions and updates.
The game was originally funded via a successful Kickstarter campaign all the way back in 2012 and has been in operation since 2014. In fact, it has recently celebrated its 10th Anniversary.
Alongside periodic updates, Frontier has been releasing new ships, including the Gutamaya Corsair and the Panter Clipper MKII.