Elite Dangerous' Odyssey expansion gets May release date on PC

Elite Dangerous' Odyssey expansion, which adds the likes of on-foot traversal and first-person shooty-bang to the long-running space sim series, is coming to PC in its final form on 19th May.

Odyssey promises to deliver the biggest shake-up Elite Dangerous has yet seen by giving space explorers the opportunity to leave their ships and stretch their legs around space stations, settlements, and across planetary terrain.

Developer Frontier's long-awaited discovery of below-waist appendages is accompanied by a range of new activities designed to give Commanders more (mostly leg-based) gameplay options while galavanting around Elite Dangerous' procedurally generated galaxy.

Most prominent are a range of new combat-focussed missions that blend first-person shooting with vehicular tussles - where Commanders, SRVs and Starships converge - ranging from raids on settlements to 12v12 team-deathmatch-style planetary battles known as Conflict Zones.

Less confrontational players, meanwhile, can take advantage of Odyssey's lucrative new botany discipline, enabling sharp-eyed explorers to collect DNA samples from vegetation on their travels and sell the resulting data back at space ports - which also serve as social hubs for organised and impromptu gatherings.

Additionally, Odyssey lets players spend their hard-earned credits on a range of new specialised tools and suits, including the Genetic Sampler, the Supratech Artemis suit for exobiology missions, and the Manticore Dominator combat suit for Conflict Zones.

Elite Dangerous: Odyssey is currently midway through its paid alpha phase, which is set to conclude on 30th April. The full version of the expansion will cost £29.99/€34.99/$39.99 USD when it comes to Steam, the Epic Games Store, and Frontier's Store on 19th May.

Following a coronavirus-related delay earlier this year, Odyssey is now expected to arrive on PlayStation and Xbox some time this autumn.

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