Beta 3 of Elite: Dangerous released

A few days ago, Frontier pushed out Beta 3 for Elite: Dangerous. Besides adding a ton more systems to explore, Beta 3 adds some really cool new features.

Scooping up fuel from stars will let you refuel in times of need, but just be careful on how hot your ship gets. Want to do some mining? Asteroids abound in space and you can now see if there are any goods in there to make money off of.

You're no longer stuck with one ship as you can now own multiple ships. Outfit each one to your needs and take out the ones you need. 

There a great deal more put in as the game races towards release. Q4 2014 is still the time frame that Frontier has for the release of Elite: Dangerous. Of course, you can get into the beta now for $75, or wait until the game's released and nab it for $50.

If you like space sims, trust me this is a no brainer to pick up.

 
Cambridge, UK -- October 29, 2014 -- Frontier Developments plc (AIM: FDEV) has released Elite: Dangerous Beta 3.
 
The third stage of Elite: Dangerous’ Beta test has rolled out to players, unlocking even more of the real Milky Way for exploration and introducing long-awaited features including multiple ship ownership and mining.
 

• Player-driven interdiction. Players can now interdict NPC ships, pulling them out of faster-than-light travel back into normal space along with the player.
• Philanthropy missions added.
• Fuel scooping from stars added. Keep a close eye on your temperature gauge as you refuel from the blazing surface of stars.
• Asteroid mining added. Cut metal and rock from asteroids using the mining laser.
• New ships added: Imperial Clipper and Federal Dropship.
• Multiple ship ownership. Long requested by the community, players can keep multiple craft docked at starports, allowing for reserve ships dedicated to combat, exploration, trading and more.
• Additional ship images added to loading screen .
• Status panel now shows faction reputation.
• New in-game controls to allow rapid switching between display screens.
• Outpost landing pads now reflect low gravity environment.
• Play area expanded to over 2,400 systems and 869,000 cubic light years of playable space.
• Improved galaxy map, with partial name searching, range display and route finding.
• Planet visuals overhaul. Planet surface types, liquids and atmospheric colours now reflect their chemical composition.
• Planets display volcanic features and complex craters can create dust ejecta. Crater frequency is dependent on atmosphere thickness.
• Ice planets now have fracture features.
• All planets now have dynamic ice caps and liquid levels.
• Asteroid belt clusters added.
• Nebulae added, visible in the sky and the galaxy map.

 
Look to the weekly Elite: Dangerous newsletter this Friday, 31 October for an important announcement about the next stage of the Beta. A full newsletter archive isavailable.
 
Elite: Dangerous' Beta 3 is available to play now for £50 ($75, €60) through Frontier’s online store. A discount for existing backers of the full game is applied on checkout, making upgrading easy.
 
Elite: Dangerous will be released in Q4 2014.
 
The pre-order exclusive Elite: Dangerous Mercenary Edition includes the full game, an additional Eagle fighter, ship liveries, Day One decal and other digital goodies for £35.00 ($50, €40) Pre-orders receive a £4.99 discount on the final release price of £39.99 ($59.99, €49.99).
 
Players who pre-order the Mercenary Pack can upgrade to immediate Beta access at any time for £15.
 
All backers who have purchased Beta access or higher will receive the Mercenary Pack – including the final game – upon release in calendar year 2014.