Horizons expansion announced for Elite: Dangerous

The CQC update landed on the early access version of Elite: Dangerous on Xbox One yesterday, but that news has been blown out of the water today with a couple of new announcements from Frontier.

First there's the small matter of the PvP arena mode, CQC, heading to PC and Mac alongside the full release of the game on Xbox One come September. That release will precede the release of Ships, a content update that'll bring the number of ships in the game to over thirty and clear the way for the Horizons expansion.

Which brings us to Horizons, described by Frontier as "a season of major gameplay expansions" for the studio's expansive space sim. This "holiday" players will be able to execute planetary landings in the game for the first time, and then drive around in a new surface reconnaissance vehicle. Here's how the expansion was described:

Elite Dangerous: Horizons' Planetary Landings expansion introduces players to planet surfaces and the new Surface Recon Vehicle (SRV) ‘Scarab'. Scanning worlds will reveal all-new surface gameplay opportunities as players detect signals, crashed ships, mineral deposits, outposts and fortresses, and embark on raids on the surface. Playing alone, or with friends on the ground and in the skies above, players can explore, mine, engage hostile forces and attempt to infiltrate strongholds guarding valuable rewards.

 
The 400 billion star systems of the Elite Dangerous galaxy are all created with a sophisticated simulation that re-creates the Milky Way in exacting detail, and that simulation continues to the surfaces of worlds. Players will seamlessly journey from space to surface, coasting over mountaintops, diving into canyons and venturing out on the ground in the SRV, without loading screens or breaks in gameplay.

A second major expansion is planned to land in Q1 2016, and that will bring with it a new loot and crafting system, as well as other gameplay additions and more unnamed features, with more updates planned further into the year.

The Horizons content will cost £39.99 / €49.99, /$59.99, and existing players will get a £10 / €14 / $15 discount and unlock the exclusive ‘Cobra Mk IV' spaceship (you'll still have to earn credits and buy it in-game). The first content drop is heading to PC first, but Frontier are promising Mac and Xbox One announcements will come soon.