Peaceful protest
While combat is a new feature in Elite, there are still ways to enjoy the on-foot stuff without firing a single laser. "There are two big ones for our explorers out there, who are of course a big part of the community. For instance, we now give players a chance to earn a first footfall accolade. If you go off into the black and land somewhere, and you are the first player to set foot on that planet, that will be announced to you right there and then, and will be marked up against your name for other visitors."
You'll also be able to use a new tool to scan any life you encounter on the new planets. "We're giving players the opportunity to track down and scan organic lifeforms," says Jackson. "You can retrieve sampling information and bring that back into the human bubble and trade it."