This week on the Elite: Dangerous forums Executive Producer Mike Brookes revealed the first details about the upcoming Powerplay content update, promising a whole new method of interacting with the galaxy and more information in three weeks' time.
Powerplay is our biggest content update yet, adding a number of game-changing features to Elite: Dangerous and offering you new gameplay options whether you prefer the life of a trader, explorer or combat pilot. Some of the new features will be massive; others will be smaller, but no less meaningful.
"One part of Powerplay involves balancing the different roles further," Brookes says. "Part of this is expanding the drone system. Collection drones will be added and will prove useful for pirates needing to gather cargo in a hurry and also to improve mining efficiency."
And a new fuel drone will let players swap fuel while in flight. "Players can act as buddy tankers for each other," Brookes says. "Larger freight ships can carry additional fuel for their escort fighters and extend the effective range of their wing."
Collection Drones work in two ways. In its primary mode, you'll target a cargo canister or mining chunk and launch the drone, which will scoop the object and return it to your open cargo hatch. The secondary mode has an area effect, scooping everything it can before its power expires. Drones are disposable, consumable items you'll have to replenish at a starport, so there's still reason to learn how to use that cargo scoop.
Drones are just one of the smaller upgrades to Elite: Dangerous we'll be making with the massive Powerplay content update. We'll have more in a few weeks; until then, take an early look at the Collection Drone in this week's Newsletter Peek.
