Elite Dangerous is an incredibly vast and complex game that includes combat, mining, exploration, and many other activities. It is a space flight simulation game developed by Frontier developers and set within the largest gaming world ever created.

Since its advent in 2014, “enthralling and evocative, bold, brave and beautiful” are some of the words that several gaming authorities have used to describe Elite Dangerous. These include gaming authorities like Game Master.

Elite Dangerous is becoming one of the most fulfilling and Calming experiences you would ever see in the gaming world. Maybe this is why many people are curious to know if they can play Elite Dangerous offline. 

Now let’s clear the air once and for all.

Can You Play Elite Dangerous Offline?

The answer is No! You cannot play Elite Dangerous offline. 

Although the developers at Frontier had initially promised a proper offline mode, shortly before the release of the game, they made it clear that they couldn’t keep to the terms of their promise.

Here is a summary of what The Frontier developers’ Chief, David Braben, had to say about the offline mode;

“It is not going to limit or dent the static compared to the dynamic, ever-unfolding experience we are delivering.”

Notably, he made his statement a month before the release of Elite Dangerous in 2014. 

Despite his admittance to the fact that the team had struggled with developing an offline version, the Elite gaming community still insisted that the right thing to do at the time was to share the struggle with the community.

 Braben equally took a stance that an offline version would compromise the experience that Elite Dangerous promises.

What Are The Unique Features Of Elite Dangerous?

Elite Dangerous is more than just a gaming experience. It is very much about emerging activities. The developers have gone a long way to add considerable value to exploration and research-based activity.

And this, therefore, paved the way for some of the features to look out for on Elite Dangerous;

The Galaxy:

With 400 billion star systems, Elite dangerous contains a furlong one-to-one recreation of the milky way- an impressive feat. This would keep you active and glued to your gamepads for a long while.

Guardian Beacons:

This feature ranks among the most unique within the galaxy. The primary purpose is to unlock guardian technology that gives you access to improve your ships. The beacons are vast in size with fantastic light displays.

LaGrange Clouds:

These are easily the most beautiful features within the Galaxy. They are clouds varying in colors. The more unique clouds hold space linings, and if you are planning an exploration trip shortly, you should try out one of these.

Cannon Research:

This is one of the most recent focuses on Elite Dangerous. It has a vast catalog of discoveries that covers over 500,000 layers of space. And this includes locations for crystalline shots, La Grange Clouds, and many more.

Community:

Any Elite Dangerous avid player would tell you that the Community is easily one of the most critical aspects of the game. The community has proven to be useful both in-game and out of the game. They serve as the best places to be if you want to keep up with updates and new happenings on Elite Dangerous.

Best Places To Visit On Elite Dangerous 

Elite Dangerous features a vast galaxy filled with so many variations of star systems.

To enjoy the best of Elite Dangerous, here are some of the places to visit;

1. Veil Nebula West:

Nebula offers one of the most visual locations of the galaxy. More than a few of them are handcrafted, and many of these are within easy reach of many ships.

2. Horsehead Nebula:

This lies beyond Nebula West with its striking, unusual vivid purples and blues.

3. Barnard’s Loops:

This section contains a fascinating creation of Nebula in the form of the running man, the spectacular horsehead Nebula, and Barnard’s loops itself.

4. Thargoid Crash Sites:

If you would prefer to see Alien ships and crashed ones at that, then this is one of the places to visit. Thargoid sites are exceptionally detailed and feature several human vessels as well. It is equally relatively easy to locate.

5. Great Barnicle Forest:

This area houses plenty of life evident in the Elite Galaxy. This ranges from regular to bizarre. And from giant-looking alien pumpkins to forests of strange-looking trees.

Should You Play Elite Dangerous

If you have ever wondered if Elite Dangerous is the game for you, here are some of the reasons why you should consider playing the game. 

1. One of the things to note is that Elite Dangerous is an Online Only game! Unless you are playing in solo mode and won’t interact. But then, your game would still be a clone of the online one. 
2. In this game, you play in a spaceship, 1280 years in the future, with a staggering 400 billion star systems to explore
3. The tutorial system of the game does a great job introducing you to the basics of the game. There are several other aids available to new players to help them get started.
4. The game’s flight mechanics are robust, and generally, the ships fly like airplanes. The game is enjoyable to fly.
5. If you slow down too much while flying, you will find it difficult to turn. The game encourages you to keep moving; this prevents cases whereby the player becomes an easy target for the enemy.

Are There Cons With Elite Dangerous?

Humans tend to have different tastes in everything, including what to do for fun. Though Elite Dangerous has received praise for its brilliance, some quarters might regard the game as uninteresting. 

Here are some honest facts about Elite Dangerous that might help you pick a side;

1. Elite Dangerous is not a spaceship or a flight simulator. It is not realistic in that fashion and does not teach you any controls or skills that would translate to real-life abilities. So it doesn’t teach you how to fly a NASA shuttle. 
2. It is a fantasy spaceship simulator. It has a technical feel, lots of controls to learn and master, and even protocols to follow.
3. The community is equally a mix of camaraderie and Jealousy and is often toxic. It’s filled with the humble and the boastful, the genius and the completely stupid. So, the question to ask would be, does a community Oriented Background appeal to you?
4. The game’s pacing is nothing like “Call of Duty” or any of the regular games you’ve played. It comes set in space, in a 1:1 ratio of the actual Milky Way galaxy. A large part of the game involves traveling long distances. 
5. On the one hand, there’s infinite contact since there are billions of stars to explore, while on the other, there isn’t a lot to do with all the space because most missions are the same.

Conclusion

The gaming world has inarguably experienced several brilliant inventions in the last two decades. And one of such games includes Elite Dangerous, which made a debut appearance in 2014. 

During its launch campaign in 2012, those behind the game promised to deliver an offline version. But this promise didn’t come to fruition. 

One of the most substantial reasons for this development was to prevent the compromise of an already existing incredible gaming experience.

Although you can’t play Elite Dangerous offline, it’s still one of the best games out there. The game continues to deliver a consistently thrilling and enthralling experience.

One begins to wonder if there was a need for the fuss for an offline version in the first place.