Elite Dangerous’ new Trailblazers update offers Commanders a whole new way to leave their footprints across one of the 400 billion stars in the galaxy, as System Colonisation puts you at the helm of universal expansion for the very first time. In this guide we’ll cover everything you need to know about how to build your own new colony and establish your place in Elite Dangerous’ galactic legacy.
Did You Know?
You can also learn about System Colonisation by speaking to the new System Colonisation Contact, who can be found in the contact section of station services.
How to Create a New Colony
Select a Star System
To start your journey to expand the bubble of human civilisation, begin by accessing the new System Colonisation Contact starport service. You will then be presented with a version of the Galaxy Map to select a nearby unpopulated star system (within a max distance of 16ly) and register your desire to claim it.
After selecting the star system you wish to claim, you must then select the type of initial starport or orbital outpost you would like to build in the system. Available types include:
- Outposts
- Coriolis Stations
- Ocellus Stations
- Orbis Stations
The choice of starport and outpost can be further refined with specialisations, such as a Commercial focus which will result in a Colony economy and increased wealth or an Industrial focus which will result in an Industrial economy and an increased tech level.
The cost to successfully register a star system for colonisation requires spending credits, with the specific cost varying depending on the type of station or outpost you have selected. Once you have successfully registered for a System Colonisation attempt, your claim will last for 24 hours, preventing other players from submitting claims.
Create a System Colony
After traveling to your selected star system, you will then deploy a System Colonisation Beacon at a pre-determined location. Once launched via the System Colonisation Suite (a new module which all ships will now contain, similar to the Discovery Scanner), the System Colonisation process initiates and establishes you as the System Architect.
The beacon now transmits a star-system-wide countdown, signalling the arrival of a colossal System Colonisation Ship, which provides a temporary hub for the overview and contribution of construction efforts.
As System Architect you will then have a fixed period of time to supply a combination of mined and purchased commodities in order to ensure completion of the colony.
Did You Know?
If you don’t have the required mined or purchased commodities to complete your colony, a prompt will provide information on how to source them.
When the System Colonisation Effort is successfully completed, the System Colonisation Ship will leave and the completed primary starport will appear nearby.
The newly established colony is now an Uncontrolled Populated star system and is eligible to be expanded into and controlled via Powerplay.
Build up the System Colony
Once a primary starport has been established, it can be improved and upgraded via the continued supply of resources.
As System Architect you can place build instructions for a variety of facilities, located either in orbit of a planet via the system map or on the planet itself by travelling to the surface and identifying the perfect deployment site.
Available facilities include:
- Satellites
- Communication Stations
- Pirate Bases
- Mining Outposts
- Planet Ports
- Horizon or Odyssey Settlements
Once a new facility has been selected a Construction Effort will begin for that facility. Any Commander can now fly to this location, dock with the temporary structure, and use System Colonisation services.
The dashboard will allow any visiting player to see what facility is going to be built at this Construction Effort and the current progress, with larger constructions requiring larger amounts of resources (commodities) to complete.
Once a facility is constructed, you will see the economy of the star system change, with different facilities influencing the population, standard of living, tech level and more. As more construction efforts are completed in the system, you will gain access to larger and more complex structures to construct.
Rewards of System Colonisation
System Architects will receive a tax payment from each system under their direction, which is derived by the number and scale of facilities constructed. Taxes will be issued each week and can be redeemed by vising an administration contact.
As you grow your network of accumulated system colonies and the weekly tax values increase, a galactic tax will be placed upon any credits earned over 5,000,000 in order to support mass infrastructure maintenance throughout the galaxy.
In addition to tax rewards, System Architects will also receive a small discount to ships and outfitting when purchased in one of your systems with 10 or more facilities.
Trailblazers Update Available Now
With System Colonisation, the Trailblazers update for Elite Dangerous introduces a brand-new way to play, interact with other players and leave your mark on the galaxy. For the first time in the game’s history the Bubble is set to grow and it’s you, Commander, that’s in control of the path the galaxy takes.
Trailblazers is just the first step of a packed year for Elite Dangerous, with more new gameplay experiences, ships and refinements to come. We’ll see you on the frontier.
