The recent Elite Dangerous update significantly enhances the Type 11 Prospector mining ship by more than doubling mining damage, increasing mining limpets, and improving resource quality and visual effects, resulting in a more efficient and enjoyable mining experience. Additionally, the update includes various fixes to animations, audio, flight controls, and gameplay issues, with the release scheduled for next week.
In this update video, Ricardo shares exciting news about the recent rebalance of the Type 11 Prospector mining ship in Elite Dangerous. The changes come in response to feedback from the partner community and viewers, highlighting Frontier’s attentiveness to player input. The update is not under embargo, so Ricardo is able to share the details immediately, giving players early insight into the improvements.
The most significant change is that mining damage has more than doubled, resulting in a much higher rate of fragment collection per second. This means players can mine more efficiently and profitably. Additionally, the speed of the mining limpets, which collect fragments, has been increased, and the number of controller limpets has risen from 8 to 14, greatly enhancing mining capacity and effectiveness.
Frontier has also improved the quality of mining by increasing the chance of enriched chunk spawning and tightening the spread of the mining volley repeater. This results in more valuable resources being collected at a faster rate. Visually, the update fixes the distracting flashing and strobing light reflections in the cockpit when firing the mining volley repeater, improving the overall player experience.
Other fixes include cosmetic adjustments and resolving animation issues with the Type 11’s landing gear. Audio has been balanced to reduce the distracting effect of the mining volley repeater sound favoring one side. Flight model improvements have been made to smooth out extreme roll maneuvers, especially when flying with flight assist off, contributing to better control and handling.
Lastly, the update addresses several additional issues such as improving the Power Play digest performance, fixing text errors, and resolving shield and hull hit detection problems. A rare physics frame issue that could cause ships to instantly explode or take major damage has also been fixed. This comprehensive update is scheduled for release next week, and Ricardo invites commanders to share their thoughts on whether they will still purchase the Type 11 Prospector following these enhancements.