Combat beacons have made a return in Star Citizen’s Alpha 3.17 update with improved rewards and a new activation system. Players can accept these beacons, receive a quantum beacon, and quantum drive to the location to engage in intense combat encounters with NPCs or other players.
Combat beacons are making a comeback in Star Citizen’s Alpha 3.17 update. These beacons had previously disappeared, leading players to wonder if they would be forgotten like other game features. However, they have returned and the eradicator explains why. To demonstrate, the eradicator sets off from Loreville to explore combat beacons. Along the way, they highlight the impressive new volumetric clouds in the updated graphics.
Combat beacons are marked in the interface and can be accepted by pressing the left bracket key. Once accepted, players receive a quantum beacon that allows them to quantum drive to the beacon. The beacons are usually activated by NPC characters on a PCI, although some human players may use them as well. In previous iterations, combat beacons involved defending players or groups from waves of hostile forces. Ships like the 325a, Hornet, Sabres, or even aliens could be encountered.
The new combat beacons differ from previous versions in a few significant ways. Firstly, the rewards are much higher, sometimes even triple the previous amounts. Also, instead of being randomly activated, the beacons are now part of Tony Zurovec’s quantum simulation. This simulation creates a background where thousands of NPCs engage in various activities. When an NPC comes under attack, the combat beacon is activated, allowing players to intervene.
Unfortunately, the eradicator could only try a limited portion of the combat beacons due to server limitations in the PTU. However, they note that the experience thus far has been an improvement, with more stable servers and improved rewards generating more intense fights. The eradicator plans to explore the combat beacons further once the servers and other issues are more stable. They also announce a giveaway for a Cutlass Black ship and ask viewers to share their own experiences with combat beacons and subscribe to the channel for updates.