Overview
Elite Dangerous: Arena is a spin off of Elite: Dangerous by Frontier Developments, and it consists of only the arena-based multiplayer from the main game. In Arena, players can fly one of four ships in three different modes across five maps. Arena players will be matched with players of the full game who are playing in their Arena mode.
Originally launched in the Elite Dangerous 1.4 patch as CQC Championship, Arena's three modes are Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, and Capture the Flag. The five maps (Asteria Point, Elevate, Ice Field, Cluster Compound, and Orbital Junction) are used in all three modes. Of the four ships, only the F63 Condor and the Imperial Fighter are unique to Arena. The other two, the Sidewinder and Eagle, are the starter ship and smallest combat fighter from the main game, respectively.
Players start out with only the F63 and a single loadout unlocked, and as they progress through the 50 ranks they unlock additional weapons, modules, loadout slots, and ships. There are 8 tiers of prestige in Arena, and each time the credit rewards from fighting increase. Players of Arena have no use for credits, however, if they upgrade to the main Elite Dangerous game, their winnings will go with them. In addition to ship loadouts, there are four powerups on map in every mode. These are easily distinguished by color: Red - Weapon Enhance, Blue - Stealth Mode, Green - Speed Surge, and Yellow - Shield Boost. The final difference from combat in the main game is a subtle tweak to the targeting system. In Arena, players will lose lock on a target if it passes behind an opaque object, such as an asteroid. If the player stays with the target, they will automatically reacquire lock as the ship comes out of cover.
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