As you probably know, the Update 2.4 Elite: Dangerous is available!
The Return of the Thargoids already brings a lot of questions, mysteries, but also our first answers. This article is filled with spoilers, I’ll detail everything we know about Science in 2.4 at the moment as we work with Remlok Industries, Canonn and the community, so that it is more digest for y’all.
Barome
Non-Human Signals
In some systems near the Pleiades nebula, you will find « Non-Human Signals » by flying in supercruise. The system HR 1185 offers a lot of these at the moment. Approach, enter these signals as usual then admire the scene.
Usually there are many Federal or Imperial ships in these places. The Empire could no longer resist the call of the scene, here they are under the spotlight, disabled with pretty green smokes to pair with their irradiated hulls. There are various commodities floating among the debris: Black Boxes, Damaged or safe Escape Pods, Thargoids Sensors, Meta Alloys if you’re lucky, or many research items probably belonging to Aegis, the Thargoids Research Organisation.
The Thargoids ships in these signals are not warmongers, they approach us on arrival with a green light signal, a few sounds of their own and a sequence of numbers they send us at the bottom left of our scanner. These « Interceptors » ships also have certain markings on the front, we note that there are many different ones. These two points are discussed below.
If we deploy our hardpoints, the alien will do the same and will also release their Thargons drones. If you approach too close to the debris, the main ship’s lights will turn red and you will then have about fifteen seconds to back away in order to let the alien analyse the ships’ wrecks and recover certain commodities thanks to a tractor beam. If you follow the warnings, the light signal will go back green and the Thargoid will return to its work… otherwise, enjoy the fight with these xenomorphs. The alien tends to scoop certain items from the Black Boxes, Thargoids Probes/Sensors, Escape Pods as well as Meta Alloys. The Guardians items are immediately scanned and destroyed.
These Thargoids Interceptors have a unique gun burst but they can also deploy a flotilla of Thargons, offensive drones. Very powerful missiles have also been reported, a percentage of the damages pass through our shields. Their weapons inflict damages with various effects. Although a lightly shielded human ship will not last long under their combined fired shots, a fighting ship will stand up to the assaults of the aliens who will perform many strange maneuvers with their thrusters. The best known at the moment remains the frontal assault then a slide over you while continuing the assault. Do not try to fire your missiles, they will bounce on them.
The Interceptors have these abilities:
- A Shield – Tough against all weapons types, it will take a great firepower to bring down these aliens green shields.
- A Regenerative Hull – The latter regenerates extremely fast if hearts are active. Once a regeneration heart is destroyed, a shield will activate while regenerating the hull. // Vidéo
- Hearts – Acting as shield cells, they regenerate the Interceptors’ hulls, so you have to destroy them in order to permanently lower the alien’s hull. You can only hit them when they glow, which means they are regenerating the Interceptor.
- Thargonds Swarms – These drones fly in a swarm and are commanded by the mothership, just like our fighters. They each have a green caustic weapon and can propel themselves into our ships as missiles, to inflict heavy damage and self destruct at the same time.
- Burst Weapon – The Interceptor has a weapon above its « cockpit » or « eye » firing red ammunition and inflicting caustic effects.
- Caustic Missiles – Large green missiles that nobody wants to receive, they are not disturbed by our countermeasures, just run and wait for it to explode // Vidéo
- EMP pulses – The interceptor will charge itself, become bright cyan then release a large EMP pulse disabling our ships. During this time, if you have been disabled, the Thargoids will do deal a lot of damage to you. You can counter the EMP by holding the Shutdown Field Neutraliser with full pips to SYS before the EMP hit you. // Vidéo
- Short ranged lightnings – Large yellow lightnings between 200 and 700 meters; Inflicts very heavy damage to your shields, your hull while having a chance to disable your thrusters because of the overload. Equipping a Guardian module reinforcement helps to counter this overload. // Vidéo
Thargoids’ Ships Markings
That’s new, all alien ships have markings on the fronts of their ships.
It appears that there are many Thargoids clans, perhaps even more numerous than two with the Diplomats Oresrians and the Warmongers Klaxians. The rumours of ships of different colors varying from light grey to dark grey spread again while we continue the investigation.
It appears that three families with possible Queens are leading the Oresrians.
Octal Messages
When targeting Thargoids, messages of very short duration are linked in our scanner. This is an octal code, a system often used by these aliens when they try to communicate with us. Some hidden messages had to be peeled by playing with the colour filters as below.
In the end, the code has been cracked, this is what it tells us. This could be an Easter egg from the Elite Guide (1985) on Commodore, as we get some variations of « Hull Stress Factor Uncertain ». We also learn that the galactic community could work on a similar systems of offensive drones like the Thargons… or could this already be our Ship Launched Fighters?
Au final, le code a été craqué, voici ce qu’il nous indique. Cela pourrait être un clin d’œil au guide de Elite (1985) sur Commodore, nous obtenons quelques variantes de « Hull Stess Factor Uncertain – Facteur de Contrainte de la Coque Incertain ». On apprend également que la communauté galactique pourrait travailler sur un système similaire de drones d’attaque… mais serait-ce déjà nos chasseurs ?
Experimental Modules
New modules are now available on the surface, via the starport economies high-tech, military and industrial.
- Xeno Scanner – To scan the aliens ships
- Missiles AX – Can deal damage or even destroy alien ships
Other Questions
▲ A Research Limpet Controller module has been found in some stations, via the outfitting. These modules allow drones to munch a chunk of a Thargoid vessel in order to extract a sample of Cyclop’s tissue. Obviously, the aliens do not really like it and will attack you. This module can be found in Shinrarta Dezhra or Brestla (i Sola Prospect, on the surface).
Once collected, these samples indicate that they originate from a Thargoid Class Interceptor ship. The sample is derived from a ship variant known as Cyclop, which contains biological and mechanical elements. Even though they are highly corrosive, these Thargoids tissues could well move the research forward.
▲ The Barnacles Valley! Sounds like a nice Attraction Park right? You’re god damn wrong!
Hyades sector AQ-Y D81 C2, 9.3/-153.9, counts more than thirty Barnacles. While the previous record was 3, there, we are a bit on the daisies. It’s weird eh? It looks like… a star with 8 branches? Scavengers are present on-site
▲ Some Barnacles are irradiating light, we are investigating that matter.
▲ The first Thargoid ship has been destroyed thanks to (because of?) commanders using the new AX Experimental missiles. Special Materials can be gathered and even a Thargoid’s heart, looking like a generator of some kind.
▲ The Scouts Thargoids have been discovered, they look like the old concepts and are all covered by Mycoid, the nasty human virus developped years ago to fight the Thargoids back.
