There's something extremely serene and therapeutic about landing your ship on a planet or space station and being at one with the universe, watching the stars or sky above slowly pass by. We challenged our community of Elite Dangerous commanders to take the most beautiful screenshot they could featuring a landed ship, and the results are breathtaking, as they were when we published our collection of the best screenshots of planets from space. A whopping 40 submissions won a prize, showing how popular these screenshot-based Elite Dangerous rewards are.
So without further ado, here are all of the best Elite Dangerous screenshots featuring landed ships:
Hunter's ASP Explorer, The Spirit
Hunter kicks us off with this stunning shot of their ship, which they've called 'The Spirit', on the surface of a planet with another celestial body in the background.
AndyRice's weathered Endurance
Interstellar fans among you will know the ship in the iconic sci-fi film is called the Endurance -a tribute to Ernest Shackleton’s barquentine - and that's exactly what AndyRice has called his ship in Elite Dangerous. "This is the first ship I used to complete my long journey to Sagittarius A*," he explains. "When I docked it at the Jaques Station, Colonia, I took the first two pictures. After more than 20,000 light years of journey, the cruel universe has left so many marks on the hull."
SergeantRogers's Mars-alike
SergeantRogers found a planet that strongly resembles Mars for their screenshot, with an arid environment and a bright red sun beating down on their ship, the only thing of note on the desolate surface.
Alec Turner's hidden vessel
On a bright, sandy planet in the far reaches of space, you may encounter a ship hiding behind some trees. That would be Alec_Turner's ship, which could do with some form of invisibility cloaking device instead…
Mastercesspit's weapon of mass destruction
mastercesspit loves a "high threat assassination or massacre" mission and when tasked with such a brutal endeavour, he looks no further than this ship. Nicknamed Vendetta, this is a G5 Corvette with "a mix of conventional and energy weapons", and is "one of four specialist G5 Corvettes" he owns. Name one ship you wouldn't want to encounter down a dark alley…
Donut's long day out hunting
When Donut lands on a planet, cowboy hat atop their head, they're usually hunting for scavengers. The picturesque shot above was taken "after a long night of taking out scavengers, and then scavenging the stuff they came for". Name one commander you wouldn't want to encounter down a dark alley…
ScreamingRaven's Thargoid catcher
ScreamingRaven's submission is a fairly unassuming shot of their fierce-looking ship in a hangar, until you learn what its specialty is: "I introduce the bug catcher. It catches bugs. Especially Thargoids."
Tryohazard's wayfaring ship
Tryohazard submitted three images, each of them featuring their ship in various environments. Here are their captions for each, which read almost like a poem:
"A new world awaits, painted in hues of orange and gold.
The night sky, ablaze with the lights of civilization.
Preparing to descend into the beauty of the unknown."
MrT's Asp Explorer
MrT took a short detour from their journey to observe the red star from afar, as it descended beyond the horizon.
MQC's theological debate
"Is that planet half empty or half full?"
That's the question MQC's ship is posing as it sits on the surface of a red planet with just an SRV for company.
Gofioman's best friend
They say a dog is man's best friend but in the case of Gofioman, we suspect it may actually be their ship as the pair stand together in "the ultimate frontier".
Garf's collection
There was an upper limit of six screenshots eligible for this bounty so garf has taken that and ran with it, submitting six stunning shots, all with unique lighting, colour grading, angles, and more. It's worth having a flick through them all!
CMDR_M's planetside battle
There's nothing like taking screenshots in the middle of combat to add some colour and life to an image, and that's exactly what CMDR_M has gone for with their series of images. The second one especially is in the thick of the action.
Lamba steps where no commander has before
Lambda has a neat Elite Dangerous claim to fame: they were the first player to step foot on the icy tundra in their screenshot, with their magenta-accented ship parked behind some snow flora.
Slamscape's barren wastelands
Slamscape is another commander who opted to submit multiple screenshots, and together, they make for a lovely colour wheel of yellowy-green, blue-and-white, and orange. Each of them is a desolate wasteland, 'cept for their ship parked in the foreground.
Luriant's siblings
Luriant's submission is adorable: their first ship from four years ago, and their latest, parked alongside one another on a bay in the far reaches of space. Cute.
JHenckes's sleek vessel
JHenckes shows off their bright white ship in its natural habitat: a hangar. Looks fast, though.
Gadnok's green hulk
Gadnok has submitted their enormous green Type 8, which you can sense the true scale of thanks to the player standing in its shadow. Reminds us of a certain superhero…
LiquidMorkite's expeditions
LiquidMorkite has opted to submit six screenshots too, and each of them is more beautiful than the last. They all feature a variety of ships on gorgeous landscapes, with incredible vistas behind them.
VanillaIsi's new Cobra Mk. III
VanillaIsi may be a new commander in Elite Dangerous, but that hasn't stopped them from buying their first new ship: a Cobra Mk. III.
S73v13Dixon's first footfall on a new planet
Much like Lamba, S73v13Dixon also has a claim to fame in being the first commander to step foot on a new planet. They took this stunning shot when they landed, showing their blue ship feeling right at home.
MorganLeFlay's twin planets
MorganLeFlay landed a fantastic shot of their ship atop the surface of one celestial body, with not one, but two planets in the background, including one with rings. #twinning
Yan57436's trusty steed
There's no place like home, right? That's exactly where yan57436 has taken their screenshot from: a reliable, safe hangar.
Gosht to the rescue
Gosht explains that they love flying in virtual reality due to their vocation as a science fiction writer, and in their screenshot, they've parked up next to a base under siege from an alien race. Fancy lending them a hand?
USCSS's picturesque series
USCSS also submitted six images to this reward but since each one is in an individual tweet, we can't embed them all. That said, here are two of our favourites, showcasing plenty of natural beauty in Elite Dangerous.
Moonshade_Gaming's Attenborough-style photojournal
Moonshade Gaming submitted the first three of a six-day photojournal, documenting their journey visiting various planet surfaces. We'll let their comment take it away for day one:
"Read in David Attenborough's voice: ’The Golden Dagger sits perched on a hill high above her target, allowing her pilot to get a final visual confirmation before diving down in what will undoubtedly be a devastatingly efficient strike.’"
LeeroyJenkins's Python
LeeeroyJenkins has explained exactly why he loves the Python so much:
"This Python is the ship I spend the most time in. Mostly used for trade in the Inti system doing silver and gold transport missions. This thing has made me billions (with a ‘B’ not an ‘M’) of space bucks. A close second for seat time would be the Federal Corvette followed by the Imperial Cutter.
I thought that I would drop in on a little backwater and check out the nightlife. The booze sucked, the cigarettes were stale, and security kept scanning me. I had to bounce out of there in a hurry. Time to head back to my carrier. The bartender knows me and always gets my drink right. Well, he better, because I write his paycheck."
Gregorovich1997's Anaconda JNK-O
Your anaconda may not, but Gregorovich1997's certainly does as their screenshot depicts their Anaconda deploying a rover onto another Mars-like planet.
CMDR James Lauer's relaxation spot
CMDR James Lauer has done a fantastic job explaining their screenshot, so we'll let them take it away:
"Hello Commanders, this is James Lauer, owner of L&L Travel Company in system G 123-16 7 A. Our current fleet is small: just a Type-7 for bulk economy transport, like refugees and tourists or medical aids, and also a Dolphin with limited capacity but carrying business and Luxury VIPs. Hope you all enjoy the site. If any of you are near the system, remember to visit Cataldo Entertainment Zone. Fly safe!
"Here is a beautiful shot from a water geyser at Cataldo Entertainment Zone in Planet G 123-16 7 A, where I set up my travel company. This is where I always come back when it's time to relax a little after some trips. The last flight had a healthy number of tourists but also refugees and medical aids as well. "L&L Travel Company taking you through the stars". In the last photo we’re docked in Bulychev station. Really nice place."
Wotherspoon is being eyed up for dinner
Wotherspoon's landed Krait Mk. II is being eyed up by a "friendly" cyclops as their ship is ablaze. Don't worry though, this is apparently just "part of the Thargoid's welcome to human tourists hoping to sample their otherworldly culture."
Stormseeker's Type-8
Stormseeker has plonked their gorgeous Type-8 with a red, black, and white decal on what looks like a moon and taken two fabulous screenshots, one of which focusing on a rover sat atop the ship.
Matt G's holy grail
Matt G has framed their shot of their ship so perfectly, it looks like the sun is emanating from the ship itself. Briefcase in Pulp Fiction vibes, anyone?
Henry Kissinger's ringed planet
That subheading is a phrase I never thought I'd type… nevertheless, Henry_Kissinger (probably not that one?) has parked their ship on the surface of a ringed planet with a cliff in the background, showcasing how sparse Elite Dangerous can be.
RicZA finds life
Lots of these Elite Dangerous screenshots have featured desolate environments with nary a sign of life in sight, but RicZA has gone for the opposite. While two of their shots show hilly terrain and a stunning sunset, the second is a perfectly framed shot of their character inspecting some shrubbery.
Block9: Elite Perigosa
Elite Perigosa is a "comedy-based series" set inside Elite Dangerous by Block9 and this screenshot is one they used for that purpose. It features a breathtakingly beautiful view of a ringed planet in the distance, and if you look close enough, you can see Henry_Kissinger. We think.
Cordulisk recalling their Asp Explorer
Commander Cordulisk has submitted three in-progress shots of them descending in their ship to recall their Asp Explorer from its adventure.
XCezor angers the guardians
Any Elite Dangerous commander knows the peril of running into the guardians, but XCezor listens to nobody. Their shot is taken while under fire from the guardians, who he perhaps understates "aren't very happy" about their presence.
Travis Robicheaux's panorama
Is anyone looking for a new social media banner? That's exactly what CmdrTravisRobicheaux's shot is perfect for, as this widescreen panorama has struck the focal length perfectly to feature the sun, a ringed planet in the distance, and the ring of the planet they're already on.
Henckes's post-battle Python
This aerial shot from CMDR Henckes of their Python "chilling after killing a bunch of pirates" is great, as it looks like the ship and accompanying rover could be nothing more than painted models in a tabletop game.
That concludes our series of the best Elite Dangerous screenshots with landed ships! Do you have a favourite? Do you want to add yours to the mix? Let us know in the comments! If you haven’t had your fix yet, check out these Elite Dangerous screenshots of planets. Some text has been edited for brevity, clarity, or spelling, punctuation, and grammar. You can find the original wording here. Image credit: Frontier Developments / Matt_G
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