Elite: Dangerous players have managed to destroy an alien ship
The Thargoids of Elite: Dangerous are still mysterious, but they aren't invulnerable.
Earlier this year - after various hints, mysterious sightings, and investigations of bizarre artifacts - the Thargoids officially made their return to the Elite: Dangerous universe. This alien race of warlike insects first appeared in the original Elite games, and have quickly become one of the strangest features of the popular space sim.
And after all this hype, Elite's players finally managed to blow some up.
The first kill recognition goes to Joshua "Harry Potter" Chamberlain and his clan, the Smiling Dog Crew clan (SDC). Chamberlain recently told Polygon that SDC killed the Thargoid vessel in advance of other Elite players by at least two hours.
Thankfully, SDC was recording the battle, which acts as both proof and a handy tutorial on destroying the ship. The Thargoid craft - referred to as a cyclops - can be destroyed by disassembling it over time. In the twenty-minute recording, you can watch how the SDC knocks off its petals until a vulnerable heart is exposed. The trick is to make use of anti-xeno missiles which were released in-game only a few days ago, as seen in many other YouTube videos pouring in.
To be clear, the task isn't without danger: One Elite player managed to destroy another cyclops only for their ship to be destroyed from the shockwave.
If you'd like to destroy a Thargoid ship of your own, Elite: Dangerous is available for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One systems.