- Bulletin board system to keep track of offered missions. - Major overhaul of external view (enabled menus, target elements, external view in highways, and more). - Orders for multiple selected ships in the Property Owned menu (replaces 'Broadcast' order). - Trade Deals menu with profit estimates. - Economy logging and statistics. - Time acceleration using SETA. - New mission to obtain player ship jump drive. - New missions to hack stations and obtain rare or valuable items. - You can now find and craft rare weapon modifications that increase your weapon's stats when installed. - New in-game tutorials. - OS X and Linux versions now join Windows on full release.

Here are the key features for Home of Light:

- A Larger Universe: Set a course through the Jump Gates to three whole new systems.
   - Home of Light: The fabled system, complete with a massive economy to profit from.
   - Toride: The universe has never been as hostile, nor had so much to explore, as in the Toride system. Be aware and be warned!
   - Cold Star: A source of resources in massive quantities, combined with dangerous regions and other secrets.
- Build Warehouse Stations: Construct specialised warehouse stations to stock up on large amounts of any wares. Set it up as your own trading station or use it as a storage depot. Take control of the market!
- New game starts: Jump straight into trading with two capable freighters in the middle of the rich Home of Light system or take on the role of Verge Explorer, with a well-equipped ship and a versatile crew.
- New missions: Experience new missions to be found in the new systems, putting you right in the thick of the action and taking advantage of the new X Rebirth 4.0 Bulletin Board System.
- More Challenging Enemies: The ever-threatening Xenon are even stronger than before, and you may also encounter an old and forgotten enemy.