Elite Dangerous is the definitive massively multiplayer space epic, bringing gaming's original open world adventure to the modern generation with a connected galaxy, evolving narrative, and the entirety of the Milky Way re-created at its full galactic proportions.
Starting with only a small starship and a few credits, players do whatever it takes to earn the skill, knowledge, wealth, and power to survive in a futuristic cutthroat galaxy and to stand among the ranks of the iconic Elite. In an age of galactic superpowers and interstellar war, every player's story influences the unique connected gaming experience and handcrafted evolving narrative. Governments fall, battles are lost and won, and humanity's frontier is reshaped, all by players' actions.
I wrote up a short description of it a couple weeks ago:
https://lemmy.sdf.org/comment/15850080
tl;dr: the galaxy offers a lot to do, but nothing pushes you toward any one particular activity. Choose your own space adventure. :)