[thestand]

Map packs are 15 dollars each, with 4 expected, so Elite is 20 dollars cheaper. Not only that, but with Elite, maps are disbursed before the map pack for everyone else. So the game's coming out November 8th, let's say the first map pack is planned for January 15th. On January 15th, the map pack releases with 4 multiplayer maps and one new single-player campaign mission. But if you have elite, you're going to get map #1 on November 20th, map #2 on December 3rd, and so on. Those dates aren't exact, but the gist of the matter is Elite gets you everything earlier, and cheaper.

Also, they haven't officially confirmed if everything in Elite will be available for purchase a la carte. We know the multiplayer maps will be available in map packs, but we don't know for sure if that includes the single-player expansion stuff. That might just be for Elite.