The fabled long-distance missions?

[DidierDrbois]

Where are they, how do I make them pop up? They're the main (if not the sole) reason I've broken my hiatus from ED.
_
Note I'm looking for what it says on the tin, not "where's them X zillion per hour".

 

[Aewarin Jameson]

Rare.

Available pretty much any system that's not in the "bubble" - eg: Sothis.

If you want one you will need to recycle the mission tab - repeatedly, until the excitement of getting one is replaced with apathy.

 

[jacozilla]

Not rare ^^ - let's be specific -

* there are long range missions - THREE general types
1- LR smuggling - take X over to Y: has been nerfed, payout still fairly good, but mission availability fairly rare - avg payouts I see now are 3-6M range; always in format of go from outpost outside the bubble towards mission destinations in the bubble

2- LR transport - legal goods, take X over to Y: not been nerfed, is frequent, always available - not the whole board, but lots of em usually on the board - format the same as above, always from outpost outside the bubble towards destinations in the bubble. Can stack as many of these as you can carry in ship cargo - there is dump cargo cheese but I personally think that's not my cup of tea so will stop at that

3 - LR courier - zero cargo space, same as normal courier jobs but 10-40x the normal payout - nowhere near as good LR transport but pays 100k-600k is range I've seen as Tycoon trade rank

My post about relative earnings that is purely personal to me, not saying valid for anyone else is here - https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=198001

Simple 3 step process if you are ok with Fed/Yong ri side of boggle is
1. goto Sothis or Robigo - roughly 350 LY'ish outside the bubble

2. use a cheap ship, LY config Asp with 72T is what I use - add (1) 8T fuel tank - with 28+ LY range but still fully combat configured, lets you fight off interdictions, plus tank means you stop exactly 1 time to refill with fuel scoop. Other option just splurge and get 5A fuel scoop, ditch the fuel tank, and dip and scoop most the way back

3. Can reload mission board if you want, not my thing although in honesty I do occasionally reload once or twice if the board is very lean on transport and heavy on charity missions - the time to drop cargo off is long enough as it is, I don't enjoy doing any one thing for that many hours. At sothis or robigo, I usually don't load up full 72T cargo, maybe 50-60 tons by taking all missions, maybe reload once max, then take 1 courier mission max but usually those are not worth time to land

suggestion - take and pay for every charity mission on those boards so you rank up friendly then allied with the sothis and robigo minor factions. Will help get the bigger paying missions, although tbh, trade rank is what seems to be biggest boost - no xp with lower rank but at tycoon you get the #s I quoted in my post.

 

[colprice2002]

I've noticed that tha long range courier missions are bugged...
The contract looks attractive - 1 MCr for trade data from Robigo to X. On arrival, the actual payout is about 10000 Cr...

 

[jacozilla]

I've noticed that tha long range courier missions are bugged...
The contract looks attractive - 1 MCr for trade data from Robigo to X. On arrival, the actual payout is about 10000 Cr...

I don't have elite rank so I've never seen a 1M courier mission, but the ones I've tried before deciding the time to dock wasn't worth it was in 100-600k range, usually 300-400k lot more common for my Tycoon rank - but those seemed to pay what was listed. But then again, I only did maybe 3 of these so didn't that close attention - just didn't seem worth the time to take that mission unless it was clearly no brainer like courier mission to same destination as transport mission.

and even then I only took 1 courier job because not enough time to drop 2 couriers usually on the one run back. I look at the courier as a freebie, if I see one that is paired with same destination as transport, then I will take just that 1 courier job and use that destination as first drop off for the load of missions I have.

 

[DidierDrbois]

Good info, will have a go this eve. Taking a Python with a supy-dupy-fuel-scoopy. Cheers Commanders!

 

[Aewarin Jameson]

Not rare ^^

Was at a system 2 days ago and had to wait a very long time for a 1m+ mission to pop up. Yes, courier missions are plentiful but they come with a short timer which means accept and run. (25-40mins usually compared to transport/smuggling of hours)

Suppose it depends on rank as well - I am not Tycoon yet

 

[jacozilla]

Good info, will have a go this eve. Taking a Python with a supy-dupy-fuel-scoopy. Cheers Commanders!

To each their own, but when i tried it with my python, wanted to kill myself. Its not just the shorter jump range, maybe bad luck but in python i hardly ever hyper exited out at scoopable stars so every run there and back, I'd hunt on galmap for scoopable star, divert off route to refuel, then hit trail again.

- - - Updated - - -

Was at a system 2 days ago and had to wait a very long time for a 1m+ mission to pop up. Yes, courier missions are plentiful but they come with a short timer which means accept and run. (25-40mins usually compared to transport/smuggling of hours)

Suppose it depends on rank as well - I am not Tycoon yet

that's what i've read as well, but dont know first hand. I was just a hair below tycoon when i rejoined 1.4, and first LR transport mission session got me to tycoon. So that said, i've read the upper two ranks - tycoon and elite - the mission payouts are really good and scaled larger than for lower ranks. But big grain of salt - thats 2nd hand info vs what i've stated as purely my 1st hand xp at tycoon.

edit - also,fwiw, and not sure if it provably helps but when i get there usually its like half charity missions, sometimes 1/4 to near half transport, and handful of courier. I just take the charity missions to clear em out, kinda cost of doing business when the entire 6-8 of them only costs me 100k tops and one mission is minimum. 700-800k for same destination missions and. 1.2-1.4M for single destination missions (by which i mean have seen pattern where missions offered that goto same system are for me always. 700-800k each, and i will have 2- 3 missions going same place. If lucky two sets of same dest missioms, so like 4-6 going to two systems - at tycoon those are always 700-800k each, while stand alone missions. 1.2-1.4M usual.

anyway, when i take the charity missions even though allied already so no use rep wise, it seems to often, not always - but often - trigger new missions to spawn right after i take and turn in the charity ones on the spot. YMMV - this is just my luck or pattern, not sure which

 

[Elpapo]

If someone aint got atleast Tycoon rank, its almost pointless to even tryin doing these missions right now. They got become rare to appear, while getting 10 million one is ultra rare.

Made 14 mil hauling Biowaste/Metals/Minerals from Sothis into bubble last night. Did spend 1,5 hrs in switching modes, did not had paintence to take more than 10 missions. Not even single long range smuggling spawned that time. Most of these missions was Tycoon ranked, only saw Elite ones 2 times. Its better to try luck in Outpost rather Station at Sothis, as in Outpost had metals/minerals haul missions as well.

 

[Deleted member 38366]

I've noticed that tha long range courier missions are bugged...
The contract looks attractive - 1 MCr for trade data from Robigo to X. On arrival, the actual payout is about 10000 Cr...

Luckily it's only a display bug on the Results page. Checking your Credit balance, you'll see you always get the promised amount.
At least that has been what I observed.

 

[Jacob Marshall]

Luckily it's only a display bug on the Results page. Checking your Credit balance, you'll see you always get the promised amount.
At least that has been what I observed.

Really? Mate, if that's the case then +1 isn't enough!

As for the LR (Smuggling) Missions? Pfft, Cambridge ripped the guts out of the whole (BB) Smuggling Profession; Mode-Switiching to find a Smuggling Mission? Yeah, nicely done FD, a well considered change #slowclap.

The only reall LR missions you can get now are hauling, yup lug 4 tonnes of fish to some place.

Woo.
Hoo.

 

[Bob - Chicken Eater]

I've just arrived at Peregrina and I'm getting entire screens full of long-range missions (80-110 LY). Was searching forums to see if it was a bug or feature and found this thread.
E.g. 6x Cobalt to HIP 19808 (83LY) for CR 252K. Most are Dealer/Merchant level. There simply aren't any short-range missions from here.

 

[Kayweg]

Just for clarification, we're calling 100-200ly hauls "long range" missions ?

 

[Roybe]

Just for clarification, we're calling 100-200ly hauls "long range" missions ?

IIRC...that is about it.

 

[ocflyer]

Long range delivery/smuggling missions are also available at Almagest and Takurua. You don't have to go all the way to Sothis or Robigo. The mission value increases as the distance to the the bubble increases. Personally, I find that the long range delivery (not smuggling) missions are more profitable - about 19M/hr in Python.

 

[Kayweg]

IIRC...that is about it.

Yes, you're right, i was more thinking of if that's what the OP had in mind.

 

[SpeakerToAliens]

Quick question: what defines "inside the bubble" and "outside the bubble"?

 

[intel352]

Quick question: what defines "inside the bubble" and "outside the bubble"?

From what I've gathered, it's based on the visual bubble that you see, when you're exploring systems in the Galaxy map. Looks like a giant bubble. Some systems live outside that bubble, which means many fewer systems, much more empty space, and they require goods or w/e from systems *in* the bubble.

EDIT: The bubble might only be visible based on how you're viewing the map, I don't recall. Perhaps just for Powerplay view? I'm sure one of the others here will correct me quickly :-D

 

[CMDR Kantos Kan]

Rare.

Available pretty much any system that's not in the "bubble" - eg: Sothis.

If you want one you will need to recycle the mission tab - repeatedly, until the excitement of getting one is replaced with apathy.

Yeah, I went to Sothis yesterday. Twice. There was not a goddamn mission that was paying more than 100K Cr. YMMV... Not going there any time soon. Got all the crystalline gold they had, which was a paltry 11 tons. Wasted my evening...

 

[Kubicide]

Long range delivery/smuggling missions are also available at Almagest and Takurua. You don't have to go all the way to Sothis or Robigo. The mission value increases as the distance to the the bubble increases. Personally, I find that the long range delivery (not smuggling) missions are more profitable - about 19M/hr in Python.

Are you Elite ranked for trade by chance? (I can tell you as a Tycoon level player with a full load of 72 tonnes including a couple of 3-6M smuggling missions, in a long jumping quick scooping Asp, there is no way one can make 19M per hour. Can't be done. With all the stations one must go to for delivering, and even when avoiding many NPC encounters and with 28Ly jumps which is twice your Python loaded distance, for that amount of money it takes over two hours non-stop.)