Im pretty close to duke 50% through marquis no grinding.
Has anyone reached Duke or Rear Admiral without grinding?
- Thread starter Viking84
- Start date
Oh, I dunno. I'm a Post Captain and I don't even think I've actually focused on trying to up my rank.
It just came through playing the game and I like it that way.
If I had of intentionally tried to shortcut the progression, I would have ruined it for myself and made it meaningless.
It just came through playing the game and I like it that way.
If I had of intentionally tried to shortcut the progression, I would have ruined it for myself and made it meaningless.
This must have been before 2.0 released? As it is now I reckon it will take me about 15-16 hours to get through Earl, and I would guess twice that for Marquis? And that is grinding like a madman at HIP 10716...
I'm King + Admiral and while there are many complaints about the "grind" I always want to give a counter-argument: People that think it's a grind make it a grind themselves.
Another interesting fact: have you ever met people that argue about the "grind" in Hack & Slay game like diablo? Now I completly understand that it's a very different game and genre per se, but wouldn't it be madness to call out a game for it's grindy nature that uses this model as main gameplay feature? Elite is a sandbox where you fly a ship. Do whatever you want with it, but if you make it a grind yourself you play it wrong imho.
Another interesting fact: have you ever met people that argue about the "grind" in Hack & Slay game like diablo? Now I completly understand that it's a very different game and genre per se, but wouldn't it be madness to call out a game for it's grindy nature that uses this model as main gameplay feature? Elite is a sandbox where you fly a ship. Do whatever you want with it, but if you make it a grind yourself you play it wrong imho.
Just to clarify - this thread was not intended as a complaint on the grind 
More of a comparison between the time needed while playing properly (i.e. just taking missions/working in Empire space), compared to grinding a specific mechanic over and over. Ideally I was hoping to discover that the difference was not that great, but it does seem that after the rank nerf it is now a very large discrepancy between the two methods. Which I must say I find to be a bit of a shame.
More of a comparison between the time needed while playing properly (i.e. just taking missions/working in Empire space), compared to grinding a specific mechanic over and over. Ideally I was hoping to discover that the difference was not that great, but it does seem that after the rank nerf it is now a very large discrepancy between the two methods. Which I must say I find to be a bit of a shame.
Nope, its was after 2.0 and it was Actually like 2 weeks ago, when I was still Viscount, I did that these two FEHU runs. When I was loading up my Asp with slaves in FEHU, I was annoyed by too many Proggres missions, while I wanted to have more Shadow Deliverys instead. I picked one, and my rank increased after doing it. Ok, cool, now im Count, now finnaly I can have more shadow missions instead of progges ones. Full of slaves went back to bubble. First stop in bubble, was empire system... When docked, they already had another proggres mission ready... so I did it again, resulting another rank up... Then next Progress missions appeared like after 3 or 4 unloads later. Continued untill Duke.
Aint felt like grind, more like forced rank up
Nope, its was after 2.0 and it was Actually like 2 weeks ago, when I was still Viscount, I did that these two FEHU runs. When I was loading up my Asp with slaves in FEHU, I was annoyed by too many Proggres missions, while I wanted to have more Shadow Deliverys instead. I picked one, and my rank increased after doing it. Ok, cool, now im Count, now finnaly I can have more shadow missions instead of progges ones. Full of slaves went back to bubble. First stop in bubble, was empire system... When docked, they already had another proggres mission ready... so I did it again, resulting another rank up... Then next Progress missions appeared like after 3 or 4 unloads later. Continued untill Duke.
Aint felt like grind, more like forced rank up
Ah, that just means that you have been earning the rank earlier without taking the actual ranking missions - i.e you already had all the required reputation with the Empire to be a Duke, but you just hadn't taken their "exams", or ranking missions for each level. That's why you fast tracked through
Ah, that just means that you have been earning the rank earlier without taking the actual ranking missions - i.e you already had all the required reputation with the Empire to be a Duke, but you just hadn't taken their "exams", or ranking missions for each level. That's why you fast tracked through
This pretty much how the Fed went for me. Initially I ignored all of the Fed Navy progression missions as I was concentrating on building my Commander in other ways. Once I began to actually pay attention to the missions and begin completing them I ended up fast tracking about half way up through the Fed ranks.
Once I finished Admiral I moved over to Imperial space and began working there.
Now I just try to keep a presence in all three major areas and stay Allied with everybody. It keeps my mission offerings profitable.
I didn't grind for my Fed ranks. I just did stuff I found interesting in Fed systems and took missions as they came. I did a lot of experimenting with the BGS and a couple of times I helped a Fed faction take over a system just for fun. Got to Admiral doing that. Grind is a choice.
I really didn't grind for my Imp ranks...thanks bug.
I really didn't grind for my Imp ranks...thanks bug.
I reached Prince without grinding by doing charity missions whenever they were available in Imperial space CGs. Never really pursued them.
I can't complain for the cutter that came with it though.
Warrant Officer in the Federation, mostly due to the BGS work up here in Alliance space. Sometimes you got to help them to get rid of them.
I can't complain for the cutter that came with it though.
Warrant Officer in the Federation, mostly due to the BGS work up here in Alliance space. Sometimes you got to help them to get rid of them.
not grinded ever, played missions regularly, when in the bubble, not even knowing on their effects for ranking, took me around 8 month. i don't fly any federal ship, but enjoy courier and cutter (courier more so). when i started a second account, i went straight for the courier , really grindy, really ugly, and decided that this second account has to live without clipper, cutter, FAS, corvette .... and actually don't miss them. courier was worth it. python/fdl/anaconda are great.
8 months!
[video=youtube;bFEoMO0pc7k]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFEoMO0pc7k[/video]
Thanks for the input though! I'm guessing this is more in line with what FDev wanted - the Cutter and Corvette should be a reward that arrives after a LOOOOOT of flight time.
I got to Rear Admiral without much effort by just accepting all charity missions as they came about and normal missions to make cash.
However, I had to actively seek out and grind these missions to get the last two promotions to Duke - they just don't seem to be as easy to find in Imperial space.
Now that I have both Corvette and Cutter, I'm still ranking up quicker for Federation.
However, I had to actively seek out and grind these missions to get the last two promotions to Duke - they just don't seem to be as easy to find in Imperial space.
Now that I have both Corvette and Cutter, I'm still ranking up quicker for Federation.
This might help with normal misisoning for rank https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=122593
I hit King without "grinding", but this entirely depends on your definition.
If it's the attitude to the activities to get there, then yes, I did it without grinding. I hit Duke just before Powerplay landed. Then when it came out I stacked kill missions as i went back and forth fortifying systems for Patreus, then I'd hit those missions for some credits. Within a week I was King.
If it's the activities itself, then surely grinding is unavoidable?
If it's the attitude to the activities to get there, then yes, I did it without grinding. I hit Duke just before Powerplay landed. Then when it came out I stacked kill missions as i went back and forth fortifying systems for Patreus, then I'd hit those missions for some credits. Within a week I was King.
If it's the activities itself, then surely grinding is unavoidable?
In my view, grinding = doing the most efficient task in game for a given goal, over and over again, despite the player actually having tired of this task. In the case of ranking I would label sitting at a station, refreshing the BB, waiting for either donation or ground assault missions as grinding. On the other hand, enjoying life in Empire space, taking missions as they pop up and generally just doing what you want, is not grinding
My interest lies in the time investment required for the two approaches. From what I can see the difference is pretty enormous, as many missions have close to zero impact on your Empire rank.