Just pulled the trigger and bought ED, what do I need to know?

[Colossus1921]

Your ship's parts are rated from E to A. E rated modules are the worst, but also the cheapest. D rated modules are the lightest (if you're planning on exploring or trading over long distances, go for these because the lighter your ship, the longer your jump range). B rated modules are the most durable, and A rated modules are the most efficient.

Everything also has a number next to it, denoting it's size, which is very important. Make sure you check and see when upgrading that you don't accidentally downgrade the size of your modules when you're upgrading their class. Trust me, you'll feel like an idiot if you buy an A3 frame shift drive instead of an A5, then wonder why your jump range just dropped to about 3 feet (and yes, I'm speaking from experience). There are instances where you may want to downgrade a modules size to save on weight, but just be careful.

 

[3Wood]

Ok, I play on PC, but except for Horizons, that's pretty much the same:

- do the training missions
- do the training missions
- did I already tell you to do the training missions?

Don't worry about losing your ship during the training missions (happened to all of us, at least those who did the training missions). Don't even worry about losing your first ship (called a Sidewinder) several times in the game. Losing that first ship costs you nothing, no matter whether you have the insurance for a rebuy or not.

There are three basic gaming modes: open, group or solo. In all three modes, you have the same galaxy and background story and the same NPCs. The only difference is that
- in open, you can meet any other commander (CMDR)
- in group, you can only meet other CMDRs from the same group
- in solo, you can't meet any other CMDR

If you have already some experience with MMOs, you'll know that meeting other players can be good or bad - in ED, the choice is yours. There are some groups on the PC (don't know about XB) which forbid (or strongly regulate) PvP.

Once you've mastered your ship and know about how to jump from one system to another, get the *grapefruit* out of the starter system(s). There's much more to find out there.

If you want to make money fast, look out for Community Goals (CGs). These are announced in the corresponding thread on the ED forum and on Galnet. In general, there are several websites (besides this one) with communication, player groups and resources relevant to the game. Whether you want to use them or not is up to you.

Back to CGs: these are group targets announced by Frontier Development. Usually, just contributing a minimum to either target will get you in to the lowest rewards tier, which will usually pay out a few hundred k to a million after the CG finishes. And you will meet other CMDRs (see above), a lot of which will be willing to help newbies along by taking them into their wing or dropping cargo for them.

Ok, what else.... oh yes, if you have a specific question or want some real-time or ingame tutoring, drop into the Galactic Academy (Discord link on that page).


Finally, if you happen to encounter CMDR Error in game, do what he says. It'll increase your chance of survival tremendously. If you meet him on the formum, and he asks where you are and what cargo you hav...............CARRIER...................LOST.......................

Beelzebub! Get ye beyond this Xbox forum! (Throwing holy water)

 

[Comrade Error]

I'm out looking for an ancient weapon everyone so don't worry about me.. until I get back with my ancient weapon that is. o/

 

[3Wood]

I'm out looking for an ancient weapon everyone so don't worry about me.. until I get back with my ancient weapon that is. o/

And ye (more holy water)

 

[Comrade Error]

And ye (more holy water)

Rude.

 

[Anson22]

Beelzebub! Get ye beyond this Xbox forum! (Throwing holy water)

LoL - I'm also from the PC side of the grave. But always happy to chat with the xBox guys and girls in the hope that we'll soon be sharing the same galactic hell - oops, I mean experience ;-)

 

[Zerakue]

LoL - I'm also from the PC side of the grave. But always happy to chat with the xBox guys and girls in the hope that we'll soon be sharing the same galactic hell - oops, I mean experience ;-)

Microsoft is already prepared to let us play together, buuuuut I don't see it happening anytime soon

 

[Deleted member 110222]

LoL - I'm also from the PC side of the grave. But always happy to chat with the xBox guys and girls in the hope that we'll soon be sharing the same galactic hell - oops, I mean experience ;-)

You & me both brother. I'm craving cross-play so hard these days, especially with my dead Xbox.

 

[Hell Razor5543]

Welcome to the ED Galaxy. It can be fun, but also highly Dangerous out there. Practise the Training tutorials, as any mistakes you make here will not cost you anything (but time), and will help you learn from your mistakes.

REBUY is, in effect, the insurance excess on your ship, and, in your case, is 5% of the total value of your ship (but CARGO is NOT covered). If you are 'killed' and you cannot cover the REBUY (even with adjustments and a potential loan) you will probably end up back in a Sidewinder. For example, The Helping Hand (my A Class Anaconda) is worth 540Mcr, but her REBUY is only (ONLY!) 20Mcr (no, my maths are not at fault; as I am a Beta Backer I have a lower REBUY %). So, Rule 1 is simple; never fly if you cannot cover the REBUY!

You will upgrade your ships in the future. You will almost certainly sell a ship to buy a better one. Before you sell any ship, take it back to factory standard first. The reason for this is that when you sell a ship (by the way, the Sidewinder you are in is lent to you, not owned by you) you will take a 10% hit on the value of the ship at the moment of selling. So, let me use the following example to help clarify this. If you were to buy a ship for 1Mcr, spend another 1Mcr upgrading her, and then sell her, you will only get back 1.8Mcr (taking a 200,000cr loss). However, if you were to take that ship back to factory specifications, you will get back the 1Mcr on the equipment, and then only lose 100,000cr on the value of the ship.

Equipment in the ships have two values to watch. The Rating (number) is, effectively, the size of the module. Until you have a good grasp of how things work in ED, make sure to fit equipment that has the same numerical value as the slot it fits into, otherwise things can go wrong (the main one being the Frame Shift Drive. There are tales when somebody has bought what they believed to be a better FSD, only to find they have crippled their jump range, and nowhere has a suitable FSD for sale, so they cannot leave the system they are now trapped in). Class (letter) is the quality of the equipment (I am not including weaponry here). E is the weakest, while A is the strongest. However, there are two modified ones. D Class is the lightest of the equipment Class range (so preferred by the Explorers), while B is the heaviest, as it is also the heaviest armoured (and liked by the combat specialists).

 

[Uvelius Sång]

If you happen to run out of fuel, which happens even to more experienced Commanders, don't hesitate to call the Fuel Rats. We both will rescue you with near absolute certainty and won't claim any payment for it. Aside from a proverbial Snickers maybe.
Fly safe, enjoy the game -- squeak! ^,^/

 

[CMDR Nef]

You can add me, OP. GT: Nef Omni Anyo

I might be able to swing by in my Federal Corvette and lend you a hand in a RES. (resource extraction site)

 

[Das Werwolf]

Thanks for the tips I'm about to start now. I had to finish Rise of the Tomb Raider yesterday so I could really get into this. I'll definitely start out following the cops and build up some cash after finishing the tutorial.

 

[Colossus1921]

Thanks for the tips I'm about to start now. I had to finish Rise of the Tomb Raider yesterday so I could really get into this. I'll definitely start out following the cops and build up some cash after finishing the tutorial.

I don't know if I'd try to "finish" the tutorial. There are a pair of missions in the tutorial, Incursion and Advanced Incursion, I think they're called, that are borderline impossible. Run through them a couple times, because they definitely help you learn combat skills, but don't worry if you can't beat them. I've been playing since the game came out and I still can't.

 

[Das Werwolf]

I didn't have a problem with the first incursion mission. As for the advanced one, I got to the wave with 3 ships, destroyed 2 of them and couldn't destroy the last one. Then I went on to the rest of the training. Now I'm ready to start the full game.

 

[iconoclypse]

I didn't have a problem with the first incursion mission. As for the advanced one, I got to the wave with 3 ships, destroyed 2 of them and couldn't destroy the last one. Then I went on to the rest of the training. Now I'm ready to start the full game.

Alright, noob! No need to brag. Colossus was only trying to help! LOLZ

 

[Das Werwolf]

Well, I have learned a few things playing. Like, don't go to distress calls, try not to get stuck when docking, I suck at fuel scooping and having illegal cargo that I found then getting scanned costs a lot. Also, it's good that I haven't gotten a new ship yet. Overall, I really enjoy the game. So far it's very relaxing playing, even though I'm out in the middle of nowhere right now (I took a courier mission and have no idea what system I started in). I have found a few bounties and turned them in for some quick credits though.

If anyone wants to add me, feel free. My GT is Das Werwolf

 

[iconoclypse]

Well, I have learned a few things playing. Like, don't go to distress calls, try not to get stuck when docking, I suck at fuel scooping and having illegal cargo that I found then getting scanned costs a lot. Also, it's good that I haven't gotten a new ship yet. Overall, I really enjoy the game. So far it's very relaxing playing, even though I'm out in the middle of nowhere right now (I took a courier mission and have no idea what system I started in). I have found a few bounties and turned them in for some quick credits though.

If anyone wants to add me, feel free. My GT is Das Werwolf

I think you'll find that many of us use some form of journaling to keep a track of things like bounty request origins. And yes, it's best to ignore 'distress' calls for a while, at least until you're tooled up. As for fuel-scooping, I would guess you've figured it out by now, but if not just make sure your ship's 'horizon' is above the (I was about to get technical, but...) orange halo around the star. Also, SLOW DOWN, but not to a full-stop. that gives the scoop time to do its thing. Then when you get the 'Warning, temperature rising!' alert pull up so you're starting to travel obliquely to the star. That's as close to technical advise I ever given on here, but I still suspect you've already 'got' it.
It's good that you've stuck to the Sidey to learn in. That's one of the best things anyone can do while learning the ropes. Problem is so many gamers these days are fixated on the destination, the goal, rather than the journey. Frankly I pity anyone who ever shares a bed with those people!!!!

 

[Das Werwolf]

Thanks, because I didn't play long enough to get the scooping down. As for just going straight to a destination, that's not for me. I like to take the time and explore each system I jump to. I've only done one mission from a BB so far. I tried a second that I wasn't supposed to get scanned and ended up getting scanned as soon as I pulled out of the station. For the most part I've just been exploring and hunting a few wanted ships I came across.

 

[iconoclypse]

Thanks, because I didn't play long enough to get the scooping down. As for just going straight to a destination, that's not for me. I like to take the time and explore each system I jump to. I've only done one mission from a BB so far. I tried a second that I wasn't supposed to get scanned and ended up getting scanned as soon as I pulled out of the station. For the most part I've just been exploring and hunting a few wanted ships I came across.

In terms of the BB missions requiring no scans, we have plenty of AMAZING smugglers here who can help. But, basically you need to engage Silent Running (which will kill your shields, so make sure you dock smoothly). Plus, dock quickly. You'll find that the local cops will SOMEHOW seem to know that you're doing something dodgy, but just get into the station/onto your outpost pad as quickly as you can and you can dock before the scan completes. Like I said though, our resident smugglers will help you more. But, as I've said before, the best smugglers are the ones hardest to find!

 

[Hell Razor5543]

OK, maybe I can help with Fuel Scooping.

First, of the eighteen or so star types within the ED Galaxy, only seven are safe to scoop from. There are two ways to remember these seven (quick, and temperature sequence). Quick is "KGB FOAM", while TS is "Oh Be A Fine Girl Kiss Me". If you have any form of discovery scanner fitted, when it scans a targeted star it will show you the star type. If you try scooping any others than those seven you will just scoop pain (OK, heat and damage!). Typically (but not always) a safe star is usually orange in colour.

Second, you will also need a fuel scoop. These are automatic in operation, and have sliding scales of rating, class and cost. They take up an internal slot.

Third, as a way to scoop fuel, imagine skimming stones across a pond. Get the angle wrong and the stone will either go straight into the water, or fly a long way without doing much. Get it right, and it will bounce several times. Switching this concept to Fuel Scooping, once you have determined the star is safe to scoop from, aim outside the edge of the star, and gently accelerate. After a couple of moments a ring will appear around the star. This is the 'Impact Ring' and will, if you fly within it, crash you out of Super Cruise, causing heat damage, and is difficult to fly out of (as you need to get far enough away from the star so as to minimise more heat damage when you engage the FSD). Aim about the same distance from the OUTSIDE of the ring as the edge of the star is from the INSIDE of the ring, and maintain your speed. After a few more moments the Fuel Scoop will kick in (a voice message ("Fuel Scooping"), and a HUD display showing temperature, fuel flow rate, and tank levels). At first I would say throttle back to minimum speed (30KM/S), but as you gain experience you will learn how to maintain your speed and scoop more quickly. Monitor the temperature, and if it goes above 70 pull away from the star, and let your ship cool down before having another go (I have seen temperatures start to climb rapidly if you go much above 70). When your tank is full you will get advised of this ("Fuel Scooping Complete", fuel flow shows 0.0). Pull away from the star and, if you are planning to jump out of the system you are in, wait until the HUD display disappears and the message "Fuel Scoop Disengaged" before jumping, otherwise you are still close enough to the star for you to take damage (as the ambient temperature and the internal temperature from the FSD spooling up combine to take you over 100 heat).

I hope that this helps. Fly safely, have fun, and see you out amongst the stars.