The Grind - You Weren't Kidding!

Evoflash

Evoflash
I picked up ED in May/June ish 2016 [heart] and read a fair bit about the Grind and didn't pay much attention. Instead I went off as soon as I could exploring. Got back in November and commenced Operation Grind. Thought I'd be done and dusted by end of Christmas.

Oh my. How wrong. :eek:

- Hammered through a few engineers :cool: - Professor Palin took a lot of energy, but damn those drives are good. Stopped the engineer trawl as I heard about Nu Hsing Fed ranking.
- Started from scratch and grinded delivery missions and occasional set of scan missions for a long time. Stopped at 22% in to Post Commander as I was going loopy and not even sure I want a Corvette that badly any more.
- Quickly got back on the engineers again (classified anomalous shield encoded scrambled data firmware thingies everywhere [knocked out]). It's not the biggest grind, but I lost the desire soon after as I need to get lots of combat bonds and the rares trail is arduous (mainly as I keep getting distracted by bounties or USS's) and also it turns out I didn't have the correct data - can collect this when ranking so......
- Read about Wu Guinagi, was nearby and really (REALLY) like the Cutter so kicked off the Empire grind. Seems slower than the fed grind, more donation missions than fed gave me which is boring really. Currently sat at Baron, bemused and possibly a little punch drunk.

Looking ahead I'm a lowly Broker rank in trading, and a measly Expert rank in combat. Now that the holiday is over and therefore gametime much reduced, I've no idea when - if ever - I'll get triple elite in a spanking engineered Cutter. I currently can't decide on the route through, but whatever route I take it's long. Somehow though I absolutely have to do this. I'm not sure why. I can't say I've enjoyed the grind so far, especially over Christmas holidays and yet I still got on with it. Maybe we're a special breed! I can't even bring myself to explain this part of the game to people I know, it's not possible to keep them as friends if I do [big grin]

You lot on here were not wrong, it's a massive timesink. I just wish I was retired. [big grin]
 
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smiths121

S
Lol, you do not have to do it all at once! There is supposedly a 10 year plan however at your rate you'll eat the content faster than FD can add it.

10/10 for effort though.

Simon
 

Cmdr Zach

Cmdr Zach
Try setting your sights a bit lower, and just enjoy the game. Taking all three biggest so called grinds on at the same time will burn you out.

I've been here over two years and still don't have a cutter, only recently got a corvette and enjoyed the entire route to maxing out all 20 engineers. Do what's fun and don't get blinkered focus sing on the three big goals. Once you hit them you'll start thinking you "won" the game by getting triple elite. That's not what sort of game this is.

Learning the nuances of each ship as you work your way through them all, and exploring the different activities available at a calm pace has kept me keen in this game.
 

Snarfbuckle

S
First of all, WHY do you grind?

It's a sandbox so there is no prize at the end of the grind.

- For a ship?
- For a rank?
- For fun?

I have been playing very slowly with limited time and gained about 200 million in 2 years. Had a bit of luck with some smuggling and later engaged in community goals for good cash.

Now I'm halfway to Colonia puttering away in 1000LY sections of 40 jumps each.
 

Jesters09

Jesters09
Evoflash said:
Looking ahead I'm a lowly Broker rank in trading, and a measly Expert rank in combat. Now that the holiday is over and therefore gametime much reduced, I've no idea when - if ever - I'll get triple elite in a spanking engineered Cutter. I currently can't decide on the route through, but whatever route I take it's long. Somehow though I absolutely have to do this. I'm not sure why. I can't say I've enjoyed the grind so far, especially over Christmas holidays and yet I still got on with it. Maybe we're a special breed! I can't even bring myself to explain this part of the game to people I know, it's not possible to keep them as friends if I do [big grin]
[big grin]
Click to expand...

You get all those things on your list, (I am King, I am admiral, I am triple Elite also worth 3.5b in ships and 1b in the bank) and bosh, nothing changes. You pick up the next chunk of stuff to do and you get on with it. Elite is a very strange concept, it just keeps hauling my back. Just got back from Beagle Point, because "why not"? And there is still so much more to do.

Believe me when people say its about the "journey" they are on to something. "Play" the game, don't let the game play you.

Best of luck CMDR.
 

Miklos Atreides

Miklos Atreides
The grind only happens if you start to do things while being sure doing other things is better.
Only advise I can give. Stop it.
Do what you like to do. You don't need the Corvette nor the Cutter to have fun. Its a misleading
mindset that implies you are having more fun only by more credits. Its just not true.

Regards,
Miklos
 
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Jesters09

Jesters09
crushdepth said:
I just finished the grind to unlock Palin / dirty drive 5. It was horrible. Probably the worst grind in the game.
Click to expand...

TBH I found Marco Qwent worse, those 25 Modular Terminals drove me mad.
Whats worse, I find myself playing with passenger missions and picking them up randomly now, go figure.
 

Evoflash

Evoflash
Good advice! :)

I think I need to go for a spin around the bubble and maybe back out in the black for a bit. I think I've been suffering from cabin fever.
 

Necronaught

Necronaught
I feel for new players. Many of us already met the requirements to unlock the engineers regarding distance travelled, mining, trading and combat. Just getting the mats together was bothersome.
 

Some1else

Some1else
I find the "grind" to be quit enjoyable. There is no question it is a Grind, and can lead to frustration, and anguish. But then comes that moment when you reach the goal, and all seems forgiven. That time when you actually go to click the "Buy" button for your Cutter. It is a moment of suspended time where you pause in disbelief that you are about to step onto the bridge of your brand new Cutter. For me, this feeling is one of those great game experiences that so many games seem to lack. Just as in life, skill, and quality take time and hard work. Or perhaps, fancy toys cost a lot, and the cost is not always money.

@OP, do what you enjoy, and enjoy what you're doing. But do come back and tell us how you feel about the grind once you have your Cutter.;)

S1E
 

PanTast

PanTast
I suggest not to take donation missions for ranking.
It will ruin your bank account and they are not fun.

Just as Cmdr Zach wrote. Try to see the nuances of the ships. Try do use for all sorts of crazy stuff like explorer FDL or passenger T6. Try exploration - even with passenger.

There are some georgeous spots you will see if you take passenger missions to nebula hearts ...

Coming home you can drop at Sothis and hand in your data there - it counts for fed rank.

And you should avoid to regard all this as grind. I try to never fly "empty" - without a mission or a passenger. Or at least an imaginary mission. Use your imagination. Enjoy it. After having all ships and lots of credits, you are free to build ships in all kinds or crazy ways. Try out all kinds of weapon loadouts.

Doing illegal passenger missions in a high speed ASP is fun. The Orca is also a ship capable of doing very high speeds that can smuggle very well.

Live another life in ED every day you play.

Best regards

o7
 
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vrseven

V
Jesters09 said:
TBH I found Marco Qwent worse, those 25 Modular Terminals drove me mad.
Whats worse, I find myself playing with passenger missions and picking them up randomly now, go figure.
Click to expand...

25 modular terms are nothing, you get 4 of them for plenty of available delivery missions.
 

xondk

X
Evoflash said:
I
Click to expand...
The problem in my book is that people view things incorrectly. Many people go.
"I need x to do y" -> grinds stuff.
But this is based around.
"I do y and get stuff that can get me x"

You do not need any engineering stuff to do anything in Elite, the only instance where you might 'need' stuff is PvP, and even then it is at best a random factor.

My advise?
Do what you like to do, explore, missions, faction running, whatnot, you'll get what you want eventually.
 
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Siranui

S
OP: Try being less goal orientated... or at least have smaller goals. If you work towards major goals all the time, you'll not be playing the game and enjoying it.


vrseven said:
You must travel 5k lys from your start point. So thats 10k round trip. Even if you have the time to do it, its a nightmare. Palin is a necessary RNGineer though.
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Or 5k and a self destruct, if you really cannot be bothered.

Although 5K LY is an evening of play in the right ship. Alternatively it can now be done by surfing neutron stars.
 

bootsam

bootsam
I did the trade grind Elite first. Now Im left with combat and exploration, which will both sort themselves out over time as I flit from one task to another. So sick of trading am I, that my trade cutter still languishes in dock. I can't even look at her anymore. Despite all the grind it took to earn her. All the ranking and all the shuttling of slaves here and there. I'm through with organised methodology. I'm just going to faff around doing stuff for no particular reason other than it entertains me at that point in time.
 
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Furinkazan

F
vrseven said:
You must travel 5k lys from your start point. So thats 10k round trip. Even if you have the time to do it, its a nightmare. Palin is a necessary RNGineer though.
Click to expand...

Don't you also have to give him 20 Unknown Artifacts? Because that's what's stopping me from unlocking him.
 
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