I have the cash, but not the rank
- Thread starter JulesWash
- Start date
Try flying out to Sothis (about 350~ from Sol?)and do data delivery missions to Ceos next door, and back again.
It's not fun, and will ruin your life. But i believe it's the fastest way to rank up.
Or you can just do normal missions normally and be patient.
CMDR Cosmic Spacehead
It's not fun, and will ruin your life. But i believe it's the fastest way to rank up.
Or you can just do normal missions normally and be patient.
CMDR Cosmic Spacehead
Just run missions for the Feds, Midshipman isn't too bad a grind.
Just take anything from any fed faction that gives ++ or +++ rep, and if you want to keep it interesting, DON'T do the logging exploit (take three missions to a single system, then change modes and take two or three more, then change modes again and take two or three more), because that way it IS grindy and you see very little variation in missions. It may be slightly (and I do mean only slightly) more efficient than the way I propose, but infinitely less interesting.
For what it's worth, using the simple (there's nothing clever about it) method described below, I am very pleased with my progress. I, like you, am also chasing rep at the moment, although I want a FAS, I already have an AspX, so no use for the dropship really, the next one that will make a difference is a pro combat ship, like the FAS. So anyway, this is what I've been doing...
Pick a sub bubble of the federation. I've had good luck around Deciat/Kremata (although Deciat itself is not in boom any more) and it's surrounding systems. At the moment, I'm doing well in the Eravate area, probably due to all the player activity around there at the moment, although it might die down now the CGs are over, I digress...
So yeh, pick up all missions that are one way, and give more than '+' rep. These are courier missions, boom time data delivery, assassination missions (not one way, but not urgent to hand in either), and very importantly 'donation' missions (of credits, NOT wares, these are worth logging and repeating by the way, but only those, and planetary scans, which I'll discuss in a minute). The trick is NOT to collect only the ones going to 1 or 2 destinations, instead take many to many different destinations. This accomplishes two things...firstly it means you are more likely to get interdicted as you are travelling more routes (this is good because destroying wanted criminals in Fed space counts toward your Navy rank), secondly, it means you SEE more mission boards, giving you the opportunity to pick up more of the golden missions, which are...
"Transport X individual to X', they (often, but not always) pay exceptionally well for short distances (rarely more than 40ly in my experience), are one way, and almost always give +++ rep. It's worth going to lots of boards to seek out the best ones of these. Try to only take them within 20ly or so (they usually are, but not always) or two jumps tops, and prioritise completing those missions (i.e. Whatever you were GOING To do next, stop it, deliver the passenger, then go back to it), even if they are 'laid back', as you don't want them making demands which will send you in the wrong direction, deliver them quickly.
and
"Wartime planetary surface scan" or similar. These also almost always pay well, have minimal risk, and award +++ rep, though obviously require planetary landings which does slow things down a little. There is currently still a bug where if you pick up multiple planetary scan missions, when you complete one, they all complete! Yay! So it IS worth using the exploit to log and take more of these missions in the case they are bountiful at the station you are at.
The loadout I use to accept the most missions possible is an AspX that can equip at least 64 tons of cargo, a good fuel scoop, a discovery scanner, an SRV, ideally two (but one will do) passenger cabins (1 class 4 Business class for 3 people and 1 class 4 economy for 4 people), this will allow you to often pick up two 'transport X individual' missions to nearby systems, but be careful doing that, as the longer you take to deliver the second, the more likely they are to send you to a tourist attraction a couple of jumps int he wrong direction, out of nowhere.
So that's my 2c, there ARE more efficient ways, but I find this fun, not a grind, I look forward to seeing what missions I can take at the next hand-in and keep myself merrily going round and round the same 15 systems all night earning tons of rep and pitying NPC fools who try to stop me delivering my boom data.
For what it's worth, using the simple (there's nothing clever about it) method described below, I am very pleased with my progress. I, like you, am also chasing rep at the moment, although I want a FAS, I already have an AspX, so no use for the dropship really, the next one that will make a difference is a pro combat ship, like the FAS. So anyway, this is what I've been doing...
Pick a sub bubble of the federation. I've had good luck around Deciat/Kremata (although Deciat itself is not in boom any more) and it's surrounding systems. At the moment, I'm doing well in the Eravate area, probably due to all the player activity around there at the moment, although it might die down now the CGs are over, I digress...
So yeh, pick up all missions that are one way, and give more than '+' rep. These are courier missions, boom time data delivery, assassination missions (not one way, but not urgent to hand in either), and very importantly 'donation' missions (of credits, NOT wares, these are worth logging and repeating by the way, but only those, and planetary scans, which I'll discuss in a minute). The trick is NOT to collect only the ones going to 1 or 2 destinations, instead take many to many different destinations. This accomplishes two things...firstly it means you are more likely to get interdicted as you are travelling more routes (this is good because destroying wanted criminals in Fed space counts toward your Navy rank), secondly, it means you SEE more mission boards, giving you the opportunity to pick up more of the golden missions, which are...
"Transport X individual to X', they (often, but not always) pay exceptionally well for short distances (rarely more than 40ly in my experience), are one way, and almost always give +++ rep. It's worth going to lots of boards to seek out the best ones of these. Try to only take them within 20ly or so (they usually are, but not always) or two jumps tops, and prioritise completing those missions (i.e. Whatever you were GOING To do next, stop it, deliver the passenger, then go back to it), even if they are 'laid back', as you don't want them making demands which will send you in the wrong direction, deliver them quickly.
and
"Wartime planetary surface scan" or similar. These also almost always pay well, have minimal risk, and award +++ rep, though obviously require planetary landings which does slow things down a little. There is currently still a bug where if you pick up multiple planetary scan missions, when you complete one, they all complete! Yay! So it IS worth using the exploit to log and take more of these missions in the case they are bountiful at the station you are at.
The loadout I use to accept the most missions possible is an AspX that can equip at least 64 tons of cargo, a good fuel scoop, a discovery scanner, an SRV, ideally two (but one will do) passenger cabins (1 class 4 Business class for 3 people and 1 class 4 economy for 4 people), this will allow you to often pick up two 'transport X individual' missions to nearby systems, but be careful doing that, as the longer you take to deliver the second, the more likely they are to send you to a tourist attraction a couple of jumps int he wrong direction, out of nowhere.
So that's my 2c, there ARE more efficient ways, but I find this fun, not a grind, I look forward to seeing what missions I can take at the next hand-in and keep myself merrily going round and round the same 15 systems all night earning tons of rep and pitying NPC fools who try to stop me delivering my boom data.
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Do as advised above, but in the meantime get into a FGS (Assuming you have that rank) , slower yes, but all these guns and a fighter too.....you might even forget all about the dropPooh
Just take anything from any fed faction that gives ++ or +++ rep, and if you want to keep it interesting, DON'T do the logging exploit (take three missions to a single system, then change modes and take two or three more, then change modes again and take two or three more), because that way it IS grindy and you see very little variation in missions. It may be slightly (and I do mean only slightly) more efficient than the way I propose, but infinitely less interesting.
for waht it's worth, using the simple (there's nothing clever about it) method described below, I am very pleased with my progress. I, like you, am also chasing rep at the moment, although I want a FAS, I already have an AspX, so no use for the dropship really, the next one that will make a difference is a pro combat ship, like the FAS. So anyway, this is what I've been doing...
Pick a sub bubble of the federation. I've had good luck around Deciat/Kremata (although Deciat itself is not in boom any more) and it's surrounding systems. At the moment, I'm doing well in the Eravate area, probably due to all the player activity around there at the moment, although it might die down now the CGs are over, I digress...
So yeh, pick up all missions that are one way, and give more than '+' rep. These are courier missions, boom time data delivery, assassination missions (not one way, but not urgent to hand in either), and very importantly 'donation' missions (of credits, NOT wares, these are worth logging and repeating by the way, but only those, and planetary scans, which I'll discuss in a minute). The trick is NOT to collect only the ones going to 1 or 2 destinations, instead take many to many different destinations. This accomplishes two things...firstly it means you are more likely to get interdicted as you are travelling more routes (this is good because destroying wanted criminals in Fed space counts toward your Navy rank), secondly, it means you SEE more mission boards, giving you the opportunity to pick up more of the golden missions, which are...
"Transport X individual to X', they (often, but not always) pay exceptionally well for short distances (rarely more than 40ly in my experience), are one way, and almost always give +++ rep. It's worth going to lots of boards to seek out the best ones of these. Try to only take them within 20ly or so (they usually are, but not always) or two jumps tops, and prioritise completing those missions (i.e. Whatever you were GOING To do next, stop it, deliver the passenger, then go back to it), even if they are 'laid back', as you don't want them making demands which will send you in the wrong direction, deliver them quickly.
and
"Wartime planetary surface scan" or similar. These also almost always pay well, have minimal risk, and award +++ rep, though obviously require planetary landings which does slow things down a little. There is currently still a bug where if you pick up multiple planetary scan missions, when you complete one, they all complete! Yay! So it IS worth using the exploit to log and take more of these missions in the case they are bountiful at the station you are at.
The loadout I use to accept the most missions possible is an AspX that can equip at least 64 tons of cargo, a good fuel scoop, a discovery scanner, an SRV, ideally two passenger cabins (1 class 4 Business class for 3 people and 1 class 4 economy for 4 people, this will allow you to often pick up two 'transport X individual' missions to nearby systems, but be careful doing that, as the longer you take to deliver the second, the more likely they are to send you to a tourist attraction a couple of jumps int he wrong direction, out of nowhere.
So that's my 2c, there ARE more efficient ways, but I find this fun, not a grind, I look forward to seeing what missions I can take at the next hand-in and keep myself merrily going round and round the same 15 systems all night earning tons of rep and pitying NPC fools who try to stop me delivering my boom data.
Dang thanks for this. On my way up to...petty officer or whatever the heck I am now, I pretty much did this except only took courier/delivery missions and tried to stay within a small number of systems. I'm trying to make my way up to the FGS so your way sounds like it'll make things a lot more interesting. (Even though you don't really do anything in the courier missions except fly from one place to another I still find them really fun anyway for some reason.)
Do as advised above, but in the meantime get into a FGS (Assuming you have that rank) , slower yes, but all these guns and a fighter too.....you might even forget all about the dropPooh
The gunship comes after the dropship and is more expensive.
That's what I thought. I don't really want that ship anyway because of the horrible range.
I second this. I've said it elsewhere, but I gained almost an entire rank in one evening (Midshipman to Petty Officer) exclusively from running +++ passenger missions, and I made just over 50 million in the process. It was a pretty long evening, but still.
Go to a federal system in outbreak or famine and keep looking for donation missions. If credits or commodities doesn't matter but doing lots of them will push your reputation with them at a very good rate!
Try flying out to Sothis (about 350~ from Sol?)and do data delivery missions to Ceos next door, and back again.
It's not fun, and will ruin your life. But i believe it's the fastest way to rank up.
Or you can just do normal missions normally and be patient.
CMDR Cosmic Spacehead
I'm headed into 4 weeks of doing nothing but that, for about 2-3hrs a day... Just 40% more and the Modeswitchvette is mine.
Engineer it to a lvl 5 FSD and it's not worse than others. Got mine assigned to my Merope fleet, traveled 450ly to get there (as one of my Vettes, 17.8ly jump range). But the rank progression brutally slows down on the higher levels, it's a long way to Ensign and even slower further upwards. Reaching Rear Admiral (required for Vette) took me months. Luckily, there is also the FAS waiting down the road, and that's one not to be missed.
O7,
[noob]
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I still wonder what's up with people always bothering about range. I get the impression that jump range is the games equivalent of the size of a banana. I've put a good fuel scoop into my FGS and it travels well enough.
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I mean yes, if you want to explore and visit the edge of the galaxy, jump range becomes important, but within the bubble and even some way around that, it doesn't matter that much. You might do a few jumps more, but many builds posted (and many streams i watched) suffer not so much from jump range, but from saving on the fuel scoop and thus spending too much time refueling. As soon as you bring a good scoop, you just jump many times in a row and get to the destination in good time.
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I still find that the FGS is ugly. Even after engineering the engines to grade 5 dirty, it still is slow. (Speed before enginineering was measured in ångström per year, after engineering it's meters per day. ) It still turns like a medium sized cathedral. But it packs a punch, can take a beating and you can use multicrew plus NPC to have two ship launched fighters active.
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As the name indicates it's a terrible dogfighter, but a potent fire platform, use it accordingly. From all Federation ships, it's the only one where i couldn't see an equivalent (and better looking) counterpart to rather use instead.
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Grind, grind then grind some more.
Then continue to grind.
There is no fast way that won't leave you bored to tears
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If you want it fast, then yes. You can also do it more enjoyable, by picking interesting missions and just do those. They might not be the biggest piles of money you ever made, but some missions once a while really offer more variety in your gameplay. (Also, ships set up for missions, so for higher versatility, often are way more fun to fly than the specialized beasts mostly seen. )
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Midshipman is a piece of cake. Rear Admiral will make you cry.
My Bad Doh!
I made Midshipman exploring the galactic edge, without even trying.
If all you do is one thing over and over then that's your choice. Any negative results from that activity are on you, not the game. You chose to do that mindless repetitive activity to artificially advance your position, then you moan about it.
Just play the game and the rewards come naturally. If that's not enough for you, then you chose the wrong game. Why you would spend your free time choosing to deliberately do something that makes you miserable is beyond me.
Passenger missions. Easy money plus the rep and inf increase.