Newcomer / Intro Some advice for new players regarding building your combat rank:

[JetsonRING]

[noob] Just a suggestion but, work on your combat rank first. Do this in SOLO mode since you do not want to engage PvP players in your small, weak, unmodified ship. Fight against NPC players in SOLO mode. The temptation is there to take it easy, to move up in trade or exploration but: As a lower ranked (in combat) player, your kills of higher ranked players count for more when you are ranked low in combat due to multipliers and when you are a lower ranked player almost everyone is higher ranked than you. In addition, the higher above you in combat rank your opponent is, the more your kills against them count so, it is easier to build combat rank when you are a lower ranked player than when you are a higher ranked player. Conversely, destroying ships of CMDRs who are lower ranked than you in combat counts very, very little (because of much reduced multipliers) towards your combat rank and once you have moved up a few ranks, a lot of CMDRs are ranked lower than you and so, you progress much more slowly. You can be destroyed 1000 times in your Start-winder and there will always be a free Start-winder waiting for you at the rebuy screen.

Once you gain a few combat ranks there are fewer CMDRs ranked higher than you in combat and your kills against higher ranked players count for less and less toward your own combat rank so, WORK ON COMBAT RANK WHILE YOU ARE STILL RANKED LOW IN COMBAT! Also, while you learn to "git gud" you will get blown up a lot and better you should get blown up in the smaller, cheaper ships. Better to learn in smaller, less capable ships too since you learn tactics instead of relying on superior firepower. As your rank builds you are engaged by higher ranked, more competent NPC players and you cannot fight those off very well in small, weak ships so START EARLY while your opponents are also in smaller, weaker ships.

In addition, if you "git gud" in combat early on as a newer player, the less likely you are to be successfully "ganked" as you progress in the game. I wish I'd had this little tidbit of information when I started playing because now, as an "expert" in combat it is very difficult for me to build on my combat rank since over the past year I have gained so much combat rank in "incidental" combat.

There's a handy little chart on the Wiki that explains the multipliers here:

http://elite-dangerous.wikia.com/wiki/Combat

 

[NW3]

I understand your position, but I respectfully disagree. I think it's better to earn Trading and Exploration rank first, otherwise you'll have highly ranked NPCs attacking you when you are flying non-combat ships. That's what I've done. I'm double-Elite and now working on combat rank.

 

[5 Puppis]

One does not *have* to be E3. I say just rank what's most enjoyable. There are enough grinds in the game as is. I'm Elite in Exploration. Don't really care if/when the other two come.

 

[NW3]

One does not *have* to be E3. I say just rank what's most enjoyable. There are enough grinds in the game as is. I'm Elite in Exploration. Don't really care if/when the other two come.

Absolutely. The thing is, there is no "endgame", so what is there to do after playing for a couple of years? Personally, I select a goal and work on it. I don't particularly care to focus on credits, which seem like a hollow goal. I often do CGs, not for the credits, but for the challenge to get in the top 10%. I don't really like the big ships, so I mostly fly an AspX.

There are no grinds, except those which you inflict upon yourself. Do what you enjoy. If you get bored, try something else. There's a lot to do in this game. If you get tired of ED, take a break for a while. I know I enjoy it more, when I come back to it.

Mostly, I'm sort of in a holding pattern, waiting for some new exploration tools and content, which won't be coming until next year. That's OK, though, my Pimax 5K VR unit won't arrive until next February and that will give me a fresh perspective.

 

[Rob_the_Sparky]

Trouble with me is that I get bored regularly so I am Elite in nothing despite starting 1 day after release, I just can not bring myself to grind for ranks but am slowly making progress in all 3. I just set myself targets of things to do, often wildly varying types to keep it fresh. No rush...

 

[Tall_Toot]

Good hearted advice OP - but I'd suggest a private group rather than soloplay as you suggest; directed advice from other players will always be helpful in a game where so much is 'find out the hard way'.

And of course, should you not wish to play by designing and obtaining ships specifically for PVP - pretty much anything you add to a ship for any other tasks will take you away from this ideal - then I'd suggest a well populated private group is a good alternative as some of the more 'enthusiastic' PVP players tend to limit access to many of the more social areas of space.

 

[Valorin]

Uhm. Why working on it at all and not just play? "Working" on something sounds a lot like... well, work. I'd recommend anybody to just play the things that are fun, with a few things inbetween that might not be so much fun, but get's you to places where more fun is. There is a limit though of what I would tolerate.

 

[Dommarraa]

I agree that having a decent understanding of combat is important before you commit yourself to high ratings in Trade or Exploration. As you rank up in Trade or Exploration, the NPCs sent to ruin your day will also rank, and you dont want to be Harmless Combat / Elite Trader in a T9 when interdicted by an Deadly Conda with SLF. However, thats about as far as I go.

Assuming the game is to be played PvP is not a valid assumption. The stats show that most people do NOT engage in PvP to any great extent, and making it sound like the norm is.... see Hotel California
Solo Sucks - Join a Group for PvE fun
Don't "git gud" - "git happy" instead

I really don't see how your maths adds up, its just sounds like a lot of self justifying words. You start at a low rank, kill things, get a higher rank.

 

[d8veh]

I love to grind. The whole point of this game is to grind your way through ranks and levels. If you're going to do missions or trading, I'd say the best sequence is to get your explorer rank first because it doesn't take long, and it unlocks some higher paid missions. Trade rank should be second because, as already said, NPC ranks are scaled against you, so if you stay harmless in combat, they won't give you any trouble. Logicallly, do combat rank last because your rank doesn't have an upside but it does have a downside.

There's no rule though, and you can do what you want when you want. I'm presently doing trade rank last because I'm only using a Sidewinder, so it might be a bit boring. I already made elite in combat and exploring, and I'm presently halfway through getting all the engineers to level 5. When I've done everything else, probably including King and Admiral, I'll face my demons and start the trade rank.

 

[Dommarraa]

Trade rank should be second because, as already said, NPC ranks are scaled against you, so if you stay harmless in combat, they won't give you any trouble. Logicallly, do combat rank last because your rank doesn't have an upside but it does have a downside.

Its not true. NPCs are scaled to the maximum of Combat or Other Highest Rank - 1 (might be -2)

 

[InlineSix]

I don't agree at all.

Learn how to evade and survive interdictions, then do whatever you want to do in game.

There is no need to be forced into combat. NPC are easy and you got puppy protection for quite some time.

Ranking up in combat rank provides higher ranked NPC opponents and even more justification by the usual suspects to 4v1 gank you.

Btw, if there's any rank that cries at night into his pillow it's exploration rank. THAT one mostly lacks in (passenger-money-grind) missions later on.

 

[Whitehair]

Btw, if there's any rank that cries at night into his pillow it's exploration rank. THAT one mostly lacks in (passenger-money-grind) missions later on.

Huh? Exploration is done by NOT visiting systems with stations in them....... so how would an explorer who has been out for months get missions? And what use would they be?

 

[JetsonRING]

I understand your position, but I respectfully disagree. I think it's better to earn Trading and Exploration rank first, otherwise you'll have highly ranked NPCs attacking you when you are flying non-combat ships. That's what I've done. I'm double-Elite and now working on combat rank.

What is your combat rank? I too, am double Elite and finding it very difficult to build my combat rank since over the past year, I have fought off and destroyed enough opponents to raise myself to "Expert" combat rank. Now when I hit the CZ and RES I have to destroy roughly 10-15 ships for each percentage point gain in Combat rank because as an "Expert" in combat the multiplier sucks. o7

 

[JetsonRING]

Trouble with me is that I get bored regularly so I am Elite in nothing despite starting 1 day after release, I just can not bring myself to grind for ranks but am slowly making progress in all 3. I just set myself targets of things to do, often wildly varying types to keep it fresh. No rush...

Basically the reason I decided to finish out the Elite status and get rated "Elite" in combat since I am already rated Elite in Exploration and Trade. Ran out of interesting stuff to do and the "Thargoid Menace" has so far turned out to be more of a "Thargoid Meh". o7

 

[5 Puppis]

Huh? Exploration is done by NOT visiting systems with stations in them....... so how would an explorer who has been out for months get missions? And what use would they be?

You can get also get exploration rank by stacking tourist/famous explorer missions. 50% of money earned through these missions count towards exploration rank and if you find a station with passengers wanting to go somewhere not too far away, you can easily stack and grind them to hit Elite relatively quickly (~300mil Cr)

 

[Greybeard_LXI]

Why bother building combat rank at all?

Build combat skills.

I rank up sitting in a high-res for hours just scanning npcs, following security and putting one small laser pulse into a wanted ship. That doesn't mean I can defend myself if I get interdicted.

My rank will come as I improve my skills trying to solo smaller ships than myself and doing as much damage to bigger ones as I can get away with. And if I do too much damage, it's time to learn to evade and let security take care of them.

 

[Dommarraa]

What is your combat rank? I too, am double Elite and finding it very difficult to build my combat rank since over the past year, I have fought off and destroyed enough opponents to raise myself to "Expert" combat rank. Now when I hit the CZ and RES I have to destroy roughly 10-15 ships for each percentage point gain in Combat rank because as an "Expert" in combat the multiplier sucks. o7

Try a CNB - All those Elite NPCs really shoot it up. When you get to Deadly, you more or less HAVE to use CNB to ever achieve it before the heat death of the universe.

 

[d8veh]

Try a CNB - All those Elite NPCs really shoot it up. When you get to Deadly, you more or less HAVE to use CNB to ever achieve it before the heat death of the universe.

I went from harmless to elite in combat in about a month only using a Sidewinder. I did it all in a high RES. I still believe that the high RES is the fastest way to rank up in combat.

 

[Nero Tacitus]

What is your combat rank? I too, am double Elite and finding it very difficult to build my combat rank since over the past year, I have fought off and destroyed enough opponents to raise myself to "Expert" combat rank. Now when I hit the CZ and RES I have to destroy roughly 10-15 ships for each percentage point gain in Combat rank because as an "Expert" in combat the multiplier sucks. o7

Ahh, you're in for a nasty surprise if you think Expert is slow. Took me about a month of combat oriented gameplay to get Dangerous to Deadly.

As for the OP, I strongly disagree with scaring new players into Solo mode. The game is already vacant enough without the community acting like ganking is a common thing. I've been playing the game 6 months in Open and I'm yet to encounter PvP I didn't go looking for.

 

[Makdo]

I understand your position, but I respectfully disagree. I think it's better to earn Trading and Exploration rank first, otherwise you'll have highly ranked NPCs attacking you when you are flying non-combat ships. That's what I've done. I'm double-Elite and now working on combat rank.

I completely agree with your statement. I made the mistake of starting off ing in the High Res sites which earned me butt loads of credits and combat rank fast but no real skill. The problems that I experienced later were two fold. Now that I am focusing on Exploration and Trade I have to deal with these damn NPC that are deadly or dangerous while in my basically flying an unarmed passenger ship or cargo ship. Additionally, I realized to late that you burn down your rep with minor factions real fast in the High Res sites and suddenly your are hostile to them. When that happens they are on your every time you move around the system so you end up packing up and moving frequently. To illustrate, on one assassination mission I took I hopped in my Imperial Eagle and headed out thinking well the reward was only 30K so how hard could it be. Dropped out of SC when I found the target and landed face to face with a Fed Aslt Ship and Python. So yeah, don't go the route that I went...