Lordy, hunting for HGEs is DULL!

[Stealthie]

Just got back from Colonia last night and the first thing I decided to do was complete the engineering on a couple of ships.

First thing on the shopping list was Proto Radiolic Alloys.
Used to be that you couldn't throw a rock, in LHS 20, without hitting PRAs.
The system is almost always in Boom and HGEs in Boom systems provide PRAs so, job's a good 'un.

Hopped into my Krait, flew to the nav-buoy; no HGEs.
Okay then.
To the galmap, pick out a dozen systems in Boom and do a lap of them.
Not one HGE in any of them.
Not flippin' one.
That's 2 hours I'm not getting back.

Seriously, tell me that I have to fly to Sag A to accomplish something, or destroy 100 Elite Cutters, and I'm on it.
As long as I know KNOW that what I'm doing is going to get me to my objective I'm fine with it.
Searching for HGEs, however, is just so goddam passive and uninvolving that it's ridiculous.

Yes, sure, find other stuff and trade.
Blah, blah, blah.

 

[Bob McBobblehead]

I feel your pain, I tried to find some Pharmaceutical isolators HGEs. I manage to find two HGEs with states saying "outbreak", but I ended up with both giving me Core Dynamics Composites. I gave up after a few hours.

 

[Ian Skippy]

Seriously, tell me that I have to fly to Sag A to accomplish something, or destroy 100 Elite Cutters, and I'm on it.
As long as I know KNOW that what I'm doing is going to get me to my objective I'm fine with it.
Searching for HGEs, however, is just so goddam passive and uninvolving that it's ridiculous.

Yes, sure, find other stuff and trade.
Blah, blah, blah.

I think you get them from high-ranked condas that go boom. Missions as well. HGE are a supplemental stream of mats, dont rely on them as your go-to method. Its like 'dedicating your life to winning the lottery', not the most fun or smart way to go about getting some money. Als your 'trade blah blah blah' comment is a bit silly; pretty much doing anything would have gotten you enough to trade for them, so I am not sure why you think doing something that is less fun and less efficient is somehow a better approach?

 

[Stabby_Dave]

Quick cheat - go to Dav's Hope and run around mode switching for a bit, then go to the Jameson's crash site and do the same thing. Head to a materials trader and trade everything up. Job done.

Not thrilling, but a damned sight quicker.

O7

 

[Stealthie]

I think you get them from high-ranked condas that go boom. Missions as well. HGE are a supplemental stream of mats, dont rely on them as your go-to method. Its like 'dedicating your life to winning the lottery', not the most fun or smart way to go about getting some money.

Frankly, I'd say the chances of getting PRAs by exploding ships is more akin to winning the lottery.

First you've got to find somewhere that the right sort of ship might appear.
Then you've got to hope that the right sort of ship does appear.
Then you've got to hope that the right sort of ship does drop the mat' you want when it goes boom.

And you've got to do that 3, 4 or 5 times to match the haul from one decent HGE.

 

[Old Duck]

I hear you OP. G4 is rubbish - I must have G5 everything to enjoy the game. /sarcasm

 

[Jaggedmallard]

When you do find some I'd reccomend killing your game via task manager once you've picked up the materials. When you log back in and go to supercruise the HGE will re-appear as long as the timer hasn't expire.

 

[Zieman]

When you do find some I'd reccomend killing your game via task manager once you've picked up the materials. When you log back in and go to supercruise the HGE will re-appear as long as the timer hasn't expire.

Combat logging on HGEs?

 

[Jaggedmallard]

Combat logging on HGEs?

Its either that or my sanity would have combat logged on me!

 

[Stealthie]

Quick cheat - go to Dav's Hope and run around mode switching for a bit, then go to the Jameson's crash site and do the same thing. Head to a materials trader and trade everything up. Job done.

Not thrilling, but a damned sight quicker.

O7

Not really, for manufactured mat's.

It takes a LONG time to stock up on G4 mat's at Dav's Hope and then you have to bend over a mat' trader's desk in order to cross-trade Chemical Manipulators upward for other G5 mat's at Clown-World exchange rates.

 

[Ian Skippy]

Frankly, I'd say the chances of getting PRAs by exploding ships is more akin to winning the lottery.

First you've got to find somewhere that the right sort of ship might appear.
Then you've got to hope that the right sort of ship does appear.
Then you've got to hope that the right sort of ship does drop the mat' you want when it goes boom.

And you've got to do that 3, 4 or 5 times to match the haul from one decent HGE.

I dont remember exactly (can someone confirm this?) but I think I just did a pile of elite assassination missions. I mean I know I did them but I think I got my pile of PREs from them. It is usually an elite conda, and they dropped that plenty of time. You also get plenty of other stuff, piles of credits and it is way more fun.

 

[Jaggedmallard]

One secret to finding HGEs is to go to a system thats in Thargoid Infestation state (EE targeted) with the intention to kill scouts and then the games mind reading desire sensor will detect that you want to kill scouts and instead of NHSS' spawn you HGE's to try and ruin your evening. Foolproof.

 

[CMDR Redcrest]

Well if the updates this year are focused on improving specific areas of the game the material gathering gameplay loop needs improved and I agree that matetial trader exchange rates are flat out robbery!

I'm out on a wee exploration jaunt in my Orca that has old engineering on it.
I thought I'd improve it when I got back. Maybe not.

 

[Deleted member 182079]

I feel your pain, I tried to find some Pharmaceutical isolators HGEs. I manage to find two HGEs with states saying "outbreak", but I ended up with both giving me Core Dynamics Composites. I gave up after a few hours.

I recently found some Anacondas in a RES yielded PI's upon destruction. Still random but worth a try. Also a bit more fun than dashing from one HGE to the next, and them often being 1000s of Ls away from each other (if they spawn at all).

I rarely go actively searching for HGEs, usually when I scan the system and come across one I try to scoop it up. Spent an evening grinding them and yeah, similar experience to the OP. Never again.

 

[Bigmaec]

I try to stack trade missions and kill all 4 Condas that come after me for every Mission I get that random event.
Even refitted my Python with bi-weaves to outlast all of them. This tends to give me all the mats I need.

 

[Oldric]

It's clearly a Job for the kids. There are plenty of instructables out there for making your own kids. I'm free on Tueday afternoons if you ladies want to give it a go.

 

[Rubbernuke]

Frankly, I'd say the chances of getting PRAs by exploding ships is more akin to winning the lottery.

First you've got to find somewhere that the right sort of ship might appear.
Then you've got to hope that the right sort of ship does appear.
Then you've got to hope that the right sort of ship does drop the mat' you want when it goes boom.

And you've got to do that 3, 4 or 5 times to match the haul from one decent HGE.

Call me lucky, but I had 3 G5 drops from my pirate lord mission kills- Pharm Iso, Alloys and ex. crystals. The mission then bugged out and sent another Corvette and I got Isolators, lots of G4 mats and a nice chunk of money.

 

[Vardaugas]

Perfect to listen to some audiobook or podcasts I say.

 

[Krash]

I dont remember exactly (can someone confirm this?) but I think I just did a pile of elite assassination missions. I mean I know I did them but I think I got my pile of PREs from them. It is usually an elite conda, and they dropped that plenty of time. You also get plenty of other stuff, piles of credits and it is way more fun.

I do these day in and day out. Sometimes they drop Military Grade Alloys, Imperial Shielding, CDC, Pharma Iso... I have not seen a single drop of PRAs from these Elite pirate lord conda or vette.

 

[Jaggid Edje]

I combine the assassination missions with farming any HGE's that are also in the same systems. It means I at least get some things I want (from the missions) and also breaks up the monotony that would drive me bonkers if ALL i was doing was farming HGE's.

I've filled my Imperial Shielding (to 100) 3 times in the past 2 days from the incidental HGE's that I've hit between the assassination missions. Minimal effort, no monotony, and have been able to trade them in for other materials that I need/want.