Newcomer / Intro How profitable are Passenger missions?

[CooterCrickets87]

If I picked up a Dolphin and added some first class and business passenger cabins how will that income compare to doing supply runs and pirrate killing?

Just want to try something different but if the time/money factor sucks Id rather not delve into it.

 

[sinisalo]

I made a lot of money doing sightseeing. Bulk hauling can be good too, but not as fun for me. You can run rescue missions in incursion sytems as well. Pays OK, but good for superpower rep.

Best sightseeing mission I ever did was 13m. But that's an outlier. 5-7 million is closer to average.

Another point is that running transport missions nets Trade rank while sightseeing nets Exploration rank, in case that might be of interest to you.

 

[Via]

I found them great for getting your exploration rank up, last one I did was a fairly long one (~13,000ly) which paid 24mill and earned an extra 73mill in exploration data (that was just using FSS on all systems going there, on return I just honked as wanted to get back to bubble quick).

Realistically payout not brilliant for the ammount of time, some of the shorter missions work out better time/pay ratio. Wanted passengers pay higher but can bite you.

 

[CooterCrickets87]

I was really looking for another way to make cash in game. I had read somewhere how profitable hauling passengers could be but Im limited in the amount of cash in game.

I've also heard how profitable mining is but thinking I'll need a ship that can carry LOTS of cargo to make it worth it.

What did you guys do when you were a noob and had under 10 million?

My goal is to have many ships that are specialized in their function. Still having a blast in my Cobra 3 (my only ship currently) bounty hunting and running under 40 ton cargo missions

 

[New Pilot 2657]

I still think of myself as a new player. Been playing for over a month now. With regards to passengers, I realized last week that the Diamondback Explorer with 1 economy cabin is the best return for me. The reason being is that I am limited to taxi’ing the rich tourists around with the 57 odd light year range on it, it doubles what I had out of the Dolphin.

 

[CooterCrickets87]

Do first class cabins not allow higher paying passengers? I was thinking Dolphin with a mix of first class, business and economy would be the best bang for your buck.

Talking about a dedicated tourist ship here. The Diamondback explorer would be a much more versatile option for all round work

 

[GeoJase]

I've also heard how profitable mining is but thinking I'll need a ship that can carry LOTS of cargo to make it worth it.

No. Core mining is specialised small-volume mining. Your Cobra can do it fine. Hunt online for tutorials on core mining. Its also a good way to improve your piloting skills as you move around each asteroid placing charges and scooping minerals.

 

[CapitanAceRimmer]

Another quick way to make money is to fit a Detailed Surface Scanner. Look for Agricultural and Terraforming systems and go map the Earth like or Terraformable world's. These will pay from 600000 up to over a million each.

You can do this on the side as well whilst you are moving around performing other tasks. For example if you have to visit a terraforming or agricultural station just prior to entering the station go and scan the planet it is orbiting or on.

 

[Clicker]

Passenger runs between Robigo and Sothis will pay about 25mCredits per run.
Each run can take as little as 15-20 minutes.

You need a Python fitted with economy cabins and you need to rank up with the factions at Robigo in order to get good paying missions.

Added benefit is that this will also rank you up with the Empire as well as trade rank.

It’s quite a way out, is Robigo, so either setup your Python first before flying a long range taxi ship to Ceos then transfer your python over, or, be prepared to refit your Python once you get there (eg replace Fuel Scoop with passenger cabin etc)

Clicker

 

[WinterKing2112]

If I picked up a Dolphin and added some first class and business passenger cabins how will that income compare to doing supply runs and pirrate killing?

Just want to try something different but if the time/money factor sucks Id rather not delve into it.

I just started doing some exploration. I did a post to get some advice and got a lot of useful info. So I have been out 3 times now: the first trip I only went about 70ly but I found a system with several pristine ice rings. I had my mining gear with me and got around 70 million credits worth of diamonds etc. I went back to my home base, which has very good prices on diamonds etc, sold the diamonds, got rid of some of the heavier stuff I was carrying (reinforced hull armour etc), and went back out again, only further, found another system with a pristine ice ring, dis some mining and made nearly 100 million. The third expedition I went out even further, around 160ly. Found another pristine ice ring, mined for a couple of hours, went back home. Just sold about 50 tons of granderite plus another 50 tons of diamonds and opals for 102 million!

 

[WinterKing2112]

I was really looking for another way to make cash in game. I had read somewhere how profitable hauling passengers could be but Im limited in the amount of cash in game.

I've also heard how profitable mining is but thinking I'll need a ship that can carry LOTS of cargo to make it worth it.

What did you guys do when you were a noob and had under 10 million?

My goal is to have many ships that are specialized in their function. Still having a blast in my Cobra 3 (my only ship currently) bounty hunting and running under 40 ton cargo missions

Just had a look at the cobra mark 3 stats, that would make a good exploration/mining ship. You won't be able to carry as many tons of cargo as I described above (I used an anaconda!) but even a few tons of void opals will be worth millions!

 

[Para Handy]

..........
What did you guys do when you were a noob and had under 10 million?
..........

Whatever I felt like doing and totally avoided thinking about grinding rank or working out credits per hour. Falling into a "grind" mindset makes it easy to get disillusioned and leave the game from burn-out.

My main focus in the game is trading and my least enjoyable aspect is combat so that affects what I choose to do each session and I have different accounts so as to be able to have different styles of play available (e.g. one is still out exploring whilst returning from DW2, etc). I find that by carrying out missions in the area surrounding a "home" system you gain rep with the various factions and get offered hugely lucrative missions as a result. By having reliable sources of Palladium and of Insulating Membrane nearby you can get between 5 and 20 million credits per mission. Just make note of any systems with very long supercuise travel and avoid missions to those.

 

[Ethaidan]

I was really looking for another way to make cash in game. I had read somewhere how profitable hauling passengers could be but Im limited in the amount of cash in game.

I've also heard how profitable mining is but thinking I'll need a ship that can carry LOTS of cargo to make it worth it.

What did you guys do when you were a noob and had under 10 million?

My goal is to have many ships that are specialized in their function. Still having a blast in my Cobra 3 (my only ship currently) bounty hunting and running under 40 ton cargo missions

I recently started a fresh account, and the answer is... Core mining. Unlike the high paying passenger or haulage missions, it does not require any reputation or a large ship. All you need is a ship width a DSS for finding hotspots, a pulse wave scanner (utility Slot) for finding the right asteroids, a seismic charge launcher and abrasion blaster (weapon slots), and the standard mining internals - prospector limpet controller, refinery and cargo space (collection limpet controllers are a bonus). You do NOT need tons of cargo space. The new core materials sell for ~ 400k - 1.5mcr per ton. Even if you crack every Core asteroid you find (not just focus on VO or LTDs) a small ship with a 40t capacity will net you at least 16mcr in one run.

 

[aRJay]

I recently started a fresh account, and the answer is... Core mining. Unlike the high paying passenger or haulage missions, it does not require any reputation or a large ship. All you need is a ship width a DSS for finding hotspots, a pulse wave scanner (utility Slot) for finding the right asteroids, a seismic charge launcher and abrasion blaster (weapon slots), and the standard mining internals - prospector limpet controller, refinery and cargo space (collection limpet controllers are a bonus). You do NOT need tons of cargo space. The new core materials sell for ~ 400k - 1.5mcr per ton. Even if you crack every Core asteroid you find (not just focus on VO or LTDs) a small ship with a 40t capacity will net you at least 16mcr in one run.

Note one of the weapon slots must be size 2 to fit the seismic charge launcher.

 

[WinterKing2112]

Passenger runs between Robigo and Sothis will pay about 25mCredits per run.
Each run can take as little as 15-20 minutes.

You need a Python fitted with economy cabins and you need to rank up with the factions at Robigo in order to get good paying missions.

Added benefit is that this will also rank you up with the Empire as well as trade rank.

It’s quite a way out, is Robigo, so either setup your Python first before flying a long range taxi ship to Ceos then transfer your python over, or, be prepared to refit your Python once you get there (eg replace Fuel Scoop with passenger cabin etc)

Clicker

OP says he only has 10 million. Python costs about 56 million. Plus millions to put decent modules in.

 

[CooterCrickets87]

Ok guys check this build out for mining. I think I have everything.


Cobra Mining Build

 

[Northpin]

I recommend this cobra build. Fill it with limpets and drop the limpets to make room for cargo
If you fill it with Void Opals - remember you can fill the refinery too. You will have more than enough credits for an 100t deep core Asp X
then the sky is the limit

Edit: only 4d shields, but remember you are not there to fight.
So use the DSS to scan the ice ring of your choice, then drop in a void opal hot spot of your choice, ignore whatever pirate might be there - that is boost 50-100km from your drop point. Fill up, then find a station that is paying 1.6mills per ton of VO and be rich.

 

[CooterCrickets87]

I guess a mining laser is not needed if I have an abrasion blaster equipped?

 

[Speedcuffs]

I guess a mining laser is not needed if I have an abrasion blaster equipped?

Nah, don't need it.
Try two abrasion blasters. Works for me.

 

[Northpin]

for deep core you dont use the mining laser, that one is used only for normal laser mining.
You use a the Pulse Wave to spot the really yellow bright asteroids,
send a prospector,
if it has Void Opals use Seismic Charge launcher to put charges in cracks until you get the Optimal Yield.
After Boom you send collectors to get the floating VO fragments and use the Abrasion Blaster to peel off the VO deposits from the surface of the cracked asteroid