Newcomer / Intro To buy or not to buy?

[Harrier_1961]

Hi everyone, 58yo 'new starter' here fresh from NMS. I'm only a few hours in but I'm totally impressed by the Elite Dangerous game (despite its fiendish complexity) and have already treat myself to the Horizons expansion option.
I'm doing the 'anti-social' mode until I can get used to the various basic requirements regarding ship control etc and am wondering what a good plan may be looking a bit further forward. I'm now in a position where I can afford to splash out on a slightly better ship with a view to going out on long explorations to scan new systems and sell on the data to earn more cash. Do I splash out on the better ship to make life a bit easier or should I keep the existing ship I began with and just use that to get more credits in the bank first? My total credits are only about 500k at this point so buying a decent ship will make quite a hole in this. That's assuming that I can find a better ship somewhere of course!

Thanks everyone.

Dave.

 

[ethelred]

It's more the modules you fit to your ship, than the ship itself, Dave.

A good explorer ship needs the best (A Rated) jump drive and fuel scoop you can afford, together with a detailed surface scanner to maximise profits.

The Hauler is a great cheap explorer able to go around 30 ly per jump unengineered, and if you go solo you won't need shields etc.

Let us know what builds you were thinking of or ask for suggestions.

Fly safe!

 

[Harrier_1961]

It's more the modules you fit to your ship, than the ship itself, Dave.

A good explorer ship needs the best (A Rated) jump drive and fuel scoop you can afford, together with a detailed surface scanner to maximise profits.

The Hauler is a great cheap explorer able to go around 30 ly per jump unengineered, and if you go solo you won't need shields etc.

Let us know what builds you were thinking of or ask for suggestions.

Fly safe!

Will do, thanks for your help ethelred.

 

[ethelred]

Here's a hauler build with SRV and an auto repair unit thing:-

Coriolis EDCD Edition

A ship builder, outfitting and comparison tool for Elite Dangerous

s.orbis.zone

Have a play and just shout if you want some help.

 

[alexzk]

Hi everyone, 58yo 'new starter' here fresh from NMS. I'm only a few hours in but I'm totally impressed by the Elite Dangerous game (despite its fiendish complexity) and have already treat myself to the Horizons expansion option.
I'm doing the 'anti-social' mode until I can get used to the various basic requirements regarding ship control etc and am wondering what a good plan may be looking a bit further forward. I'm now in a position where I can afford to splash out on a slightly better ship with a view to going out on long explorations to scan new systems and sell on the data to earn more cash. Do I splash out on the better ship to make life a bit easier or should I keep the existing ship I began with and just use that to get more credits in the bank first? My total credits are only about 500k at this point so buying a decent ship will make quite a hole in this. That's assuming that I can find a better ship somewhere of course!

Thanks everyone.

Dave.

For exploration you need next things:
1. Jump range ...more you have - faster you move + don't get stuck somewhere.
2. Weight - less weight = less damage resist AND longer jump range. You will meet 0 enemies in Void. So everything should be lightest except drive/power source, which is D grade.
3. Power Plant->go for weight again. 3A is lighter then 4A, 4D is lighter then 4A. You need to equip such minimal weight module when you can do each task, but not all at once. For example car eats about same energy as thrusters. But you will never use them both at once. So you can turn off 1 on right panel and save some power. That will allow to use smaller power plant.
4. Fuel scoop - A grade, best size you can afford.
5. If you still have slots A grade AMFU. Those have 0 weight so u can take all slots of them actually and keep it power off until needed (as they're hungry too). Allows to repair damaged modules.
6. Surface scanner! - a must.
7. Shield ...if you're going ever come close to planet, u need some lowest grade which can work. Too small shield will not work just.
8. SRV hangar - just a car for a planet.
Later you will need to engineer it (i.e. personal upgrade of each modules, may add some extra features).

 

[Harrier_1961]

Thanks again, I'll start saving up!

 

[Harrier_1961]

Thanks very much Alexzk.

Plenty to keep me going there.

 

[alexzk]

Thanks again, I'll start saving up!

Simplest method, get smallest ship with 1 laser (and fuel scoop, so u don't stuck in void). Go to "resource extraction site". Basically any except hazardous. Those are located in planetary rings. And get in target any guy whom police shooting, it must appear on left-bottom "wanted" once u see that - start shooting him a little to help police. It can be 10000 - 500000 per assist kill. You can cash out those in nearest base at "contacts" tab. Preffer to use big bases, as small may have no contacts.
Important - u need to scratch his hull, shield dmg is not counted as assist.

 

[SlickPBW]

Sidewinder-> Cobra III -> Asp X -> Python.

don’t be in a rush. Follow this progression. Don’t sell old ships. Python does everything pretty well. From there you will have enough experience to know what you like and where to go.

Rule #1: Never fly without rebuy. Ever.

Welcome to the game CMDR!

 

[aRJay]

A useful rule of thumb when buying a new ship is to have at least 3 times the purchase price available in credits before you buy as this will leave you with money to start on buying decent modules for it.

 

[Pixie40]

Here here! When I bought my Adder, I had enough credits for the adder and the best mods for a trader I have access to so far... And only had a thousand credits left even with selling my sidewinder and it's modules. Which meant I had to run a couple delivery missions in order to afford a decent cargo. Now I just have to decide what cargo I want, and where I'm taking it.

 

[Straha Yeagar]

For exploration you need next things:
1. Jump range ...more you have - faster you move + don't get stuck somewhere.
2. Weight - less weight = less damage resist AND longer jump range. You will meet 0 enemies in Void. So everything should be lightest except drive/power source, which is D grade.
3. Power Plant->go for weight again. 3A is lighter then 4A, 4D is lighter then 4A. You need to equip such minimal weight module when you can do each task, but not all at once. For example car eats about same energy as thrusters. But you will never use them both at once. So you can turn off 1 on right panel and save some power. That will allow to use smaller power plant.
4. Fuel scoop - A grade, best size you can afford.
5. If you still have slots A grade AMFU. Those have 0 weight so u can take all slots of them actually and keep it power off until needed (as they're hungry too). Allows to repair damaged modules.
6. Surface scanner! - a must.
7. Shield ...if you're going ever come close to planet, u need some lowest grade which can work. Too small shield will not work just.
8. SRV hangar - just a car for a planet.
Later you will need to engineer it (i.e. personal upgrade of each modules, may add some extra features).

Power plant is even simpler than that. Always go with one size down A rated. The 3a is superior in every way to a 4d. More power, lighter weight and much lower heat.

The nice thing about exploring in Elite Dangerous is that you can do it in any ship you want. Hell, Sidewinders have been all around the galaxy. The most important thing for your exploration ship is that you enjoy flying it.

As far as starting out, and getting a little cash to build up to a bigger and more functional exploration ship is to actually get a Hauler, and take a trip out to Sothis/Ceos and run some missions there. It is decent money, and it is also 30 jumps away so you can get a little taste of exploration on the way.

There will be a lot of advice regarding mining grind, and all kinds of other grinds, hundreds of hours doing crap to jump right to the perceived "best" ship, min/max ship builds, and that's fine if you want to go that route, but it is an easy road to burnout and hating the game.

 

[Deleted member 240115]

The best advice I can give anyone in the game is to focus on what it is you want to do.

Do you want to do combat? Go learn how to do that.
Mining? Focus on mining.
Explore the galaxy? Learn about exploration.

Here's a great guide to exploration: <https://edastro.com/exploration/> Helps explain a lot of the "why" behind ship part choices.

Also, don't get too hung up on jump range. Too many people focus on jump range at all costs, and end up with flimsy ships that can't handle a rough landing.
You want jump range, but you also want durability. At the high end, we're talking the difference of maybe 3-4 light years to double hull and shield strength.

As @Straha Yeagar said though, fly what you like. I know of one explorer in a 19 ly Vulture, and one out exploring in a Fer-De-Lance that has 18 ly jump range.

With respect to building up a nest egg to buy a better ship, I really don't care for grinding in any game.
That being said, I've looked far and wide for the easiest way to get new folks exploring, while also giving them an opportunity to learn how to fly.
If you fit the Sidewinder with A rated FSD and a decent fuel scoop, it's only 25 or so jumps to sothis.
Run missions in the starter zone until you get about a million credits, build your sidewinder like this <https://s.orbis.zone/8j27> and then truck over to sothis.

Just the scan data alone from the trip is usually enough to unlock Farseer, and you can build up a few million credits doing data courier missions between stations in Sothis and Ceos pretty easily.

After you get a few million saved up, you could easily build a decent Diamondback Explorer, Dolphin or Cobra to get your feet wet with engineering and exploration.
You can go pretty much anywhere in the galaxy with a well-built Dbx, Dolphin, or Cobra. Get some experience exploring, and start saving up for larger ship to explore in, if that suits your fancy.

If you wanted to save your cash, and aren't ready to dive into engineering just yet, a Hauler is dirt cheap and you can easily do a few "road to riches" exploration runs with one.
You can build this hauler for under two million, and the rebuy is less than 100k. Doesn't get much better for the price to performance ratio. <https://s.orbis.zone/8j2h>

Happy to help new explorers on their journey to the stars.

 

[SpaceTrash67]

Welcome aboard Cmdr!

You have few years on me - but I’m a long-time flight simmer who has been meandering (sometimes with purpose!) the ED galaxy for @ 2.5+ years...I still find I learn new things about gameplay! The level(s) of complexity- with no realistic way to mash it usefully into a singular “game guide” - means you have come to the right place!

More so that any game/sim I have personally played - is the level of community interactions needed to make sense of it all / lift the fog...

While the initial learning curve is pretty steep - YouTube is your friend...Start of with some lighthearted “10 Things that everyone should know about ED but doesn’t” by GhostGiraffe...I remember that helped me solve some simple mistakes (“The loop of shame” ) - and invariably YouTube will suggest dozens (100s!) of other YT content creators....

Step 2: Check the forums / Inara.cz for player groups - read their bio and I would say look for one with @ 30+ members to start / in your geographic timezone - as being able to chat with someone in real time - as you try to sort out some task or ship control - makes things less frustrating and you get wider perspectives...

I played a full year in solo mode - before signing on to a large expedition to the far side of the galaxy...That got me into a Discord (chat) channel - and I have never looked back...Even if exploring out on your own - you can constantly get ideas, info and inspiration from your fellow Cmdrs..

Rule 1: Don’t fly without a rebuy!
Rule 2: Have fun!
Rule 3: Goto rule 1

Cheers,

Dan

 

[Ashnak]

Hi everyone, 58yo 'new starter' here fresh from NMS. I'm only a few hours in but I'm totally impressed by the Elite Dangerous game (despite its fiendish complexity) and have already treat myself to the Horizons expansion option.
I'm doing the 'anti-social' mode until I can get used to the various basic requirements regarding ship control etc and am wondering what a good plan may be looking a bit further forward. I'm now in a position where I can afford to splash out on a slightly better ship with a view to going out on long explorations to scan new systems and sell on the data to earn more cash. Do I splash out on the better ship to make life a bit easier or should I keep the existing ship I began with and just use that to get more credits in the bank first? My total credits are only about 500k at this point so buying a decent ship will make quite a hole in this. That's assuming that I can find a better ship somewhere of course!

Thanks everyone.

Dave.

Depends on which ship you got - I would guess you're still in the starter Sidewinder. In that case - it can either be a cheap ship or a good ship, but not very much inbetween. A fully upgraded Sidey can easily run at 3...4 MCr. (still cheap compared to some other ships...), and it's not really much fun until you've unlocked a few engineers and can fit enhanced thrusters and an upgraded Frame Shift Drive (FSD).
If you want to do exploration (and leave the starter area), your 500k can get you a Hauler, a 2A FSD and a 3B fuel scoop. The actual fuel scooping will become a bit cozy in that loadout - keep in mind, though, that the ship doesn't take any real damage until your heat reaches 100%, despite the warnings, the klaxon, the smoke and the sparks. If you manage to scan a single (or two) Earth-like worlds (worth around 500k - 2MCr. apiece), you'll be able to buy a DSS (Detailed Surface Scanner, giving you more money from surface scans) and upgrade your Power Plant.

If you want to use external tools - there are multiple sites that will calculate a profitable trip, called Road To Riches - I use either EDTools or Spansh.

 

[Zincfinger]

Hi everyone, 58yo 'new starter' here fresh from NMS. I'm only a few hours in but I'm totally impressed by the Elite Dangerous game (despite its fiendish complexity) and have already treat myself to the Horizons expansion option.
I'm doing the 'anti-social' mode until I can get used to the various basic requirements regarding ship control etc and am wondering what a good plan may be looking a bit further forward. I'm now in a position where I can afford to splash out on a slightly better ship with a view to going out on long explorations to scan new systems and sell on the data to earn more cash. Do I splash out on the better ship to make life a bit easier or should I keep the existing ship I began with and just use that to get more credits in the bank first? My total credits are only about 500k at this point so buying a decent ship will make quite a hole in this. That's assuming that I can find a better ship somewhere of course!

Thanks everyone.

Dave.

You have some great advice here already, and welcome!

I've heeded a lot of forum advice here, and the Commanders here are good folk. I myself am already at the Asp-X spot on SlickPBW's suggestion list, for example, and it's a great ship to look forward to for yourself...

I would just add miscellaneous stuff:

• even small ships offer the opportunity to pack in a few tons of cargo for extra money, and using the galaxy map and Compare tools in markets are good skills to learn to aid your profits. Cargo can also reduce your jump range by appreciable amounts though...
• however, if youre exploring long-range and don't want interference even in Solo, carry no cargo [except perhaps limpets for mining or collecting, if such controllers are equipped], which do NOT attract pirates; any regular cargo can cause NPC pirates to come for you.
• specialize your ship and don't lament not being able to do all things in one vessel. In a shorter time than you expect, you'll be rich enough to afford a second ship to tailor for a second main pursuit.
• if you are interdicted by a pirate and have no cargo on you, DON'T FIRE on them: they will realize you have nothing and leave you alone.

Even a small ship explorer can give you incredible fun in this game.

 

[Mr T]

Don't be intimidated because of your age. You'll find there's a lot of older players on here (like me) amongst the youngins. The important thing first up is to learn how things operate, like the affect heat has on your ship. I'll never forget the first time I got too close to a sun and nearly blew up because of it.

If you want to know something, do a search on the forums or on youtube. I remember the light turning on in my mind when I understood module sizes and how you do outfitting.

If you can't find what you want to know ask the question, no matter how silly it may sound. There's lots of people here willing to assist.

 

[Harrier_1961]

Thanks everyone for being so helpful. Plenty for me to work on there now I'll report back with my current setup later on when I'm back flying so that you can take a look.

Thanks again.

Dave.

 

[Para Handy]

Hi everyone, 58yo 'new starter' here fresh from NMS. I'm only a few hours in but I'm totally impressed by the Elite Dangerous game (despite its fiendish complexity) and have already treat myself to the Horizons expansion option.
I'm doing the 'anti-social' mode until I can get used to the various basic requirements regarding ship control etc and am wondering what a good plan may be looking a bit further forward. .............

If you plan on staying in the starter zone / keeping your permit for there - then bear in mind that the modules available there are deliberately limited - so nothing better than a D rating really. You can fit-out a hauler with D rated equipment and go out of the zone exploring systems and return to sell your exploration data in the starter zone as long as you have not docked outside the permit systems. This is not terribly rewarding as you cannot buy a Detailed Surface Scanner (DSS) in the starter systems and you need a DSS to map planets and get the bigger payout for so doing. However, for about 110,000Cr you can take a 12Ly Hauler with a SRV and have a bit of a wander for fun and to get used to the FSS exploration tool.

If you have or are leaving the starter zone then ignore that, equip for a good jump, earn enough for a DSS, make loads of credits.

Mainly though - have fun.

 

[aRJay]

When you look at tips and how to videos etc check how old they are, the game has been changed over the years and while some of the advice is good the user interface and controls have changed in other cases the UI etc are still the same but the advice is now out of date.