For a while I was considering a career of a ganker at Beagle Point... But taking into account how long it took me just to get to the engineers with my "limited jump/limited fuel scoop" FDL build, I quickly dismissed the idea...
Which ship (under Cr40mil) for jack-of-all-trades exploring?
- Thread starter Piratescribe
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For a while I was considering a career of a ganker at Beagle Point... But taking into account how long it took me just to get to the engineers with my "limited jump/limited fuel scoop" FDL build, I quickly dismissed the idea...
oh wasnt aware of that, they patched the Cutter, too ?!
so do I, sorry Op.
LOL!! All good ^_^ I enjoy the inside baseballso do I, sorry Op.
Nope. The Cutter is still a fine ship.
Not exactly Explorer material, but still a good enough one.
Sure, all comments about her shield pool should be discarded
If you are gonna spend huge hours in deep space I have found player/cmdr comfort very important. The fully engineered ships (with double engineered FSD) I have tried for exploration are:
Locust - DBX, 74Ly
Cicada - AspX, 70Ly
Mothra - Orca, 69Ly
Dragonfly - Cutter, 46Ly
I dropped the phantom immediately because of the poor cockpit view. The canopy supports with internal lights on them annoyed me too much. Sounds minor, but gotta stare at them for hours upon hours.
I have found Orca to be my preferred ship for long term deep space.
- good jump range, nice unobstructed cockpit view, nice sounding engines, excellent scooping, ample internal space, overall comfort.
Locust - DBX, 74Ly
Cicada - AspX, 70Ly
Mothra - Orca, 69Ly
Dragonfly - Cutter, 46Ly
I dropped the phantom immediately because of the poor cockpit view. The canopy supports with internal lights on them annoyed me too much. Sounds minor, but gotta stare at them for hours upon hours.
I have found Orca to be my preferred ship for long term deep space.
- good jump range, nice unobstructed cockpit view, nice sounding engines, excellent scooping, ample internal space, overall comfort.
I think I may keep the Phantom idea in my backpocket for a long-distance bounty hunting ship... hybrid explore and some PvE.
Re: the Orca... oh man, I wish I'd looked at it closer. I was reading elsewhere that it wasn't near as good for exploration as the Dolphin, so I went Dolphin as my (mostly) dedicated deep black explorer.
Well, I may be able to save up again and try Orca
The Orca definitely jumps further than the Dolphin (a bit less than the AspX), and perhaps has a better canopy view. But I think the dolphin is a better explorer in other ways -- cheaper, more maneuverable, and a much better heat profile.
A fully kitted out Orca will definitely run for more than 40 million. The ship itself is 47 million, the top of the line scoop for it is another 28 million, etc.
Has a great engine sound, though!
A fully kitted out Orca will definitely run for more than 40 million. The ship itself is 47 million, the top of the line scoop for it is another 28 million, etc.
Has a great engine sound, though!
My Exploration Orca is 86.9 million. Similar price to my mothballed Phantom exploration ship.
Major Orca drawback - it doesn't look super cool, and the name 'Orca' doesn't do much to sell it either. Not great paint jobs available. Not great for screenshots. Its the 1970s station wagon redesigned for space travel.
Major Orca drawback - it doesn't look super cool, and the name 'Orca' doesn't do much to sell it either. Not great paint jobs available. Not great for screenshots. Its the 1970s station wagon redesigned for space travel.
Here is my Open Play AspX: https://s.orbis.zone/d7xd
At 55M it is above your budget but that could easily be remedied via going with a 6B Fuel Scoop.
This ship also is easily tough enough to escape from fully engineered PvP Gank ships (I've done it).
At 55M it is above your budget but that could easily be remedied via going with a 6B Fuel Scoop.
This ship also is easily tough enough to escape from fully engineered PvP Gank ships (I've done it).
A decent Explorer that’s capable in a fight? Just screams Krait Phantom to me.
Personally, my explorer is the AspX, because I’m old skool, I don’t generally explore in open, and the view is the best. For me, exploration is about taking in the sites, and there’s nothing else that offers anywhere near the panoramic views that the AspX provides. But it’s quite weak if someone wants to ruin your day.
My bubble taxi is a Krait Phantom, it’s pretty solid and can certainly handle itself if called upon, or at least get out of dodge. I taxi around in my Phantom in open, and actually look forward to interdictions. It’s a very capable explorer, but the obscured view grates on me too much to explore in it - it’s like being sat in an old football stadium behind a supporting pillar. If you’re ok with that though, it’s a terrific ship which suits your requirements perfectly!
DBX is good because it’s smaller than the others which means it can land right where you want it to land, and so it’s better for planet side work. Sometimes the AspX and Phantom can struggle to find a spot where the DBX can just land without issues. It also runs very cool. However, the smaller fuel scoop rules it out as an explorer for me, as it just takes too long to load up on fuel. All that wasted time adds up. I think it’s better suited to material gathering and guardian ruins, that sort of thing.
There’s certainly 3 credible choices there and each has its strengths and weaknesses, so pick whichever one better suits your own requirements.
Can’t comment on the dolphin / orca as never owned them
Personally, my explorer is the AspX, because I’m old skool, I don’t generally explore in open, and the view is the best. For me, exploration is about taking in the sites, and there’s nothing else that offers anywhere near the panoramic views that the AspX provides. But it’s quite weak if someone wants to ruin your day.
My bubble taxi is a Krait Phantom, it’s pretty solid and can certainly handle itself if called upon, or at least get out of dodge. I taxi around in my Phantom in open, and actually look forward to interdictions. It’s a very capable explorer, but the obscured view grates on me too much to explore in it - it’s like being sat in an old football stadium behind a supporting pillar. If you’re ok with that though, it’s a terrific ship which suits your requirements perfectly!
DBX is good because it’s smaller than the others which means it can land right where you want it to land, and so it’s better for planet side work. Sometimes the AspX and Phantom can struggle to find a spot where the DBX can just land without issues. It also runs very cool. However, the smaller fuel scoop rules it out as an explorer for me, as it just takes too long to load up on fuel. All that wasted time adds up. I think it’s better suited to material gathering and guardian ruins, that sort of thing.
There’s certainly 3 credible choices there and each has its strengths and weaknesses, so pick whichever one better suits your own requirements.
Can’t comment on the dolphin / orca as never owned them
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Let them write elsewhere what they want, I always take the OrcaRe: the Orca... oh man, I wish I'd looked at it closer. I was reading elsewhere that it wasn't near as good for exploration as the Dolphin, so I went Dolphin as my (mostly) dedicated deep black explorer.
Well, I may be able to save up again and try Orca
Coriolis EDCD Edition
A ship builder, outfitting and comparison tool for Elite Dangerous
s.orbis.zone
The following, while harsh, is meant to be Constructive criticism. I looked at your build, and I have to say, no offense intended, you bought the worst of all worlds.
A Dolphin is never going to be an effective combatant against Combat-centric players because their ships Are optimized for combat. As was pointed out in this thread, you aren't going to encounter many folks in the Deep that want to shoot first and ask questions never.
If you play in Open, those folks are most likely to be at the Engineers, Community Goals, or possibly at the Guardian sites.
While you are not currently going to areas of stellar scarcity, meaning places where jump range is Required to get to, you are robbing yourself of significant range by trying to outfit for combat AND exploration. That will have an impact if you are crossing between galactic arms by limiting routes.
For an Explorer, the Passenger cabin will serve no purpose and it takes up your most important slot. If you are thinking in terms of missions, rescue, etc, remember that you can only be in one place at a time, and, when you come back to "civilization", you can either refit or buy another ship to devote to that purpose.
A 5A Fuel Scoop requires 27 seconds to completely refuel the ship, whereas the 3A you currently have fitted requires 90 seconds. Over the course of a game session, you will devote considerably more time to refueling with your current load out. You may not have a need to orbit out to cool down, but that is still a lot of time not doing other things.
TLDR; Stop trying to make a Do Everything (poorly) explorer and focus on Exploration.
A Dolphin is never going to be an effective combatant against Combat-centric players because their ships Are optimized for combat. As was pointed out in this thread, you aren't going to encounter many folks in the Deep that want to shoot first and ask questions never.
If you play in Open, those folks are most likely to be at the Engineers, Community Goals, or possibly at the Guardian sites.
While you are not currently going to areas of stellar scarcity, meaning places where jump range is Required to get to, you are robbing yourself of significant range by trying to outfit for combat AND exploration. That will have an impact if you are crossing between galactic arms by limiting routes.
For an Explorer, the Passenger cabin will serve no purpose and it takes up your most important slot. If you are thinking in terms of missions, rescue, etc, remember that you can only be in one place at a time, and, when you come back to "civilization", you can either refit or buy another ship to devote to that purpose.
A 5A Fuel Scoop requires 27 seconds to completely refuel the ship, whereas the 3A you currently have fitted requires 90 seconds. Over the course of a game session, you will devote considerably more time to refueling with your current load out. You may not have a need to orbit out to cool down, but that is still a lot of time not doing other things.
TLDR; Stop trying to make a Do Everything (poorly) explorer and focus on Exploration.
I will never ever be offended by constructive criticism that is meant in the spirit of helping, especially when accompanied with explanations as to WHY the criticism!!
I'm a newbie. And exactly the very reason I post questions here is so that I CAN get feedback and advice from experienced and knowledgeable players!!
So, advice received, noted, absorbed, and taken!
Although I do want to argue one and only one point: I like having the passenger option while exploring. Looking at some of the missions offered, they're taking me places I'd never think of going on my own! Seeing interesting sights I didn't know of. The idea of mapping and charting my way to mission-driven locations is really interesting to me! If not for the game mechanics, then at least for the RP of it. So I'll absolutely take all the other advice! But I think I'm keeping the passenger cabin and accepting the downsides to it, at least understanding the downsides to it
Cheers!!
Glad to hear it, and it made me smile. Please, never stop asking questions. The stupid question is the one not asked.
Understood, but I would point out that, in game parlance, Exploring and Mission Running are usually considered two different things.Although I do want to argue one and only one point: I like having the passenger option while exploring. Looking at some of the missions offered, they're taking me places I'd never think of going on my own! Seeing interesting sights I didn't know of. The idea of mapping and charting my way to mission-driven locations is really interesting to me! If not for the game mechanics, then at least for the RP of it. So I'll absolutely take all the other advice! But I think I'm keeping the passenger cabin and accepting the downsides to it, at least understanding the downsides to it
Cheers!!
That is not a criticism, just an observation.
In spite of how dedicated the community often seems, this IS a game, and the first, most important, point is to enjoy yourself. If you are succeeding there, Bravo Zulu, Commander!
actually, i ran some interesting passenger missions closer to the bubble some year(s) ago... like that one going to a high G world, or carbon star close, going to La Superba. And for others i simply noted the systems which sounded interesting . i only explore on the way somewhere. for exampel i visited all real galaxy hypergiants in game. i wouldn't mind taking passengers, but on the other hand, i dislike exploring on a schedule (same reason, why group exploration generally isn't for me)
Cool cool, understood. I admit that my wanting to combining Passengers and Exploring is predominately a RP, flavor, desire of mine. I in principle totally agree with keeping separate aspects separate! So I totally believe everything you say and acknowledge the downsides to mixing these two things ... I just wanna do eet ^_^
Thank you for all the feedback!! o7
(had to actually google what "o7" meant LOL I felt like the apocryphal meme grandma who was using "LOL" as "lots of love" to emails necessitating solemn responses!)
https://s.orbis.zone/d90d
If jump range is not that important to you, and you want to be able to do EVERYTHING, this link above is my armed xplorer. Not only can it do anything exploration wise, but it is more than capable of combat (even PvP) both defensively/offensively. Those shields and hull aren't going to beat a true meta PvP ship, but...out there in the black you're never going to meet a dedicated pure pvp combat ship. At best you'll find other hybrid ships, and this will more than be sufficient to fight those (or escape if you choose to do so).
If jump range is not that important to you, and you want to be able to do EVERYTHING, this link above is my armed xplorer. Not only can it do anything exploration wise, but it is more than capable of combat (even PvP) both defensively/offensively. Those shields and hull aren't going to beat a true meta PvP ship, but...out there in the black you're never going to meet a dedicated pure pvp combat ship. At best you'll find other hybrid ships, and this will more than be sufficient to fight those (or escape if you choose to do so).
Also almost 8 times the OP's 40 MCr budget (the base hull is 42 MCr), Engineered to a fair-thee-well when the OP is a new player, and carrying Power Play weapons that require a month's devotion.
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Oh, to be fair, 40m or less was just the ship itself, not including any mods. And there was wiggle-room there. I actually had like Cr65m to use ... I just wanted to give a general upper limit and make sure I have enough after for a couple rebuys