As an explorer, why should I get a Fleet Carrier?

SixthVG

SixthVG
So, I'm back in the bubble doing some mining grind because I want to get a Fleet Carrier to take out in the black. I was doing my research on them today and found out they DON'T have a place to sell your data too? That was 90% the reason I wanted one so I could make money and sell data far out in the black.

So now I'm pretty bummed out. So my question is, as an explorer, why do you use a Fleet Carrier out in the black? Maybe there's a reason I'm missing here.

Can you plot a route and go offline?

How would you make money to manage the upkeep of the FC? I'm by no means rich in Elite, so I'd have to be able to make money out there.

Thanks!
 

Chrystoph

Chrystoph
They don't Come with one, but you can add one.

Additionally, the 500 LY jump range beats even a min/max Anaconda.
 

Gwyther

Gwyther
You can buy the UC 'module' that allows you to sell UC mapping data, but the carrier takes a percentage.

No doubt someone who already owns a FC will explain it better.
 

varonica

varonica
SixthVG said:

Remlok Industries » The Fleet Carrier Guide – Elite: Dangerous

remlok-industries.fr remlok-industries.fr

I just don't see anything here about adding a module to sell data at?
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That's a well outdated FAQ, most of it is incorrect and it doesn't include everything in a modern FC!

  • For a Fleet Carrier to jump, it will need one hour preparation for the crew to ready.
  • Once the jump is over, it will need one hour to cooldown the FC.
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25 minutes to jump, 5 minutes to cooldown.

You can add a Universal Carotgraphic office as an extra module. The efficiency of Tritium has also changed since that was released with a much longer range for what you can carry.

Try this one:

 
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Pohjantähti

P
Not sure if it's worth it from the exploration point since you'd have to stop to mine or acquire Tritium for fuel every now and then. Sag A and Beagle Point usually some carriers in them where you can land and do your maintenance.
 

3navis

3navis
  • whether data can be sold with the UC
  • The tank must be filled before leaving (10000t / 500M Cr aprox.)
  • usually the FC is used as the base for following your path.
  • mining vessels must be brought in to recharge Tritium (break from routine)
  • Allows to reach unreachable areas (Lemon nebula). New gameplay
  • new game in search of gold (rings with overlaps)
  • allow the ship's to be repaired (including hull)
  • if you make a mistake, you reappear in the FC
  • allow you to jump between the arms of the galaxy / jump no permit zones
  • you can switch to other ships not normally used in exploration.
  • facilitates collaborative play in exploration (meeting point)
  • allows other ships to be carried for contingencies (Combat, Thargoids, Miner, Guardians,...)
  • and more.
 

SixthVG

SixthVG
Thanks all, I didn't realize the guide I was reading was outdated! Seems an FC is a must-have for any explorer who likes to stay out in the black. Gonna grind up to around 7 billion credits and get suited up!
 

Factabulous

Factabulous
SixthVG said:
Thanks all, I didn't realize the guide I was reading was outdated! Seems an FC is a must-have for any explorer who likes to stay out in the black. Gonna grind up to around 7 billion credits and get suited up!
Click to expand...
No it's not. Not many bother dragging one around because of the fuel costs and time spent mining. There are carriers offering services across the galaxy, like the DSSA, so you're never far away from one of you need it.

Some do take out FC, but it's not very common AFAIK
 

varonica

varonica
Factabulous said:
No it's not. Not many bother dragging one around because of the fuel costs and time spent mining. There are carriers offering services across the galaxy, like the DSSA, so you're never far away from one of you need it.

Some do take out FC, but it's not very common AFAIK
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Yes there are exploration reasons for having one, such as the current project I am on cataloging all the HIP stars that have been included by FDEV int he galaxy map, many are unreachable by anything other than a carrier. Whether you have a good reason to have one is purely personal though, just the advantage of not appearing 20kly away when you get destroyed is a big one of course, but then you could always dock at the closest DSSA carrier before going to remote areas.
 

SixthVG

SixthVG
Factabulous said:
No it's not. Not many bother dragging one around because of the fuel costs and time spent mining. There are carriers offering services across the galaxy, like the DSSA, so you're never far away from one of you need it.

Some do take out FC, but it's not very common AFAIK
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Well for me, personally, I want one so I don't have to come back in the bubble for quite some time! And the mining for fuel sounds fun to me as I could take a break from scanning and exploring star systems.
 

Factabulous

Factabulous
SixthVG said:
Well for me, personally, I want one so I don't have to come back in the bubble for quite some time! And the mining for fuel sounds fun to me as I could take a break from scanning and exploring star systems.
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Sounds like you are aware of the downsides so go for it. There are a few who then come back expressing their outrage at running out of fuel and begin stuck in the middle of nowhere, YMMV :)
 

Rudi Raumkraut

Rudi Raumkraut
I couldnt think of exploring without one anymore, especially the journeys to the "area of interest" are much less tedious.
I can decide to stay on the carrier, or fly the 500Ly with my exploration ship myself and rendevouz with it again...
If it happens that I got distracted and sidetracked... carrier will come and fetch me.... and so on :)

What you have to consider is that it gobbles a lot of money ;)
Depending on the services you activate its 10-25 millions upkeep a week,
a jump over 500Ly with a fully laden carrier is ~130t Tritium; empty its still - not quite sure - sth around 80t ?!
...And 1t of Tritium is ~50.000cr :)

still, if I remember correctly you can decomission a carrier wherever you want to, dont have to be in an admin system?!
so even if its not yours to drag one around, you just lose a part (20% !?) of the money trying :)
 

Chrystoph

Chrystoph
SixthVG said:

Remlok Industries » The Fleet Carrier Guide – Elite: Dangerous

remlok-industries.fr remlok-industries.fr

I just don't see anything here about adding a module to sell data at?
Click to expand...
elite-dangerous.fandom.com

Drake-Class Carrier

Fleet carriers are massive ships fitted with multiple hangar bays, functioning as a mobile base of operations. Services offered by a fleet carrier can be fully customised by the fleet carrier's owner; this includes the traded commodity types, available outfitting modules and the contents of a...
elite-dangerous.fandom.com elite-dangerous.fandom.com
 

Codger

Codger
I've enjoyed my exploration trips in the carrier. I've been all the way to Sag A* in it, and done quite a bit of meandering and exploring.

I financed the trips by mining, mostly, using that money to stock up on Tritium so that I wouldn't have to worry too much about finding it out in the black. You can go a very long way on a full cargo hold of Tritium. For my needs I put 14,000 T in there and went out for weeks.

One great part about it was the instant gratification of selling my data right there, and seeing my First Discovered and First Mapped tags show up on everything.

I also just really enjoyed returning to the carrier each day after exploring in my normal ship. Seeing that big carrier waiting for me always made me feel good, for some reason.

Being able to mine in the black was fun too, and I could just store the ore in my carrier to be sold when I returned. It worked out well, and I was able to make enough on the trip to finance the next trip!

FC Exploration has a different rhythm to it, more slow-paced and thoughtful. I'd move around until I found a nice spot where no-one had been before, and I'd explore a little bubble around my FC. Once I was tired of that spot, I'd move on.

Not everyone enjoys dragging that big old FC around out there, but I like it.
 

Agony_Aunt

Agony_Aunt
Its pretty nice exploring in your Fleet Carrier. You can go where nobody has gone before (except cheaters.... interesting to see how many systems hundreds of LY from their nearest neighbour are already tagged by cheaters... and quite frustrating).

Plus no need to try and kit a single ship out for all the activities you want to do while exploring. You can take your big jumper, your SRV carrier, your SLF ship, your canyon racer, and all be different ships.

And with the UC module, never worry again about returning the bubble with loads of data and risking it.

Just be sure to stock up on plenty of tritium, because mining tritium in huge quantities is a pain.
 

Aeorath

Aeorath
Agony_Aunt said:
Its pretty nice exploring in your Fleet Carrier. You can go where nobody has gone before (except cheaters.... interesting to see how many systems hundreds of LY from their nearest neighbour are already tagged by cheaters... and quite frustrating).

Plus no need to try and kit a single ship out for all the activities you want to do while exploring. You can take your big jumper, your SRV carrier, your SLF ship, your canyon racer, and all be different ships.

And with the UC module, never worry again about returning the bubble with loads of data and risking it.

Just be sure to stock up on plenty of tritium, because mining tritium in huge quantities is a pain.
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Quick question about the UC on your own FC; do you still get the penalty for selling map data to a UC on a FC? Or if it's yours that doesn't apply?
 

jacob99

J
I've found mine to be a good purchase for exploration. On top of the abiliy to sell data, repair your ship and restock your ships and SRVs, I find being able to change the ship you use for exploration a big benefit of fleet carriers. Whereas previously explorers were stuck with a single ship for months at a time, now we can swap and change the ship we use depending on the tast or how we feel on the day. Also, the jump range comes in handy when exploring hard to reach areas of the galaxy and if you're lucky you might come across a system which can only be reached with the 500ly range of a fleet carrier as well as reducing the risk of becoming stuck in such a system (unless you run out of Tritium fuel of course, so be careful with that).

As mentioned, keeping the carrier fueled can be an issue as mining is often a long and boring process. However, I've found this to be a non-issue really. If you buy enough Tritium to fully fuel up the carrier then that should see you through for some long journeys (I think I read that the range was around 180,000 light years since the last updates to Tritium efficiency, but I can't find a source for it) and also there are usually other carriers out in the black selling Tritium from time to time so by using tools such as EDDB you should be able to find somewhere to refuel your carrier and keep it going without mining or returning to the Bubble. Of course, if you like mining, then it's even more of a non-issue and you don't need to worry too much about the fuel situation.
 

jacob99

J
Aeorath said:
Quick question about the UC on your own FC; do you still get the penalty for selling map data to a UC on a FC? Or if it's yours that doesn't apply?
Click to expand...

You do still get the penalty, but if you're selling to your own carrier it's only 12.5% as opposed to the full 25%. This is because 12.5% of the 25% fee goes to the carrier owner, so if you're selling at your own carrier that money will land in your carrier's bank and can be transferred back out again to yourself.
 
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