Why I can never quite get into Elite...

[MartialDoctor]

So, I've played Elite Dangerous off and on for a short amount of time... not even 100 hours. I've come back to it about three times over the last six years but always stop after a short time. The reason is always the same... I don't find the game dangerous, or even challenging, most of the time.

I really love the idea behind this game and I'd really like to get into a detailed space simulator. I've tried Star Citizen before but I lost interest just due to the fact that is a bug-filled incomplete, although very beautiful and detailed, mess. I'd really like to get into a detailed space simulator that I can explore and be a part of.

However, I am the type of person who really craves a good challenge. From my experience, and from what I have seen online, although very detailed, ED seems very geared towards the casual crowd. Not casual in terms of play time but in terms of challenge. When I see groups doing PvE, it's so easy that they are just chatting happily while barely taking damage. I have even watched quite a few battles against the Thargoids... I have yet to see a group get destroyed, or even lose a single ship, during these fights. I have also read threads on this forum that say, more or less, the same thing - the game is, if anything, too easy.

I would want to be involved in difficult quests and battles. Ones where getting blown up is a very real possibility. Ones that are high risk and high reward. Ones that make you really have to work for it. From my limited experience, I really haven't see anything of this caliber in ED.

I'm writing this to see if me giving this another try is even worth my time. If so, what sort of aspects of the game should I be getting into that really have such a challenge (no spoilers please, though). I'm sure that PvP would be challenging but, from my understanding, you need to have a highly engineered ship to get into that and that will take quite some time to achieve.

Thanks in advance for any feedback.

 

[Rat Catcher]

There really is very little real challenge in ED. It is what it is, 'safe' for the explorers, essentially.

If you really wish to be 'challenged' take a trip to San Tu and join in with the PvP group there, that should be quite satisfying! (they are a great bunch, I hear, so should welcome you warmly)

 

[WeComeInPeace]

ED can be as dangerous as you want. For starters, buy a cargo hold and a ton of gold. Then just fly around until you (quickly) get interdicted by a pirate, and take it from there. If that is too easy, take a wing assassination mission, or just go to a Compromised Nav Beacon and shoot at as many wanted ships as you think you can handle simultaniously. The wing missions are hard to do on your own, but not impossible, and they pay pretty well. The only thing is that unless you really have rare talents, you'll need to practice and engineer before you will survive one of those missions.

Good luck

 

[HappyMoonMonkey]

Stay in open and stick to busy areas. Make your base Ray Gateway in Diaguandri or, once you're elite, Jameson Memorial in Shinrarta Dezra. Run CGs in open.

 

[Vingtetun]

The new "defend stuff at a settlement" missions are REALLY challenging.
Xeno-combat. That's as difficult as you want it
Covert missions are challenging - require good focus
High combat zones in a smaller ship are a riot!

 

[Navigare Necesse Est]

Try raising your combat rank and then go to the combat zones in your vanilla ships. I find the bullet sponges extremely challenging for my mental patience. Another challenge is to visit places and time and time again don't get the drops you'd expect because some dice roll decides so. Perfect challenge to your time budget you spend on entertainment. I could never solve it (because I didn't use any cheese).

 

[Northpin]

However, I am the type of person who really craves a good challenge. From my experience, and from what I have seen online, although very detailed, ED seems very geared towards the casual crowd. Not casual in terms of play time but in terms of challenge. When I see groups doing PvE, it's so easy that they are just chatting happily while barely taking damage. I have even watched quite a few battles against the Thargoids... I have yet to see a group get destroyed, or even lose a single ship, during these fights. I have also read threads on this forum that say, more or less, the same thing - the game is, if anything, too easy.

Let me get this clear... you played less than 100h and you watched some videos and you jumped to the conclusion that ED is too easy and pose no challenge?

Well... meme time

 

[Bottom Hat]

I read your name as "marital doctor" which seemed ironic, so I'm pleased I was wrong.

As for the rest, see above. For 100h, you have only just got your left hand on the belt buckle, and are yet to get a grip on the beautiful nuggets inside.

 

[HappyMoonMonkey]

I'll be honest, I experience terror in this game plenty of times. The difficulty level is what you make it. The challenge is often what stakes are you playing for? It's very easy to take on hoards of low level NPCs if you have spent a huge amout of time and effort building a good combat vette. Quite another thing to do it in an unengineered eagle.

The Xeno streams with loads of players taking in the Thargoids are fairly casual because they have strength in numbers and know what they are doing. Take a Thargoid on solo and you'll soon find life dangerous!

Similarly, trading in solo will make you rich for low risk but if you want danger then CGs in open are a thrilling challenge of ganker/pirate avoidance.

Elite is a sandbox at the end of the day and you can either amass wealth in a low challenge way (read: boring) or you can do it the hard way. It's just difficult to see where that difficulty level button is.

 

[Muzz UK]

The eh learning curve is quite steep but aside from Conflict Zones and Thargoid combat no there isn't really any challenging difficulty. I think the average age of the player base is over 30 due to a large number of playings being vets of the 80s and 90s games. Ground conflict zones are frankly dull and too easy so I stick to ship stuff. PvP is very challenging but locked behind the engineering grind wall.

I don't necessarily think the games aimed at being hard though it's a space simulation game with combat and exploration mechanics.

I'd love to see someway for human players to holo into space and ground conflicts that contain other players.

 

[Rat Catcher]

Let me get this clear... you played less than 100h and you watched some videos and you jumped to the conclusion that ED is too easy and pose no challenge?

Well... meme time

Be nice... If one is a 'hardcore gamer' and only playing PvE, then there is no apparent challenge... It took me nearly 100 hours of play to get my HOTAS set up satisfactorily, so I must be rubbish...

 

[xzanfr]

Thanks in advance for any feedback.

Unfortunately it all got dumbed down over the years to appease wingers who want everything now.
If you want a challenge in PvE you'll need to handicap yourself (much like in golf)

for example:

• limit yourself to a specific ship
• opt for non engineered modules only
• support only a specific faction or power
• trade only in illegal items
• play as ironman

I'm sure there are multiple ways that other CMDR's have found too.

 

[HappyMoonMonkey]

play as ironman

I'm intrigued. What does this entail?

 

[Quantis Trap]

So, I've played Elite Dangerous off and on for a short amount of time... not even 100 hours.

Wish I could say that!

I've tried Star Citizen before but I lost interest just due to the fact that is a bug-filled ...

It is that indeed, but much less so in the last few months I think. I've been enjoying it.

I'm writing this to see if me giving this (ED) another try is even worth my time.

I'm really sad to say my opinion is not right now.

 

[xzanfr]

I'm intrigued. What does this entail?

It's resetting your account if you die in game.
Not specifically making things more difficult during play but adds a bit of jeopardy.

 

[HappyMoonMonkey]

Wish I could say that!


It is that indeed, but much less so in the last few months I think. I've been enjoying it.


I'm really sad to say that I think the answer is no.

So you spent more hours in the game and at what point did you reach the decision it was a waste of your time?

 

[HRDiagram]

One of the first aspects I've learned about this game, is that there is no hand holding
Most of the mechanics themselves are not challenging on their own, but there are a number of ways to tackle the various situations.
You won't find many things that are hard or easy per se, just ways to approach the problems from different angles.

One challenge you can undertake from the very start is flying with Flight Assist Off and become proficient with it. Spoiler: it is bloody hard, even with the starter Sidewinder.

At the other end of the spectrum is fighting Tharoid Interceptors which are quite hard to learn. Once you get the basics, you can make the fight as easy or as hard as you want, based on the Interceptor variant (there a 4 of them, each one harder than the last one), whether you want to solo them or fight in group, and what ship/weapons you want to use.

In order to fight Thargoids you would need some degree of engineering on the ships, however.

 

[CMDR Jago Kain]

I'm intrigued. What does this entail?

No rebuys. When you die, you die. Wipe your commander and start again.

 

[babelfisch]

The game is as hard as you want it to be. If you fly the biggest ship in game, fully engineered and designed for combat, only PvP will be a challenge.

If you are in a stock ship a conflict zone should already be quite a challenge.

 

[myothershipisacobraiv]

Maybe u should try to do that stuff yourself? I'm assuming you can take a big thargoid all on your onesie? Soloing Void Rangers all day long? I think you should take a trip to Deciat or Shinrarta (u can go to Shinrarta right?) in Open and say something like "Hi! Lovely day not to be a fellow with personal issues!"