A question for Elite Rank exploerers our there....
- Thread starter Thargor
- Start date
Ok first thing is an admission that I'm not an Elite ranked explorer. I'm only ranked Ranger (with 81% to next rank). According to the stats I've visited 5093 systems. The thing is the rank depends more on what you've earned through exploration than how many systems visited. This means that there are a lot of variables. Someone using only a basic or intermediate discovery scanner is likely to have to visit many more systems than someone with an advanced discovery scanner. Scanning celestial bodies with a detailed surface scanner also adds to your earnings. The biggest factor is what systems you visit and what you find. The fastest way is to 'farm' the neutron fields as there is high pay out on scanning neutron stars and black holes and there are areas that players have discovered containing many systems with neutron stars and black holes.
It depends of how much of each system you're scanning, whether you're scanning high value targets like black holes and neutron stars deliberately, and just how lucky you are when it comes to finding systems with a lot of good worlds to scan. It took me around 3200 systems.
I seem to recall that all you need are 2500 or thereabouts Neutron Stars from zero to Elite.
You need roughly 1500 neutron stars and rank 5 with Li. Of course keep in mind that with Neutron stars you'll often find undiscovered ones, so +50% first discovery bonus, around 1000 of those.
I made from 0 to Elite in a week approx.
I made from 0 to Elite in a week approx.
It can vary a lot so you will see many diffrent numbers, I got to elite somwhere between 7000 and 7500 Systems. Altough some of my exploration was before the income increase so I'm not that good of an example to begin with.
I believe that it's (at least partially) based on the profits made from exploration. The consensus was that you need somewhere between 130mil and 150mil to get Elite. If I remember correctly, mine ticked over at just over 130mil, although it was a long while ago and I've dissolved those brain cells now 
I believe that it's (at least partially) based on the profits made from exploration. The consensus was that you need somewhere between 130mil and 150mil to get Elite. If I remember correctly, mine ticked over at just over 130mil, although it was a long while ago and I've dissolved those brain cells now
It's 161M for Elite. Exploration rank is PURELY based on profit from exploration.
Yep, it's nothing to do with number of systems explored - it's all about the money
http://elite-dangerous.wikia.com/wiki/Explorer
Not quite true for anybody that has Horizons, driving the SRV does also increase exploration rank (the further away from sol you do it the more it does) and so does finding a Material for the first time increase the rank (granted there are not that many and you can only find them for the first time once, so all in all that one does probably not count that much)
Well yes, but not everyone has horizon, the question was about systems and not planet, and profit from exploration is the safest way to check your rank progression. But you're right, it's not 100% money, more like 95%
I'm an Elite Explorer and wrote a guide in my sig below.
You need a Detailed Surface scanner and a Advanced Discovery scanner (best) then you have two choices....
Honk and Jump from one side of the galaxy to the other twice or....
Explore each system you jump to and scan the bodies you find... Values range greatly, some people fly to the neutron fields and just scan the neutron stars.
Scan values below, also add 50% BONUS For finding first... So you may just make 100,000 on one Water World!
Stars
Class O, B, A, F, G, K, M, L, T, Y 2,400 - 6,600 CR
Black Hole 38,000 - 50,000 CR
Neutron Star 36,000 - 38,000 CR
White Dwarf 22,600 CR
Wolf-Rayet Star (W) 3,000 - 6,600 CR
Carbon Star 2,400 CR
Protostar - (Herbig Ae/Be, T-Tauri) 2,400 - 3,000 CR
Planets & Moons
Belt Cluster, Planetary Ring 0
Gas Giant Class I 2,200 - 3,800 CR
Gas Giant Class II 7,500 - 12,300 CR
Gas Giant Class III 2,200 - 3,800 CR
Gas Giant Class IV 2,200 - 3,800 CR
Gas Giant Class V 2,200 - 3,800 CR
Rocky and/or Icy Planets 600 - 1,200 CR
High Metal Content Planets 4,100 - 8,500 CR
Terraformable Rocky Planets 30,000 - 31,000 CR
Terraformable High Metal Content Planets 30,000 - 45,000 CR
Terraformable High Metal Content Planets with NA[nb 2] 8,600 - 12,400 CR
Metal-Rich Planets 9,000 - 14,000 CR
Water World 18,000 - 36,000 CR
Terraformable Water World 27,000 - 65,000 CR
Ammonia World 33,000 - 35,000 CR
Earth-like World 54,000 - 62,000 CR
You need a Detailed Surface scanner and a Advanced Discovery scanner (best) then you have two choices....
Honk and Jump from one side of the galaxy to the other twice or....
Explore each system you jump to and scan the bodies you find... Values range greatly, some people fly to the neutron fields and just scan the neutron stars.
Scan values below, also add 50% BONUS For finding first... So you may just make 100,000 on one Water World!
Stars
Class O, B, A, F, G, K, M, L, T, Y 2,400 - 6,600 CR
Black Hole 38,000 - 50,000 CR
Neutron Star 36,000 - 38,000 CR
White Dwarf 22,600 CR
Wolf-Rayet Star (W) 3,000 - 6,600 CR
Carbon Star 2,400 CR
Protostar - (Herbig Ae/Be, T-Tauri) 2,400 - 3,000 CR
Planets & Moons
Belt Cluster, Planetary Ring 0
Gas Giant Class I 2,200 - 3,800 CR
Gas Giant Class II 7,500 - 12,300 CR
Gas Giant Class III 2,200 - 3,800 CR
Gas Giant Class IV 2,200 - 3,800 CR
Gas Giant Class V 2,200 - 3,800 CR
Rocky and/or Icy Planets 600 - 1,200 CR
High Metal Content Planets 4,100 - 8,500 CR
Terraformable Rocky Planets 30,000 - 31,000 CR
Terraformable High Metal Content Planets 30,000 - 45,000 CR
Terraformable High Metal Content Planets with NA[nb 2] 8,600 - 12,400 CR
Metal-Rich Planets 9,000 - 14,000 CR
Water World 18,000 - 36,000 CR
Terraformable Water World 27,000 - 65,000 CR
Ammonia World 33,000 - 35,000 CR
Earth-like World 54,000 - 62,000 CR
Not true any more (not certain if it was before). Finding Materials and SRV driving now contribute to your exploration rank.
Really?? How does that work? Credit per KM ?
The Exploration rank increases as you drive, its not an increase related to money. In Theory if you drive long enough you can get to elite in exploration without earning any money from system data.
Thanks all for your replies!
I realised it was based on money earned, but just wondered if there was a rough estimate of system visits needed to achieve said earnings.
As some have done it within 3k systems and others 7k, it obviously matters very little In the grand scheme of things lol
I've visited 5300 systems so far and have 7500ly until I get back to the bubble, so I should probably get ready to set of again when I get back ( and I swear I'll remember to buy a detailed surface scanner before I set of this time)...sigh
I realised it was based on money earned, but just wondered if there was a rough estimate of system visits needed to achieve said earnings.
As some have done it within 3k systems and others 7k, it obviously matters very little In the grand scheme of things lol
I've visited 5300 systems so far and have 7500ly until I get back to the bubble, so I should probably get ready to set of again when I get back ( and I swear I'll remember to buy a detailed surface scanner before I set of this time)...sigh
Philip Coutts
Volunteer Moderator
So what we are saying is it takes a long old time! Quite happy that zooming around in my SRV is helping towards my rank as I didn't actually know that (hides face in shame...)
So in theory, I could fly to the other side of the Galaxy, land on a very flat high g planet, get into the srv an press a Makro button to let my srv drive in a straight line for days?