Ships Adder Exploration Build with big shields, but maximum Jumprange

[Max Bothin]

I want to build my Adder as an Explorer, but having fast enhanced drives being able to survive some mistakes when flying grounds. I do not have prismatics for the Little ship, but 2D or 1A should do it together with an OE Shield Booster. I Need more than 42 LJ jumprange. Would like to have a Little Laser and 2 SRV but this does not seem to be possible. What do you think? is a 1A Shield hard enough?

 

[Maolagin]

Don't forget, using a small ship is all about trade-offs, and you've already packed quite a lot of features into that Adder.

Personally, I would settle for one SRV bay and take a class 2 shield - 2D if you want more range, or 2A if you want stronger shields. SRV bays are quite heavy for their size.

Also, this ship is small enough that you will get slightly more range by using Deep Charge instead of Mass Manager on the FSD. It's a small difference, but that change alone gets your current build above 42 LY. Then again, you can also get almost 44 LY with that build just by flying with the fuel tank half empty.

 

[S0rkvild]

My exploration Adder looks like that. She's got 45,3 ly of range and with such powerful thrusters I've never had any landing problems. A very fine little ship. Point defence in my build is against Guardian missiles launched by their sentires.
Lasers on exploration ship, c'mon. You don't need that, just like two srv bays.

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[everstream]

Here two variants:

More than 42 LY but with less armour

"only" 41 LY but definitely more armour

... and both are fully armed. I've swapped the schield booster for a PDT - just in case you visit a guardian/thargoid structure. The desicion to take two SRV is a good one - gives you a second chance. Never thought about using two slots for such purposes - cool

You can spare the two C1 lasers on the second build, to get even closer to 42 LY, but then I'd rather take the first build.

I've also adjusted the power priotities. The problem here is - You will never get under 40 % here with all really needed prio 1, if you don't switch to 3A power plant. So I've changed also that.

EDIT: I've set "scramble spectrum" also to the second of the small lasers.

 

[everstream]

Additionally: afaik, the vertical thrusters are responsible for not being destroyed on high-G-planets. A boost in 90° helps less, than just vertical thrusting. So you can exchange the enhanced thrusters for normal ones and get this:

normal thrusters, but definitely within 40%, even with guardian FSD-booster

 

[everstream]

just another idea in regards of weapons:

1. You can destroy guardian sentinels not only with SRV, but also with kinetic weapons of your ship, and it's better done with a fixed weapon. Therefore a fixed MC with corrosive.
2. If you want to charge up guardian beacons, you can do it with thermal or kinetic weapon, but for the diversity of damage types onboard, I'd take thermal. Therefore the MC converted through "incendiary rounds" into thermal.
3. As Adder in explorer-outfi isn't able to fight anything bigger than a sentinel, I have thrown away the C2 Laser.

Here the according build

Adder with small MCs

EDIT: in all builds above I've also modified the power distributor to "charge enhanced". Not enhancing or even loosing the charge capability of shield and weapons to get 60% more "initial" charge of engines isn't worth it in my opinion.

 

[Northpin]

I want to build my Adder as an Explorer, but having fast enhanced drives being able to survive some mistakes when flying grounds. I do not have prismatics for the Little ship, but 2D or 1A should do it together with an OE Shield Booster. I Need more than 42 LJ jumprange. Would like to have a Little Laser and 2 SRV but this does not seem to be possible. What do you think? is a 1A Shield hard enough?

You dont wan't enhanced drives on an explorer. They are very heavy and very hot. For example, i tried running enhanced drives on my hauler and it was getting cooked at every scoop.
This coriolis build is best i can come with. 47ly, with srv and some guardian goodies. A shield booster is nice, but when you have a high value for base shield. On an Adder, a 0E heavy duty will not add much shield, while a Guardian Shield Reinforcemen will be more effective at the same weight

ExploAdder, decent shields

 

[13A]

The Adder makes a great explorer, Juliette took me all the way to explorer Elite, with a 48ly range.

1A shield (ELP 5) and lightweight armour (HD 3) were enough to survive the occasional heavy landing, and I only needed 1 SRV.

When you say you want a laser, do you mean a mining laser?

 

[Max Bothin]

The Adder makes a great explorer, Juliette took me all the way to explorer Elite, with a 48ly range.

1A shield (ELP 5) and lightweight armour (HD 3) were enough to survive the occasional heavy landing, and I only needed 1 SRV.

When you say you want a laser, do you mean a mining laser?

Thanks to all! Well, I mean both lasers. Actually you never know. But I shoot some things I find in the black to see what happens. The Mining laser is also a backup if I lost both SRV for materials.

There are no 1A Shield Generators up here at Colonia as I have seen. Damn...

 

[S0rkvild]

Instead of conventional laser think about a lighweight railgun with plasma slug mod. Plasma slug can be helpful in reducing fuel amount to do that most distant jump.

 

[Bigmaec]

a) Even prismatic shields on an Adder still give only pitiful amounts of shielding, so I'm no more convinced on such a small platform which has to be as lightweight as possible are useful. Better make use of silent running and lightweigh chaff/ speed / heatsinks /silent running. Your survival chance will propably be bigger.
Note: a d-rated navigational deflector shield (for landing hazards) still makes sense. Also yes I love Star Trek.

b) Also I'm not convinced neglecting speed is an optimal survival strategy in an Adder. I can't comment on the scoop/heat problems @Northpin noted, as my own Adder with EPTs didn't have scooping issues as far as I remember, but not sure on this one. Having 100 m/s speed advantage compared to a Meta FdL is definitely more advisable then having a 100 m/s speed deficit.

I'd prefer such a build:
https://s.orbis.zone/5kvt

with plasmaHammer

Coriolis EDCD Edition

A ship builder, outfitting and comparison tool for Elite Dangerous

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[madmattnz]

a) Even prismatic shields on an Adder still give only pitiful amounts of shielding, so I'm no more convinced on such a small platform which has to be as lightweight as possible are useful. Better make use of silent running and lightweigh chaff/ speed / heatsinks /silent running. Your survival chance will propably be bigger.
Note: a d-rated navigational deflector shield (for landing hazards) still makes sense. Also yes I love Star Trek.

b) Also I'm not convinced neglecting speed is an optimal survival strategy in an Adder. I can't comment on the scoop/heat problems @Northpin noted, as my own Adder with EPTs didn't have scooping issues as far as I remember, but not sure on this one. Having 100 m/s speed advantage compared to a Meta FdL is definitely more advisable then having a 100 m/s speed deficit.

I'd prefer such a build:
https://s.orbis.zone/5kvt

with plasmaHammer

Coriolis EDCD Edition

A ship builder, outfitting and comparison tool for Elite Dangerous

s.orbis.zone

OP is talking about an exploration build.

 

[Bigmaec]

OP is talking about an exploration build.

Yes. I know.
I guess you're one of those explorers that either play in solo only or pop at the first player interaction.

OP doesn't, he held our wing of 4 busy with a Courier in Colonia when we last met on different sides.

 

[madmattnz]

Sorry my bad...

and no, I always explore in open

 

[everstream]

@ Bigmaec: would you really do exploration with only one SRV? I see, you placed a HRP instead - more hull an less weight - but is this worth returning as soon as you've lost your only SRV? And a shield of 60 MJ (absolute) - can it absorb hard landings or eventual attacks of guardian sentinels? I see also no PDT on your build - but the build is fast enough to outrun the seeker missiles and will easily outmaneuver the dumbfires ... For higher speed weapons and for gimbals you've chosen speed and chaff, I understand.
And one more - you say "Having 100 m/s speed advantage compared to a Meta FdL ", what's about Mamba? Should be even faster? I've not really followed the "meta"-Threads, so I don't know how a meta-Mamba could be....

@ Max Bothin: do you plan to go to guardian/thargoid structure at all? So do you mean you will need a PDT support against sentinels? Otherwise a chaff laucher would be really better.

 

[everstream]

Looking at all this trade offsof smaller ships, I love my Annie more and more I can take almost everything with me, except of mining equipment and had only to decide "shall I take fuel transfer controller or recon controller?". All other things are just there. even a MRP.

 

[Bigmaec]

@ Bigmaec: would you really do exploration with only one SRV? I see, you placed a HRP instead - more hull an less weight - but is this worth returning as soon as you've lost your only SRV? And a shield of 60 MJ (absolute) - can it absorb hard landings or eventual attacks of guardian sentinels? I see also no PDT on your build - but the build is fast enough to outrun the seeker missiles and will easily outmaneuver the dumbfires ... For higher speed weapons and for gimbals you've chosen speed and chaff, I understand.
And one more - you say "Having 100 m/s speed advantage compared to a Meta FdL ", what's about Mamba? Should be even faster? I've not really followed the "meta"-Threads, so I don't know how a meta-Mamba could be....

@ Max Bothin: do you plan to go to guardian/thargoid structure at all? So do you mean you will need a PDT support against sentinels? Otherwise a chaff laucher would be really better.

I wouldn't explore in an Adder at all, because it doesn't have enough slots for me.

Also I diffentiate between Explorers and Guardian material gatherers.

I generally explore in this build

Phantom

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A ship builder, outfitting and comparison tool for Elite Dangerous

s.orbis.zone

or this build

Beluga

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A ship builder, outfitting and comparison tool for Elite Dangerous

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For guardian sites I prefer a smaller vessel to land close to the sites, to use PDTs as you mentioned

I recently used a T6, and now switched to a Keelback. Difference is for me I don't need an AFMU (no neutron boosting)

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A ship builder, outfitting and comparison tool for Elite Dangerous

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Using a single SRV is a gamble, but one I mostly take (except with the Beluga) because I tend not to lose my SRV and
don't like driving it anyways.

Also the Anaconda is abysmal in Supercruise compared to a Beluga, or even a Corvette, it's just broken regarding the jumprange/optionals
and because of this is objectively the best Explorer out there.

 

[Northpin]

@OP - have you considered a Viper Mk4 instead of an Adder?
basically same or better jump range, better shields, better hull - waaaay better cockpit view (i always hated the Adder's cockpit view)
It can also carry all the goodies, including repair limpets - but if you are not a fan, you can replace them with hrp for better hull.

Edit:
or drop the Guardian Shield Booster for a HRP and use better shields with a heavy duty shield booster, like this

 

[Max Bothin]

OP is talking about an exploration build.

I noticed: to have a ungankable Explorer feels good, even in open ;-)

 

[Max Bothin]

@ Max Bothin: do you plan to go to guardian/thargoid structure at all? So do you mean you will need a PDT support against sentinels? Otherwise a chaff laucher would be really better.

sorry for my late answer, but the Adder is only for the Perseus Reach expedition (Semotus Beacon, Beagle Point), and it should be an Adder, because I love the Adder and always wanted to make such a trip with an Adder. The imperial courier is the "better" Adder, actually: better shields, faster and more jumprange. But not an Adder.