Ships Discovering Engineers in 2025

[CMDR Lefty Jackson]

If you want to unlock the minimal number of engineers to have access to all ship and foot blueprints, you only need 12 of them.
- in the bubble, unlock and rank up (do one module to at least rank 4) with Elvira Martuuk, Tod McQuinn, Dweller and Liz Ryder
- then go to Colonia and unlock all eight engineers there (each of which will probably have at least one blueprint you want, and all of which are easy unlocks)
You now have access to a full set of eight engineers, between them covering everything, and very short flight time between them all.

Only 12? Cool. Honestly, I hadn't really thought about how many, I just knew it would be several.

Colonia? Hmmm, that is gonna be a while before I decide to make that trip. I'll do what I can locally for now.

I currently have Farseer - Grade 5/Ishmaak - Grade 1, Martuuk - Grade 2, Dweller - Grade 1, McQuinn - Discovered...Ryder I need Cordial/Friendly status with Eurybia Blue Mafia/200 units of Landmines.

Thanks for the info!

You said 12. But then you said 4 in the bubble, and 8 in Colonia, which would give me a "full set of 8 engineers" accessible in the bubble?

 

[Ian Doncaster]

You said 12. But then you said 4 in the bubble, and 8 in Colonia, which would give me a "full set of 8 engineers" accessible in the bubble?

The four in the bubble are needed as pre-requisites to unlock the four ship engineers in Colonia (the four foot engineers in Colonia don't have a similar requirement, so you can do those on their own)
So you do those four, then you do the eight in Colonia, and the eight in Colonia between them have every blueprint.

The catch, of course, is that if you don't want to stay in Colonia, you have to do all your engineering while you're up there and then have it shipped back to the bubble. While in the bubble you'll not have access to very much.

 

[Nowski]

Is there "secret" methods that make the process less of a major grind?

What counts as a grind is pretty subjective, but the unofficial way of discovering Palin might fit what you're asking for here.

Since you already have Guardian FSD booster unlocked, you'll know how to get Guardian relics. If you take three of those to a Thargoid device and convert them to "unclassified relics" you can skip Qwent and the 5,000LY journey for unlocking Palin altogether. Just take one of the unclassified relics to Arque in Palin's vicinity and you'll get an invite.

You still need to donate 25 sensor fragments (though you can easily pick these up at the Thargoid surface site if you wipe out a few of the Thargoid skimmer things that hang out there drooling acid over the local amenities.)

Whether doing this counts as a "major grind" is up to you. I find that visiting the Guardian and Thargoid sites is one of the major highlights of Elite gameplay, and a great way to spend time in the game.

BTW, as an extra cheesy option, if you don't have a corrosion-proof cargo rack or just forget to bring along a thargoid probe or sensor to open the door at the surface site, you can still get in without one as shown here (link goes to 4:08) by just walking right up to the side of the door.

 

[Dragsham]

The problem with unlocking the colonia engineers is (Assuming you don't stay/reside in colonia) any future engineering requirements would be restricted to what you have pinned.
Also the experimentals. They can only be got by landing at a given engineers base.
Perhaps you can get workarounds via existing engineers in the bubble. But wouldn't it just be easier to unlock them in the 1st place. (Bubble engineers)?
It's a ball ache. The whole engineers thing. Wish Op luck

o7

 

[Ashnak]

How do players deal with discovering engineers? Is there "secret" methods that make the process less of a major grind?

Secret? Not really. It all depends on how you play the game. I recently reset my CMDR and am in the process of working my way through the engineers (and powerplay) to get my ship ready for DW3 next year.
Yes, I use Coriolis to plan my build and check which Engineers can supply me with what I want. But mainly I use the in-cockpit Engineers menu (via the right hand HUD). Last hting I did was to get the invitation from Selene (via upranking with one of the others, can't remember which) and have her upgrade my hull. Haven't decided yet who should be next in line, as my current build is good enough for what I do (a CMV isn't going to become a CZ queen). Maybe work on the shields, maybe get some frags for the small HPs. In the meantime, I'll be working on my PP rank as I definitely want those Packhounds (and, if possible, the Enforcers).

 

[CMDR Lefty Jackson]

The four in the bubble are needed as pre-requisites to unlock the four ship engineers in Colonia (the four foot engineers in Colonia don't have a similar requirement, so you can do those on their own)
So you do those four, then you do the eight in Colonia, and the eight in Colonia between them have every blueprint.

The catch, of course, is that if you don't want to stay in Colonia, you have to do all your engineering while you're up there and then have it shipped back to the bubble. While in the bubble you'll not have access to very much.

Thanks for the clarification.

That's a big "catch"!

Seems just the opposite of what makes sense. I would expect the most available in the Bubble, and get more and more sparse the further away you get from the Bubble.

Where the most people are let's have the least amount of engineers? Who made that decision? That makes zero sense.

 

[CMDR Lefty Jackson]

What counts as a grind is pretty subjective, but the unofficial way of discovering Palin might fit what you're asking for here.

Since you already have Guardian FSD booster unlocked, you'll know how to get Guardian relics. If you take three of those to a Thargoid device and convert them to "unclassified relics" you can skip Qwent and the 5,000LY journey for unlocking Palin altogether. Just take one of the unclassified relics to Arque in Palin's vicinity and you'll get an invite.

You still need to donate 25 sensor fragments (though you can easily pick these up at the Thargoid surface site if you wipe out a few of the Thargoid skimmer things that hang out there drooling acid over the local amenities.)

Whether doing this counts as a "major grind" is up to you. I find that visiting the Guardian and Thargoid sites is one of the major highlights of Elite gameplay, and a great way to spend time in the game.

BTW, as an extra cheesy option, if you don't have a corrosion-proof cargo rack or just forget to bring along a thargoid probe or sensor to open the door at the surface site, you can still get in without one as shown here (link goes to 4:08) by just walking right up to the side of the door.

Agreed, what constitutes a "grind" is subjective. I didn't have an issue with the Guardian site. It's a little different, basically two separate activities in the same spot.

In general, I haven't really done any Guardian stuff other than the booster.

Thank you for the tips!

 

[CMDR Lefty Jackson]

The problem with unlocking the colonia engineers is (Assuming you don't stay/reside in colonia) any future engineering requirements would be restricted to what you have pinned.
Also the experimentals. They can only be got by landing at a given engineers base.
Perhaps you can get workarounds via existing engineers in the bubble. But wouldn't it just be easier to unlock them in the 1st place. (Bubble engineers)?
It's a ball ache. The whole engineers thing. Wish Op luck

o7

Yeah, that part of the process is becoming pretty clear it needs...an adjustment.

Seriously, at least I see Colonia as like going to Antarctica. Yeah, you can go there, but an extremely few do go because it's so far and remote. That's why there isn't any situations where you'll be told, "Oh sorry, you can only get that in Antarctica!".

"The whole engineers thing"....Indeed!

Thanks!

 

[CMDR Lefty Jackson]

Secret? Not really. It all depends on how you play the game. I recently reset my CMDR and am in the process of working my way through the engineers (and powerplay) to get my ship ready for DW3 next year.
Yes, I use Coriolis to plan my build and check which Engineers can supply me with what I want. But mainly I use the in-cockpit Engineers menu (via the right hand HUD). Last hting I did was to get the invitation from Selene (via upranking with one of the others, can't remember which) and have her upgrade my hull. Haven't decided yet who should be next in line, as my current build is good enough for what I do (a CMV isn't going to become a CZ queen). Maybe work on the shields, maybe get some frags for the small HPs. In the meantime, I'll be working on my PP rank as I definitely want those Packhounds (and, if possible, the Enforcers).

Yeah, I've seen that DW3 thing mentioned. I've been thinking that's about long enough away for me to get some experience and a ship ready for such an adventure. The ship I'm now working on, my newest Mandalay, should be ready by then.

I'm not familiar with the acronyms but I suspect you are talking weapons stuff? Not my thing, at all. I have zero interest in anything combat.

Thank you for the comments!

 

[Ian Doncaster]

Where the most people are let's have the least amount of engineers?

The bubble has far more engineers than Colonia does.

Colonia has four ship engineers and four suit engineers (which between them have all blueprints) which is about as low as it can get without ending up as "one engineer who does everything"
The bubble has 21 ship engineers and 9 suit engineers (which again, between them have all blueprints [1]) and duplication in some blueprints as to who provides them.

So if your goal is to get access to all blueprints from the smallest number of engineers the Colonia set is the most efficient choice. If you go this route, you can if you want completely ignore all 9 bubble suit engineers and 17 of the bubble ship engineers, because they're not required to unlock the Colonia ones.

If you want to unlock lots of engineers (which benefits you with access to a wider number of pinned blueprints) then the bubble set is better, and of course involves less long distance travel (but some of their other unlock requirements are much tougher).


[1] Well, almost. There are a few (mostly superfluous) high-grade ship blueprints only available in Colonia.

 

[CMDR Lefty Jackson]

So if your goal is to get access to all blueprints from the smallest number of engineers the Colonia set is the most efficient choice. If you go this route, you can if you want completely ignore all 9 bubble suit engineers and 17 of the bubble ship engineers, because they're not required to unlock the Colonia ones.

I misunderstood what you said, sorry. Thank you for the clarification.

 

[Ashnak]

I'm not familiar with the acronyms but I suspect you are talking weapons stuff?

HUD - Head Up Display. What can pop up in the cockpit on the left, right, center or bottom
CMV - Cobra Mk. V
CZ - Combat Zone
HP - Hardpoints. Where you attach weapons to
PP - Powerplay, also Power Plant. Depends on context.
Packhounds, Enforcers - yes, two specific (improved) weapons only available as a reward from Powerplay.

With respect to non-combat items, I got the V1 SCO FSD, fully engineered (Selene) lightweight hull and (fully engineered - Palin) Thrusters. Also a size 4 corrosion resistant cargo rack.

 

[CMDR Lefty Jackson]

HUD - Head Up Display. What can pop up in the cockpit on the left, right, center or bottom
CMV - Cobra Mk. V
CZ - Combat Zone
HP - Hardpoints. Where you attach weapons to
PP - Powerplay, also Power Plant. Depends on context.
Packhounds, Enforcers - yes, two specific (improved) weapons only available as a reward from Powerplay.

With respect to non-combat items, I got the V1 SCO FSD, fully engineered (Selene) lightweight hull and (fully engineered - Palin) Thrusters. Also a size 4 corrosion resistant cargo rack.

LOL, thanks!

When I was in the Navy, I worked on flight sims. I can say that those screens are not a HUD, which is the info displayed on your windscreen.

Those screens/panels are just screens/panels. I've noticed comments about them that seems to suggest there isn't a decent name for those screens, so people seem to say Left, Right, Center screen. Doesn't exactly roll off the tongue!

The rest, thanks, though I am familiar with HP and PP.

Yes, I really want that V1 FSD, well, two of them. All I need is 2 Titan Drives and 14 Propulsion Elements. Oh, and a frickin' anti-corrosion rack, and apparently I need some caustic sinks for the process.

 

[CMDR Lefty Jackson]

After visiting Ryder, Dweller, Martuuk, and Farseer, I've almost maxed out those engineers.

Got quite a few upgrades now.

I'm now at 84Ly max, 78Ly unladen.

 

[Oberost]

Use the pre-engineered DSS from a human tech broker: it'll give you double the radius increase than the normal DSS with G5 increased radius engineering...

And use Heavy duty/Deep plating on the armour: weights 0 and any increase in mass means it'll weight 0.
And also lightweight on life support.
And I'll use the thermal spread experimental in the PP instead of stripped down.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[CMDR Lefty Jackson]

Use the pre-engineered DSS from a human tech broker: it'll give you double the radius increase than the normal DSS with G5 increased radius engineering...

And use Heavy duty/Deep plating on the armour: weights 0 and any increase in mass means it'll weight 0.
And also lightweight on life support.
And I'll use the thermal spread experimental in the PP instead of stripped down.

Just my 2 cents.

Thanks for the tips!

I have a pre-engineered DSS from the CG on my other ship I will be swapping out. Thought I would do some engineering on this one then swap.

Life Support I haven't got to just yet, but yes, Lightweight is planned. Most likely today. (EDIT...Nope, not today! Haven't discovered Jameson or Turner yet.)

Thermal Spread instead of Stripped Down? Why?

 

[anShpan]

Yes, I really want that V1 FSD, well, two of them. All I need is 2 Titan Drives and 14 Propulsion Elements. Oh, and a frickin' anti-corrosion rack, and apparently I need some caustic sinks for the process.

There is no caustic clouds any more, so no caustic sinks. 1F (capacity 2) Anticorrosive Cargo rack is purchasable at Palin's place. What I'm saying you are all set to go to any of recently blown Titans and get Titan Drive Components, Propulsion Elements and some Meta Alloys (to unlock C3 Anticorrosive Cargo cargo rack)

 

[Oberost]

Thermal Spread instead of Stripped Down? Why?

Overall less heat, and it allows you to scoop and charge your FSD at the same time without overheating. Useful when you're on a long trip, to save some time on the long run.

For me it's better than the fraction of a Ly that you'll gain with the stripped down experimental.

 

[CMDR Lefty Jackson]

There is no caustic clouds any more, so no caustic sinks. 1F (capacity 2) Anticorrosive Cargo rack is purchasable at Palin's place. What I'm saying you are all set to go to any of recently blown Titans and get Titan Drive Components, Propulsion Elements and some Meta Alloys (to unlock C3 Anticorrosive Cargo cargo rack)

Ok, cool, no sinks needed.

Palin? Do I need to discover Palin first?

Thank you for the info.

 

[CMDR Lefty Jackson]

Overall less heat, and it allows you to scoop and charge your FSD at the same time without overheating. Useful when you're on a long trip, to save some time on the long run.

For me it's better than the fraction of a Ly that you'll gain with the stripped down experimental.

The Mandalay is really good with heat. It runs real cool. Haven't had any heat issues with it.

Thank you for the reply.