Newcomer / Intro ED does not respect the casual player

[Engadine]

Just putting a 2A FSD in a Sidewinder will get you nearly 16ly without engineering, be interesting to see what the OP is flying where it can only do 12ly!

It certainly would... OP, any chance of letting us know?

Also, as @Para Handy said...

You seriously need to understand what you are doing before getting drawn into a "gind". 15 jumps for 180ly is just stupid - nobody with any sense would make such a trip. Even as a beginner you can put together an un-engineered Hauler with 30ly jump range.

Don't blame the game for your lack of understanding.

 

[CMDR Serra]

The grind is - to a certain extent - in your mind. Everyone says grinding is necessary, but why? What's your goal in playing ED?

From a fresh start, I reckon you could get one of the shiny new double engineered 5A FSDs and a DBX to put it in within a day or two (less if laser focussed). Me: I took significantly longer.

But it all depends on what you actually want to do and whether you want to cheese the game with maximum efficiency or do a certain amount of working it out for yourself.

 

[Tyres O'Flaherty]

I hate grind. ED doesn't have too much of it, or, at least, doing stuff that is a grind but doesn't feel like it.

Except for one thing... deadly to elite in combat. But then again, as mentioned above, grind is really in the eye of the beholder.

 

[Krieger]

Welcome to the Elite Galaxy commander!

I'm one of those players having many thousands of hours in the game (currently approx. 7,500) . So, obviously, the grind doesn't bother me. However, in Elite you can can grind smarter instead of harder. The info listed below can help. Remember: the fun is in the journey not the destination. In fact there is no destination.

Maybe you've found most of the resources listed below already. If not, have a look at them and in any case don't hesitate to ask questions here in the forum.

In-game help is available in the form of menu links to the Pilot's Handbook and the Codex (right-hand cockpit panel 1st tab).
For a very good beginner's guide see: An in-depth beginner’s guide to Elite: Dangerous.
Tutorials covering all aspects of the game, many of them in the form of YouTube videos, are available from ED Tutorials.
There is a wealth of useful information available in these forums spread out over hundreds of threads. Thanks to commander @Alec Turner you can access all of that information and more via a single thread: Alec's best of the forum (and elsewhere) [v2].
Here is a good guide on the background simulation (BGS) that simulates the economical and political changes caused by player actions in inhabited systems.
Also check out the inara.cz and eddb.io websites with (almost) realtime info on practically everything in the game.
The coriolis.io and edsy.org websites let you design your ships before buying them.
There are many more Tools and Websites created by fans that make life in the galaxy better.
And last but not least, the Elite Dangerous Wiki contains extensive information on nearly all aspects of the game.

o7

 

[drakkster]

Thank you for all your suggestions. I was trying to get G5 SS by searching for High Grade SS like Pharm. Isolators. I spent three hours going from system to system trying to find High Grade SS with no luck. Then I went into a pirate zone in the Dav's Hope system and I got 12 P. Isolators in 5 minutes.

 

[Captain Willard]

I had a good three hr run today. Made a few credits and farmed 200 Imperial Shielding. Trading across at 6-1 is a pain. One I can live with tho.
My g5 man. mats are all close to being full.

 

[amigacooke]

Heres an article detailing the economics of it with numbers.

https://www.intelligenteconomist.com/microtransactions/

A quote from the above:

Some numbers:


So the bottom line is, you dont have to make a good game or update it with quality dlc all you have to do is keep them in game, grinding.

That article seems to be talking about a class of micro transaction that ED does not have, purchases that affect gameplay. ED micro transactions are purely for cosmetic items.

 

[Unfettered Might]

Getting the FSD engineered is the first goal. Then get a DBX that can jump 70LY.

ED is a grindy game - no denying that.

If you enjoy flying a space ship then take it at your own pace. Some CMDRs here are just making it to Elite after having started back in 2014.

If you want everything at once, this isn't the game for you.

I recognize that and respect that it's not the type of game everyone will like.

But then again, there some here approaching 10k hours that probably wouldn't still be here if it took only a few months to build a fully engineered fleet, get 3X Elite and be ranked King/Admiral and so on. There's a LOT to do in ED and it takes time.

I think that's what makes it quite a bit different from most games.

HTH

I have to agree wholeheartedly with this. I just started playing 2 months ago and I know it's going to take years to get where I want to be. I run a small business and still have kids I'm raising so the work/family/gaming balance has to be there. But I bought this game for the experience, I don't want something I can rush through and complete every goal in 3 months. I WANT it to be hard, that makes your accomplishments actually mean something.

To the OP I suggest you take time to enjoy the galaxy you get to play in and not always be so transfixed on your next goal. Go check out that unidentified signal source, or sometimes fly around and actually check out the planets and moons in each system instead of just jumping in and back out to finish up that mission. You might find a cool canyon to fly through or a planet absolutely dripping with luscious colors. I'll tell ya, the first time I jumped into a binary star system with a tight orbital period was epic. Dropped out of frame shift, engines full stop, free cam initiated. Set up a nice angle of both stars with my ship between them and just took in the view for a couple minutes before going on my way.

There are some excellent videos on YouTube on how to grind in every way possible, use those for the fastest ways to build yourself up. Just remember ED is about the experience, not how fast you can beat it.

 

[Unfettered Might]

You seriously need to understand what you are doing before getting drawn into a "gind". 15 jumps for 180ly is just stupid - nobody with any sense would make such a trip. Even as a beginner you can put together an un-engineered Hauler with 30ly jump range.

Don't blame the game for your lack of understanding.

This is true. My first real grind were passenger missions and when you see you're 5 ly short of making a 3 jump route into 2, you either shed some weight or upgrade your FSD. Losing that extra jump adds up quick in terms of time saved.

 

[Demonlord79]

grinding should be put in the description of ED because everything is a grind! I'm trying to get mats now and I want to kill myself for running around for three hours
without any results!

How about a junkyard or auction house where I can pick stuff up easily. I really don't have hours and hours to waste and with no results.

Let me start by saying that I'm not trying to bashing on you but "Grinding put in the description"? Ummm are you just starting on a computer from a console and did you not read the part where it says SIMULATOR?
There are a lot of players that gave good information to help but don't get mad due to this title being just that, a SIMULATOR.
But I will not give you a break on this one cause you have NO IDEA what grinding is. Vet player with upwards of 8k hours. Started when it first came out, (vanilla). Do you really want to debate what a grind is? 2 years just to grind out a Conda and another year to A it out and fully engineer it. Then came the grind for the Cutter and Corvette. This game was nerfed on grinds just for you, and there are junk yards, they are called material traders making it even easier to grind and trade 1 rarities to 5 rarities.
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