CMDR MDMANIAC here and now that I've been playing the game for a few weeks, I wanted to share my own flavour of "guide" to n00bs (like me). There are lots of WOT posts about this, that and the third thing so I'm going to try to be concise (and funny?). These are questions that I've asked and had answered. NOTE: I'm not going to address specific loadouts or engineer questions in my list (it's really a day 0 - 7 thing) but other CMDRs feel free!
Q: I've heard there's a "first" mission but... where is it?
A: It comes in via in-game "mission critical message" so if you're the type of person who doesn't check their messages, you might miss it. But who cares?! This is Elite: Dangerous. You don't have to do it if you want to figure out something else to do instead.
Q: WTH? My loaner Sidewinder can only carry 4 tons of cargo?! How am I supposed to make money?
A: Assuming you started at Trevithick Dock, look up GD 215 in your Galaxy Map. Around that system, you'll find DATA DELIVERY missions that pay pretty well! Sure, Faraday Orbital is a loooong hop (327,000 ls) but it's the only place in the system and you can stack a bunch of missions (edit for clarity: you can accept multiple missions - up to 20!). Do it right and you can probably get between 500,000 - 1,000,000 Cr per run! YMMV but it's still pretty decent earnings for your first day.
Q: Doing data delivery runs is soooooo boring! Can I go shoot stuff? Can this tin can handle that?
A: Of course you can! You'll want to find a Resource Extraction Site (RES) in a High Security system. I recommend Noatiaca. Don't pick any fights yourself, just join in the ones the Federal Security Service are already fighting. So long as you get a few licks in before the target's health is 0%, you should get the Bounty. In a RES (high) you will likely find tougher targets but they're worth serious coin!
Q: I've made a bit of money and I want to buy a ship...
A: I know, that tin can Sidewinder is pretty cramped. Everyone has their own path (and some are determined to take their Sidewinder all the way down that path, which is cool) but my answer is COBRA mk III. It's cheap, it's available just about everywhere, it's versitile.... I've done just about everything in my Cobra from Bounty Hunting in high RES to exploring alien planets. I took it on my first exploration trip. I took it on my second, too. It's a great ship to get started in. Easily the best small multi-role ship in the game.
Q: How many ships should I plan to have in my fleet?
A: Ummm.... all of them? Most of them are particularly good at something but not everything. Right tool for the job and all that!
Q: But... being realistic?
A: At least 2. It depends how you're playing the game but.... remember that large ships (like the Anaconda or Corvette or T7) can't land on platform stations, which severely restricts the missions and trades you can do. But they can shift a lot of cargo, so they're worth having for that money making! So, you'll want at least a medium and a large ship. You can outfit them for whatever role you need but we're talking minimums, right? Oh, and if you forget the golden rule, you'll still have a ship to fly instead of going all the way back to Trevithick Dock and that tin can Sidewinder you loved so much!
Q: Golden Rule?
A: NEVER FLY WITHOUT THE REBUY! In fact, if you're playing it safe, keep 2-3x your rebuy (insurance) cost in your account. If you get blowed up and can't afford to rebuy your ship, then you are SOL. Thankfully, the Pilot's Federation will take pity on you and loan you a shiny new Sidewinder...
Q: Do I need to worry about rebuy even if there's no risk in what I'm doing?
A: Ask any number of players that question and they'll laugh at you. I'm laughing at you. And you might be me. There is no such thing in Elite: Dangerous as "no risk." Even if you can avoid being ganked by PvP-addled CMDRs, you don't drop in on any USSs, even "Threat 0" ones, and you avoid getting yourself into combat at all costs..... you still might accidently murder someone in the mailslot (a favourite passtime of the Docking Computer) or get stuck in it or accidently hit the boost button when you didn't mean to or fly into a star because you were looking at the other screen and suddenly your inputs stopped working.... Or some other mistake. Everyone has made one. Last thing you want to do is be that guy being salty in the forums because you made a silly mistake and lost your Federal Corvette because you accidently [fill in the blank].
Q: Wow... guess you guys are serious about the rebuy thing! OK, how do I make REAL Credits?
A: There are SOOOO many ways! To name a few:
Q: I've heard about 100m/hr earnings! How do I get in on that?
A: I'm not a fan of the "exploit of the week" method of earning money but I'm sure you've already figured out how to use Google and YouTube. Bear in mind that whatever "exploit" will probably be nerfed by the time you have what you need to take advantage of it.
Q: What's the most fun credits you've earned?
A: Easy! Rescuing people from a burning Coriolis station! I outfitted my T7 with Economy Cabins, flew to the station and went in (after requesting docking, of course). I'm not sure how I made it out! I had to reset/repair because my thrusters and FSD went haywire from the heat damage! I went to another station, repaired, fitted heatsink launchers and then I was popping a heatsink before I docked, another one as I took off. Made a bunch of trips, made a good few million Credits and the rescue ship is RIGHT THERE next to the station so it's a very quick way of earning as well as challenging enough to be fun. And it's a little role-play-y too.
Q: I bought the game because it was on sale on Steam. Is Horizons worth paying the extra $30 for?
A: OH. GOD. YES. - this gets asked all the time on the Discord channel... can I make the text flash or something?
Q: I think I'm going to go off Exploring now that I see all the cool planet visuals. What do I need to take?
A: While you CAN go exploring with basic modules, most agree that you're going to need at least an "Advanced Discovery Scanner" (v3.3 edit: as mentioned above, no longer a module you need to buy), a "Detail Surface Scanner" and, most importantly, the biggest, best "Fuel Scoop" that you can fit on your ship. It's also nice to have a Planetary Vehicle Hangar (with an SRV, purchased seperately) and Collector Limpet Controller, but those aren't crucial. Make sure you've got decent jump range -- you can A-grade your FSD and D-grade ('cos they're the lightest) just about everything else for maximum range. But don't think that because you'll be hundreds of light-years outside the bubble that you won't encounter pirates or other hostiles.
Q: You said "Fuel Scoop" -- a what-a-what now?
A: A Fuel Scoop allows you to refuel your ship by flying near a star and allowing the "scoop" to suck in fuel. Basically, upon entering a system with a scoopable star, fly slowly towards the star until your ship starts scooping fuel (it's automatic). The closer you are, the faster you'll scoop. Also, the faster you'll heat up! Try to find the right balance between refuelling faster and burning up your ship. HellRazor5543 has given a pretty decent run-down of the process below.
Q: So, which stars are scoopable?
There are several Memonics but I like (A)lways (B)e (F)ueling (O)r (G)onna (K)ill (M)yself. K.G.B.F.O.A.M. might be easier for you. YMMV. You can use this data to filter your route in the Galaxy Map and ensure you're traveling via scoopable stars. There are YouTube tutorials. Google it.
Q: I... didn't take anyone's advice and now I'm out of gas and stuck. What can I do?
A: Well... you can self-destruct and lose all your bounties, exploration data, cargo or whatever you've been gathering (other than crafting materials, which amazingly stay with you in the escape pod) OR you can call upon the biggest heroes of the game-- The Fuel Rats!!! (www.fuelrats.com) Click on GET HELP. Follow their instructions. Don't UA bomb their base...
Q: I did something and now I'm "WANTED" - what should I do?
A: If you got yourself a BOUNTY then first things first -- get out of the system where you're wanted. You can't do much there because "Anonymous Access Protocols" prevent most starport services. If there happens to be another station in the same system run by a different faction than the one you're wanted by, you might be able to go there. What you're really going to need is an Interstellar Factors, as they can clear your bounties... unless you Murdered someone... Until your bounty is cleared, your ship is "hot" and will be attacked by system security vessels (and Bounty Hunters) in that system and any other system that faction controls. If you're killed in a system where you're wanted, the fines/bounties are all added to your rebuy cost. Luckilly, you can go swap into one of your CLEAN ships and do other stuff without getting blowed up. Bear in mind that modules removed from a hot ship become hot modules!
If you got a FINE, on the other hand, you can pay that off at the Authorities Contact at a station run by the faction that fined you. No muss, no fuss. Crime and Punishment is complex but the idea is to make sure there are consequences for being naughty. And yes, you get fines and bounties when you do some missions and other things you're "supposed" to be doing.
Q: And... if I did happen to murder someone? [redface]
A: Congratulations, you're now notorious! When you murder someone (aka kill someone who's not WANTED) you gain a notoriety point. Notoriety takes real-world time to clear - 1 point every 2 hours of actual play - and the Interstellar Factors can't help you until your notoriety is zero. However, you can still swap into another ship (assuming you have one and can get to a station that will allow you) and do nice legal things and pet puppies etc while waiting for your notoriety to clear. You can check it in the right-hand panel. Once it does, you can clear your bounty at the IF.
Q: I know you said you're not going to cover loadouts but... there's so many weapon choices! What do I need to know?
A: [ugh] OK, fine, but YMMV so don't blow my head off with your Autocannons! There are 2 basic weapon types: Thermal and Kinetic. Thermal weapons (like lasers) are pretty good at pulling down shields. Kinetic weapons chew through hulls. Thermal weapons have the distinct disadvantage that they make YOUR SHIP hot, too. And they use a lot of power from your Power Distributor. You'll have to play around to decide whether you like beams, pulses or bursts when it comes to lasers (I like bursts, fwiw). Kinetic weapons are easier on your power systems and heat BUT they have finite ammo. The 3rd weapons type - Explosives (like Missiles and Torpedoes, Mines etc) - also have finite ammo. Important to remember: If you equip missile launchers or other explosive launchers, you need to MANUALLY "Restock" the ammo before you leave the station. I've forgotten that a couple of times and found myself in a combat situation with no ammo. One of my favourite weapons is the Rail Gun because it's a "light speed" weapon (so you can use a fixed weapon mount) that does tremendous damage. In Elite: Dangerous, nothing is "free" so it has some horrendous cons, too. It drains a lot of power, gets your ship really hot really fast, and has a "charge up" period when you pull the trigger. Play around with different ships, different weapons, different combinations, until you find what works for you! This is ED. There is no "best" anything, just "best for...".
Q: Ack!! I deployed my weapons and everything went to ****!! What can I do??
A: POWER MANAGEMENT! There are YouTube tutorials on this (of course) but basically... go to the Right Hand panel, Modules tab, and you'll see each module has a number next to it looking like < 1 > . Obviously, your weapon modules, shields, sensors and thrusters all need to be working when you're in a fight! But your Cargo Hatch and FSD don't really need to work. Maybe some other things, too. Click on the arrows next to the number and change the power priority to 2 or 3 so that you can fight! Rembember, though: it takes a few moments for some modules to boot back up, so keep that in mind. Also keep in mind that those modules might not work until you've retracted your hardpoints. You can't scoop cargo without a powered and functioning cargo hatch.
Q: OK, we're a couple of weeks into the game... what's this Engineering thing?
A: Well, you can tweak your modules to improve certain aspects of their performance - usually to the detriment of others, of course! You'll probably receive invites to a couple of engineers organically - Elvira Martuuk, Felicity Farseer and/or Todd "The Blaster" McQuinn. Once you have unlocked access, you usually have to donate something to them before they'll help you, which sometimes means a long trip to get the specific thing they want. To upgrade things, you need MATERIALS which includes raw materials collected from planet surfaces and/or mining, data packets collected from scanning things (you'll figure that out...) and manufactured materials collected from blowed up ships etc. You can find most of these types of things in various Unidentified Signal Sources (USSs) and you have gotten really good at using Google and YouTube to learn the nuances. For more information on Engineers, check out https://inara.cz.
Add your favourite Question/Answers below!
Fly Strong - Fly Like A Maniac!!
-Maniac o7
Q: I've heard there's a "first" mission but... where is it?
A: It comes in via in-game "mission critical message" so if you're the type of person who doesn't check their messages, you might miss it. But who cares?! This is Elite: Dangerous. You don't have to do it if you want to figure out something else to do instead.
Q: WTH? My loaner Sidewinder can only carry 4 tons of cargo?! How am I supposed to make money?
A: Assuming you started at Trevithick Dock, look up GD 215 in your Galaxy Map. Around that system, you'll find DATA DELIVERY missions that pay pretty well! Sure, Faraday Orbital is a loooong hop (327,000 ls) but it's the only place in the system and you can stack a bunch of missions (edit for clarity: you can accept multiple missions - up to 20!). Do it right and you can probably get between 500,000 - 1,000,000 Cr per run! YMMV but it's still pretty decent earnings for your first day.
Q: Doing data delivery runs is soooooo boring! Can I go shoot stuff? Can this tin can handle that?
A: Of course you can! You'll want to find a Resource Extraction Site (RES) in a High Security system. I recommend Noatiaca. Don't pick any fights yourself, just join in the ones the Federal Security Service are already fighting. So long as you get a few licks in before the target's health is 0%, you should get the Bounty. In a RES (high) you will likely find tougher targets but they're worth serious coin!
Q: I've made a bit of money and I want to buy a ship...
A: I know, that tin can Sidewinder is pretty cramped. Everyone has their own path (and some are determined to take their Sidewinder all the way down that path, which is cool) but my answer is COBRA mk III. It's cheap, it's available just about everywhere, it's versitile.... I've done just about everything in my Cobra from Bounty Hunting in high RES to exploring alien planets. I took it on my first exploration trip. I took it on my second, too. It's a great ship to get started in. Easily the best small multi-role ship in the game.
Q: How many ships should I plan to have in my fleet?
A: Ummm.... all of them? Most of them are particularly good at something but not everything. Right tool for the job and all that!
Q: But... being realistic?
A: At least 2. It depends how you're playing the game but.... remember that large ships (like the Anaconda or Corvette or T7) can't land on platform stations, which severely restricts the missions and trades you can do. But they can shift a lot of cargo, so they're worth having for that money making! So, you'll want at least a medium and a large ship. You can outfit them for whatever role you need but we're talking minimums, right? Oh, and if you forget the golden rule, you'll still have a ship to fly instead of going all the way back to Trevithick Dock and that tin can Sidewinder you loved so much!
Q: Golden Rule?
A: NEVER FLY WITHOUT THE REBUY! In fact, if you're playing it safe, keep 2-3x your rebuy (insurance) cost in your account. If you get blowed up and can't afford to rebuy your ship, then you are SOL. Thankfully, the Pilot's Federation will take pity on you and loan you a shiny new Sidewinder...
Q: Do I need to worry about rebuy even if there's no risk in what I'm doing?
A: Ask any number of players that question and they'll laugh at you. I'm laughing at you. And you might be me. There is no such thing in Elite: Dangerous as "no risk." Even if you can avoid being ganked by PvP-addled CMDRs, you don't drop in on any USSs, even "Threat 0" ones, and you avoid getting yourself into combat at all costs..... you still might accidently murder someone in the mailslot (a favourite passtime of the Docking Computer) or get stuck in it or accidently hit the boost button when you didn't mean to or fly into a star because you were looking at the other screen and suddenly your inputs stopped working.... Or some other mistake. Everyone has made one. Last thing you want to do is be that guy being salty in the forums because you made a silly mistake and lost your Federal Corvette because you accidently [fill in the blank].
Q: Wow... guess you guys are serious about the rebuy thing! OK, how do I make REAL Credits?
A: There are SOOOO many ways! To name a few:
- Trade BASIC MEDICINES to systems that are currently listed as being in "Outbreak." You'll buy them for 200-400 Cr and sell them for 4,000+ Cr. If you're lucky, you'll get an even better deal than that! I was making ~7 million/hr in a T7 running medicine to an outbreak system and then running metals back. Use both in-game and external trade tools (like eddb.io) to your advantage.
- Passenger missions pay pretty well but there are caveats - youtube it. I don't do "board hopping" but I do kinda enjoy being a tour guide.
- Bounty Hunting pays well if RNGesus takes a liking to you and gives you loads of Anacondas, Clippers, Pythons, etc. Getting a Kill Warrant Scanner helps with the money making, too, although you have to either go find the faction that issued the bounty OR take a 25% hit at the Interstellar Factor.
- Exploration. Specifically the "Road to Riches" (Google it...) I earned 35m Cr in... a few days of sporadic gameplay. Wasn't a bad way of getting out of my Cobra. Feels a little "grindy" because you're not really exploring the unknown so much as earning credits for scanning specific planets that you already know are there. Big bonus of this--you can do it in just about ANY ship, just need a Discovery Scanner and Detailed Surface Scanner and FUEL SCOOP.
Q: I've heard about 100m/hr earnings! How do I get in on that?
A: I'm not a fan of the "exploit of the week" method of earning money but I'm sure you've already figured out how to use Google and YouTube. Bear in mind that whatever "exploit" will probably be nerfed by the time you have what you need to take advantage of it.
Q: What's the most fun credits you've earned?
A: Easy! Rescuing people from a burning Coriolis station! I outfitted my T7 with Economy Cabins, flew to the station and went in (after requesting docking, of course). I'm not sure how I made it out! I had to reset/repair because my thrusters and FSD went haywire from the heat damage! I went to another station, repaired, fitted heatsink launchers and then I was popping a heatsink before I docked, another one as I took off. Made a bunch of trips, made a good few million Credits and the rescue ship is RIGHT THERE next to the station so it's a very quick way of earning as well as challenging enough to be fun. And it's a little role-play-y too.
Q: I bought the game because it was on sale on Steam. Is Horizons worth paying the extra $30 for?
A: OH. GOD. YES. - this gets asked all the time on the Discord channel... can I make the text flash or something?
Q: I think I'm going to go off Exploring now that I see all the cool planet visuals. What do I need to take?
A: While you CAN go exploring with basic modules, most agree that you're going to need at least an "Advanced Discovery Scanner" (v3.3 edit: as mentioned above, no longer a module you need to buy), a "Detail Surface Scanner" and, most importantly, the biggest, best "Fuel Scoop" that you can fit on your ship. It's also nice to have a Planetary Vehicle Hangar (with an SRV, purchased seperately) and Collector Limpet Controller, but those aren't crucial. Make sure you've got decent jump range -- you can A-grade your FSD and D-grade ('cos they're the lightest) just about everything else for maximum range. But don't think that because you'll be hundreds of light-years outside the bubble that you won't encounter pirates or other hostiles.
Q: You said "Fuel Scoop" -- a what-a-what now?
A: A Fuel Scoop allows you to refuel your ship by flying near a star and allowing the "scoop" to suck in fuel. Basically, upon entering a system with a scoopable star, fly slowly towards the star until your ship starts scooping fuel (it's automatic). The closer you are, the faster you'll scoop. Also, the faster you'll heat up! Try to find the right balance between refuelling faster and burning up your ship. HellRazor5543 has given a pretty decent run-down of the process below.
Q: So, which stars are scoopable?
There are several Memonics but I like (A)lways (B)e (F)ueling (O)r (G)onna (K)ill (M)yself. K.G.B.F.O.A.M. might be easier for you. YMMV. You can use this data to filter your route in the Galaxy Map and ensure you're traveling via scoopable stars. There are YouTube tutorials. Google it.
Q: I... didn't take anyone's advice and now I'm out of gas and stuck. What can I do?
A: Well... you can self-destruct and lose all your bounties, exploration data, cargo or whatever you've been gathering (other than crafting materials, which amazingly stay with you in the escape pod) OR you can call upon the biggest heroes of the game-- The Fuel Rats!!! (www.fuelrats.com) Click on GET HELP. Follow their instructions. Don't UA bomb their base...
Q: I did something and now I'm "WANTED" - what should I do?
A: If you got yourself a BOUNTY then first things first -- get out of the system where you're wanted. You can't do much there because "Anonymous Access Protocols" prevent most starport services. If there happens to be another station in the same system run by a different faction than the one you're wanted by, you might be able to go there. What you're really going to need is an Interstellar Factors, as they can clear your bounties... unless you Murdered someone... Until your bounty is cleared, your ship is "hot" and will be attacked by system security vessels (and Bounty Hunters) in that system and any other system that faction controls. If you're killed in a system where you're wanted, the fines/bounties are all added to your rebuy cost. Luckilly, you can go swap into one of your CLEAN ships and do other stuff without getting blowed up. Bear in mind that modules removed from a hot ship become hot modules!
If you got a FINE, on the other hand, you can pay that off at the Authorities Contact at a station run by the faction that fined you. No muss, no fuss. Crime and Punishment is complex but the idea is to make sure there are consequences for being naughty. And yes, you get fines and bounties when you do some missions and other things you're "supposed" to be doing.
Q: And... if I did happen to murder someone? [redface]
A: Congratulations, you're now notorious! When you murder someone (aka kill someone who's not WANTED) you gain a notoriety point. Notoriety takes real-world time to clear - 1 point every 2 hours of actual play - and the Interstellar Factors can't help you until your notoriety is zero. However, you can still swap into another ship (assuming you have one and can get to a station that will allow you) and do nice legal things and pet puppies etc while waiting for your notoriety to clear. You can check it in the right-hand panel. Once it does, you can clear your bounty at the IF.
Q: I know you said you're not going to cover loadouts but... there's so many weapon choices! What do I need to know?
A: [ugh] OK, fine, but YMMV so don't blow my head off with your Autocannons! There are 2 basic weapon types: Thermal and Kinetic. Thermal weapons (like lasers) are pretty good at pulling down shields. Kinetic weapons chew through hulls. Thermal weapons have the distinct disadvantage that they make YOUR SHIP hot, too. And they use a lot of power from your Power Distributor. You'll have to play around to decide whether you like beams, pulses or bursts when it comes to lasers (I like bursts, fwiw). Kinetic weapons are easier on your power systems and heat BUT they have finite ammo. The 3rd weapons type - Explosives (like Missiles and Torpedoes, Mines etc) - also have finite ammo. Important to remember: If you equip missile launchers or other explosive launchers, you need to MANUALLY "Restock" the ammo before you leave the station. I've forgotten that a couple of times and found myself in a combat situation with no ammo. One of my favourite weapons is the Rail Gun because it's a "light speed" weapon (so you can use a fixed weapon mount) that does tremendous damage. In Elite: Dangerous, nothing is "free" so it has some horrendous cons, too. It drains a lot of power, gets your ship really hot really fast, and has a "charge up" period when you pull the trigger. Play around with different ships, different weapons, different combinations, until you find what works for you! This is ED. There is no "best" anything, just "best for...".
Q: Ack!! I deployed my weapons and everything went to ****!! What can I do??
A: POWER MANAGEMENT! There are YouTube tutorials on this (of course) but basically... go to the Right Hand panel, Modules tab, and you'll see each module has a number next to it looking like < 1 > . Obviously, your weapon modules, shields, sensors and thrusters all need to be working when you're in a fight! But your Cargo Hatch and FSD don't really need to work. Maybe some other things, too. Click on the arrows next to the number and change the power priority to 2 or 3 so that you can fight! Rembember, though: it takes a few moments for some modules to boot back up, so keep that in mind. Also keep in mind that those modules might not work until you've retracted your hardpoints. You can't scoop cargo without a powered and functioning cargo hatch.
Q: OK, we're a couple of weeks into the game... what's this Engineering thing?
A: Well, you can tweak your modules to improve certain aspects of their performance - usually to the detriment of others, of course! You'll probably receive invites to a couple of engineers organically - Elvira Martuuk, Felicity Farseer and/or Todd "The Blaster" McQuinn. Once you have unlocked access, you usually have to donate something to them before they'll help you, which sometimes means a long trip to get the specific thing they want. To upgrade things, you need MATERIALS which includes raw materials collected from planet surfaces and/or mining, data packets collected from scanning things (you'll figure that out...) and manufactured materials collected from blowed up ships etc. You can find most of these types of things in various Unidentified Signal Sources (USSs) and you have gotten really good at using Google and YouTube to learn the nuances. For more information on Engineers, check out https://inara.cz.
Add your favourite Question/Answers below!
Fly Strong - Fly Like A Maniac!!
-Maniac o7
Last edited:
