Jumpstart DBX vs Mandalay Stellar vs new Jumpstart Asp

[exioce]

Hi all,

Largely ignorant player here, just wanting to get some more-informed opinions on the strengths and weaknesses of each of these out of the box (i.e. buy it and fly it as is).

For personal reasons, I think arx ships are great. Getting the jumpstart DBX allowed me to get over my gaming anxiety and I actually went a few hundred light years from inhabited space, honking, DSS probing, and FSSSing on my merry way. I liked it. I will go back to it and travel further when time allows, all the way to Sagittarius is the plan.

But now I see a jumpstart Asp available, which has a 74 light year range, and I'm seeing the Mandalay Stellar being spoken of as the best explorer there is, even though it has a lower range than the jumpstart DBX. I don't know if I should stick with the DBX anymore. If I'm going to be out there for months, I'd rather bring the best of the three.

I want to experiment with exobiology (by landing my ship right next to the stuff as I've seen done in videos, so I don't have to carry an SRV). I want to be able to fuel scoop reasonably quickly (DBX is painfully slow, it feels like), I want a great cockpit view, and I want enough creature comfort modules to reduce frustration. The jumpstart Asp, in addition to having the highest range, also has Supercruise Assist. I imagine that's more useful out in the black than the Advanced Docking Computer of the Mandalay Stellar. Thoughts?

 

[[VR] Mad Mike]

if you are paying money / ARX then the mandy is your best option imo. The DBX is a great little ship and it is true it has the advantage of being able to land on a postage stamp, however the mandy has more utility and whilst you say you do not need an SRV i would counter that really you DO want an SRV in a proper exploration ship.

As for the Asp.... that is a fine ship too but i wouldnt pay ARX for it . if you want super cruise asist then it is cheap to buy, however with an SCO drive installed i am struggling to think of a utility for it, it is just taking up a slot imo.

if you do not buy the Mandalay i would query if you really need a jumpstart ship? an Asp or a krait phantom (that is my exploration ship now after getting bored of the Asp) is inexpensive credit wise and you could save your ARX for something you cant buy with credits.

you do you however its just what i would do!.

 

[Tifu]

Hold off a bit and wait until March because it's possible the Mandalay will be available for in-game credits by then.

 

[Inscydeus]

I don't have the jumpstart Asp, but I like all three ships depending largely on mood and they all have their strengths. The DBX is best for shorter trips and excels at things like Guardian ruins because of it's small footprint and well placed utility slots for PDTs. The Asp has the best view and, in my opinion feels a bit faster than the DBX at travel thanks to the larger scoop, it is also the first ship in the credit progression that has ample space for all critical exploration modules. The Mandalay is the best overall and is the best choice for probing systems with its stable SCO.

 

[exioce]

Thank you for your answers. Could I just ask some follow up questions please, because I genuinely don't know:

1. What are the must-have benefits of an SRV for explorers? Is it that I might not be able to land near to a sample?
2. What should I swap out the Advanced Docking Computer of the Mandalay out for? If Supercruise Assist is unneeded with the Mandy's SCO, what would actually be useful?
3. The benefit of the SCO is being able to go to far out planets quickly? Do I pay for that with extra fuel use?

 

[Badmiker]

1. Being able to get around a planet, on foot you are slow and have a very low range. Also the SRV is a safe space; it has air, power and carries all your suits.
2. Mass is your enemy re. jump range so ditch it, learn to dock, and fit empty space (cargo rack?)
3. Yes, it uses a lot of fuel. Fit the biggest fuel scoop you can.

https://edsy.org/ is the answer! I know it means a bit of investment in understanding but, as you've found out, there are depths and deeper depths to 'what's best'! EDSY will allow you to try putting the modules you want into the ship and see how it performs, and how to tune it to suit yourself.

In general, for exploration you want lightweight, so D class modules except where you need 'A' class performance. If you want range then you need to unlock te guardian FSD booster (unless the pre-builts have this already?). Then get into engineering to optimise....

If the view from inside is important then go for the ASP
If the ship has to look good and fly well then go for the Mandalay
Or build a fully engineered Krait Phantom...

 

[Inscydeus]

Thank you for your answers. Could I just ask some follow up questions please, because I genuinely don't know:

1. What are the must-have benefits of an SRV for explorers? Is it that I might not be able to land near to a sample?
2. What should I swap out the Advanced Docking Computer of the Mandalay out for? If Supercruise Assist is unneeded with the Mandy's SCO, what would actually be useful?
3. The benefit of the SCO is being able to go to far out planets quickly? Do I pay for that with extra fuel use?

1. Primarily for staving off space madness on longer trips. 2. It's largely subjective, but there are some nice-to-haves such as repair limpets. 3. Yes, but it drinks fuel on non SCO optimised ships so on the Asp and DBX it's best used in shorter bursts - speeding up sub 50k LS flights shouldn't use up too much fuel and it's always useful for escaping gravity wells. The Mandalay sips fuel by comparison to even the other SCO optimised ships in SC overcharge.

 

[Dillon Fallon]

Thank you for your answers. Could I just ask some follow up questions please, because I genuinely don't know:

1. What are the must-have benefits of an SRV for explorers? Is it that I might not be able to land near to a sample?
2. What should I swap out the Advanced Docking Computer of the Mandalay out for? If Supercruise Assist is unneeded with the Mandy's SCO, what would actually be useful?
3. The benefit of the SCO is being able to go to far out planets quickly? Do I pay for that with extra fuel use?

1. The SRV lets you hunt on planets for raw materials, some of which you can use for longer frameshift jumps, refilling AFMUs and also for making limpets, which you'll want if you want to patch up dents in your hull with a repair module.
2. Additional hull for rough landings, a slot for your probe scanner, a spare AFMU, even an additional fuel tank could be useful if you find yourself in one of the unscoopable star briar patches that exist around the galaxy. If nothing comes to mind, ditching it means you reduce power requirements of the ship so there's the potential of fitting a smaller power plant which means more jump range due to weight saved.
3. Yes, it burns through fuel at a much faster rate and generates heat.

 

[Tifu]

3. Yes, it burns through fuel at a much faster rate and generates heat.

Just to add to Dillon's excellent summary, only the ships built for the SCO drive (Python MK2, T-8, Mandalay, Cobra Mk5) have manageable heat and fuel consumption. For the rest of the ED ships, it can be quite tricky and ship stability during supercruise is generally bad.

 

[[VR] Mad Mike]

Just to add to Dillon's excellent summary, only the ships built for the SCO drive (Python MK2, T-8, Mandalay, Cobra Mk5) have manageable heat and fuel consumption. For the rest of the ED ships, it can be quite tricky and ship stability during supercruise is generally bad.

not meaning to confuse OP even more but i think those issues are offer egged if you are careful. a quick few second squirt before deactivating doesn't generate too much heat and - at least in a ship with a reasonable sized fuel tank - does not use too much fuel (I use in my T10 and krait phantom)

but it gets you out of gravity wells beautifully and gets you to planets 2-3000 ls away much faster. longer distances for sure I would be more wary but I use it a bit like a squirt of nitrous in a car rather than something I use continually.

edit I just noticed someone else posted almost identically to me a while back.... so tldr what inscydious said!

 

[Archvillain]

You might be interested in this discussion thread if you haven't already seen it:
Mandalay Builds post release, your wild optimizations pretty please

1 SRV: It's cheap, fits in a small slot that would otherwise be mostly useless, it doesn't weigh much (so it barely affects your jump range), and it gives you more gameplay and options out in deep space. I always equip a SRV for exploration regardless of whether my plans call for one. And from another perspective, it's safety equipment: there are accidents and situations gone wrong where having an SRV can give you options you wouldn't otherwise have. Situations where you are saved because you had an SRV are rare, so this reasoning is as much role-play as genuine practicality, but I like to come prepared for anything
(Also, if you find a landable planet that you're especially pleased with for some reason, SRV gives you more stuff you can do with that planet.)
So it's optional, but a high priority for me. For you, eventually you're going to get restless out in the deep and want something new. When that happens, you'll have a fresh toy on board just waiting for you to try out!
Note: you have to buy the SRV bay module, then separately also buy a SRV. The module does not include the SRV, it just adapts the ship to carry and deploy one.

2. Supercruise Assist: Keep it unless you want the slot for anything else. If you're struggling for slots, the Docking Computer and/or Supercruise Assist are good candidates to sacrifice. The Mandalay has enough slots to keep it, but on the other ships I would ditch it for other gear. I tend to not use it, but it's nice to have in case I need to go grab snacks Some explorers really like it. It also adds a safety factor by automatically throttling down when you exit as hyperspace jump to a star, however my style is rapidly dive past the star to get to the next jump as quickly as possible while honking to see if the system is worth staying in, so that's not a plus for me.

Docking computer: Some long-term explorers like it because they spend so many weeks out in the deep that they fear their docking skills will be rusty (and you need to dock in order to cash in your exploration data; if your ship is destroyed you lose the data). I never equip it on my exploration ships but some do. Again, the Mandalay has the most slots for extra gear like this.

 

[mtfatboy3006]

All three are capable ships. I wouldn't buy the stellar edition mandalay; it doesn't give you anything you can't pretty easily get in-game besides cosmetics. The DBX is one of the best ships for Odyssey gameplay, for what that's worth, landing on any pad and having an exit in the rear for quicker access to some hangar doors, and makes a capable ship for exploration, and multipurpose use, and even managed titan bombing, without engineering. It's also pretty easy to buy in-game, though, and again, will unlock a lot of gameplay even unengineered, so isn't essential to pre-guy. The asp is arguably the most upgraded pre-built ship available, and gives you the guardian FSD booster without having to grind to unlock it, but that can't be transferred to another ship, and the asp itself is cheap to buy in-game and largely obsolete once you earn enough for the more premium medium ships. (It's a fun and versatile ship, though). If I were in your shoes, I would get the stock mandalay or the DBX. They stay highly playable as your fleet grows. The Mandalay is really, really, really useful, and even now might be worth unlocking early with ARX.

 

[CentrumSilver]

I was in your same shoes recently and decided on the Stellar Edition Mandalay. I like the livery and the components and REALLY like the $0 buyback cost since I am just now getting back into the game after a very long hiatus. Plus I don't mind supporting the devs, they do fine work. I almost bought the Pre-Built DBX but really like the look of the Mandalay.

Here's a review by FoxyLoxy

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlqGV0GNNx8