Newcomer / Intro Mawson Dock - No Missions Available

I'm a newcomer to Elite Dangerous. I completed the first tutorial and the first mission for 10,000cr. Now I'm at Mawson Dock and there are no further missions available which doesn't seem right. Any advice much appreciated!
 
Screenshot attached. Please notice that I erased my save and started over so I only have 1000cr instead of the 11000cr I had in my first start.
 

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Well, this is what it looks like to me right now:

Dromi (20220607-002734).jpg

Perhaps exit to main menu and restart to see if that fixes it for you. (That "relogging" is a common work-around for many glitches.)

EDIT: BTW don't let the colour in my image fool you, I have an altered HUD setting that replaces the neon orange with a "mocha" toned-down colourway.
 
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Recent server instability has meant that once in a while the mission board just doesn't load. You can try another station or just go watch The Boys for a while like I did.
 
Screenshot attached. Please notice that I erased my save and started over so I only have 1000cr instead of the 11000cr I had in my first start.
Mawson dock is in the "new pilot zone" of a few systems you cannot get back into once you leave. If you play in Solo mode you won't encounter other players, and if you are not carrying cargo, pirates won't shoot you even if they do interdict you. I'll leave you to experience "interdiction" later. You will need to learn how to evade interdiction which is easy when you know how, or shoot and destroy the pirates.
So you can travel to another system and find stations with missions, or go out to the purple coloured planet with rings outside Mawson dock, fly to a Low Res Extraction site, follow system authority ships as they shoot pirates, and open fire on pirates when they are down to 30% hull to destroy them. Do this for about 30 to 40 minutes and turn in the bounty vouchers at Mawson Dock Administrator Contact. If you get damaged at all, go back to dock, cash in what bounty vouchers you have, repair, and go back out for a bit longer. You should be able to get 600,000 credits in this time and buy a Hauler like this: https://s.orbis.zone/jfk7
It has the jump range to make you more mobile, you can do data courier missions and mission involving delivering a bit of cargo. Avoid combat in a Hauler or buy an Adder which is similar but can fit some guns - but it's still a weak ship for combat. Play around with mapping planets with the detailed surface scanner (YouTube videos help show you how) once you are comfortable with the basics flying around to stations. Universal Cartographics in stations will buy the exploration data collected off you. Earth like worlds and water world's are worth the most. If you don't want to get into this yet, don't bother buying the detailed surface scanner as it's quite expensive but can earn good early game money.
If you only want to do combat, the Viper is the best bet for a real combat ship next for about 3 million credits with good modules and weapons. If you want to do a bit of everything including combat the Cobra MKIII is amazing for around 8 million credits well specified.
Some of the best times you will have in this game is the early stages of running missions and slowly stepping up a ship and earning the credits to be fit better modules and weapons to it.
There is a way to earn 25 million credits in around 2 hours with a Hauler to and skip past the new starter ships (which veterans of the game still use) but that ruins this early game experience which is a lot of fun.
 
Thank you CMDRQuainMarln for all the information you provided and to everyone else in this thread who helped me. My missing Mission problem was fixed the next morning when I logged on. I guess metatheurgist was correct about a temporary instability.

This is a remarkable gaming experience. I can't believe I'm only just discovering it in 2022. It can be a bit overwhelming so this information is very valuable.
 
Thank you CMDRQuainMarln for all the information you provided and to everyone else in this thread who helped me. My missing Mission problem was fixed the next morning when I logged on. I guess metatheurgist was correct about a temporary instability.

This is a remarkable gaming experience. I can't believe I'm only just discovering it in 2022. It can be a bit overwhelming so this information is very valuable.
The game does demand some patience to get the hang of it. Each new activity often means setting up key bindings as there are often no defaults set. Driving an SRV for the first time is an example. A simulated version of the Milky Way Galaxy is out there to explore. There are people here who have been playing Elite Dangerous since 2014 and still do regularly. A good number of people like me played the original Elite in 1983/1984.
It can be overwhelming so best to focus on one or two activities at a time until you have grasped them. Just doing missions is a good start.
 
Thank you CMDRQuainMarln for all the information you provided and to everyone else in this thread who helped me. My missing Mission problem was fixed the next morning when I logged on. I guess metatheurgist was correct about a temporary instability.

This is a remarkable gaming experience. I can't believe I'm only just discovering it in 2022. It can be a bit overwhelming so this information is very valuable.

Glad you got sorted. Enjoy yourself and feel free to ask anything at all in this part of the forum - it tries to retain a cosy welcoming atmosphere (other sections can get a bit rowdy ;) ). Don't forget the guides and tutorials sub-forum to this one and also note the link at the top of this forum to the Galactic Academy.

BTW - beware of out-of-date videos on the yootoob, the game has evolved over the years and there is much outdated dross hanging about in there.
 
Don't waste your time doing missions in the loser zone unless you like being a loser. Instead, go to the high resource extraction site in Dromi, where you delivered the first mission, and help the police kill the bad guys. The target ships won't shoot back if you only shoot the ships that the police are already shooting, so it seems quite exciting, but actually there's no danger. one exception: don't shoot any ships that are carrying a fighter (Anaconda and Gunship). You can check that in the "target" tab in the LH panel after scanning the ship. You can make about 5 to 8 mil an hour, so after an hour you can get out of there. Go and get a T6 so you can make your fortune mining platinum or doing sight-seeing missions from Robigo. Alternatively get your Sidewinder down to Ngalinn and do the pirate massacre missions in the low resource extraction site in Mainani, working up to a Vulture as soon as you can. You will eventually be making a billion a day doing that, like me, so you can get your fleet carrier and all the ships you'll ever need.

Robigo missions get rank for a Corvette plus the Sol permit, and Ngalinn gets you rank for your Cutter. All three get you loads of materials towards your engineering.
 
Don't waste your time doing missions in the loser zone unless you like being a loser. Instead, go to the high resource extraction site in Dromi, where you delivered the first mission, and help the police kill the bad guys. The target ships won't shoot back if you only shoot the ships that the police are already shooting, so it seems quite exciting, but actually there's no danger. one exception: don't shoot any ships that are carrying a fighter (Anaconda and Gunship). You can check that in the "target" tab in the LH panel after scanning the ship. You can make about 5 to 8 mil an hour, so after an hour you can get out of there. Go and get a T6 so you can make your fortune mining platinum or doing sight-seeing missions from Robigo. Alternatively get your Sidewinder down to Ngalinn and do the pirate massacre missions in the low resource extraction site in Mainani, working up to a Vulture as soon as you can. You will eventually be making a billion a day doing that, like me, so you can get your fleet carrier and all the ships you'll ever need.

Robigo missions get rank for a Corvette plus the Sol permit, and Ngalinn gets you rank for your Cutter. All three get you loads of materials towards your engineering.
Fair go, but maybe not everyone wants to be a combat pilot. I have been playing for several very enjoyable, real time, years trading, mission running with a bit of exploring thrown in. Ain't fast, ain't fancy but I like it & trading is what I joined Elite to do, in 1984.
 
Just an update on my learning progress. I purchased a Cobra Mk III, went to High Res Extraction in Dromi and got blown up in a dogfight very quickly. Maybe I'm not cut out for combat. Maybe I shot at the wrong ships. Dunno. I'm still playing Solo mode while I learn. Is that a mistake?
 
Just an update on my learning progress. I purchased a Cobra Mk III, went to High Res Extraction in Dromi and got blown up in a dogfight very quickly. Maybe I'm not cut out for combat. Maybe I shot at the wrong ships. Dunno. I'm still playing Solo mode while I learn. Is that a mistake?
There are several grades of Res Extraction Site - Low, Medium, High, Hazardous. The High Res Extraction site is one grade below the highest with tough opponents in it. I don't think I would last long in an "un-engineered" Corbra MKIII in a High Res Extraction site.
It would be a challenge in an engineered Cobra MKIII. When I say "engineered", I'm talking about a side of the game that is best kept for a bit later on when you know the game better, have credits for better ships that are then worth investing engineering materials in customising. There are engineers in the game that require you to have met certain goals like, be a certain combat or exploration rank, have mined at least 500t of minerals, traded with at least 50 markets, travelled at least 5000ly into deep space away from your start location in Matet. These engineers can improve the ability of any ship making it faster, more agile, have stronger shields, armour, weapons and so on. Some opponents in a High Res Extraction site might be flying engineered ships themselves.
Don't get discouraged. Survive at least half an hour in a Low Res Extraction site, then try a Medium Res Extraction site. The Cobra MKIII is about the best small multi-purpose ship you can get that is quite capable in combat, but it is a small a relatively fragile ship in the end. The enemies that may attack you on missions will be at a level of difficulty that matches your current combat rank. For those opponents the Cobra MKIII will do well unless you take a mission that is well above your combat rank.
To try and put it into perspective, the big engineered ship I use for combat has 31 (thirty one) times the shield strength that your Corba is likely to have. It doesn't mean combat using my ship is any more fun than what you can do with a Cobra against suitably ranked opponents. The thing in this game, is nothing stops you trying to fight opponents that will out class you in ship capability, but you are not forced to either.
For the record, I still use a Cobra sometimes as small ships are best for certain activities.

EDIT: as suggested above, the stock Cobra is quite limited and can be made much better by buying better modules when you can. As an example, try to get 4A thrusters for more speed and agility. You will probably need a better power plant than 4E. Go for 4A when possible. The Cobra is where you get to learn about outfitting a ship. Did you buy weapons for the two medium hardpoints? I think you only get two small pulse lasers as standard.
Here is a combat capable Cobra with some cargo space build to aim for that needs about 11.5 million credits.
A grade modules are usually best and much more expensive, D grade the lightest weight. There is a mix of mostly A and some D grade modules here. You start with E grade.
Use Coriolis website to help you work out if whatever power plant you can afford has enough power for the modules fitted. You might need to use a smaller shield or lower grade thrusters until you can afford a 4A power plant for example. You might need to use a 4C or 4B power plant until you can afford the 4A. A 4B fuel scoop is far cheaper than a 4A and almost as good.
I think you will find this a fun and educational video right about now, as it does talk a bit about the stock Cobra vs the version you can have with the best modules.
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jNIVw8xVnM
 
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I played light at first periodically repeating the pilot assessment etc. Hey to each their own. I am very autodidact learning style. Anyway I got a ton of learning value running loser missions in the loser systems myself. And I get nostalgiac when I hear of those stars such as Dromi. Don't know why it was empty, but I hope that your Mawson Dock mission board blossoms full of juicy retrieve the bootleg liquor missions! Personally I guess I did not even know there was landing, when I was in the pilot system, because I didn't know to select Horizons! :) AntiAntiWelcome!
-- Established loser circa February-April 3307 and for life!
 
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Just a couple more things that you won't be searching as you begin playing, but that are worth being known (in my opinion at least) from your day 1.

* Elite starts with an evening of setting up your bindings, probably you've skept part of them and only focused on ship's related bindings for now, which is fine. There's one more step to it though, back em up, you don't want to set em all again. That folder contains the bindings file and a number of other things, whole folder is worth back up time to time.
C:\Users\Username\AppData\Local\Frontier Developments
On that topic also, Elite is saving most of your pilot life events in journals (the fact that you've done a mission, or purchased a ship for example). You can just see them with notepad, or later maybe you'll be running a log parser tool if you'll want to see them in a better way. Back em up too sometimes.
C:\Users\Username\Saved Games\Frontier Developments
Those things are only saved locally on your machine. Your pilot's progress is on servers. I. e. if you want to play from another computer, those folders are to be taken with you.

* Don't hurry. New player progress is very fast to compare with older times. Even with a non-optimal way you'll find yourself progressing fast. Let yourself discover things instead and only search for info if you're completely lost. Reading a guide and doing things in an effective may very well lead you to buying second account to experience newer player challenges, part of them will be entirely gone also, as you'll know how to do the stuff.

* Don't sell ships. You'll likely need (or at least will want to have at hand) all of them in the future, and that way you'll keep that your one first unique cobra with you; find a home station that you like and keep everything there. At some point you'll get a carrier and it'll be your home station since then, housing your fleet.

* Specialize. A ship for an activity. Doing combat? So no, you don't need multiple cargo racks, even one would be doubtful. Fit stuff for combat, like hull reinforcements and shield boosters. Later on you'll get more xp with different ships and will know what to do to reach the balance you want for a specific range of tasks.

* Don't grind. Overall if you find yourself doing a thing that doesn't seem to be fun, just don't do it, yeah, it'll be fine without it, no, it's not a must like it's written on internet. Or do it but only when you feel you want to. Otherwise it'll get boring, then burn out, then tears on forum, then at some point a recovery is possible sometimes too.

All that in my opinion again. I insist on 1st point though, that's good for everyone.
 
Just an update on my learning progress. I purchased a Cobra Mk III, went to High Res Extraction in Dromi and got blown up in a dogfight very quickly. Maybe I'm not cut out for combat. Maybe I shot at the wrong ships. Dunno. I'm still playing Solo mode while I learn. Is that a mistake?

The point you might have missed is that you should just follow the cops and then shoot the ships they are shooting at when those are weakened and so collect the bounty when they blow up. The cops don't mind (as long as you don't shoot them).

BTW - @d8veh likes to use the "loser" tag (in jest) when people are not doing his "follow the cops in a res to earn money" tip. I disagree, doing stuff in the newcomer's district gets people used to their controls and features of the game. Just treating Elite as a space-shooter seems to me to miss a lot of the point.

EDIT: Saying the above, I should also point out that in my opinion doing the combat zone stuff in Orna is not really advisable - players' ships are really weak in the starter zone and the combat zone enemies are (in my opinion) too strong for the player's limitations. So I always advise to avoid doing those, they are an order of magnitude (or more) harder than the "kill pirates" missions you get elsewhere.
 
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Thank you all for these insights you are providing. I finally had a successful session bounty hunting at the low RES in Dromi. It is indeed a faster way of earning CR than missions but I've learned a great deal from the missions I have done. So this leads me to still more questions:

1. I haven't done any mining missions and have seen recommendations elsewhere to NOT get involved in mining this early in the game. Is this accurate?

2. I have not updated any modules on my shiny new Cobra Mrk III. What do you recommend? (I reread @CMDRQuainMarln recent post and realized he already gave advice on this matter.)

3. When do you recommend I abandon Solo mode and expose my fortunes to Open Play?

4. When do you recommend I abandon the Pilot's Federation training area for the "real galaxy?"

5. When and how do you recommend I get involved with multiplayer stuff, like squadrons, etc.?

@CMDRQuainMarln, I really enjoyed the Cobra video!
 
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