Engineers Medium Security Settlement List and Guide for Modified Embedded Firmware

[Devari]

Kokary - 3 - Sawyer Beacon

Forget this one, cut into the side of a mountain combined with 1.95g made this completely impossible to get inside, ended up self destructing the srv to get away from it.

I've kept this one on the list mostly for historical reasons, as it was added before we knew the what the actual timeline was on the base resets. I wasn't sure how many options we had at that time and wanted to get every possible source of MEF for the upgrades. At this point with the large spreadsheet list of bases available and with the consistent data point resets happening every two weeks there's isn't any need try the base at Sawyer Beacon (and I haven't been back to it since the first time I completed it).

The main reason I've kept it on the list is that it is actually possible to complete it and doing so will help challenge your SRV driving skills. For example when I did this base run I found out that the SRV actually has more traction driving backwards than forwards and this helped deal with the steep mountain walls and high gravity when reaching the base. I found that there were some areas that couldn't be accessed by driving forwards but by driving backwards along the slope at a slight upward angle I could gradually make it up the slope in stages (although the overall process was quite slow and took me around an hour or so). I also had to use a different method to reach the roof due to the high gravity that involved boosting onto the sloped wall while driving backwards, again due to the increased traction compared to driving forwards. You don't need to do any of these things to get MEF any longer but Sawyer Beacon is still a nice test of your driving skills in terms of a base that is probably the absolute limit of what's achievable with the SRV. I've also found that what I learned from doing Sawyer Beacon has been helpful in general with SRV driving, for example I've found that using reverse traction has occasionally been useful when trying to reach other types of steeply sloped or high gravity terrain (i.e., trying to reach a metallic meteorite on a steep slope).

 

[wash washburne]

I get how to do the data scans and I've been fortunate (once) with MEF x3. However, I keep reading about Data Core Scans being worth 400k or more. Whenever I scan them I never get more than 4 or 4k (most, I think, 14k). Has it been nerfed or am I doing something wrong?

Thanks for all this hard work, Cmdrs

 

[irongut]

I get how to do the data scans and I've been fortunate (once) with MEF x3. However, I keep reading about Data Core Scans being worth 400k or more. Whenever I scan them I never get more than 4 or 4k (most, I think, 14k). Has it been nerfed or am I doing something wrong?

I think that's been nerfed. In 2.1 when I scanned them I was getting 500 - 750k every time but since 2.2 they've given very little. I haven't done a lot of base scans since 2.2 launched though so I may have just been unlucky.

 

[wash washburne]

Figured as much! Thanks for the reply... I always seem to jump on the bandwagon AFTER the nerf!

 

[CMDR Kantos Kan]

So the tip is no longer working?

 

[fossten]

I just did the Exploration base list. Got 4 MEF drops and 2 Cracked for a total of 12 and 6, respectively.

Hitting the Industrial next.

 

[Mystweaver]

I filtered by column V (CIF), removed threats 1-3 and sorted alphabetically. Added all the M3M Scientific locations to bookmarks and got going.

Did 7 last night with the following results (36 more bases to go... gonna do em all).

Cracked Industrial Firmware 3(42.8%)
Security Firmware Patch 2
Tagged Encryption Codes 4
Unusual Encrypted Files 6
Modified Embedded Firmware 2
Divergent Scan Data 2
Open Symmetric Keys 2
Classified Scan Databanks 2

 

[fossten]

Did 5 of the Industrial Bases so far this week. Got 9 Cracked and 12 MEF.

 

[Oasis81]

ok, how many time for the reset?

because if i come back to the settlement that i have scanned data point told me that i can't.

is there a reset time, right? because otherwise or FD improves the mission reward, or will be a problem.

 

[Mystweaver]

ok, how many time for the reset?

because if i come back to the settlement that i have scanned data point told me that i can't.

is there a reset time, right? because otherwise or FD improves the mission reward, or will be a problem.

More than one week, less than two... Not sure if anyone can be more specific?

 

[Devari]

More than one week, less than two... Not sure if anyone can be more specific?

From my experiences (mostly based on scans done prior to 2.1.05) the reset time is 2 weeks. This applies to whatever was scanned at the time, i.e., if you complete the data point scans and then scan the CDT a few days later, then each completed scan will take 2 weeks to reset, i.e., it's the individiual data points themselves and not the base overall that resets. When I did my original testing it looked like it was exactly two weeks for resets but given that they have dramatically nerfed the CDT data package rewards since then I wouldn't be surprized at all if the reset time changed too. It would be an effective way of doing a "silent" nerf to MEF rates if they increased the reset time without telling us although I don't have any particular reason to think they've done this given that the overall MEF rates have increased somewhat since 2.1.05 (mostly due to the 3X multiplier on data drops). At this point we have so many bases to try that reset time is not going to be a major limiting factor like it used to be when we just had the original list and I have been to at least a few bases since 2.1.05 which have seemed to reset within the 2 week window.

 

[jonesskill]

More than 10 runs, not a single Embedded.

They nerfed the drop rate?

 

[Devari]

More than 10 runs, not a single Embedded.

They nerfed the drop rate?

Based on the testing before and after 2.1.05 my experience has been that the overall drop rates remained the same prior to 2.1.05 (when I did most of my testing) and after the 2.1.05 patch. I've done around 50 base runs which have averaged out to a 42% chance of any given base dropping MEF, meaning you should expect that you will get 1 base to drop MEF for every 2-3 base runs. The drop rates from my testing are generally highest for exploration and extraction bases (50% average drop rate), average for industrial (42% drop rate) and lowest for scientific (25% drop rate). After the 2.1.05 patch the number of data units dropped per base in terms of the data point scan itself has gone down slightly, but now that each unit now counts as 3X MEF in your inventory the overall MEF yield per base has roughly doubled.

I haven't done any base runs since the 2.2.03 patch so it's possible they introduced some type of unannounced nerf to the drop rates in 2.2 but I think this is unlikely given that they heavily nerfed the overcharged mods directly with 2.2.03 and as a result I doubt they would feel any need to nerf the MEF drop rates. Essentially FD considered the overcharged mods were "too good" and they have been massively nerfed now to be statistically similar to the other weapon mods (something like a 25% or 35% overall drop in dps from the nerf). I think it's unlikely that they would feel any need to try to limit it further by nerfing the MEF drop rates as well (especially given that we saw an overall increase in MEF yields and a decreases in MEF requirements with 2.1.05).

I suspect that the issue you're experiencing is that you can very easily go through 6-8 bases without a single unit of MEF dropping, then it starts dropping again from the next 4-6 bases and the average results more than make up for this overall. In some cases this is because you're getting CSF instead of MEF as a grade 5 (very rare) drop, in other cases the bases are simply not dropping the high-grade data at all. Essentially you need to keep doing runs until you start seeing MEF start to drop again, then once that happens you should keep doing at least the next 4-6 bases and you will probably see a lot of MEF drop during that time.

I have no idea why the game has this type of behavior, but I suspect it is due to low-quality RNG programming that doesn't give a truly random distribution of results but rather relies on some type of iterative process instead that is not truly random. This has been a well-known behavior with the data point scans since as long as I've been doing the runs so it seems to be inherent to how FD has programmed their RNG. The only way to deal with it seems to be simply doing more scans so that the results average out, and possibly trying to increase your chances of MEF drops by focusing on exploration and extraction bases as they tend to give the best "yield" of MEF on average.

 

[CMDR Anuman Ra]

Firstly, I would like to thank Devari and Djadjok for their meticulous and fantastic contribution to the E community.

I'm no cartographer, but I would like to share some information which may help other CMDRs out there save time in the MEF grind. I organized all of the Exploration layout bases from Devari's original post into groups that are clustered together, so you can plan your route and save time. I feel Exploration bases are the fastest because they are easy to navigate in the SRV (plenty of wide, open spaces and ground level ramps to raised platforms), PLUS ALL of the Data Points can be scanned from the ground: even the first one which is located on a high raise roof. I did this loop in a 45ly range exploration Anaconda, and with this jump range, every system in each grouping was only 1-2 jumps away.

Group 1 (start here - Anarchy / Alliance space, near Alioth)
89 Leonis - 7D - Burgess Holdings
89 Leonis - 7D - Payne's Inheritance
LHS 2541 - A3 - Burnham Terminal

Group 2 (go here next - ALD Empire space, ~200 LY from Group 1)
Du Shas - A2 - Mouhot Plant
Auschauts - A4 - Dummer Plant
Luguls - 2 - Penrose Works

Group 2.5 (~75 LY from Group 2)
Murare - 1 - Boucher Holdings

Bases which are scattered away from the aforementioned groups (I usually skip these unless I am starving for MEF).
HIP 41844 - BC2 - Petaja Depot
Khwathis - A2 - Elvstrom Holdings
Altair - 1 - Galvani Depot

*****

Results from this loop: performed yesterday, February 5th, 2017:

Group 1, 2, and 2.5 plus Altair: 3 MEF drops (9 pieces total), 4 Cracked Industrial Firmware (CIF; 12 pieces total); and a variety of common/very common data.

Total time to complete: 1.5 hours with 45LY range Anaconda explorer.

Hope this helps everyone out there looking to upgrade their guns to G5!

 

[BarbusMaximus]

Question, the OP states that "At this point MEF can occasionally be obtained from mission rewards or from scanning the data points at High security +++ settlements, however, missions that offer MEF are quite rare and the High security bases are well defended and require an orbital assault with a heavily-armed ship."

Can these High Security data points be scanned from air in your ship? I'd rather do this than use the SRV on the ground.

 

[Devari]

I'm no cartographer, but I would like to share some information which may help other CMDRs out there save time in the MEF grind. I organized all of the Exploration layout bases from Devari's original post into groups that are clustered together, so you can plan your route and save time.

That's a helpful way of organizing the bases, when I need MEF now I usually just manually search for whatever base is closest but the next time I need to do another full run-through I'll try that method. I also prefer doing the Exploration bases before I move onto other types, both because they are quite straightforward to complete but also because they tend to give higher MEF yields than most of the other base types.

Total time to complete: 1.5 hours with 45LY range Anaconda explorer.

That's quite an impressive time, doing 8 bases in 90 minutes averages out to under 12 minutes per base which includes jumping, landing and completing the data point scans. I'm usually averaging around 15-20 minutes per base in my Asp or Diamondback which have around 36-38 ly jump ranges but I will see if my average time gets any faster using an efficient route like the one you suggested.

Question, the OP states that "At this point MEF can occasionally be obtained from mission rewards or from scanning the data points at High security +++ settlements, however, missions that offer MEF are quite rare and the High security bases are well defended and require an orbital assault with a heavily-armed ship."

Can these High Security data points be scanned from air in your ship? I'd rather do this than use the SRV on the ground.

Unfortunately no, the only way you can target data points or skimmers (or other ground-based objects) is from the SRV. Even if you could target the data points from your ship it still doesn't have a data point scanner equipped that would be needed to scan them. Apparently it used to be possible to target some ground objects (such as base generators and skimmers) from the ship but they changed it a while back so that you couldn't just sit in your ship and blow up skimmers or other ground targets because they intended the base missions to be done in the SRV instead. You can, however, still attack the base or any skimmers with direct-fire weapons or dumbfire missiles without actually targeting them. This can be a useful tactic to clear out a high security base before you drive in with the SRV, although it still requires a well-equipped ship and you often have to deal with a defence ship that happens to be docked at the landing pad as well and will help defend the base. There's also the issue of disabled base turrets or defence ships re-spawning which usually means you need to assault the base with another CMDR who can continually provide fire support from a ship while you drive in with the SRV. That's why I never bothered with the high sec bases, they're simply too much trouble to clear plus you get lots of bounties for attacking them. Instead you can just drive into the medium sec bases and do all the scanning you want without needing to shoot anything or get any bounties.

 

[bookmite]

Hi security ones can be a pain, even if no ships are there when you arrive . I've found It can vary, from system to system depending on the faction state of the owners of the base and your standing with them.

I also confirm that system defense forces will soon appear at high security bases. I tried one yesterday, it's above my skill level for sure , even after taking out the base defenses. The system defense forces soon appear once you breach their exclusion zone.

It would seem the only way is with SRV, park well outside the exclusion zone, and creep in, if you get your timing wrong you're dead very quickly. I'm doing them in a stock sidewinder in case I die.

It sometimes makes me wonder if it's worth it

 

[CMDR Anuman Ra]

Hi security ones can be a pain, even if no ships are there when you arrive . I've found It can vary, from system to system depending on the faction state of the owners of the base and your standing with them.

I also confirm that system defense forces will soon appear at high security bases. I tried one yesterday, it's above my skill level for sure , even after taking out the base defenses. The system defense forces soon appear once you breach their exclusion zone.

It would seem the only way is with SRV, park well outside the exclusion zone, and creep in, if you get your timing wrong you're dead very quickly. I'm doing them in a stock sidewinder in case I die.

It sometimes makes me wonder if it's worth it

I feel it is worth it, as long as you don't work against yourself and make your life harder. Stick to large size, MedSec settlements and park your ship 2.5km outside of the base. Drive your SRV inside from there and you won't aggro the base nor will any authority ships spawn to hunt you down. You can also dismiss your ship after landing your SRV as an extra precaution, but I usually don't bother to save time.

Refer back to Devari's original post for a list of bases that yield MEF but won't aggro, as long as you keep your ship 2.5-3km outside of their outer limits. Also, please take a look at my post (#636) for a very easy grouping of bases to hit that follow this security rule (no aggro outside of 2.5km ship distance), and are also conveniently bunched together, which will save you heaps of time and jumping.

 

[Deareim]

This method still working for me when I need MEF or CIF.

But just have an additional questions : Does it work for Modified Consumer Firmware ?

 

[BarbusMaximus]

I finally stopped whining about having to use an SRV to get MEFs, tried the SRV tutor guides, remapped my keys (drive assist off is THE key to making driving an SRV bearable) and landed outside Burgess Holdings. As people were stating above they can scan a station in <12 minutes, how hard could it be?! 2 hours later and with very little SRV Hull left I rage quit. How on earth are you lot navigating the huge stations and getting to all the data points before they reset?! Best I could manage was three, but most of my time was spent upside down like a stranded turtle, swearing. The station is huge and I struggle to find ways up on top of buildings where the data points are.

I tried using the pathway maps in the OPs post 1, these are helpful. But does anyone have a key for all the symbols used in those maps? I found it difficult to translate those maps to the reality on the ground. Also, when following the pathways, I frequently came across high buildings with the data points on top but no ramp up but the pathway seemed to indicate you go straight onto the roof? Tried boosting up but couldn’t work out how to propel my SRV forward in boost so I comically just sort of bounced up and down, losing hull integrity, unable to land on the roof of the building.

I realise that I’m a total noob at SRV driving, I’m using a keyboard and have been in other similarly challenging ED situations where the task seems impossible so I’m not giving up yet. But this is something else in terms of difficulty.

I found one youtube vid where the maker said he “wasn’t the best at SRV driving” then proceeded to glide effortlessly between building roofs like a flying squirrel, knowing exactly where to take off, land and where each data point was hidden.

Anyone link anything that could help a total SRV noob complete this? Videos, maps, how to find each data point on the ground, alternative sources of MEF. Do all the bases have 5 data points? 3 would be more achievable for me, it’s the timer that I’m finding impossible/infuriating. Currently I’d like to take off and nuke the site from orbit.